tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18516306774572922442024-03-05T18:53:44.173-08:00Katherine Hayton's Blog Or, what I do when I should be writing mystery novelsKatherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.comBlogger411125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-25814172765671738862018-08-10T14:13:00.001-07:002018-08-10T14:13:31.437-07:00It's a Mystery!: Featuring on Friday - Katherine Hayton<a href="http://gbmysteries.blogspot.com/2018/08/featuring-on-friday-katherine-hayton.html?spref=bl">It's a Mystery!: Featuring on Friday - Katherine Hayton</a>: I think I started reading Katherine Hayton's books through a read and review offering a few years ago. She writes a couple of different ...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-56461838925120717582018-08-07T14:52:00.001-07:002018-08-07T14:52:09.733-07:00Cozy Mystery Deals: Interview With Cozy Mystery Author Katherine Hayto...<a href="http://www.cozymysterydeals.com/2018/08/interview-with-cozy-mystery-author_7.html?spref=bl">Cozy Mystery Deals: Interview With Cozy Mystery Author Katherine Hayto...</a>: What got you interested writing Cozy Mystery books? I’ve always loved reading mysteries—it’s about ALL I read—but I grew a bit tired o...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-24766754056697260512017-10-15T21:09:00.000-07:002017-10-15T21:09:21.650-07:00Fading memories<font size="3.3">
I remember the first time that one of my parents wasn’t equipped to handle modern technology. The good old copy/paste was something that eluded poor old Dad and stayed forever out in that exorable wilderness that consisted of everything he would never know.
<p>It didn’t matter about writing down the instructions. For some reason, the part of his brain that would once have interpreted it and memorized the process within seconds was full up. No doubt the bulging wisdom contained therein had a lot of facts not useful after the fifties, sixties, or seventies. But brains are odd constructions and just because you’re not using something at the moment (or the past few decades) doesn’t mean you won’t need it again.
<p>I accept that this is a part of aging. Annoying as it was to explain the same process over and over, it was also filled with a bittersweet realization that I’d spent many years on the other side of that equation as I grew up and learned to deal with things in the world for the first time.
<p>It’s just something that happens as you grow older. Nothing to worry about.
<p>This morning, I turned on the oven that we’ve owned for well past ten years but not quite twenty. It’s a solid, dependable oven, just the thing you want when food needs heating up.
I went to check on said food twenty minutes later and discovered that the oven wasn’t actually turned on. I’d selected a temperature, sure, 180 degrees Celsius, which is a bit of a favorite. However, the oven doesn’t operate without being told what mode to perform in, and I’d forgotten to turn that dial to the requirement Thermowave setting.
<p>This is an easy thing to fix. I should know because I’ve been fixing precisely the same problem for the last at least ten but not quite twenty years. The part of my brain that is required to remember that the oven has TWO dials is obviously full up already with vital pieces of information like the name of the lead singer of A-ha or how to code the DOS string to produce an airline ticket on a dot-matrix printer issued by Air New Zealand.
<p>Before this oven, you see, I’d been used to operating one that had a temperature dial and if you wanted Thermowave you pressed in a button. Or maybe it was flicked a switch. Either way, if you forgot to do that, the result was still cooked food just not cooked quite as evenly or as quickly. Without a strict penalty in place for a blunder, my brain decided that it didn’t need to learn. And now I've left it so late that it can't.
<p>Not to worry. It’s just old age setting in. Just another sign that I’ll grow increasingly inept at coping with the fast-changing world we live in, and then die.
Excuse me while I go off to hyperventilate (and perhaps check on the oven again!)
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-60944255951955237222017-10-02T16:52:00.001-07:002017-10-02T16:52:44.593-07:00ThrillWriting: You Have to Earn the Win! An interview with Steve ...<a href="http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2017/10/you-have-to-earn-win-interview-with.html?spref=bl">ThrillWriting: You Have to Earn the Win! An interview with Steve ...</a>: ThrillWriting welcomes author Steve P. Vincent. Here are some things I think you should know about Steve, other than it's darned har...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-69938129971226253922017-09-04T16:42:00.001-07:002017-09-04T16:42:10.568-07:00ThrillWriting: Ready? Steady. Go! Getting Started on Your Novel ...<a href="http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2017/09/ready-steady-go-getting-started-on-your.html?spref=bl">ThrillWriting: Ready? Steady. Go! Getting Started on Your Novel ...</a>: 20 Stories of Murder and Mayhem 99 cents Thanks for hosting me at ThrillWriting. I’m excited to be part of the Murder and Ma...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-46181680971391594072017-08-26T18:20:00.001-07:002017-08-26T18:20:41.311-07:00Where do ideas come from?<font size="3.3">
Back in March 2017, I was sitting on a plane feeling my ankles swell up like itchy inner tubes and watching a repeat of The Leftovers on the tiny wee personal screen. Although I loved the opening credits and music to series one of the Leftovers, this was series two with the starred outlines of people who have disappeared shown in poses with the people left behind.
<p>While waiting impatiently for Justin Theroux to push Patty into a well, I started thinking about an outline for a short story I'd committed to writing for an anthology.
<p>Wouldn't it be great, I thought, if when people died the shadows of who they were stayed on earth, the same way the outlines of people showed in the opening credits. It wouldn't take long before you were bumping into ghost people everywhere!
<p>Yes, I did think that sounded like a cool idea. My ankles were VERY swollen.
<p>I kept tossing it over in my mind, wondering if when you walked through these shadows would you get a sense of the person that they once were, or would it just be like a cold patch in the corner of the room that everybody avoided?
<p>By the time I landed, I'd decided that the remnants wouldn't be visible, it would just be a packet of memories that would suddenly flood through a person's mind. Although most people would be distressed and avoid these "imprints" like the plague, others could make a living by channeling the memories. They could sort through them for details of wills or expose a killer for the police. Perhaps they could even be used to show a woman married to a man for four decades what he really thought of her.
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/2u4Mxyy">THE DARK IMPRINT</a> series made it's debut in the <a href="http://amzn.to/2u4Mxyy">CLOSE TO THE BONES</a> anthology. For an earlier peek at Bretta Ariel (the imprint channeler) you can also read my short story entry in the anthology <a href="http://amzn.to/2qhSRgz">SUMMER OF MAGIC</a> (and find out just what that woman's husband thought!).
<p>Best of all, the upcoming <a href="http://amzn.to/2uloR4B">MURDER AND MAYHEM</a> boxed set--along with 19 other mystery or thriller novels--features Bretta Ariel's first full-length novel debut in the chilling read <a href="http://amzn.to/2uloR4B">SHATTERED IMPRINTS</a>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2uloR4B" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKwLHpCKO3yKgFA5Tpa4GjUrGupUNAKT11SPZewLRTuYEnVi_k6rXrTDG_MGrjF0_x1B-yQ9404NGQORv933X013CKgfhQG9U8fvoIA6kjZcR8SeAQbfU3C1F_3qUEmcuBA7zpWLjO7A/s400/3D+Murder+and+Mayhem.jpg" width="400" height="311" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1244" /></a></div>
<p>For the time being this boxset can be yours for the special preorder price of only 99c. It releases on the 7th November, so can be packing your favorite ereader full of thrilling murdery goodness for the upcoming holiday season ahead.
