#ThursdayThoughts Guest Post by Janet Lyn

Good Morning Friends,

Well, Easter is just a week away (next Thursday is the beginning of the Holy Triduum) and with it, the eggcerpt exchange posts will be gone. I'm looking forward to sharing thoughts and treasures with you again myself.

Meanwhile, please welcome Janet Lyn back to our blog and let's see what she has to share with us...

Take it away Janet!


While writing our 1955, Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series each book's memories come back to the times I grew up. One memory that I think of often was how both my parents wore fashionable hats.
I grew up in New York and I remember my father always wore a hat when he took the train to work.

In the summer he wore a straw hat, in the winter a Fedora. I have clear visions of him leaving the in the  morning carrying his hat and putting it on outside as he left. I assume the Fedora was for warmth and the straw hat for shade.

My mother NEVER left the house without a hat, hats with straw brims for the summer and smaller wool hats in the winter.

Hats slowly fell out of favor, for men and women, as the 50s closed. My parents always followed the fashion trends and decreased the use of hats. Plus my father changed jobs, got a car and drivers license and drove to work. The top of the cars were lowered for style and getting his hat on and off was difficult. But...mother never went to church, weddings or social events without her hat and of course pure white gloves.


What an interesting topic and post Janet! I remember the ladies wearing mantilla's and Pillbox hats in church while we girls wore a smaller version of the lace covering on our heads.

 Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/
Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Read an excerpt of their latest release, Desert Ice HERE and purchase at Amazon in PRINT or for KINDLE.

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Janet Lyn

Good Morning Friends!

Well we're into our first full week of Lent. My Lenten practice is de-cluttering and so far I've donated 2 boxes & 1 bag of clothes and 2 boxes of books. I still have a ways to go before my goal is accomplished, but hopefully by the time this 40 day period is up, I'll have a lot less stuff, making room for new growth.

Anyway, today's guest is not new to our blog. Janet Lyn has shared treasures, thoughts and the spotlight before, but let's give her a warm welcome back!

When we researched 1955 for our hard boiled, Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries, we make sure we are including the correct things on the page that P.I. Drake would encounter during his adventures.
While doing so, wonderful things come back to us. Treasures that have lasting memories are the movies. We all saw them growing up and some movies bring back feelings and lessons we will never forget.

In 1955 Lady and the Tramp was released and is still enjoyed today. The spaghetti scene with Bella Notte warms my heart. The time honored Love is a Many Splendored Thing will always bring back memories of unrequited love.  The song, Three Coins in the Fountain, never fails to evoke memories.

Our character Slylar Drake often goes to movies alone since he is a widower. He remembers when he had his wife and daughter to share them with. Many time he'll drive by the theatres and even stop to look at the schedules.

Whether we went to drive ins or indoor movies, we are lucky to have movies and archives that keep these treasures for us to see again and for the next generation to enjoy.

For a walk down memory lane here are the YouTube addresses. Enjoy!

Three Coins in the Fountain & Bella Notte

Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/

Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Read an excerpt of their latest release, Desert Ice HERE and purchase at Amazon in PRINT or for KINDLE.

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join us each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless!
PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Janet Lynn & Desert Ice!

Good Morning Friends, or should I say Good Afternoon!

I'm a bit late posting today so I'll apologize and get right to today's guest. Janet Lynn has been in our spotlight before. She's also shared thoughts and treasures with us. Today she returns with her latest book, Desert Ice.

In 1955, a missing Marine and stolen diamonds lead Private Eye Skylar Drake to Sin City, where the women are beautiful and almost everything is legal—except murder.
The FBI and a Las Vegas crime boss force him to choose between the right and wrong side of the law. All the while, government secrets, sordid lies and trickery block his efforts to solve the case.
Common sense tells him to go back to L.A. but is gut tells him to find his fellow Marine.

Excerpt
This was the first Veteran’s Day Parade I’d attended since I got back from Korea. Seems like a lifetime ago. Claire wanted to go every year, even offered to make it a family affair... I never took her up on it.

Standing at attention, I saluted as the color guard passed. Next came the tanks and trucks and I was transported back to my time in the Corps. A pretty young girl dressed in red, white, and blue approached me with a basket full of tin American flag lapel pins. She held one out to me. The paper tag attached to it read Veteran’s Day, November 1955, but my hands wouldn’t come out of my pockets.

“Here sir, take one, they’re free.”

I reluctantly pulled out my hand. She placed one in my palm, and smiled and turned away. The cadence of the drums sounded like artillery as a formation of jet fighters passed overhead. I was back in Korea on Jeju Island, snow, guns, bombs... I shut my eyes and clenched my fists.

A woman wearing a big hat bumped into me. “Oh, excuse me sir.”

Slowly I opened my hand. The sharp edges of the flag pin were stained with my blood but I didn’t feel a thing.

“You should get something for that hand,” she said.

I couldn’t move.

“Come.” She led me to a hot dog stand and handed me a couple of paper napkins.

I leaned against a chain link fence, wrapped the tin flag in a napkin and dropped it in my pocket. I looked down at my blood smeared hand, the one that took shrapnel at Jeju. My head spun. I leaned forward until my head rested on the fence. “Keep breathing,” I told myself.

“So you’re a vet,” the lady with the hat said. “Korea?”

 I nodded.

She lit a cigarette. “Here.”

I shook my head. “No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” She hung the cigarette in her mouth and took my hand. After she wiped the blood, she wrapped another napkin around my palm.

“Just a minute.” She disappeared into the crowd. I stepped back and rested against the chain-link, staring at the tops of the trees. She returned and handed me a cup of coffee. I don’t know why, but my hand shook when I reached for the cup.

“It was pretty tough over there.” Her large hat covered most of her face.

I nodded, “How would you know?”

“47th M.A.S.H., Ouijonbu.” She joined me against the chain link fence and sipped her coffee. There wasn’t much more to say. After a few moments I looked at her. “Jeju Island, 1948. We got caught up in the rebellion.”

She held out her gloved hand. “I’m Nancy.” Still hidden under her hat she said,, “Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Drake.”

I studied her. “Have we met before?”

“We have a mutual association with an Officer Graves of the LAPD.”

I spit out the coffee and threw the cup in the trash. “Did that ass send you to...?”

Nancy shook her head. “No, he didn’t.” She took out a jeweled compact, held it at an angle and looked behind her with the mirror. “I didn’t say I knew him. I said you and I had a mutual association.”

Still checking behind her, she whispered, “Meet me at Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights."

***

Sounds intriguing!

Read a longer excerpt of Desert Ice Here. Purchase your copy at Amazon in print or for Kindle.

About the authors....

Published authors Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger had been writing individually until they got together and wrote the SKYLAR DRAKE MURDER MYSTERY Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus two short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

Janet Elizabeth Lynn http://www.janetlynnauthor.com/

Will Zeilinger http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com/

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight! Check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God Bless.

PamT