#WednesdayWordswithFriend welcomes Karen McCullough @kgmccullough

Good Morning and Welcome to the LAST Wednesday Words with Friends post in November 2022!

We're continuing our All Christmas thru Christmas with guest, Karen McCullough with her light, contemporary romantic suspense novella set at Christmas, Blue December!

With money disappearing from registers in her department and inventory going AWOL as well, Meg Brandt is having a really bad Christmas.

It’s two weeks before Christmas and Meg Brandt, a department manager at Wambash’s, “the store with the answer to all your family’s needs,” has problems beyond the usual seasonal chaos. Her department is losing cash from the registers. Inventory is leaving the premises unrecorded and unpaid.

Security is focusing on her, since the losses are happening on her watch. Her efforts to track down the source of the disappearances have produced no results, and her career appears to be headed for oblivion. When the store’s new security officer starts showing unusual attention to her, Meg isn’t sure what to think. He’s attractive in any number of ways, but she can’t be sure if his interest is personal or professional.

Excerpt: The sound system suggested that everyone should have a holly, jolly Christmas, but no one around, including Meg, seemed to be heeding the advice. The customer leaning against the sales counter wasn't jolly; the other six waiting in line behind her didn't look at all amused; Heather, the young sales associate, was close to tears; and Meg's stomach begged for another dose of Maalox.

Meg glanced again at the piece of paper she held. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “We just can't accept checks that aren't imprinted.” And especially not for three hundred and twenty dollars, she thought. She didn't say so aloud. Meg looked up and met the woman's furious eyes.

“I don't see why not,” the irate customer said. “I used one at JC Penney just this afternoon.”

Meg didn't voice her doubts on that score. “It doesn't matter. Our store's policy—”

“Are you trying to imply that my check isn't good?” The woman’s pitch and volume rose steadily to levels that were beginning to attract attention in the next aisle. “It's libel or something like that. You're just assuming the check is bad 'cause my name ain't printed on it? I could sue you. Can't you call the bank or something?”

You know very well it's almost nine o’clock and the banks are closed, Meg thought. She swallowed her growing irritation and suspicion with an effort of will and managed to sound calm. “I’m afraid not. Do you have a credit card you could put this on?”

Glancing at Meg, Heather shook her head and said, “The machine wouldn't take either of them.”

Figures, Meg decided, guarding her face. “We could hold these things for you for a day or two,” she offered. “You can go to the bank tomorrow and cash a check. Or, if you prefer, we can put them on layaway. “

“I had to drive twenty-two miles to get here,” the woman protested. “And I got arthritis and it ain't easy for me to move around. I came here special today just to get them clothes.” She launched into a loud, angry tirade that questioned the store's devotion to its customers, attacked its absurd and libelous policies, and impugned the integrity of the associate and Meg herself. Meg nodded to Heather to cancel the transaction and take the next customer's merchandise while she walked around the counter and maneuvered the woman a little to the side. The outburst continued unabated.

She grew even louder after Meg told her that the store manager wasn't currently available, nor was the assistant manager. The woman was turning red in the face, and since she was rather overweight anyway, Meg began to worry about the possibility of her having a heart attack. People were stopping to stare at the spectacle they presented.

Meg was so focused on the angry woman, wondering how she was going to both soothe and get rid of her, that she actually jumped when a male voice behind her asked, “Is something wrong?”

She whirled to face the newcomer, a stranger who, nevertheless, acted as though he belonged there. No, not entirely a stranger. Meg remembered that he'd been introduced at the last staff meeting as the new assistant to the head of security. At the time she'd been torn between wondering why the head of security suddenly needed an assistant and watching the reaction of the female clerks to the new employee, so she hadn't actually paid much attention to him. Anyway that had been almost a week ago, and the preholiday chaos had occupied most of her waking (and some of her sleeping) moments since.

She avoided making an introduction since she couldn't remember the man's name and explained the situation to him. He had cool hazel-green eyes that melted into warmth and fiery charm, which he directed toward the angry woman with all the deliberate aim of an archer. Within minutes he was guiding the woman toward the customer-service desk so she could lodge a formal complaint. Meg breathed a sigh of relief as they left. When the man turned to glance at her briefly as they rounded the comer to the main aisle, she offered him a grateful smile; the look he gave in return held no hint of warmth or charm. It wasn't unfriendly either. She searched her mind for a description. Unreadable. Inscrutable—that was the word she wanted.

