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The Loser Mysteries Loser is like no character you've met before: homeless, dirty, and mostly silent. Join her as she finds her way back from the dark places she's been. Find out why she fell into despair. See if she can learn to cope again, to sleep in a bed, meet someone's gaze, and possibly accept there's something worthwhile left in her life. ********************************************* Killing Silence (Book #1) Loser sleeps in alleys, washes up in gas station rest rooms, and eats when she can. Lost in her own misery, s he barely notices the hardships of life. When a child captures her attention and that child's welfare is in doubt, however, Loser calls on long-forgotten resources to help. Can someone who lives among the lost become a rescuer, or will her demons--and a vicious murderer--defeat her? Ebook  Print ****************************************** Killing Memories (Book #2) Ebook: Print Upset by the attention su

You Know Where You Can Go!

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Where does the song recommend you go? 1. "When you're alone and life is making you lonely..." Petula Clark 2. "So if your baby's left you..." Elvis 3. "If you're blue and you don't know where to go to..." Young Frankenstein for one 4. "___ ___ is the scene you should make..." The Cowsills 5. "Take your troubles to the ____" Elvis again Answers: 1. Downtown www. youtube .com/watch?v=Zx06XNfDvk0 2. Heartbreak Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PotB76gi2_4 3. (Putting on) the Ritz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1FLZPFI3jc 4. Indian Lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw7ubMgByYQ 5. Chapel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00eUebsh68M

Listen to Your Mother!

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Songs about Mama: 1. "Mama Said There'd Be ___ ___ ___" The Shirelles 2. "Mama Told Me ___ ___ ___" Three Dog Night 3. "___ ___ Mama" Cabaret 4. "Mama's Got a ____" The Who 5. "The Last of the ___ ___ Mamas"  Sophie Tucker Answers: 1. Days Like This www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlImg2bm28 2.  Not to Come www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaQzQAlNn4 3. Don't Tell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhIt69v0yzY 4. Squeeze Box https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXoxH8HI7z8 5. Red Hot  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS-n8_mCuSE

By Train or By Bus

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Here are some songs that are about travel by train or bus, which is how we saw Grand Canyon last week. We took the GC Railway from Williams, AZ, into the park, took a bus tour of the high points, and then had a day to explore on our own before taking the train back to Williams. We highly recommend it! 1. Train: "____ Island Line" (Johnny Cash) 2. Bus "Thank God and ____" (Roy Clark) 3. Train "City of ___ ___" (Arlo Guthrie) 4. Train "The ___ Train" (Duke Ellington) 5. Train "Engine Engine # ___" (Roger Miller) Answers: 1. Rock www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBeZPJ03lW0 2. Greyhound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx8x3LCnYZw  3. New Orleans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ 4. A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2w2m1JmCY 5. 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjQsI8BrTtk

What Am I Working On?

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Someone asks me this about once a week, so I thought I'd attempt an answer. I just finished the final edit for the 4th Simon & Elizabeth mystery, Her Majesty's Mischief . If you've been paying attention, I had some trouble choosing a title for this one, and readers gave me some great suggestions. I chose this one because it has a double meaning. Simon is sent to Scotland to try to determine if Mary, Queen of Scots is hatching mischief in the form of revolt against Elizabeth, now Queen of England. In his absence, Elizabeth hatches some mischief of her own, secretly sending Simon's old friend Calkin to investigate a murder in Simon's family. Both endeavors lead to trouble, of course. I have no release date yet for that one, but they said I'll get Advance Review Copies in December, which means it should come out about two months later. I will let readers know through my newsletter, so if you aren't signed up, you can text 22828. It will ask for a passwor

"Farm" ing

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In honor of my delightful visit to Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club yesterday, songs about farms. 1. "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (after they've seen ____)?" 2. "Thank God I'm ___ ___ ___!" 3. "Out Behind the ___" 4. "The farmer said to the ___ ___, 'Why'd you pick my farm?" 5. "She Thinks My ____ ___" Answers 1. Paree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgqVCJpRqWQ 2. A Country Boy www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRgL92K5zuE 3. Barn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_mUz3RWKHQ  4. Boll Weevil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5H6iwQGWl4 5. Tractor's Sexy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWu4aynBK7E

You Know What They Say about Opinions

Here's the G-rated version: "Opinions are like noses. Everybody has one." America is a country that has long valued the right of each individual to have an opinion, and that's good. The problem comes when opinions are all a person has. Here's my take on the subject. *A person's opinions should be based on evidence, and that evidence must be real. It's difficult--sometimes really difficult--to look at the evidence, read or listen across a range of information, and make a conscious decision as to what you think about a subject. It's often easier to take the word of someone you think is smart or knowledgeable or well-read on the topic. The problem is that his/her opinion might be just as misinformed or slanted as anyone else's. If all it took to be right is brains or education, there wouldn't be so much disagreement in the highest levels of government. As a debater in high school and college, I learned that it's essential to look at both sid