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-27544719649242076042017-08-22T13:34:00.001-07:002017-08-22T13:34:32.295-07:00ThrillWriting: Prepping the Alleged Perp - Information for Writer...<a href="http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2015/11/prepping-alleged-perp-information-for.html?spref=bl">ThrillWriting: Prepping the Alleged Perp - Information for Writer...</a>: ThrillWriting welcomes Tina Glasneck. Tina's Web Site Fiona - Tina you've visited with us before talking about your job as a ...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-43279931706194021182017-08-20T12:49:00.001-07:002017-08-20T12:49:43.178-07:00Crime Watch: Upcoming new #yeahnoir: THE ONLY SECRET LEFT TO KE...<a href="http://kiwicrime.blogspot.com/2017/08/upcoming-new-yeahnoir-only-secret-left.html?spref=bl">Crime Watch: Upcoming new #yeahnoir: THE ONLY SECRET LEFT TO KE...</a>: THE ONLY SECRET LEFT TO KEEP by Katherine Hayton Blurb: Detective Ngaire Blakes is back on the case when a skeletonized murder victim ...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-58982561762038638052017-05-24T02:49:00.000-07:002017-05-24T02:49:21.178-07:00Making a friend<font size="3.3">Back in the old days when I smoked, I used to tear off the end of the cigarettes in order to get my full-scale nicotine hit faster. It was no use dragging in a breath when they were full-length – the smoke would dissipate to almost nothing by the time it reached my lips.
<p>Although I laboriously pointed out the perfectly acceptable explanation for me doing so every time I was asked, people around me (usually also smoking) still used to give me funny looks. Of course, I could have fallen into step and smoked the damn things whole, but I’m stubborn and I would also miss out on the enormous dizzy relaxation of the first puff after long hours of abstention. Mm. Those are the memories that almost get me lighting up again.
<p>One year, I decided to give up smoking and unlike every other time I’d made that decision, something tipped the balance. I’d noticed on hot days that breathing didn’t come as easily as it used to. Sometimes I’d draw in a deep breath and feel the same as I did when I exhaled.
<p>At the time, the government had just introduced foul pictures onto every packet of cigarettes and every sachet of rolling tobacco. You probably know the ones: diseased lungs, lumpen hearts, mouths teeming with cancer where teeth used to grow.
<p>It was all rather disgusting to look at but it didn’t scare me at all. As for dying of lung cancer, well. You gotta die of something, right?
<p>What finally tipped the balance for me was the realisation that I mightn’t die of those things at all. Instead, I might have to live alongside them, fostering a disease that sapped away the last of my pleasure but offered no respite in return.
<p>Dying of lung disease didn’t cut it. Spending my life living in and out of the respiratory ward of the hospital did.
<p>Anyhow, a few years after I quit cold turkey and tried not to look back, I stumbled into a colleague who snapped the ends of her cigarettes off before she smoked them. Every single time. When she saw me looking at them, stunned, she began to enlighten me as to the reason. A reason I recited along with her, almost word for word.
<p>Years too late for it to matter, I’d found a friend who understood one of my bizarre habits and had independently adopted it as their own. If I’d discovered her companionship earlier, I might have held out through a few more seasons of struggling breathing before finally giving in and giving up.
<p>I was reminded of this the other day, after my darling had ordered his dessert at a restaurant. I haven’t noticed it for years, but whenever he orders pudding he always stresses (sometimes more emphatically than might strictly be required) that his slice of chocolate brownie (or mousse, or ice-cream, or creme brulee) is to arrive in front of him HAVING NEVER TOUCHED ANY FRUIT, EVER!!! The menu might be foolish enough to wave the words berry and compote under his nose, but he’s not to be swayed by such depravity. My darling orders dessert for the cream and sugar rush, not for “nature’s candy.”
<p>As I said, I barely notice these exchanges anymore. Certainly, they don’t stand out as much as the ones where he orders a bottled beer and then waits until the hapless server is standing beside the table before mentioning that he’d like it in a glass.
<p>The habit, though, is one that has solely belonged to him and no one else. I might gather up my courage occasionally to say, “don’t worry about the salad.” More often, I’ll just poke it with a fork to make it look like I tried to eat the foliage that some madman tipped onto my plate. Other than that, I order what is on the menu and don’t quibble about the presentation or the contents. Some people have even been known to roll their eyes when my darling begins his anti-fruit tirade.
<p>But the other night, close to his birthday which makes it all seem more fitting, he ordered his usual dessert sans compote. A few minutes later, dessert delivered and mostly eaten, the woman sitting at the table beside us ordered her pudding exactly the same.
<p>Nothing red on my plate, you hear me. Nothing!
<p>If I hadn’t been sitting there, and her husband hadn’t been holding her hand, then it’s possibly my darling and this strange woman may have ridden off into the sunset. At least, until he ordered a bottle of beer.
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-6462235697099767012017-05-08T20:56:00.000-07:002017-05-08T21:02:46.049-07:00A plea to my body to do something fun.<font size="3.3">Today my left elbow started to send shooting pains up toward my wrist, followed shortly afterward by numbness and tingling. I shook it back to life, got back to work, then half an hour later it did the same thing again.
<p>This got me to thinking, partly because I've got a word count to reach today, so obviously I follow up any possible excuse for procrastination, but also because it seems there was a tipping point back in my early thirties when my body turned on me.
<p>I'm not saying that up until that point, everything was plain sailing. There were headaches, hangovers, shortsightedness, along with a myriad of colds.
<p>But they were insults to my general health that were short-lived. Wait a few days or a week and I'd be back to normal (well, apart from my eyesight). Nowadays, every time I get even the smallest twinge, it's an indicator of chronic pain.
<p>There's nothing overtly bad or wrong, and I'm well aware there are screeds of people with horrible things going on who would be envious of my situation, but all these little aches and pains do wear away at my ease of living. And, when all's said and done, that's my prime objective in life. Ease. Comfort. Maybe a brilliantly angry outburst followed by a peaceful spell of happiness. A nice ray of sunshine that I can bask in for a minute before I close the curtain because it's shining right on my computer screen.
<p>My body, which used to do all sorts of marvelous things, has become an impediment rather than an asset. I don't intend to relinquish it any time soon, trust me on that, but wouldn't it be nice to wake up one morning and actually have something feel better?
<p>I seem to recall a time in Intermediate School where my body spent an entire year growing breasts.
<p>THAT WAS AWESOME.
<p>So, I don't think it's too much to ask. Body, would you please do something fun again, like that?
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-7158883329281707352017-04-26T03:36:00.000-07:002017-04-26T03:36:33.372-07:00Treadmill of Death<font size="3.3">
For the last few months, I’ve been writing like a demon as part of the Phoenix Prime group to put together a body of work to pummel PhD students into submission with. In many ways this is working, in sheer volume if not in sales volume, but it’s meant that for a very long time my arse has been in contact with my couch.
<p>Back when I had a day job (oh, regular paycheque, I miss you so) I may not have been the fittest member of the office but I did have to walk farther to my work than five metres down the hall. During the day, the copious volume of things I printed didn’t collect themselves off the printer. No. Sometimes I had to yell at a colleague to go and fetch them and other times I’d get up off my chair and walk.
<p>Lunch was a flight of stairs away, as were any Coke refills. Coffee was kept in the kitchenette and on occasion I’d even sacrifice my comfort to the exercise gods and walk all the way home.
<p>During a standard day, I could expect to take anywhere between 3000 to 13000 steps. Leaning toward the former but I’m sure if I dug deep into my Samsung Gear Fit 2’s memory there’d be a few days of excess here and there.
<p>Now, having a shower is the most exercise I get, apart from Thursday, when I wheel bins down to the gate, and Fridays, when I wheel them back again. Even hanging the washing out doesn’t take long and the extra ten metres out to the washing line probably isn’t going to strip any creamy yellow fat off the layers gathering around my heart.
<p>Last night, as I was falling asleep in bed, I suddenly made a resolution. No more! I was going to get fit. I was going to *gasp* USE THE TREADMILL.
<p>Before you start worrying that I’ve lost my mind, I’d like to reassure you that in no way did I intend to become a gym bunny. Not even a home gym bunny. I was, however, going to science myself into a slightly better state of wellbeing than I’ve so far enjoyed this year.
<p>My memory ruthlessly cuts anything that it considers extraneous information these days. Things like current events, the times of my next meeting, or the names of friends and relatives. Snip. Gone.