Meg initialed the voided transaction slip, hoping she could now get back to her desk and the stack of sales registers that refused to balance out. No such luck, of course. She'd barely tucked her pen back into her pocket when the public-address system summoned her to the Juniors’ department.

Karen McCullough is the author of almost two dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romance, suspense, and fantasy genres, including the Market Center Mysteries Series and three books in the No Brides Club series of romance novels. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Piedmont Authors Network, she is also a past president of the Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and member of the MWA national board. Karen has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, and Vixen Award contests. Her short fiction has appeared in a wide variety of anthologies. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Get your copy of Blue December HERE. Check out Karen's previous visits HERE.

Sounds like a great story, Karen! Thanks for sharing. Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with your writing endeavors.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll stop by weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is in Karen McCullough @kgmccullough & Playing at Murder!

Good Morning Friends,

It's been quite a while since Karen visited our blog but today we get a peek into her latest release, Playing at Murder, one of her Market Center Mysteries series! Welcome, Karen....

Dolls, constructions sets, stuffed animals, craft kits, and more are the featured displays in the annual Games and Playthings Trade Show at the Washington D.C. Commerce and Market Center, where vendors seek to convince retail buyers to stock their products. Murder and destruction aren’t supposed to be on the program.

The hit-and-run death of an exhibitor overshadows what should be a fun few days of giveaways, games, and demos. A gun hidden in a bin of stuffed animals, a damaged show car, and a drone knocking over the PlayBlox displays are the opening salvos of chaos created by a clever but unhinged vandal.

Settling disputes and fielding complaints are all in a day’s work for Heather McNeil, assistant to the director of the Market Center. Sussing out murder suspects to help the police is way beyond her job description, especially while trying to corner a vandal before the damage gets worse. Keeping the show running despite the mayhem will pit her and her allies, particularly Scott Brandon, the Center’s handsome but enigmatic security officer, against someone playing a deadly game.

Playing at Murder, the newest in my Market Center Mysteries series, released on October 19th. Like the other books in the series, it’s set at a trade show, this time the Games & Playthings Exhibition.

What does that mean?  Toys! Lots of toys!  Of course, some of the toys are subject to not-so-nice treatment, since the book includes not just a murder, but vandalism as well. A gun gets dropped into a bin of stuffed animals, play-block towers are knocked over by a drone, and the dolls – well, let’s just say, it’s unfortunate.

But the giant dragon that needs repair is just too adorable and the large cowboy critter is…different, anyway.

Here’s how the book starts:

Armies of super-heroes stood guard to the left of me, while lions, tigers, and bears gathered on the right. They all watched with silent concern as I zigged around an arsenal of armaments fueled by hydrogen dioxide and various mixtures of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. I faced my goal, Dougal the Dragon, head-on and stalked toward him. In my arms I cradled the all-important emergency medical supplies for his injured representative at this gathering. Heaven help us all if he couldn’t be saved.

Ding dong. That was a bit of wild fantasy, but I enjoyed letting my imagination loose on this mission. The touch of whimsy provided some diversion from the noise and chaos of setting up the Games and Playthings Exhibition at the Washington D.C. Commerce and Market Center. G&P, which was due to start the next day, was one of the largest trade shows for toys and games in the industry, and it brought the usual supply of problems and conflicts inherent in large events.

I tried to avoid being on the show floor as much as possible on set-up days. The constant banging of hammers, clanging of metal on metal, buzzing of electric screwdrivers, squeaking of dolly and cartwheels, warning chirps of the forklifts, and people shouting always induced a headache if I had to spend much time there. Not to mention having to pick my way around the pallets, crates, and boxes stacked everywhere and dodging those squeaking dollies and chirping forklifts.

I still ended up spending more time on the floor than I would’ve liked. Territorial disputes and arguments over arrangements broke out with sadly human regularity, and a large part of my job involved keeping the peace. Trying to, anyway.

This assignment was different. I let go of the fantasy illusion as I got to the Donneywell Enterprises booth, identified myself, and explained my mission.

