Thursday, December 19, 2019

The 12 Days of Christmas



With the holiday season upon us, it is our time to reflect on the year gone by and start getting together a list of resolutions for the New Year. This is one of my comic relief poems.  I refer to it as my quick pick-me-upper when my muse comes to a halt.  This is my version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my friends gave to me:

Twelve hours of nonstop writing,

Eleven great plots ideas with a twist,

Ten true to life characters,

Nine boxes of tissues,

Eight books on writing,

Seven sites on marketing,

Six unique promo tips,
Five colored highlighters,

Four packages of post it notes,

Three colorful loose-leaf binders,

Two boxes of colorful paperclips,

And a bottle of Procesecco to stimulate my mind.


To all my writer friends and readers I’d like to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season full of love and happiness! I'm sharing with you my Christmas tree and decorations.
 
If you stop by and leave a comment, you will be put in a drawing to receive an ebook of my Cookie Cutter Cozy Mystery Series. All you need to do is tell me your favorite Christmas/Holiday treat and/or what you want Santa to bring! Good luck!

VISIT MY WEBSITE HERE.

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON. CLICK HERE

Saturday, July 06, 2019

Book Hooks - The Right Call - #MFRWHooks, #MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.

  The Right Call is Book 3 in the Mystical Wonders Series
BLURB
To deal with her onset of early Alzheimer, Fay Odina takes a trip to Italy to spend time with her family, leaving her daughter Heather in charge of the family business. Madison and Dino Pinzini are dealing with the complications of Dino’s heart attack, which puts their relationship to the test. Meantime, as Cassie Scott deals with trust and commitment issues, she meets New York City Police Detective Antonio Palencia. Cassie’s cousin, Sophia returns to Staten Island. Sophia is involved in a dead end relationship with a secret past hidden in a box full of letters. The women begin receiving puzzle pieces of them in the mail, which could result in disaster. All they have to go on is Shari’s vision that shows long shiny purple fingernails. When Antonio receives a tip, he and Cassie have to race against time to solve the mystery.
EXCERPT


She tapped her long, shiny, deep purple nails out in a rhythm on the glass table. Who would be her next victim? Opening her small, black leather case, she looked down the list. Madison and Shari both had red checks next to their names. Next on the list, Cassie. Oh yes, she had big plans for her too. These bitches had ruined her life. They had been warned throughout the years to mind their own goddamn business. But that was something they all had a problem with.

Looking down at her finger, she noticed a chip on her right middle finger. “Damn. These bitches are ruining my freshly polished manicure too.” Picking up the bottle of nail polish, she proceeded to touch up her finger. “There.” She held her finger out and grinned. “This game is proceeding beautifully.”

How she wished she could have seen their faces when they saw the contents of the envelopes. Oh yes, they had to be flipping out by now, especially that whore Madison.

Standing, she walked to the window and pushed the curtains open. She had the perfect view, overlooking the east shore of Staten Island. The Verrazano Bridge looked awesome at night all lit up.

“Time to pick the pictures to include in Cassie’s package. Cassie and her investigative bullshit. Hmm, let me see.” She looked at the two dozen pictures, trying to figure out an original way to display them. A special way that would make Cassie flip out when she sees the pictures of her beloved boyfriend cheating on her with a woman old enough to be his mother.

“Let me see.” Sitting back in her chair, she crossed her long slender legs and lit a cigarette. Instead of sending the pictures, she would put them into a movie, just like the original cartoons from the early ‘60s. “Oh yeah. That’s it. That would get right under her skin.”

Walking over to the computer, she felt a warmness come over her. She got so excited about this new project that she had turned herself on. Today, she wouldn’t need to look at the picture of a naked cowboy dressed only in cowboy boots and hat, accompanied by his big , thick cock. Opening the buttons on her shirt, she lifted her plump breasts out of her bra, resting them on top so they stood firm. The moment she pinched her nipples, she felt hot liquid drip into her silk thong. She had this down to a science. Her breasts were big enough, so she could lick and stimulate them herself.

Throwing her head back, she moaned when she reached down her pants. Revenge had a strange way of working for her. Not only would she get even with those bitches, but now she had to satisfy herself in a way no man could.


KAREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

Saturday, June 29, 2019

Book Hooks - Second Chances - #MFRWHooks, #MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.
Second Chances is Book 2 in the Mystical Wonders Series

BLURB
Madison, Shari and Cassie play a major role in protecting Fay, while digging into Angelo’s past. Shari still can’t channel into Angelo’s mind, leading the women to believe he has something to hide. A reunion with an old love puts Madison’s relationship with Sal to the test, causing her to reevaluate her life. While family secrets continue to be exposed, Cassie’s life spirals out of control. Both women will be forced to make life changing decisions. Having gained Fay’s trust, Angelo is ready to move forward with his plan no matter what the consequences. Cassie seeks Shari’s help on a case. While they uncover pieces of the puzzle, they get closer to the truth about Angelo’s past. Madison, Shari and Cassie come together, racing against time, to save Fay from a disastrous fate. Four friends, four lives intertwined together, setting the stage for second chances.
EXCERPT
 
Angelo pulled his truck into a narrow driveway and parked around the back of an abandoned building. He rushed through his route to have extra time to spend with Tina, who hadn’t arrived yet.
The past few months had been pure hell on him. This game had turned boring. The worst part was that he had to pacify both Fay and Tina now. They would do anything he asked. He had both of them at his disposal. Sometimes it was sick how they ran around for him. But with them surrounding him, he felt like the king of his castle. He could do no wrong in their eyes. They jumped to his every command.
“Ha! Angelo my boy, you still have all the charm and physique,” he said into his rearview mirror. “You treat them like whores, wine and dine them once in a while and they’re eating out of your hand.” Angelo chuckled.
Fay and Tina were the easiest of all. They both fell hard for him. He patted his crotch. “Johnson my man, God blessed me with the biggest pecker of all. Man, were they right in saying women cared more about the size than the quality. The bigger the pecker, the better the penetration.” Angelo laughed hysterically. This was so cool. He would never again work a single day in his life when he finished with all of them. They were stupid broads, with Tina being the biggest slut of them. As long as he gave her sex once a week, she left him alone. Now with her at Fay’s shop, he would have total access to Fay’s financial situation before he took action.

He’d been searching for something he just couldn’t find. Every time Fay left the house, he would riffle through all her things looking for something, anything which would give him the bigger picture of her finances.

The last time Fay and Heather went on one of their mother-daughter adventures, he combed every drawer in her bedroom. He pulled them out in hope that maybe she taped a key or envelope under the drawer, each time coming up empty. Every time she went out, he took another room. He even went as far and checking inside all three toilets in the house, to no avail.

Why did she have a separate account for the business? He couldn’t understand that. Fay insisted she didn’t want to mix their personal and business accounts together because this made paying the quarterly taxes easier. What he didn’t like was those bank statements went directly to her computer so he had no access to them. He just had a feeling she was hiding something. And he’d be damned if he didn’t find out if his suspicions were true or false.

It was a shame his ex-wife died for no reason at all. He wasn’t smart back then. He should have searched harder for her will when she was by her whore sister’s house with her sick kid. If he would have known she left all her money to her sister for medical expenses, he would have just left her and started over. Instead, he had to cover up a murder, which he did perfectly. Damn accidents did happen.

KAREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Book Hooks - A Different Kind of Perfect - #MFRWHooks, #MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.
A Different Kind of Perfect Book 2 in the Seaside Boulevard Series
Available for Amazon Kindle for $4.99 - Paperback $12.99 (Click Here)

BLURB
It is the grand opening of The Perfect Pitch. All the pieces fall into place until Francine's diagnosis of breast cancer, throwing their lives upside down. While Amy and Jason deal with the reaction from her family to their interracial relationship, Toni finds herself in another overbearing relationship with Pelicans third baseman Gary Thompson.
In the mist of taking care of Francine and working at The Perfect Pitch, Richie gets a call from the owner of the Pelicans. He is offered a job as pitching coach for the team. Richie accepts the job, putting a huge strain on his marriage which affects all of them.

EXCERPT
     Amy knocked on the door before walking in. “Mom, Dad, we’re here.”