<p>It does still have a vested instinct for self-preservation, though, so it helpfully retained a vague outline of an exercise plan put forth by Michael Mosley in which a person only needs to exercise for three minutes or so a week to improve their health profile.
<p>I have three minutes. I am the perfect subject.
<p>I dusted off my treadmill, after also removing the various books, items of clothing, and aluminium bars (???) that had found their way on top of it. Once revealed, it looked in pretty good nick. Possibly because I take good care of my things. More probably because I’ve hardly ever turned it on.
<p>Although it gave a little bit of a groan to start with, it soon got back into the routine. The routine consists of me standing on it, frowning at the instructions and pushing randomly at buttons until something starts to move.
<p>Now, this three minutes of exercise per week isn’t just a random, freestyle, do it until it hurts type of deal. It’s science, people. I had to time things. And set things up. After a warmup of just a minute, I had to put my treadmill on the steepest incline and crank it up to the highest speed.
<p>In theory, 20 seconds x 3 sessions = 1 minute. Perform that activity three times a week and you’re golden for only three minutes of lost time. In practice there’s more to it. The fine print, if you will. I had to warm up for 60 seconds, wait for another 5 for my treadmill to actually incline and speed up and then…
<p>Well.
<p>The first 20 second session was all a bit of a blur. For a start, time ceases to mean anything when you’re exercising. Like the TARDIS, it’s longer on the inside. I guess I made it through and out the other side, though. Certainly, the room came back into focus and I remembered how to breathe.
<p>In the second session, I had no trouble remembering to breathe. Gasping for breath actually seemed to occupy me even more than the moving of my legs. I possibly should have called a halt to the whole endeavour then, but I’m not a quitter.
<p>Or, I’m not a quitter ANYMORE, I should say.
<p>Last time for the ramp up and I struggled through the next twenty seconds like I’d struggled through the last six months of high school. Desperate, unhappy, and grateful that it wouldn’t need to be repeated.
<p>It’s hard to explain the satisfaction that comes after a good, thorough, one minute exercise session. It’s especially hard when you’re choking for breath in between coughing bouts and swallowing tall glasses of cold water to quench the fire burning in your lungs.
<p>The good news is that, twelve hours later, I’ve mostly stopped coughing. The bad news? My second run through the torture chamber is only 36 hours away.
<p>If nobody hears from me, please tell my darling to check for my corpse in the front room. </font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-63789193709290380862017-04-18T01:54:00.001-07:002017-04-18T01:54:03.041-07:00Crime Watch: Murder in the Library - Christchurch - 30 May 2017...<a href="http://kiwicrime.blogspot.com/2017/04/murder-in-library-christchurch-30-may.html?spref=bl">Crime Watch: Murder in the Library - Christchurch - 30 May 2017...</a>: The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with the New Zealand Book Council and Christchurch City Libraries, invite bo...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-57285717965840369292017-04-05T14:36:00.001-07:002017-04-05T14:36:21.609-07:00Literary Flits: Skeletal by Lee (Katherine) Hayton<a href="http://litflits.blogspot.com/2017/04/skeletal-by-lee-katherine-hayton.html?spref=bl">Literary Flits: Skeletal by Lee (Katherine) Hayton</a>: Skeletal by Lee (Katherine) Hayton Self published in January 2015. Where to buy this book: Buy from independent booksell...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-62808114853044583852017-04-03T23:54:00.001-07:002017-04-03T23:54:05.950-07:00T S Paul: Even More Phoenix Prime!<a href="http://tspaul.blogspot.com/2017/04/even-more-phoenix-prime.html?spref=bl">T S Paul: Even More Phoenix Prime!</a>: Great response for the Authors of Phoenix Prime. Here are even more of their work. Some romance, mystery, and Science Fiction all mixed...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-90590263625839388032017-04-02T14:07:00.001-07:002017-04-02T14:07:33.531-07:00T S Paul: Just what is Phoenix Prime?<a href="http://tspaul.blogspot.com/2017/04/just-what-is-phoenix-prime.html?spref=bl">T S Paul: Just what is Phoenix Prime?</a>: Phoenix Prime started out as a spin off class from the 20books to 50k Facebook group. It was a way for some authors to learn to write bet...Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-34122482189759953282017-02-28T00:56:00.000-08:002017-02-28T00:56:32.085-08:00Send help... maybe<font size="3.3">
A year or two ago, I set up a personal safety alert on my phone that I could activate when I was in trouble. It would send a picture from my front and rear cameras, my location coordinates and a recording link where the phone would record for a few minutes after I pressed the help key combination. All of this would be parceled up and sent to my darling’s phone.
<p>I’m aware that since he never checks his text messages, or even knows how, that the plaintive cry for help would go unanswered. Whatever fate was befalling me would continue to do so without intervention. But still. When the police pulled my dismembered and horrifically abused body from whichever water course it had been weighted down in, THEY would get around to checking my incoming and outgoing phone messages and wah-lah! My killer may or may not be caught.
<p>All of this magic was also dependent on me remembering the “special combination” required to trigger the emergency warnings in the first place. A remote hope indeed for someone who gets distracted walking into the kitchen for… well… whatever reason I walked into the kitchen for.
<p>To tell the truth, I’d forgotten that this special system had even been set up on my phone. There’s still a faint hope that in the grip of a madman, I’d fumble my phone out of my pocket, remember this was set up AND remember the combination to activate it, but that hope is spinning-head and vertigo faint.
<p>Tonight, I activated it.
<p>Before you express any concern (and to prompt you that this would be the place to do that if you’re having trouble getting in touch with your emotions) I’m fine. I’m still confused as to what the key combination is, but nothing happened to warrant the call out for help at all.
<p>I did, however, discover a fatal flaw in my plan.
<p>When setting up said message, the phone asked me for an emergency contact to call. Of course, my darling topped the list, but highly sensitive to his special needs in relation to txt and pxt messaging, I helpfully set the call up to go straight to our home phone. Yes, that’s right. The landline. Just about the only thing in our house that plugs into a wall but ISN’T capable of receiving a message.
<p>It goes without saying, I’ve now disabled the whole thing. The criminal element has triumphed yet again.
<p>If you’d like to read a free short story that leads into a longer novel where the criminal underbelly may or may not triumph, then please click on the cover below to download my new short-short, Dead as a Dodo.
<p><a href="https://instafreebie.com/free/SnNiv" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dZL952BPLCWLcFNgbpBlAvd2QU01nUHMXcqgFhkm_yfeOKv6cW2jpt0ljrrV5Lh4ZWfHAQOaC6voqk0PLptE_ue_O6Vv77jdi68USVhQbI0dSeh0pOhZkjbh1O5Hmq9TCBZWr9izk4o/s320/Dead+as+a+Dodo.jpg" width="213" height="320" /></a>
<p>This is the first outing in my new Birdman Series and is short, sharp, and succinct, just like a drive-by shooting.
<p>The first novel will follow along shortly, so in the meantime here’s a pretty cover:
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/2m1rgRf" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOvVUANDWUrcvqkjJ85bgqxSsqMr_x4nL0zlYEn3lsl0WvcooQNVOsv4tfYZ40DCqi-mI0JocCFim7vCmSwGs2txBgNTKvdGLSTIOP6RU5M0ZDfVN7Ba755Hs0K6yHprd_erwYVQsoaI/s320/Eating-Crow-Web-Medium-1.jpg" width="213" height="320" /></a>
<p>(and if you’re still having trouble getting in touch with your emotions, here’s the bit where you go oooh and aaaah!)
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-10342308744021816482017-02-20T18:07:00.002-08:002017-02-20T18:07:33.004-08:00You don’t know me…<font size="3.3">
This afternoon I was sitting at my laptop, writing my little heart out, when Amazon sent me an email. Pleased of the distraction, I eagerly opened to find that they thought I would be interested in the latest releases in Sports and Outdoors.