“Heather McNeil,” I said to the person behind the only table set up in the booth space. “Assistant to the director of the Market Center. I was told you needed a sewing kit to repair one of your displays.” I set the box down on the table where a young woman with long brown hair scraped back from her face and tied in a messy braid at the back looked up from collating and stapling pages.

She stared at me with a blank expression, glanced down at my badge, but said nothing. Her expression went from vacant to wary. 

“Can I speak to the person in charge of the booth?” I asked when the silence stretched out too long.

A voice spoke from the back. “That would be me.”

A woman in her late forties or early fifties stepped out from behind a pyramid of boxes at least a foot taller than she was. My first, none-too-kind impression of her was “overcooked.” Her blonde hair had the straw-like texture resulting from too much chemical treatment for too long a time, and the spray-tanned skin of her face had been lifted once too often already. Tight jeans and a fashionably shoulder-slit top showed off a slim figure that seemed to vibrate with contained energy. Good bones under the tight skin and lively green eyes made her attractive.

“Lorene Donneywell,” she said, holding out a hand. “I heard you say you were with the Market Center staff.” She had a strong New York accent.

“I’m the assistant to the director,” I repeated. “I handle a lot of trouble-shooting issues for her. I’ve brought the sewing supplies you requested.”

“Great. How long do you think it will take you?”

“Take me? To do what?”

“Fix the tear in Dougal.” She pointed to the eight-foot-tall display dragon I’d used to identify their booth. The creature, which must’ve been as long as it was tall, occupied nearly a third of their allotted double space. Along the side of his back, a seam had opened and leaked stuffing. Bits of cotton fluff clung to the green, plush fabric.

I hesitated, taken aback. “You requested a sewing kit, not a seamstress. I’m afraid I don’t know the first thing about sewing. Not even sure how the thread gets through the needle.”

Lorene rolled her eyes. “Why did they send you, then?”

“Because you asked for sewing equipment in a hurry. We got it as quickly as we could. We assumed you had someone on your staff who knew how to use it.”

The woman’s penciled-in eyebrows rose. “We all know what happens when you assume things.”

I kept my smile in place, despite the irritation roiling inside. I had so much experience keeping my emotions under control, I could maintain a pleasant façade with barely a thought. “Misunderstandings happen when people aren’t specific about what they need. Give me a minute and I’ll see if I can find someone to come and make the repairs.” I pulled out my phone but before I could press the button to turn it on, the girl I’d first met piped up.

“I can do it.”

We both turned toward her, but Lorene spoke first. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

The girl frowned at both of us. “No one asked.”

Karen McCullough is the author of almost two dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romance, suspense, and fantasy genres, including the Market Center Mysteries Series and three books in the No Brides Club series of romance novels. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Piedmont Authors Network, she is also a past president of the Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and member of the MWA national board. Karen has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, and Vixen Award contests. Her short fiction has appeared in a wide variety of anthologies. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Find out more about Karen and her work by visiting her Website, Blog, FB Page or on Twitter  @kgmccullough!  See Karen's previous visits to our blog HERE.

Get your copy of Playing at Murder at Amazon on Kindle and in Print and other online retailers HERE.

Wow, Karen we certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release!

Hope you enjoyed Karen's visit friends and that you'll check back each week for another edition Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Karen McCullough!

Good Morning!

Looks like Spring and Winter are fighting for supremacy here in SW Louisiana. We're turning our AC on during the day and heater at night and Mother Nature is arguing with Father Sun because we get rain and clouds and sunshine all mixed up LOL! But God is good ALL the Time!

Today's guest has been here before so please settle in and enjoy Karen McCullough's post about Playing with Story....

For half of the month of December, my daughter, son-in-law, and their four sons isolated themselves for two weeks so that they could safely visit us for the Christmas holiday. Even though, we didn’t see many of the friends and other family we normally would, we did have a wonderful time with them.

The four boys range from nine down to three and all have very different personalities. But a couple of things they have in common: they all have vivid imaginations and no fear in setting them loose.

The picture shows what happened when a couple of them were handed a box of Mr. Potato-head pieces. They had already done the standard silly faces and mixed up limbs for a while but got bored with being conventional.

The older boys got several robot kits of various sorts for Christmas. (It was a theme this year, and they do love robots!) Most seemed to require adult assistance to get them put together right, but a couple still refused to function properly. They got set aside for a bit. A few days ago my daughter let me know that the boys had gotten out those kits again, spent days noodling around with them and finally got everything working, one way or another. Directions apparently had only a minimal role in that happening.