      “I’m in the kitchen. Come on in.” Amy closed and locked the front door. Taking Jason’s
hand, she led him into the kitchen.
     “Hi, Mom.” She walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “This is Jason.”
     Nancy’s mouth dropped open and the wooden spoon fell out of her hand. After a couple of brief uncomfortable moments, her mother rolled her eyes. “Nice to meet you, Jake.”
     “His name is Jason, Mom.”
     “I’m sorry, Jason.” “
     Nice to meet you, Mrs. Mills.”
     “Al, where are you?” she called out in a high-pitched voice.
     “I’m coming. You made me go upstairs and shave or else I’d be sitting in my chair watching TV.”
     Silence filled the room. Amy looked from her mother to Jason. Jason had a blank look on his face and her mother a look of disappointment. The sound of her father coming down the stairs made Amy tenser as she shuffled from one foot to the other. Her father meeting Jason would just finish off the night. He was always the one who talked negatively about black people, saying he hated them. If things didn’t work out, she would get Jason out of there quick.
     “Amy.”
     Amy turned around and walked over to kiss her father hello. “Dad, this is Jason Maddock.”
The Jason Maddock?” he asked, walking over to shake his hand.
     “Yes.”
     “Oh my God, this is awesome. My daughter is dating Jason Maddock the football player. Damn, it can’t get any better than this. I love the Rockets. I’ve been watching them since I was a kid. I am so happy to meet you. Would you like something to drink? A beer or wine? There’s a football game on now.” He chuckled. “My wife made me turn it off, saying that it was inappropriate for me to be watching football when we have a guest.”
     “Albert. Are you blind?”
     “No. What are you talking about, Nancy?”
     “Jason is our daughter’s boyfriend.” “Yes, I know. Isn’t that awesome? He won the game for the Rockets last weekend to get them into the last game of the playoffs before the Super Bowl.”
     “I don’t know anything about sports, nor do I want to.” Nancy put her hands on her hips. “Our daughter is dating a black man.”
     “He’s not black, Nancy. He’s Jason Maddock. I have his team jersey.”
     “I can’t believe what is going on here. How can you be blinded with—”
     Al put his arm around Jason. “Come on, let’s go into the living room and talk sports. You have to excuse Nancy. She has a one-track mind, still living in the nineteen-forties.”
     Jason and her dad went into the living room. She heard her father talking about the game from the week before. From what she could hear, it sounded like her father and Jason were getting along. And to think she was worried that her father would throw him out.
     “Can you give me a hand here instead of glaring into space?”
     “Yes, Mom. What can I do to help?”
     “Can you toss the salad and place it onto the dining room table?”
     “Sure mom.”
     “So what’s going on with this Jason man? He’s black,” she whispered.
     “I know, Mom. But when I look at him, I don’t see color.”
     “Then what do you see? Because I see something different.”
     Amy tossed the salad and tasted a piece of lettuce. “Needs more salt.”
     “Add a little. Your father is supposed to be watching his sodium intake. But from what I see, your father has lost his mind accepting a black man into our home. What are the neighbors going to say?”
     “Is that what you’re worried about—the neighbors?”
     “Of course I am. This is a white neighborhood. I don’t want to hear people talking about how desperate you were for a man that you had to reach out for one from another race.”
     “You are out of your mind. Instead of you being happy that I’m happy and I found someone who loves me as much as I love him, you are throwing me the race card.”
     “Do you realize what kind of life you are entering? We did the best we could do for you. The last thing I expect is to find you standing in line trying to get food stamps.”
     “You really have lost your mind. Jason is a football player making a lot of money. But this isn’t about money.”
     “I’m sure it isn’t going to be enough to take care of you.”
     “Mom, he is making over ten million dollars. He lives in a mansion on Todt Hill. He has all his own things. He doesn’t need anything of mine to survive. And besides, Dad seems to be getting along very well with Jason.”
     “I am totally surprised at your father accepting this kind of behavior from you.”
    “I’m bringing the salad inside. Please, do not embarrass him during dinner. Can you promise me that?”
     “I’ll do my best, but I can’t make you any promises.”


KAREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

Saturday, June 15, 2019

Book Hooks - Circle of Friends #MFRWHooks, #MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.
This is book 1 in the Mystical Wonders Series!

BLURB

Madison Morina, college professor, meets Sal at the college’s pep rally. They hit it off, but Madison still has her doubts regarding their relationship. Shari Stafford, a clairvoyant, hairdresser, finds love when she hires a carpenter to do renovations on her house. She has a special gift of reading minds. Private Investigator Cassie Scott has an on and off relationship with Dennis. When family secrets are revealed, her life is changed forever. Bad boy Angelo Esposito sweeps Fay Odina off her feet. He has a dead wife and an ex-wife, along with a secret past and an agenda. Angelo finds his perfect mark in Fay, who owns the family Vintage Clothing Shop. Despite her friends’ warnings that she is in imminent danger, she runs off and marries Angelo. It’s up to the girls to juggle their own relationships and dig deeper into Angelo’s past. Four friends, four lives intertwined together.
EXCERPT