<p>Yes, you read that right. Sports and Outdoors.
<p>Now, I’m not judging if that’s the kind of thing you like (oh, yes I am, I am so judging, can’t you feel me judging from here) but I didn’t even know there was such a section on Amazon. Let alone that it contained such esteemed titles as the Baseball Prospectus 2017 that I’m now obviously dying to read. I didn’t know this because I’VE NEVER CLICKED ON SPORTS IN… MY… LIFE…!!!
<p>Amazon is meant to know what I like based on past purchases. Using this data, it should then send me emails making recommendations of things I might like to try. Secret algorithms and computer database magic govern the process, or so I’ve been led to believe.
<p>What they’re not meant to do, is send me recommendations for Spanish-language novels when the only books I’ve ever purchased are in English (and, let’s face it, I sometimes struggle with that). They’re not meant to send me recommendations for Book IV in a series when I’ve never so much as dreamed of thinking of clicking on Book I. And they’re definitely, positively, not meant to send me recommendations for titles listed under the Sports and Outdoors section.
<p>I’m fairly certain that where I live, there isn’t even an outdoors to begin with. If it’s on the other side of the window, it’s make-believe.
<p>So Amazon, it hurts me to say this after we’ve spent so much time together, but it appears we’ve grown apart.
<a href="https://youtu.be/K9_dn1Rm9Do" target="_blank" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MdJ3TPAR0Z_Prm8zgYBkL-mDKo62-fpCGioEv5_7XwgU3KwsIL2hGsdfILpeb1gBZ06LeOtYK7kbHgjYUmMA7tWLZp21O1i1dECk3nEiiE6NcrZ_O1he4xVSiJor2vmzGN5lqaTO0do/s320/You+tube.PNG" width="320" height="181" /></a>
<p>As an aside, in another real way, Amazon doesn’t know me any longer. This is because I’ve changed the name I publish under from Katherine Hayton to Lee Hayton. This was meant to be a name change to define books I was publishing in another genre, but I’ve discovered the joys of having a shorter name on a book cover so I’m not going back. If you want to stay abreast of any new releases, feel free to follow me on Amazon under the new pen name:
<h2><a href="https://www.amazon.com/author/leehayton">https://www.amazon.com/author/leehayton</a></h2>
<p>You’ll find the below joys** already waiting for you there 🙂
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/2lgizPu" target="_blank" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl8VR8TuZDG4umoirnWRhogw8loSUn6v33SgdXMeWb2g7qEuVv7zdzkbQcdyd525XNhx4fvjY2Ht2cAjFRVUBYjOOOciBwOKNTX9c6-oM-KewV8DGL0RgSM4TlP90k_0byY5MlroT3bU/s200/WereEagles+Fear+to+Tread+Co+Branded+Jutoh.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2g9EWsk" target="_blank" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-5CYOdKQIpddbv3WL-qg1y2Pmeub3wT5wmTpgoYbtdorS09vFRqwp9gZIMQPzVNk1cv6NNyRJu7abaC1MD_xUdn_QXLNs1JCmNq1G5mIHetoFmiSrzuVq9Xrt0EuP_8xXNz6b7c-tZ4/s200/gunpp.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2l2oZ84" target="_blank" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JVkV2GOhL2oFtLgGQsQXjCn2l7gkNq0ff7xp_APW2RMvEpHswaY6WymBap1uw4yGizjGiDHJmumHbAkXUxvx3lwcNQlNiwyo_5xBHSOyyavNsO-92wCxWyZBqx7qES71myw1wUO3Lk8/s200/11+Rebels+and+Runes+flat+cover.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2kHqF3Y" target="_blank" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rdtgI2_BApVLxmjmPv1gnGZcl-bU3p_RzAheILRC8brQe7O04GWMcQ881eW2FqFaC_mIJXpIiE2gF4zWh85NyT09DIM3DrFc2QalOaSP34UvWvLFzZZ4S3SfNDvL0a7sn0Z51WP69-k/s200/16650715_384475831945159_1640421454_o.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2kGrYm5" target="_blank" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQh2QpTI0DG8_KFy4m7O9y__g6EVmWF_LNt95InnMfTS-maaCPvCukZWU5RINjirkiwyoEGfpKJbvGsR-JWcbQtRJFieRzttp2d2tQYCnOPYHhPI_euIeglsp_1JLtC8v9N5DuClbRh2Q/s200/cupids+bow.jpg" width="133" /></a>
<p>**Joy not guaranteed
</font>
Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-8711236531899990322017-01-14T13:56:00.000-08:002017-01-14T13:56:06.931-08:00At a new angle<font size="3.3">The clothesline broke last week. I was mid hanging-out-all-the-washing and turned it past a spoke, then hung up my brown skirt. The whole thing lurched to one side. I’m quite sure it wasn’t the weight of my skirt. Even with the unnecessary detail of beads on the end of the draw-string, because Ezibuy want you to know I’m a GIRL (in case the skirt wasn’t enough), the whole thing probably still weighs about the same as a hand-towel.
<p>When I say broken, it’s not unusable. As long as I don’t mind the hideous angle of the clothes, and hang up only short garments, it’s perfectly fine. Sure, I’m scared to hang out the bath towels, but when has that not been an issue?
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWKJWSYHgy3WQSCkTzZapEgzAWP9wRGHdIS9_lCMcm41kkBlOVAaz7yZQFnNCRpG-ztKEwdnQ6cMQ3XDUQd0b6qPJQth9u-UzQ6BKEpnNEIlUbUkongV_dKlYE1bwy3mQxNR-EUYKpvU/s1600/20161106_122251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWKJWSYHgy3WQSCkTzZapEgzAWP9wRGHdIS9_lCMcm41kkBlOVAaz7yZQFnNCRpG-ztKEwdnQ6cMQ3XDUQd0b6qPJQth9u-UzQ6BKEpnNEIlUbUkongV_dKlYE1bwy3mQxNR-EUYKpvU/s320/20161106_122251.jpg" width="320" height="180" /></a></div>
<p>So, just about usable. For some things. Completely beyond repair, though.
<p>The lovely invention of Hill may contain many benefits, but anchoring a metal structure into a concrete one at the end of your back yard path doesn’t offer many opportunities to fix things up with number eight wire. Usually, we’d just go out and buy a replacement, but in this case we’d also have to dig up a wedge of concrete and then pour some replacement concrete. Somehow. While holding the clothesline upright, in place.
<p>Yeah, we’re not that handy.
<p>I pointed out that since we can hang lightweight garments on it, we could continue indefinitely with the agreement that we don’t wash the towels or the sheets. Hey, it’s probably time we bought new ones. Each week, if need be. That’s easier all round, isn’t it? Who likes the slap of a wet towel in the face on a windy day when they’re hanging out washing?
<p>Yeah, okay. In summer it’s quite refreshing. Guess we’ll just leave it be.
<p>[Edit: I spoke too soon. New clothesline required.]