I’m well aware that it’s not fool-proof, but the point is that by playing with these sets, they actually achieved better results than the adults who slavishly tried to follow the (frequently enigmatic) directions.

I try to do something similar when I approach creating a story. I’m pretty much a seat-of-the-pants writer, meaning I don’t pre-plot short stories or novels. I start with an idea, usually an opening scene or two and a vague notion of where I think it’s going to go. Then I sit down and write and see what my brain comes up with. 

Occasionally, the story will just work right out of my mind and onto the paper. I love when that happens. More often, though, I’ll write scenes, incidents, and in the process, I’ll find the core of the characters and unearth the story. More often it comes out as something equivalent to the Potato-Head mish-mash the boys built.

Almost always I have to go back and reorganize things, realizing I may have started at the wrong place or included too much of the background I had to write to find the kernel of the plot. Every now and again I get to a point where I realize it just isn’t working and isn’t going to, so I put that aside and go onto something else.

Normally, though, by playing around with the story elements--the scenes, the dialogue, unexpected actions by the characters and a few surprise revelations--I’ll find the heart of the conflict and the character’s arc. The process takes time. I’m not a fast writer, just a steady one.

Karen McCullough is the author of almost two dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romance, suspense, and fantasy genres, including the Market Center Mysteries Series and two books in the No Brides Club series of romance novels. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, and Vixen Award contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years. Connect with Karen at the following locations: Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Want to find out more about Karen? Revisit her previous posts and check out her book A Gift for Murcher

Greed, jealousy, and anger often lurk below the surface of trade shows and business exhibitions, but murder isn't usually on the program....

For fifty-one weeks of the year, Heather McNeil loves her job as assistant to the director of the Washington, D.C. Commerce & Market Show Center. But the Gifts and Home Decorations trade show, the biggest show of the year at the center, is a week-long nightmare. This year’s version is being worse than usual. Misplaced shipments, feuding exhibitors, and malfunctioning popcorn machines are all in a day’s work. Finding the body of a murdered executive dumped in a trash bin during the show isn’t. The discovery tips throws Heather’s life—personal and professional—into havoc.

The police suspect the victim’s wife killed him, but Heather doesn’t believe it. She’s gotten glimmers of an entirely different scenario and possible motive. Questioning exhibitors about the crime doesn’t make her popular with them or with her employers, but if she doesn’t identify the murderer before the show ends, the culprit will remain free to kill again.

Her only help comes from an exhibitor with ulterior motives and the Market Center’s attractive new security officer, Scott Brandon. Despite opposition from some of the exhibitors, her employers, and the police, Heather seeks to expose the killer before the show ends. To solve the mystery, she will have to risk what’s most important to her and be prepared to fight for answers, her job, and possibly her life.

Get your copy today at: Amazon  Nook  Smashwords  Kobo  iBooks

What a cute story, Karen, thanks for sharing! Hang on to those Mr. Potato Heads because he is now just "Potato Head" such insanity but we're not going there LOL!

Good luck and God's blessings with your books.

Until next time, Friends, take care and God bless.

PamT

#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Karen McCullough

Good Morning Friends!

Today's guest is no stranger to us so I'm just going to turn the blog straight on over to her....

I’m going to show you something that you might think is a very weird treasure. Can you even tell what they are?

If you guessed that they’re a bunch of rubber erasers, pat yourself on the back.

But they’re more than that to me. They’re mementos from my travels. The group shown above is a sample of my much more extensive collection.

It’s only in the last ten years that travel has been any sort of possibility for me. It took getting my kids through college, paying off debt, and my husband and I both moving into semi-retirement before it was even possible.

Twelve years ago my son went over to Wales to study at the University of Bangor in Wales. While there he met the woman who would become his wife, and they eventually settled in Oxford, England, when he was offered his dream job.  So now I have a huge incentive to travel to England, or on occasion, to meet them in other places a young English family can reach fairly easily for vacations.

Our very first trip to England was for their wedding, and we (my husband and two daughters) decided to do some touring while we were there. We started in Edinburgh, Scotland, spent a few days there, proceeded to London for a few days, and then went on to Hastings for the wedding itself. 