     There wasn’t a lot of time to waste so he drove directly to Fay’s store and parked his car around back. He had everything set up from earlier when he brought her boxes down to the basement right before she closed the store.
    Everything worked out perfectly. He had outlined the whole day and pretty much stayed on the schedule he’d made for himself. His personal satisfaction wasn’t on the list, but it sure did feel good.
    Angelo didn’t foresee any problems. During his last trip to the basement, he made sure he distracted her from checking the backdoor. Smooching, thoughts of an expensive dinner, and sex had preoccupied her. He was relieved.
    Angelo opened the basement door, turned on his flashlight and grabbed the splintered banister. Earlier, he hadn’t noticed that some of the stairs were warped, cracked,
and one or two only had half a step remaining. He didn’t need to fall down and have Fay come into work the next day to find him lying on the bottom of the stairs with a broken leg and a concussion.
    Once he reached the bottom step, he opened the door, thankful he remembered to leave on the light. This way there was nothing out of the ordinary to cause anyone alarm. He went directly to the file cabinet in the corner, opening and closing the drawers looking for past bank statements or any other vital information.
     He removed the December files, knowing these would be the final figures for the previous year. This was easier than he thought. Finally, he had planned something out the right way and it hadn’t cost him that much to woo her. Fay was so blinded by his charm, she didn’t see him for the man he really was.
    The last two broads he was married to had to be lavished with expensive gifts, Broadway plays and vacations to the tropics. God forbid if there wasn’t diamonds in the piece of jewelry he bought them. But that problem was easy to amend. He would take a piece, sell it and buy something new. What made this little ploy pathetic was his wives had so much jewelry they didn’t even realize when something went missing.
    Fay was a whole different story. She never asked for anything. So when he brought her the smallest of gifts, she would make a big deal over it. She had turned into the perfect score.
 
                                                               ***
     Angelo finished copying the files and carefully placed them back where he retrieved them. Covering his tracks was imperative. He started walking downstairs when he remembered the papers in his pocket. Returning to her office, he made a quick copy of them. Once he got back to her house, he would return the envelope. Sooner or later she’d have to use the bathroom or he’d send her down for a snack.

     Shutting the light off, Angelo made his way down the stairs again. He put away the original file he had taken from down in the basement, sliding the box that blocked the file cabinet back in front of it.

     These papers were going to be the key to his future. It would be the deciding factor on what he wanted to do about his so-called relationship with Fay. If she was worth the money he suspected, then he would just have to fake his way through a loving relationship while finding his restitution with his lover Tina.


KAREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

Saturday, June 08, 2019

Book Hooks - Another Side of Perfect - #HFRWHooks, MFRWAuthor

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new to you authors.
 This is Book 3 in the Seaside Boulevard Series!


BLURB 
Richie and Francine’s marriage takes another hit when his dad dies of a massive heart attack. Angelina, Richie’s mom is distraught, not leaving her house. When Francine finds herself pregnant, everyone is ecstatic, especially Angelina. However, their excitement turns into worry when Francine falls putting her pregnancy in high risk, restricting her to bed rest. Gary Thompson gets traded to another team on the west coast. Toni needs to make the decision to go with him, or stay home and end their relationship. Amy and Jason’s wedding invitations are sent out. The question is will their families accept their wedding? A surprise guest the eve of the wedding will put the spin on the next day’s festivities.

EXCERPT 

Carefully Amy walked up the path. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Francine lying on the floor at the bottom of the steps, her head on the grass and her body on the pavers. The bags fell from her hands and she let out a shrill cry.

            “Francine,” she nudged her, “what’s wrong?” No answer, no movement. “Oh my God.” Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. “I need help,” she cried into the phone.

            “Calm down. I need to know what the problem is.” “My friend is down on the floor outside unconscious.

            She’s pregnant, oh my God, her baby. Please help me. Francine, talk to me.”

Her eyes barely opened. She mumbled something, which Amy couldn’t understand before closing her eyes again.

            Amy gave the woman on the other end of the phone Francine’s address. The woman told her not to move her and an ambulance was on its way. Amy got up, ran to her car and took out the beach blanket in the trunk, returning to cover her.

            “Please, Francine, wake up. How did this happen? Don’t worry, I’m here for you. I’m not leaving your side. Everything is going to be all right. Please stay with me.”

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw an open book and a bag with what looked like clothes. She reached over for the book and it turned out to be Sally’s sketchbook. Why would Francine have Sally’s sketchbook? Francine hadn’t said anything about Sally coming over when they spoke this morning.