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3egbdC6PhHKns2dHLucAa9B8Kwio42NsVepVwRIZg-CG4g-8b3AyknZF8l-ehULr5DXCeMOiZZT2zvNqZWPcShFgvQeJdtEWZcIOggH6BwFRowiRnzViuTDPKJwLt-6znqAM4vOkyDP4/s1600/20161106_195241%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3egbdC6PhHKns2dHLucAa9B8Kwio42NsVepVwRIZg-CG4g-8b3AyknZF8l-ehULr5DXCeMOiZZT2zvNqZWPcShFgvQeJdtEWZcIOggH6BwFRowiRnzViuTDPKJwLt-6znqAM4vOkyDP4/s320/20161106_195241%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" height="180" /></a></div>
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-52569750445329244932016-11-30T19:42:00.000-08:002016-11-30T19:42:00.938-08:00Meet Mike Miracle<font size="3.3">Today on the blog, I’d like to introduce you to Mike Miracle. Lucky husband, fortunate father of two great kids and the caretaker of many different monsters.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf4n-Q9z4fluhP5C3FyBKL4480mcwX-bZC8DQznAL7KG1ndvPdy97j0TvJ4J5pHyI40d-_P9VAVm6AFcvkHWVK5Eht9ZIsZN0UA8HsS5P3OTIgE1P9KxPMxPUu1l73JffKXqKOLafwrM/s1600/58117512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf4n-Q9z4fluhP5C3FyBKL4480mcwX-bZC8DQznAL7KG1ndvPdy97j0TvJ4J5pHyI40d-_P9VAVm6AFcvkHWVK5Eht9ZIsZN0UA8HsS5P3OTIgE1P9KxPMxPUu1l73JffKXqKOLafwrM/s320/58117512.jpg" width="320" height="181" /></a></div>
<p>Originally from the east coast, Mike and his family now reside on a farm in the Midwest. Mike was able to use his programming skills to start his own small business from home, where every day is casual Friday. Mike has always searched for ways to express creativity and imagination. Through music, art and now the printed word. Mike’s childhood love of science fiction has never been stronger. There are plenty of crime dramas in the office library, but science fiction still dominates.
<p>Mike wanted to create a plausible dimension outside of anything anyone has read before. To grab the reader by the hand and walk them through the bright light and show them what happens in the realm known as The Next.
<p><b>So, first up. I guess Mike Miracle is a pen name?</b>
<p>I get asked that all the time. Is that a stage name? But Mike Miracle is my real name.
<p><b>When did you first discover your passion for writing?</b>
<p>I think everyone has a story to tell. I used to do mine back in the day through music. Several garage bands, I’d write original songs that were just mini stories. Mostly about painful stuff. I think most music came from something bad that happened. But writing this book was not like that at all. It was exciting and difficult and stressful all at the same time. It was like letting a creative monster loose on the world.
<p>W<b>hat genre are your books?</b>
<p>It’s Sci Fi in the middle with drama/thriller wrapped around it like a chalupa. Maybe a little Sci Fi comes out in the end? That’s a strange analogy, but entirely accurate.
<p><b>What draws you to this genre?</b>
<p>The ability to create. There also have to be some checks and balances of what you write. But it’s also good to leave somethings up to the imagination of the reader.
<p><b>Have you ever considered writing stories for other genres?</b>
<p>Yes. Young adult. My 13 year old son is a voracious reader, and I’ve tried to encourage him to write a little bit. So we’ve collaborated a little bit on a story featuring a former US President as a stand-up comedian. It might go nowhere, but I enjoy him laughing at the nonsense I come up with.
<p><b>What is the best part about being a writer?</b>
<p>The ability to be creative. To come up with an idea and let it run.
<p><b>And what is the worst?</b>
<p>Keeping your day job. I’d rather just write, but the lights must be kept on. Writing usually gets put on hold until after work, late in the evening after everyone else is in bed.
<p><b>Do you have a favorite author?</b>
<p>That’s tough. If you forced me I’d have to say my favorite is Michael Connelly. I also look forward to Jim Butcher and Lisa Gardner. There are probably 10 authors I could put into a hat and the one I drew out would be just fine as my favorite.
<p><b>Tell us about the book you’re currently working on?</b>
<p>One character lies in wait to seek revenge for his wife’s accidental death. I have a book trailer at the top of my twitter feed @_mikemiracle or you can see it via youtube - <a href="https://youtu.be/AvYfuGuHIyA">https://youtu.be/AvYfuGuHIyA </a>
<p>The Sci Fi part is an alternate version of the afterlife called The Next. Where the newly arrived clients find out that they have a choice of what happens to them. They can move on, go back to their previous life or let chance decide.
<p>I’m working on getting my first book out of the hands of the publisher so it can get into the hands of readers. But I’m also writing the second book in the series The Next. I don’t really know how many books there will be, I guess until the story plays itself out like so many others.
<p><b>Do you dislike any of your character(s)?</b>
<p>Out of the six or so earthly characters, I’d say there’s only one that’s a decent person. The others all have their issues that would make me not like them.
<p><b>And last of all, where can readers go to learn more about you and your work?</b>
<p><a href="https://mikemiraclebooks.com/">Website</a>, <a href="https://mikemiraclebooks.com/blog/">Blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mikemiracleauthor/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/_mikemiracle">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/58117512-mike-miracle">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mikemiracleauthor/">Instagram</a>!
<p>Thanks very much for joining us today, Mike. I hope you pop back when your book is available and we’ll keep our eyes peeled 🙂</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-35647559569895637082016-10-12T11:49:00.000-07:002016-10-12T11:49:31.263-07:00Nesting Instinct<font size="3.3">
Earlier this year, my darling organised the removal of two large trees from our backyard. On the day he came home to find them gone, he was ecstatic.
<p>The birds were less impressed. Although they’ve now got more ground to poke their beaks in and around in search of a feed, there’s only the clothesline left for them to perch and have a gossip about their day.
<p>Fast forward to spring, and there are far fewer prime real estate locations on our property for birds to pitch their nests in an attempt to attract a mate and raise another crop of little flying dinosaurs. So, it makes sense that one day we opened our letter box to find a half-constructed nest inside.
<p>Feeling confident we could cope with this problem, we pulled the foundations out and threw them away, then swept the inside of the box with a short-handled broom until all traces of the building site were gone. Problem solved.
<p>The next time we checked the letterbox, we discovered that far from solving the problem, we’d made the area into some sort of “highly desirable” neighbourhood with exclusivity appeal. Another nest thrown into the compost and another sweep out of the letterbox.
<p>Now, my darling is a fastidious checker of the letterbox at the best of times. Whenever he’s at home, junk mail can count its lifespan in minutes if not seconds.
<p>But there’s something soul-eroding about opening a door every half-hour and throwing something’s house away. Each time he lifted the flap thinking, “Surely, they got the message last time?” Nope, they didn’t.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWB08yrsfHwRilwWuNl7SKgeXeGIexV4xaA6VOWcU4NpcW5zBaz4_iAQPLsHEsA3EBn0OrCiX3HS8HAstiFp-ScltvSMfFuXexh8ER5hV-r7dqbB9-UZ_JUll4lRRfytJQNLU0Ht4Pk4/s1600/Nesting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWB08yrsfHwRilwWuNl7SKgeXeGIexV4xaA6VOWcU4NpcW5zBaz4_iAQPLsHEsA3EBn0OrCiX3HS8HAstiFp-ScltvSMfFuXexh8ER5hV-r7dqbB9-UZ_JUll4lRRfytJQNLU0Ht4Pk4/s400/Nesting.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div>
<p>Reading online for the best way to deal with the problem, we encountered a mix of quitters and sadists. The quitters urged us to purchase a second letterbox so the birds would be left undisturbed to raise their offspring alongside our post. The sadists suggested we find the lead bird and kill him in the most horrific way possible before mounting his severed head on the top of the letterbox as a warning to others.
<p>Hmm. Tempting. But no.
<p>Instead, we pulled the letterbox out of the ground and placed it face-down next to the garage. Since NZ post reduced its service to only three days a week, we felt comfortable that we could leave it there for the majority of the week, only replacing it when the post was actually due.
<p>As a bonus, this cut down on the number of junk mail trips my darling made down the driveway every afternoon.
<p>And then came the saddest sight we’ve ever seen.
<p>A sparrow, mouth stuffed full of nest-building twigs and dry grass, flapped up to where the letterbox opening used to be and tried to build a nest in midair.
<p>Not just once. This bird had spirit. This bird had vigour. This bird had used up its entire brain with other matters and couldn’t fit in the ability to learn one more new fact.