Of course I wanted souvenirs, but we had limited suitcase space since we were hauling them around on trains and buses. At practically our first stop in Scotland I found what would be the perfect souvenir for me.

In Europe (as in America and most places, I suppose), every tourist destination – big, small, and in between – has a gift shop. One of the staples of European gift shops are these small rubber erasers imprinted with the name of the place. And I’ve lately found that some American souvenir shops are stocking them as well.

They come in many sizes, colors, and varieties, including some shaped like books.  They’re perfect souvenirs – small, light-weight, and inexpensive. I’ve been trying to buy one from every place we’ve visited ever since.

And it seems to me there’s something totally appropriate about erasers as a souvenir for an author.

Oh Wow, Karen...I collect magnets and T-shirts LOL! but these are definitely something to treasure.

Karen McCullough is the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, six grandchildren (plus one on the way) and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Connect with Karen on her Website, Blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Karen's latest book, Wired for Murder can be purchased at Amazon (Kindle), Smashwords, iTunes, Kobo, and on Nook.

Check out Karen't previous visits here, here, here and here!

I certainly hope you enjoyed today's post as much as I did. Stay tuned weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Karen McCullough & Wired for Murder!

Hello and Welcome to the last Saturday Spotlight in June!

Yeah, I know...this year is flying by way too fast. I agree. Alas, the show must go on so without much further ado I'm pleased to welcome today's guest, Karen McCullough back to our blog with  her novel, Wired for Murder....

Karen McCullough is the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, six grandchildren (plus one on the way) and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Most of the time, Heather McNeil loves her job as assistant to the director of the Washington DC Market Show Center. Because she’s a good listener and even better at solving problems, her boss assigns her to handle a lot of the day to day issues that arise during the shows, exhibits, and conferences being held there.

The Business Technology Exposition at the Market Center is set to open with a major new product announcement from one of the biggest companies in the computer electronics business. Before that event, though, the president of industry-leader MegaComp has a very public argument with a man who accuses the company of stealing the concept for a technical process from him. The announcement goes off without a hitch. But when the accuser returns a phone call from Heather, she becomes an unwilling audience to his murder and later finds his body in a private section of an exhibitor’s booth.

Heather is more than happy to leave the investigation to the police, but she’s the person everyone talks to and she soon learns more than she wanted to know about the victim and all the people who really didn’t like him very much.

Excerpt: 

Ninety-nine days out of a hundred I love my job as assistant to the director of the Washington D.C. Commerce and Market Center. That particular Monday morning, however, I had a hard time remembering why. Setup day before the start of the Washington, D.C. BizTech Show had already staked its claim as the one in the current hundred that made me want to re-examine my career choice.

Whatever my title might indicate, I spend most of my time as liaison between the exhibitors and the director, being general troubleshooter and flak-catcher. That part of the job I usually don’t mind so much. I’m good at listening and staying calm and finding ways to make things better. I keep my head when everyone around me is losing theirs. In general, anyway. But dealing with a list of problems growing faster than I could possibly handle them set my nerves on edge.

On the plus side, the exhibition starting the next day meant I had to be down on the show floor rather than at my desk dealing with the mountain of paperwork that filled my inbox, the gazillion phone messages, and an email box that beeped and glared at me, sulking because I’d neglected it for so long. Of course that just delayed tackling the mess, which would only grow bigger and be even harder to face later.

On the down side, by ten-thirty in the morning I already had a full day’s worth of aggravations to deal with. Plus, setting up for a trade show creates a huge, headache-inducing racket. Several hundred booths being assembled at the same time in an echoing, cavernous space could make an aircraft carrier sound peaceful by comparison. Metal clanged against metal as structures were put together and pieces whacked into place, voices called back and forth, boxes were ripped open, hand trucks squealed on constant rushes back and forth from the loading dock, and footsteps tromped relentlessly.

The buzz of an electric screwdriver rasped my nerves again while my temples throbbed in time to the pounding of a hammer on steel joints. One of the rental bucketlifts chirped a grating counterpoint to the banging as it backed up.

My throbbing head demanded a couple of ibuprofens before I tackled the next item on the list. I headed for the elevator to go back upstairs, but no such luck. A pair of men approached at a run, their eyes focused on me. I sighed and waited. I didn’t recognize them, but their intent gaze said they knew who I was. Next crisis, I thought.

