Wednesday Words 5.9

~ tahenryauthoress ~ 2 Comments

I have figured out the titles for all my mystery novels. Go me!

Oh, you want to know what they are?

Alright, since we’re such good friends and you are all such loyal readers, I’ll tell you.

The Body in the Pool

The Body in the Past

The Body in the Precinct

Bam. There it is.

The Body in the Pool is still out to critique. Early word is it might be the best thing I’ve written but that’s just one reader. Gotta wait for the other two.

In the mean time, I am crunching away at book 2. Pinning down the plot for book 3.

I submitted to a couple of anthologies.

One is a short that precedes this series. Introduces my detectives.

One is a random one off about an energy sucking demon trapped here on Earth as punishment for her sins. Kinda makes you wonder what a demon does as a sin. LOL.

Here’s hoping the anthologies say yes and my other two critique partners love The Body in the Pool as much as the first reader.

Book Review: Survival of the Fritters

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I think I need to stand up and say, “Hi, I’m T.A. Henry and I am a cozy mystery addict.” I grabbed Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton, along with a couple of other cozies while I was at the big library this week. Survival is the only one I finished.

Short Summary (Courtesy of Goodreads):

Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime–or stay alive. If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst–especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her–murdered among a scattering of stale donuts. . . Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business. . .

My Thoughts:

This was a fun read. The donut talk was a little heavy, every time someone orders a donut (a lot of scenes take place in the shop) or eats a donut (she brings everyone donuts), you get a run down of the qualities. It was just a little too much so that I didn’t really become annoyed until I was 200 pages in, the cumulative effect. There were a few moments where I was put off by the unbelievable dialogue or the unbelievable actions of the characters, but for the most part, I read happily. Of course by the next morning, I can’t remember much. Other than the book was pretty good. Which makes me want to decrease my rating. Fun to read, but totally forgettable.  I will read the next one when it comes out, Goodbye Cruller World.

Tag – O – Rama

~ tahenryauthoress ~ 8 Comments

I got tagged a tag round up so to speak. Jay over at This is My Truth Now was catching up on all the tags he hadn’t done and rolling them into one big shebang. I ended up on his nominees list. Alrighty, I’m game.

Burn, Rewrite, Reread (She Reads at Past Midnight)

Burn – The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever by Jeff Strand. Gag Me.

Rewrite – Unsolved Mysteries in American History  by Paul Aron

Reread – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Quite amusing if you don’t mind someone messing with canon)

Ten Random Facts About Me (Brizzle Lass Books)

Random fact about me: When I was in my early twenties I was offered a job directing porn but I turned it down because I couldn’t imagine telling people what I did for a living with a straight face.

New Disney Princess (Misty’s Book Space)

Ariel, Under the Sea, A Book With a Water/Ocean Setting

Jaws

School Subject Book (Ann the BookMaster)

Drama: a book that has a lot of over-dramatic hype

50 shades of whatever

Carpool (Growing Self)

Car Type: I am driving a 67 mustang convertible. I am alone. It a windy back road through the mountains. There’s no music just the wind in my hair.

Emperor’s New Clothes (The Orangutan Librarian)

“His majesty is wide open to ridicule and scorn”- Something (anything) That Astounds You With Its Popularity

The Girl on the Train. What was that all about?

 

Nominees: Bill, BQB, EDC, At Milliways with a Pen, Sheri J Kennedy, The Phantom Child (are you still out there?)

 

Reviewed: Scripting the Truth

~ tahenryauthoress ~ 4 Comments

It’s always nice to get a review that appreciates your work but it’s doubly nice to get a review on a book that’s been out for a while and isn’t really getting much attention anymore.