<p>Sure, it looked like the box it was constructing its nest inside had disappeared, but no way would it give up that easy!
<p>After a half-dozen attempts to insert new nesting materials into a nest that no longer existed, we saw its little shoulders slump in defeat before it flew away. Off to tell the wife they were now officially homeless.
</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-46785841933593612912016-09-26T04:32:00.000-07:002016-09-26T04:32:27.544-07:00The missed pick-up<font size="3.3">When I was a child, my parents paid for me to have a piano lesson every week. This wasn’t because of my breathtaking musical ability, or because I foresaw a future in which I’d be using those lessons every day. Much like algebra, as soon as I stopped learning piano I never really used it again.
<p>I paid the piano teacher the grand total of 50c per lesson for four years until she unjustly jacked up the price to $1 per lesson, and I paid that instead. When I say paid, I do actually mean Mum or Dad would give me a 50c piece or a dollar note and I would hand it over at the end of the lesson.
<p>My brain did occasionally wander to thoughts about what would happen if I didn’t hand over the money. After all, what could she do? Take back the lesson? On the other hand, it was nice to have somewhere special to go on Wednesday nights. A feeling that stayed on board long after any genuine interest in playing piano had gone.
<p>At the end of each lesson, having parted with the equivalent of a week’s worth of pocket money, I’d walk out to the front of the house and down to the corner, then wait for Dad to stop by and pick me up on his way home.
<p>Although having a young child waiting alone at night seems strange now, it felt perfectly normal at the time. So what if my lesson ended at 5.30pm and the sun sets in winter at 4.45pm? Waiting alone by the side of a busy street on a dark night never hurt any… oh wait. Never mind.
<p>So this particular night I was waiting there, a bit cold and a bit bored, and I saw Dad’s car driving along the road. I stepped right up to the edge of the street to make it easier for him to see me, and watched him drive straight past.
<p>Now, as an adult I understand that grownups have other things on their minds. Almost constantly on their minds, sometimes even to the exclusion of really good TV.
<p>Back then though, I just made the natural assumption that my family no longer wanted me and I was going to die out on the street in the dark. Maybe, if I was fortunate, my piano teacher would let me into her warm house for another piano lesson, but that was a minimum of a week away.
<p>There was a police station across the road where my introverted self definitely didn’t want to bother anybody, and my house was only a half-hours walk away if I’d known enough about routes and directions to work out where to go. (Warning: I still hold up my hands to work out left from right and still think of this as a giant step forward in my navigation skills)
<p>Of course, it all worked out okay. When my mother called out for me to set the table it soon became apparent I wasn’t there, and a simple chain of logic led my father back into the car to pick me up from outside my piano lesson.
<p>Mum later complained that if SHE’D forgotten to collect me she wouldn’t have heard the end of it, whereas Dad just received a cautious hug when he eventually arrived. What I didn’t say was that I was on my best behavior in case my first instinct was correct and the whole family wanted shot of me (except for table-setting duties, obviously).
<p>My father died on Thursday and I don’t know why, but this memory has been stuck in my brain ever since. I lived in the same house with Dad for twenty-one years, worked beside him day-in and day-out for another twelve, yet the only anecdote I have rattling around in my brain is this one.
<p>Maybe it’s because Dad has once again gone whizzing off into the night and this time I'll be missing him for a lot longer than the hour it’ll take until tea is served.
<p>Goodbye, Dad. I love you. </font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-70897169690417951442016-09-11T18:43:00.000-07:002016-09-12T00:27:08.177-07:00Meet Kelly Miller - SPLINTERED<font size="3.3">
Today on my blog, I’d like to introduce you to Kelly Miller, author of <a href="http://amzn.to/2c5jH3I">Splintered</a> and the Detective Kate Springer mystery series.
<p>Kelly’s book is featured in our <a href="http://elanajohnson.com/swapmeet">Kindle Press Swap Meet</a> (September only) where you can find books on sale, read any titles for FREE through <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/ku/sign-up?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1454291293420&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=kathaysblo-20&linkId=270c4d685d2def09e4d4f830ec86e89f">Kindle Unlimited</a>, and enter our Giveaway to win $100.
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwEpjUCJpcNckI-8MJGNLFaP_NeZXgkL7gcMtTdzuKDAEc6PXDTnWgUzc6ThU7A9ZTKyPyetK7mRgaLaCdHz2Zng7Uyjm1yMyWD9DlJJgpaPaCNax-b3MSUwAjGQkQTph6Yx9PtSx-iw/s1600/Kelly+Miller+Author+Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwEpjUCJpcNckI-8MJGNLFaP_NeZXgkL7gcMtTdzuKDAEc6PXDTnWgUzc6ThU7A9ZTKyPyetK7mRgaLaCdHz2Zng7Uyjm1yMyWD9DlJJgpaPaCNax-b3MSUwAjGQkQTph6Yx9PtSx-iw/s400/Kelly+Miller+Author+Photo.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a></div>
<p>Kelly grew up shivering in Illinois but now enjoys the year-round sunshine in Tampa, FL. Her debut novel, <a href="http://amzn.to/2c8oxA9">Dead Like Me</a>, won second place in the best mystery category of the 2011 FWA Royal Palm Literary Awards competition. It was also named a semi-finalist in the mystery category of The Kindle Book Review’s 2013 Best Indie Books Awards competition. The Detective Kate Springer series continues with the second book, <a href="http://amzn.to/2cBN2W3">Deadly Fantasies</a>.
<p>In Kelly’s newest book <a href="http://amzn.to/2c5jH3I">Splintered</a>, a 2015 Kindle Scout winner, she introduces her readers to a whole new cast of characters. Visit <a href="http://www.kellymillerauthor.com/">www.kellymillerauthor.com</a> to get a glimpse into the inner workings of her writing life.
<p><b>When did you first discover your passion for writing?</b>
<p>Writing has always been in my blood. Since the age of thirteen when I coauthored a cheesy romance novel in a blue, spiral bound notebook, I knew I wanted to pursue writing as a career. But somewhere along the way, I lost my voice. As is often happens, life simply got in the way. I got married, had three children, and adopted a black Labrador. As a stay-at-home mom, I was lucky to get an hour a day to myself. And when I found those few precious minutes, they were spent reading a good book. But it was time well spent because I feel like I’ve been researching the mystery and suspense genres for more than two decades. It was in my search for my own identity after staying at home with the kids for so many years that ultimately lead me back to my love of writing. I started my journey towards publication in August 2010 and haven’t looked back since.
<p><b>Do you have a favorite author?</b>
<p>By far my favorite author is Lisa Gardner. She writes in the same genre as I do and I adore her main character Detective D.D. Warren. Lisa has had quite an influence on my writing and I’m always first in line at the bookstore to pick up her newest paperback.
<p><b>What is the best part about being a writer?</b>
<p>Getting to create characters. The people in my novels are completely real to me, like friends you don’t get to see often but that still hold a special place in your heart. To create something out of nothing is truly magical.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuziVCyI0IjVHue4gptGiMWNWubMLUXvKe11FBeucuV8X-znJuepBn7l3Z1MZRNgz8hMUjnD281C36KEVqvXQJu68_-dCk61YaMK0NIJZiblsqvMu0zazt5JQfuNgTIFCiVWY0OOTsFog/s1600/Splintered+Cover+web+version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuziVCyI0IjVHue4gptGiMWNWubMLUXvKe11FBeucuV8X-znJuepBn7l3Z1MZRNgz8hMUjnD281C36KEVqvXQJu68_-dCk61YaMK0NIJZiblsqvMu0zazt5JQfuNgTIFCiVWY0OOTsFog/s400/Splintered+Cover+web+version.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote><p>Life turns from barely tolerable to complete hell when Maddy Eastin’s impulsive plan to win back the attention of her absentee father backfires. Word of her scheme spreads through her high school, but when mockery escalates to cyberbullying, Maddy and her failed stunt become headline news. But the worst is yet to come…
<p>A disturbed man is fighting the overwhelming urge to surrender to his true nature—a moral code molded by a sadistic father who taught him that a girl needs proper training to become the perfect subservient woman. As he watches Maddy on the evening news, his already fractured psyche completely splinters. She’s the girl he’s been waiting for.