“Miss McNeill?” The man in the lead stopped and huffed in a sharp breath. “I think you might want to do something. A couple of guys are…”

“What?”

“Fighting,” the second one, older and a bit pudgy, said. His face was red and pulled into a worried frown.

“Really more of an argument,” the first one elaborated. “A loud one.”

Great.

You can purchase Wired for Murder at Amazon.

Check out Karen't previous visits here, here and here!

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you'll return weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and of course, Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts: Guest post by Karen McCullough

Good Morning Friends!

I pray you've had a lovely week so far. Today I'm happy to bring to you my guest, Karen McCullough to share some thoughts with us.

So without further ado.....Here's Karen.....

Baseball Season Again (and the Connection to Being an Author)

By Karen McCullough

Confession time: I’m a sports geek. Football, basketball, and baseball seasons cover pretty much the entire year, and that makes me happy. Always something fun to watch on TV and sometimes I get to go to a game.  The NCAA tournament is behind us now and my team didn’t win it all. Oh well, they got to the tournament and made it to the Sweet 16. Pretty good for a group that was seriously under-manned. But I’m ready to move on.

Spring is officially here and that means baseball season!

There’s something particularly exciting about the start of a new sports season. Everything’s fresh, new, and fraught with possibility. This could be the year my team wins it all. And even if they don’t, there’s always the chance that something amazing will happen during the season. This is especially true with baseball, which is a long season with a lot of games. That means plenty of opportunities for great plays, amazing hitting streaks, unexpected success stories, etc.

That’s kind of the way it feels when I start writing a new book. Since I’m a pantser, I generally have no idea what’s going to happen on the book. Each day, when I sit down to write I hope something amazing, something wonderful will happen. I never know what interesting idea, unusual detail, or surprising plot twist is going to pop into my head.

That’s the thrill of both baseball and writing for me. The next pitch could be a home run. The next sentence I write could be the brilliant bit that knocks the story out of the park.  The sheer thrill of creation keeps me writing when it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, rejections mount, or publishers fold.

And speaking of that, something else is new for me this spring. Since Five Star folded up its mystery line in January while the second book of my Market Center Mystery Series was still in the editorial process and rights were returned to me, I’ve decided to self publish it and subsequent books.

Wired for Murder is currently with my former Five Star editor, who is doing an edit for me on a free-lance basis. I’m happy she could do it, since she’s very thorough and has already read the first book in the series.

I’m also agonizing over cover.  I want to redo the cover for the first book at the same time as getting a new cover for the second book, something that can brand the series and will work for future books as well.

And I’m drawing up a list of blog sites for promo once I get the edits back and cover done. As yet I don’t have a release date, but I’m kind of hoping I can manage July 1^st.

This is so much more work than going through a traditional publisher, but I do like having final say on everything!

Karen McCullough is the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

A Gift for Murder (Note: the cover here will soon be changed since I’m want to give the series a unified look. The price is likely to change as well so you might want to grab a copy right now if you’re interested.)

The Gifts and Home Decoration trade show provides Heather McNeill with the longest week of her hectic life. As assistant to the director of Washington, D.C.'s, Market and Commerce center, she's point person for complaining exhibitors, missing shipments and miscellaneous disasters. It's a job she takes in stride—until murder crashes the event.

Read an excerpt and get order links here: http://www.kmccullough.com/Murder.php
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGKYNT6

Oh wow, I haven't enjoyed a good baseball game since my brothers played back in the 70's...well except for an occasional LSU game.

Anyway, Thanks Karen for sharing your thoughts with us. I'm a 'panster' too so I know exactly the thrill of starting and discovering a story!

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends. Hope to see you again soon for Saturday Spotlight, Tuesday Treasures and of course, Thursday Thoughts!

Until next time...take care and God Bless!

PamT

#TuesdayTreasure: Guest Post by Karen McCullough

Good Morning from Bandera, Texas!

Yes, I am back at my home away from home, the Silver Spur Guest Ranch for a visit and it is with great pleasure I present this guest post by returning author, Karen McCullough. So without much further ado.....Here's Karen....