 

You may recall the post I shared last week on the RONE awards where Henry’s current book, Ostrich Mentality is up for an award. Or you may know her from her fantastic blog. Either case… this is definitely a book that fit into many of my reading / genre preferences. I highly recommend it for […]

via Book Review: Scripting the Truth by T. A. Henry — This Is My Truth Now

The Little Man Turns Nine

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My child is growing up. Technically he’s half way to “adult” this year. Seems mad. In some ways he’s more grown up than half the adults I know. LOL. On the other hand I shake in fear of him behind the wheel, voting in elections, going war. Gulp.

On a happier note, this year I bring you amusing things he has said:

“That’s just wrong. You can’t change the nature of vampires.” – after I explained the premise of Twilight to him

“She’s the same level of crazy as me, we’re a good match.” – about a new friend

“Why would we hunt a bird? That’s a cat’s job.”

“Do you know how expensive jet pack fuel is?”

“I think we should go to Greece, but I’m gonna need an extra suitcase so I can bring sacrifices for the gods. I don’t want my liver being eaten for eternity.” (Too much Greek mythology, clearly)

and my least favorite:

“Why would anyone read a book about that?” after I explained Ostrich Mentality to him. Thanks kiddo. Always a joy.

 

Book Review: A Good Month for Murder

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A Good Month For Murder: The Inside Story of a Homicide Squad by Del Quentin Wilber was an impulse grab. The title made it feel like one of those books that could go either way. Sometimes these books take their frustrations out on the hard working detective. Sometimes they go the other direction. It is the rare book that walks the line. This one is rare.

Basic Synopsis (Courtesy of Goodreads):

Twelve homicides, three police-involved shootings and the furious hunt for an especially brutal killer—February 2013 was a good month for murder in suburban Washington, D.C.

After gaining unparalleled access to the homicide unit in Prince George’s County, which borders the nation’s capital, Del Quentin Wilber begins shadowing the talented, often quirky detectives who get the call when a body falls. After a quiet couple of months, all hell breaks loose: suddenly every detective in the squad is scrambling to solve one shooting and stabbing after another. Meanwhile, the entire unit is obsessed with a stone-cold “red ball,” a high-profile case involving a seventeen-year-old honor student attacked by a gunman who kicked down the door to her house and shot her in her bed.

Murder is the police investigator’s ultimate crucible: to solve a killing, a detective must speak for the dead. More than any recent book, A Good Month for Murder shows what it takes to succeed when the stakes couldn’t possibly be higher.

My thoughts:

I loved this book. Wilber wrote it in that perfect balanced way where you feel the stress rolling off the cop and you can smell the fear on the suspect. He balanced gritty reality with a touch of humanity.

Like any good nonfiction book, the cases aren’t nicely wrapped up in a bow. They don’t solve a lot of the cases you spend the book reading about. Welcome to the real world of police work. It’s a long slog of thankless work and sleepless nights. It was very nice to ride a long for 300 pages.

Agatha Christie Read-a-thon Week 4

~ tahenryauthoress ~ 3 Comments

Parting is such sweet sorrow. Our last week of the read-a-thon, this year anyway. Jay, over at This is My Truth Now, hosted this swarray in honor of the fabulous Agatha Christie, and he did it while launching his second book, Father Figure. So impressed with you James!

Now onto Murder…

Basic Summary (Courtesy of Amazon):

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing land-owner is the most detested man in the village. Everyone–even in the vicar–wishes he were dead. And very soon he is–shot in the head in the vicar’s own study. Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues that will lead to the unmasking of the killer.

 

My thoughts:

This book is so damn delicious. Miss Marple hasn’t solved any murders yet in this book. She’s solved a few village mysteries, the gill of pickled shrimp comes to mind. But she hasn’t garnered any respect. Coming on the heels of Body in the Library, where she’s already known as the one to watch out for, it’s frustrating to read the way some people treat her. Miss Marple is ever the same. Calm, polite, completely straight forward.

I adore the vicar who narrates this book. “At my time of life, you know the worst is usually true,” his answering thought to his wife who says Miss Marple draws the worst inferences from village happenings. I also love the way his wife explains she married him because her other suitors would have considered her a feather in their cap, whereas for the Vicar she’s more of a secret sin. LOL.