<p>When Maddy disappears, she’s labeled a runaway even though her mother believes it was foul play. Will the two detectives investigating Maddy’s disappearance find her before it’s too late? Or has she already fallen prey to the vicious stranger hunting her?
<p>This mystery/psychological thriller unfolds through the viewpoints of five deeply flawed characters. Each is on their own emotionally charged journey that ultimately intersects in a collision course of devastating consequences.</blockquote>
<p><b>What is the worst part about being a writer?</b>
<p>The constant need to market myself as an author. Like most writers, I just want to write. But that’s not reality if you want to make a living in this industry. There are so many books available in the marketplace that sometimes it seems I’m screaming into the wind trying to get readers to notice my work. It can be frustrating at times.
<p><b>What draws you to this genre?</b>
<p>Have you heard the saying, “I didn’t pick the genre, it picked me.” For me, this is true. Before I started my writing career, I was a voracious reader. I still love to read but now my schedule is so full it’s difficult to find time to read a book unless it’s in the school car line or on the elliptical. At the bookstore, I’ll pick up a variety of genres but my favorites are mysteries, suspense, and psychological thrillers—probably because that’s what I write. The way my voice comes through in a book perfectly matches the crime fiction genre. So for now, I’m sticking with what works.
<p><b>Which character or characters do you identify with in your book? Why?</b>
<p>In a small way I can identify with Lily Eastin, the mother in my novel. You see her daughter, fifteen-year-old protagonist Maddy Eastin, was born with a cardiac disease called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). In layman’s terms, it’s an abnormal heart rhythm that causes the heart to beat too fast. I decided to use my own personal experience as a mom who went through this with her baby. You see, my daughter was diagnosed with SVT when she was only seventeen days old. The trauma of her near-death radically changed me. I found myself emotionally distancing myself, fearing that I would lose her at any minute. I was eventually able to overcome my insecurities, but I decided to model part of the character of Maddy’s mom, Lily Eastin, after the person I could’ve seen myself becoming had I not overcome my fear.
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Excerpt</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">(1)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">MADDY EASTIN</b></p>
<blockquote>The grumble of a heavy diesel engine alerted Maddy that only two minutes separated her from either a ride to school or another lecture from her mom about missing the bus. She slammed the front door and stepped into the sticky heat of a dark September morning. The moisture in the Florida air enveloped her, its thickness slowing her down. Or maybe the lethargic pace simply matched her outlook toward this dreary school day.
<p>The geometry book jutting out of the small hole in the bottom of her backpack cut into her ribs with every step. She yanked down the sleeves riding up her arms to hide the fresh marks. From behind her, a metallic grinding of brakes cut through the darkness. She reached the bus stop expecting to see the yellow beast that would drag her off to school. Instead, a fat guy hopped off the back of a garbage truck and lifted a recycling bin off the ground.
<p>Dammit. I forgot to put the trash out. Something else for Mom to complain about.
<p>The bus was late again. Maddy wondered where Sabrina was—her friend usually beat her to the bus stop, but this morning she was a no-show. Maybe Sabrina’s cough had turned into something more serious.
<p>Lucky. Now she will have an extra day to study for our geometry exam.
<p>Maddy had thought about playing the sick card this morning, but she knew there was no way her mom would have believed the act. And the only thing Maddy dreaded more than geometric theorems was cleaning the toilet.
Bending down on one knee, Maddy swung her backpack to the ground. She squinted through the murky haze of the nearest streetlight and fumbled with its zipper.
<p>Why we moved us to this dump of a neighborhood is beyond me.
<p>Half the streetlights were burned out, including the one directly over Maddy’s head.
<p>The sun wouldn’t rise for another hour, but she still found herself wiping away moisture collecting near her hairline.
<p>A soft squealing noise jerked her attention away from the task of rearranging the books in her bag. A van had pulled up to the corner—a real piece of junk from the sound of the roughly idling engine. The feeling of being watched caused a crop of goose bumps to pop up on her arms.
<p>Really? Now a van has you spooked?
<p>Maddy blamed the paranoia on those stupid stranger-danger videos her mom had forced her to watch as a kid. She could still hear the nasally narrator’s voice in her head, warning her not to get into a car with someone she didn’t know, and never to accept candy from a stranger.
<p>Duh.
<p>Maddy zipped her backpack closed and stood, still staring at the van. It’s not like work vehicles in this neighborhood were an unusual occurrence. Most days it was like playing Mario Kart, having to dodge all the trucks on the street. It seemed half the neighbors cut grass for a living and parked their trailers full of lawn equipment on the road every night after work.
<p>The smell of burning rubber drifted toward her. The voice in Maddy’s head morphed into her dad’s and informed the idiot in the van that he should change the belts. Of course, the source of the smell could’ve been coming from an oil leak in the engine. Maddy couldn’t decide the exact cause. She’d always hated it when her dad forced her into the garage to help him tinker with the car. Even so, she’d give anything to have him back now, to complain one more time about the grease stuck under her fingernails or how impossible it was to remove oil stains from her jeans.
<p>A muted flash appeared behind the tinted glass of the van’s passenger window. Someone still sat inside.
<p>Probably getting his rocks off staring at my bare legs.
<p>The window slid down a crack. A new scent skirted the air, a sweeter smell that caused a craving to wash over Maddy.
She strained her eyes, looking for writing on the side panel of the van. Nothing visible. She wondered if a workman had arrived early to a job site. The sound of a garage door opening down the street tore Maddy’s attention away. She turned, hoping to see Sabrina rushing toward the bus stop. The low light of the streetlamp illuminated a dark figure pushing a garbage can to the curb.
<p>Another rumble drew near. Maddy breathed a sigh of relief when she caught a glimpse of yellow passing between the houses and trees on the other side of the neighborhood. Her stop would be next.
<p>She cocked her head to the side, realizing the smell of smoke was closer. Just as she turned her head, an iron hand clamped around her wrist.</blockquote>
<p><b>Anything else you’d like to add?</b>
<p>You can download my novelette, My Blue Nightmare, for free on my website (<a href="http://www.kellymillerauthor.com/">www.kellymillerauthor.com</a>). It’s the first in the My Nightmare Series which will feature a new terrifying psychopath in each story.
<p>Thanks very much for joining me on the blog today, Kelly. <a href="http://amzn.to/2c5jH3I">Splintered</a> looks like a great read if, like me, your idea of a great read comes complete with thrilling and a whopping side-dish of mystery.
<p>If you’d like to see more books from Kindle Press authors, then please visit our <a href="http://elanajohnson.com/swapmeet">Swap Meet</a> to see all Kindle Press books on sale for September and enter for your chance to win our $100 Giveaway. And you can always read any of our books for FREE through a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/ku/sign-up?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1454291293420&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=kathaysblo-20&linkId=270c4d685d2def09e4d4f830ec86e89f">Kindle Unlimited subscription</a>.
<p>If you haven’t joined up yet, then click on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/ku/sign-up?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1454291293420&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=kathaysblo-20&linkId=270c4d685d2def09e4d4f830ec86e89f">THIS LINK</a> (some country exclusions apply) to sign-up for a free trial to read anything on our <a href="http://elanajohnson.com/swapmeet">swap meet</a> page FREE for thirty days!
<p>If you’d like to know more about Kelly Miller, then please follow the links below to connect with her on Social Media, or follow her on Amazon so you never miss a new release.