I have a number of things I treasure – a few pieces of jewelry that were gifts from my husband or inherited from my mother or mother-in-law, some family heirlooms, and particularly thoughtful gifts from my kids – but in truth, I treasure my experiences and memories more than the things I have.

My most recent Christmas has to take a place near the top of that mental album of treasured memories. I’ve never had a really bad Christmas, though some have been better than others.  But this one was a particularly wonderful time because I had all of my family here for it. That means myself, my husband, three kids, their spouses, and their combined five children, three of whom are under the age of four. And for the entire time they were here we had a steady stream of friends and relatives taking advantage of the opportunity to see them, since the younger two traveled from quite a distance to get here.

It was hectic, chaotic at times, and expensive. We made daily and even twice daily runs to the grocery store. We had to space out morning showers to avoid running out of hot water. The dishwasher ran three times a day until we wised up and switched to paper plates and plastic cutlery. By the time they all left, the house looked like a tornado had gone through.

It was more than worth every penny and every minute of time spent.

To hold my grandchildren and see the wonder in their eyes when they stared at the Christmas tree was a gift beyond any price. Long talks with my kids and their wonderful spouses, walks to the park and around the neighborhood, dinners crowded at the table where laughter abounded and conversation was non-stop… Every moment of their visits offered precious memories.

They’re all the more treasured because I know it won’t happen again. There will be other Christmases—God willing—and other visits with the kids. But next year the families of the younger two will likely go to the in-laws for Christmas, and we’ll probably have Christmas morning with my older daughter.  That will have its own delights, but they won’t be the same.

And the younger families are expanding, which will make it more difficult still for them to travel. In the future we’ll likely go to them rather than having them come to us.

But this past Christmas is a treasure worth keeping in my heart.

To make a connection with my books, my most recent release, Blue December, is partially set at Christmas, and some of the description of Rick’s family bears similarities to my own. And the experience of the joy of family is something most of my protagonists are looking for, whether they know it or not.

It’s two weeks before Christmas and Meg Brandt, a department manager at Wambash’s, “the store with the answer to all your family’s needs,” has problems beyond the usual seasonal chaos. Her department is losing cash from the registers. Inventory is leaving the premises unrecorded and unpaid. Security is focusing on her, since the losses are happening on her watch. Her efforts to track down the source of the disappearances have produced no results, and her career appears to be headed for oblivion. When the store’s new security officer starts showing unusual attention to her, Meg isn’t sure what to think. He’s attractive in any number of ways, but she can’t be sure if his interest is personal or professional.

Purchase Blue December at Amazon.

Karen McCullough’s wide-ranging imagination makes her incapable of sticking to one genre for her storytelling. As a result, she’s the author of more than a dozen published novels and novellas, which span the mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and romantic suspense genres. A former computer programmer who made a career change into being an editor with an international trade publishing company for many years, she now runs her own web design business to support her writing habit. Awards she’s won include an Eppie Award for fantasy; three other Eppie finals; Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Hope you enjoyed this week's Tuesday Treasure! Check back for Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!

Until later...take care & God Bless!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight: Karen McCullough and Detectives Dilemma

Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Whew...I am SO happy to see the sun shining this morning! It has been rainy, cloudy and gloomy... F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!

Today it is my great pleasure to introduce to you Ms. Karen McCullough, author of Magic, Mystery, and Romance!

Karen McCullough’s wide-ranging imagination makes her incapable of sticking to one genre for her storytelling. As a result, she’s the author of more than a dozen published novels and novellas, which span the mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and romantic suspense genres. A former computer programmer who made a career change into being an editor with an international trade publishing company for many years, she now runs her own web design business to support her writing habit. Awards she’s won include an Eppie Award for fantasy; three other Eppie finals; Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Links to find and follow Karen: 

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kgmccullough/

Although Sarah Anne Martin admits to pulling the trigger, she swears someone forced her to kill her lover. Homicide detective Jay Christianson is skeptical, but enough ambiguous evidence exists to make her story plausible. If he gives her enough freedom, she’ll either incriminate herself or draw out the real killers. But, having been burned before, Jay doesn’t trust his own protective instincts…and his growing attraction to Sarah only complicates matters.

With desire burning between them, their relationship could ultimately be doomed since Sarah will be arrested for murder if they can’t find the real killer.

Excerpt from Chapter 1

The crash of something hitting the floor jerked her awake.