I haven’t talked much about the murder I suppose. I don’t think it matters in this book. I know, I know, this is a murder mystery. But….the murdered man is so odious, once he’s killed it’s like you can just relax back and watch the interactions of the village people. I’ve always thought the way she depicts human interaction was Aggie’s greatest achievement. Murder at the Vicarage nails it.

Fiendish Friday: I have a Type

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Most women have a type, I suppose that’s not very surprising. When I say I have a type though, I don’t mean in men I dated. I frequently dated men that looked nothing alike. I was always much more concerned with who they were, rather than how they looked. My exes run the gambit, they really do.

But where I had a type, was the actors I thought hot. The actors whose movies I would see no matter what the subject matter.

THE NIGHT SHIFT — “All In” Episode 308 — Pictured: Brendan Fehr as Dr. Drew Alister — (Photo by: Ursula Coyote/NBC)

Bailey Chase was one of the soldiers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not the one dating Buffy, but his right hand man. He’s done a few things since then. I always tune in.

Brendan Fehr is from Roswell. He hasn’t done much since, but is now in Night Shift. Still smokin’ hot. I binge watch every time Netflix gets the new season.

Michael Biehn, Aliens. Wow. When he tells Ripley he’ll kill them both if they get infected. sigh.

Gabriel Macht, Frank James in American Outlaws. Not the cool one but definitely my pick.

Jeremy Renner. Ok, he’s kind of a big deal now, I get it. But he was the bad guy in SWAT. The bad guy I wanted to get away with actually. LOL.

They all have certain traits in common. Medium brown hair, usually short. Strong jaw, usually with a cleft. Very distinct noses, prominent, one might say. Their ears all stick out a bit, just a bit. Broad foreheads. Sound like anyone?

IMG_9908

It appears I was looking for you before I knew you. Happy 40th Birthday, My Love!

Wednesday Words: 4.25

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Howdy, howdy. It’s Wednesday. Do you know what that means? You have a couple of days left to vote for Ostrich Mentality in the Suspense/Thriller category for a RONE award. Aren’t you excited you didn’t miss it?

What? You want to know why you should vote for me? Did you not get a free download last week and already read this fabulous bit of entertainment? sigh ok.

Here’s the review I got which nominated me for the award…

and here’s a bit from the review in case you don’t want to click over and read the whole thing.

An interesting take on a time period in the not so distant past, “Ostrich Mentality” is an eye-opening tale with a colorful cast. Despite being 316 pages, the reader will fly through this fast-paced novel, immersed in its intelligent suspense. The fact that this novel is not far from the truth gives the story a sinister feel. Overall, “Ostrich Mentality” is an engaging work of espionage and biological warfare. 

And…

Best Selling Author Jenifer Ruff had this to say “Packed with insightful intrigue from the first page to the last, Ostrich Mentality has me convinced the author is truly an international spy.  If you like intelligent and sharp-witted espionage novels, you’re going to love this book!”

Did I convince you yet? Don’t make me use my international spy skills on you.

Okay, okay, how about this? I’ll make Ostrich Mentality free again today. Go download and check it out. Then head over to the RONE Suspense/Thriller category and click the little button next to my name.

Pretty Please!

 

Voting is Open

~ tahenryauthoress ~ 10 Comments

EEEEEEK!

My hands are shaking so hard I keep hitting the wrong keys. LOL.

This is the FIRST time I have been recognized for my work outside my loving friends and family. The FIRST time my work was held up by someone who makes their living judging books and who said this shit is good.

Every one says it’s a thrill just to be nominated. And it is. Beyond thrilling.

But imagine if I won?

To win, I need to get through to the finals. And that rests entirely on you, readers, voting for me.

Go over to indtale and vote for Ostrich Mentality in the Suspense/Thriller category

Ostrich Mentality ad from indtale