The Purple Crocus, Snow, Reading, and Other Stuff

The Crocus in the Snow

I like snow the best when I don't have to go anywhere. Luckily, I don't have anywhere I need to be until Wednesday afternoon, because the white stuff has been falling since yesterday morning and we should get a little more before the storm moves on.

A lovely purple crocus bloomed close to my front door on Friday. Saturday it was closed up tighter than a drum as the snows began. At the moment, the poor purple flower sits under a big pile of snow, part of the mound left from my husband's first pass at shoveling the sidewalk.

Books and Reading

These are the kind of days I like to take a break and read for pleasure. I just finished the novella, The Wretched Walls, by Brian Kaufman, and posted my review. It's dark, and creepy, and I really shouldn't have read it just before bedtime. But for those who like dark and creepy, it's an excellent read. (Shiver...).

This morning I finished reading Knower Girl by Maggie d'Amato Goins. This one is a fine young person's thriller with a good adult cast of characters, making it an excellent crossover read. Bonnie and her mom, Rita, are on the run from the mob. There are good twists to the plot, and a unique development as Bonnie finds out she has "knowing" skills. Her psychic abilities are undeveloped but set her up for some future adventures if Goins decides to create a series.

Today I'm reading the award winning The Poacher's Daughter by Michael Zimmer. This is a well-reviewed western published by Five Star/Cengage. It has a strong female main character, too. I love that!

And the books I just purchased online (in spite of the stacks sitting on my coffee table and lining my three bookcases):  The Amazing Mr. Howard by Kenneth Harmon (more of that dark horror that draws me in and gives me nightmares) and The Con Man of Sweet Orchard by Maggie d'Amato Goins (just because I enjoyed Knower Girl so much).

Here's a tidbit about Goins:  She lives in Colorado, is a member of Northern Colorado Writers, and  usually attends the same writer's retreat I attend in the fall. Even so, I did not know about her book releases until recently. I'm not sure whether that means Maggie is bashful about self-promotion or whether I'm not paying enough attention.

Next Week's Guest Bloggers

I have two wonderful guest bloggers lined up for next week. Tomorrow is Kenneth Harmon who has written a post about his book promotion efforts for Twitter. And on Thursday, I have fantasy and romance author Susan Gourley (aka Susan Kelley) who has some thoughts on self-publishing versus small traditional presses.