Sarah lay for a moment, listening, wondering what might have fallen, but not yet alarmed enough to drag herself out of bed and investigate.

An even louder thunk shook the house. She jolted upright in bed. Something had hit the floor again--something heavy. She reached for the bedside clock and pressed the button to illuminate the face. One-thirty. Vince might still be up. Maybe he’d bumped into something. She hoped it was nothing worse. She kept telling him to follow the doctor’s orders and lose weight. At fifty-three, he already had heart problems.

The thought of him lying on the floor after a heart attack or stroke goaded her up and out of bed.

She snagged her robe off the chair and rushed out of her bedroom. A light shone at the opposite end of the hall that ran nearly the entire length of the house. In the past year, Vince had been having more trouble sleeping and often stayed in his study, working or watching television into the early hours of the morning.

The door to the room stood open, but she didn’t see him at first when she rushed in. Papers lay scattered across the floor, drawers hung open from the desk, and one sat on its side on the floor as well.

“Vince?”

“Over here. I--” His voice wavered and broke.

She spotted him on the far side of the room from the door. He was on his feet and two men flanked him. Hoods concealed their features, and they both wore dark, nondescript clothes. Each held a gun, one pointed at Vince’s head, the other turned in her direction.

Sarah froze. Her breath stuck in her throat, and her stomach clenched into a tight knot. “What--? What’s going on? Vince?”

His normally florid complexion had a gray cast, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, my dear. These gentlemen have--”

“Shut up,” one of the two ordered.

She didn’t realize there was a third man in the room until he stood beside her. Sarah backed away, but he grabbed her arm and held her in place. He squeezed the arm so tightly it hurt when she tried to wrench it away.

 Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Detectives-Dilemma-Karen-McCullough-ebook/dp/B00OA9WFQY/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-detectives-dilemma-karen-mccullough/1120500707?ean=9781616506520

Publisher's Site: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31106?category=313166

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-detective-s-dilemma-2

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thedetective039sdilemma-1652593-152.html


Sounds like an intriguing read! I certainly hope you've enjoyed this spotlight. Check back weekly for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlights...Oh and watch for those Rocking Romances!

Until later...take care and God Bless!
PamT

#TuesdayTreasure: NYC in Dec!

Good Morning Friends,

It's been a few weeks since I shared something I treasure with you. With the holidays and deaths in our family the end of Oct -thru- early Nov, it was a welcomed relief to share my guests' posts.

In the weeks to come, I'll be sharing some Rocking Romance books by some of my author friends, then after, the Egg-cerpt Exchange as well as guests on Tuesday Treasure and Thursday Thoughts. Then, of course we'll have our regular Saturday Spotlight where you'll meet great authors and learn about their books.

But today, I want to share a few memories I treasure from my trip to New York City!

That's right, this little Cajun girl who doesn't like winter, went to the Big Apple....in December no less! My son treated me to the trip and we had a blast.

So without further ado, here are a few pics.....

On descent into NYC LaGuardia Airport.....




My son (TJ) and I standing in front of the Christmas tree at Crown Plaza hotel.

 at theater waiting for Rocketts show 

                                                               
                                                                  backstage after the Rocketts show

These four at Rockefeller Center...A huge line up of Angels, gigantic string of lights, 85' Christmas tree and larger than life Christmas band statues.                              

                                            

      
These enormous Christmas ornaments were displayed somewhere within the Time Square/Rockerfeller vicinity. Don't remember exactly where but everything was within walking distance! 

                    
                                                           The billboards in Time Square are amazing!

A trip to NYC just isn't complete without visiting the 9-11 memorial site and seeing the new tower....

                      

My most FAVORITE part of the entire trip was when we went to see the Broadway play WICKED!











Although we had a quick turn-around trip (Dec 21-23) these are photos and memories my son and I will treasure for the rest of our lives.


Well Friends, I hope you enjoyed visiting the Big Apple with me! I pray your 2015 has been blessed so far and will continue to be that way.

Stay tuned this week for Thursday Thoughts with Leslie Gould and Saturday Spotlight on Karen McCullough.

Until later...take care, God Bless and remember: Life isn't made up of days, months and years, but moments and memories of love, joy, and happiness

Something to think about!

"Inspirational with an Edge! ™