<p><a href="http://www.kellymillerauthor.com/">Website</a>, <a href="http://apps.kellymillerauthor.com/blog/">Blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KellyMillerAuthor/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MillerMystery">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=298040958&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic">Linkedin</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/KellyMillerMysteries">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/ksmill7/">Pinterest</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2cOH436">Amazon Author Page</a></font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-3221409289310083192016-09-06T13:28:00.000-07:002016-09-12T00:26:48.278-07:00Arrival in Mission Beach<font size="3.3">
So, I’ve arrived in Mission Beach for my annual holiday complete with sun, sand, and dollops of ice-cream. After a short fourteen-hour travel day (thank you airports of the world for your super-long check-in requirements and weird bag-handling rituals) we nosed the car into the turn-off from El Arish and journeyed into the magic that is our favourite holiday destination of all time.
<p>The sun has yet to make an appearance—apparently we’ve failed to appease the weather gods on some matter—but the sand is in full-force. All over our rental house, in the bed, in my hair, in too many crevices to comfortably name in a public post.
<p>And the ice-cream. Oh, the ice-cream. I’ve dieted all year long for this (ha-ha, whatever) and as I popped the first stick of ice-cream goodness into my mouth all I could think was . . .
<p>Ouch!
<p>When the hell did my teeth get so sensitive?
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7QhawsKlthHQaLHWZcAomc8TmoQ-lQiDuZ9qMEfSbyaLWbK6bwoSEbrhhaPmBg6l4bFFYUvJ0IOM4eKFmewNk43fr0yjcA5JiZGPfvVRvrXwFRHLsZMx-o23Hz6A-ngsr0vb7WnVOik/s1600/cry-1293366_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7QhawsKlthHQaLHWZcAomc8TmoQ-lQiDuZ9qMEfSbyaLWbK6bwoSEbrhhaPmBg6l4bFFYUvJ0IOM4eKFmewNk43fr0yjcA5JiZGPfvVRvrXwFRHLsZMx-o23Hz6A-ngsr0vb7WnVOik/s200/cry-1293366_640.png" width="177" height="200" /></a></div>
<p>If only I’d had a few practice ice-creams at home I could have prepared myself. I could have used Sensodyne toothpaste or whatever the off-brand label equivalent is. My teeth could have been coated in (mumbly scientific-dental stuff magic) and all the nerve endings retreated into their nerve caves.
<p>Instead, I’m facing a holiday choice that fills me with terror.
<p>Ice-cream and tooth pain, or
<p>No ice-cream.
<p>And when I say no ice-cream I don’t just mean ice-cream. That word now encapsulates ice-blocks, ice-lollies, callipos, Memphis Meltdowns, and Magnums.
<p>(And yes I’m aware that most of those are just sub-varieties of ice-blocks or ice-cream but I was trying to make the problem appear as large as it feels inside.)
<p>To think that a few days ago I was complaining about how the free wifi turned out to be free because it didn’t exist and to make any internet connection at all I have to prop my mobile phone on top of a stack of crockery in the side of the kitchen window and hold my breath for two minutes, then chant an incantation.
<p>(Please note that if you’re receiving this blog post after the 19th of September the incantation failed . . . Big time.)
<p>It just shows, it takes a real trial to put the little things into perspective.
<p>I’m off to check out the label for Ibuprofen to see if it still irritates stomach ulcers and to contemplate the odds of the Losec offsetting that enough to make a third choice possible, but I’m not holding out much hope. The Panadol’s already failed me.
</font>
Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-64890367316081612122016-08-15T00:54:00.003-07:002016-08-15T00:54:56.420-07:00First 5,000<font size="3.3">
After more than a month of researching, reading, planning, and outlining, I finally started writing the first book in my new series today. At first, time slowed to a crawl and every word seemed like an effort. After an hour with almost nothing to show for it, I started to panic.
<p>I’d forgotten how to write!
<p>Now, having put in my hours and produced over five thousand words, I feel a little bit more comfortable. They may not be the right words but at least they’re on the page.
<p>By the end of the day it was even starting to become fun. No matter how much I outline, no matter what backstory elements I fill in for my characters, no matter how well I know their history – better than the closest friends I’ve ever had – it’s not until I start to write that they actually fill out.
<p>When my little chalk lines get into a room with the other chalk lines and start to have a conversation, that’s when they grow flesh and turn into people. Stiff at first, awkward. But at the end of the day I can see how well they’re fitting into their new skins. I start to know them so well I can see what they’re thinking.
<p>They’ll have a few surprises in store, and I’m sure at some point my carefully structured outline will be grossly and unexpectedly departed from, but for the time being they’re well behaved characters doing pretty much what they should. Long may it last.
<p>Here’s to tomorrow and the next five thousand.</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1851630677457292244.post-18376218815478580832016-07-31T01:19:00.000-07:002016-07-31T01:19:02.354-07:00Busy month accomplishing nothing<font size="3.3">For the past month I’ve been busy getting a few things sorted.
<p>Number One: leaving paid employment. Something that caused me to sit bolt upright every weeknight for a fortnight with “What have I done?” running through my brain at full volume.
<p>The alternating attitude was to spend all of my remaining work days smiling with glee that everything I was doing was going to be over soon and would never have to be done again. By me, at least. I presume the jobs that I had to perform still need to be performed by someone who resents doing them as much as I did.
<p>Number Two: getting my second Ngaire Blakes Mystery published.
<p>Still not sure if this is happening or not. I did submit directly to Kindle Press (who were kind enough to publish the previous one) but after not hearing anything in response for a month, I succumbed to their process and put it on the Kindle Scout website for a thirty day campaign. Boy, had I forgotten how long thirty days is. The first few days were quite exciting in a familiar “I’ve been here before” kind of way. But the first few days only used up the first few days and the latter twenty-eight have stretched in front of me like a widening gulf.
<p>To be honest, I haven’t actually ticked this one off the list because the campaign has another five days to run. Something that Kindle Scout insist on calling four days, because the last day of the campaign is called the last day rather than one day to go. IDK. At least this time around I won’t be caught out. If I make it to the last day. That point is still in question.
<p>If you’ve missed the opportunity to nominate me (or chore, depending on your mindset) then you can do so on the following link: <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/CB9NSW95GX1U">https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/CB9NSW95GX1U</a>
<p>Click the link, sign-in to Amazon using your usual Amazon sign-in details, then click on a blue nominate button. This will ensure that if I’m embarrassingly passed over for publication this time around, you’ll be the first to hear about it. And if I’m not, then you’ll get a free Kindle copy. What a deal!
<p>Number Three: preparing for a new series that I’ll be launching next year.
<p>This has been the most time-consuming activity of the lot, in mind power if not in physical hours spent. I’m following a new apprenticeship program that is taking me through a different (for me, anyway) system of book writing. It involves a lot of preproduction and planning (oddly similar to the work that I gleefully departed from) and will hopefully allow me to write a lot more quickly and a lot more easily when it gets to that bit.
<p>In the meantime, I’ve taken a leap of faith and organised all the standard trimmings that go along with book publishing in advance. I have editing booked in for manuscripts that haven’t yet been written and I’ve set up a brilliant book cover designer to design six covers for books that don’t yet have insides for the cover to cover.
<p>Another reason I’m jolting wide-awake at night thinking “What have I done?”
<p>Still, having taken the leap of faith that the six books I’ve commissioned covers for and arranged editing of will manifest themselves in time, the process has become very exciting. This time, in the good way. I’ve even gone so far as to create a <a href="http://katherinehayton.com/birdman/">separate page on my website</a> to highlight that this series is coming. Definitely. I’ve committed to a date! If, February 2017 can be called a date.
<p>So yes, I’ve been busy.
<p>Unemployed, unpublished, unwritten.
<p>Busy, busy, busy.</font>Katherine Haytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704577461725998949noreply@blogger.com0