            In the distance, Amy heard the ambulance approaching. She took hold of Francine’s hand and started to talk to her about all their antics they pulled throughout their friendship. She didn’t know what else to do. At least if she kept talking to her maybe she would open her eyes or respond by squeezing her hand.

            The ambulance arrived. The EMTs started taking Francine’s vital signs, shielding Amy from seeing what they were doing.

            “Let’s get her on oxygen,” one of the men commanded. “Oh my. Is she okay? Is she all right?” Amy cried. “She’s fine. After doing a quick assessment, it seems

that she slipped and fell down the stairs. It’s possible she has a concussion. We won’t know anything until we get her to the hospital for additional testing.”

            “What about the baby?”

            “She’s pregnant?”            

            “Yes. Please don’t let anything happen to the baby.”

            Ignoring her, he said to the other EMT, “Let’s get her on a stretcher.”

            “I think something else happened here. These items,” Amy pointed, “do not belong to her. It might be possible someone pushed her down the stairs.”

            “That isn’t our department. You’ll have to wait for the police to come to file a report.”

            “I’m not leaving my best friend alone. I’ll call the police on the way to the hospital.”

            The EMT strapped Francine down to the stretcher and put her seat belt on. Amy followed the stretcher onto the ambulance. She sat on the bench next to her. As the ambulance raced down Father Capadanno Boulevard, Amy called Jason and then 911 again. By the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the police had arrived as well as Jason.

            Amy followed behind Francine. Along the way she grabbed Jason’s hand, leading him into the emergency room.

            The first thing the nurse did was check all Francine’s vitals. Next, the doctor came in and ordered a CAT scan of her head, along with an ultrasound of the baby. Amy told them Doctor Taylor was her obstetrician. When the transporter came to bring Francine up for her scan, the doctor told Amy she couldn’t go into the room with her and she had to stay in the waiting room. They would come get her when they were done.

            When they wheeled Francine into the elevator, she turned and fell into Jason’s arms. Amy cried for the longest time. Her thoughts kept going to Francine. If anything happened to her baby, Francine would never recover. What worried her even more had been why she had been unconscious for so long. She was no medical doctor, but she knew this wasn’t a very good sign.

            “Ms. Mills?” a deep voice said. Amy turned around to face Officer Miller.

            “Yes.”

            “You placed a call to us.”

            Amy took a deep breath before sliding into the leather waiting room chair. “I did because I suspect that Francine wasn’t alone when she fell down the stairs. I found her friend’s sketchbook and shopping bag with clothes at the bottom of the stairs. If I was to make a calculated guess, I would say Sally Britts was at the house.”

            “Who is Sally Britts?” Miller asked. “She is a friend of Francine.” “What would cause you to believe she had something to do with the fall if she was her friend?” he asked, resting his hand on his gun.

            Amy gave him Francine’s address. “Just a feeling I have.”

            Miller scribbled something on his pad before flipping it closed and placing it back into his pant’s pocket. “I will be in touch with you.”

            When Miller was out of ears reach, Amy said, “He’s so full of shit. He thought I was a nut job. I bet he doesn’t follow up on this.”

            “Babe.” Jason turned her around to face him.

            “Let it go. What’s important here is Francine.

                                                                        *****

            Amy walked into Francine’s room. When she saw that Francine was still not conscious, she called Angelina.

            “Hello,” she yelled into the phone.

            “Angelina, this is Amy, Francine’s friend.”

            “Of course. How are you?”

            “Not too good. I’m at the hospital with Francine.”            

            “What? Why is Francine in the hospital? Is it my Richie?”

            “No. It’s Francine. She’s had an accident.”            

            “What kind of accident?” Her voice raised two octaves.            

“I’m not sure. I think she fell down the front stairs. I found her on the floor.” “Where are you?” “In the emergency room.”

“I’m on my way.”

The phone went dead. Amy slid her phone into her back pocket and crossed her arms tightly against her chest, staring out the glass window at the flock of turkeys walking across the street, holding up traffic. This day had turned into a complete disaster. The one question, which kept going through her mind was why Sally’s things were on the floor near Francine. She needed to talk to Francine to get answers. “Oh my God. Where’s my daughter-in-law?” Amy heard Angelina’s voice echo down the hallway about a half hour later. Within seconds, Angelina walked into Francine’s room

hugging her. Amy felt Angelina’s hot tears fall against her neck. She held onto Amy tightly, rocking back and forth in Amy’s arms.

            “It’s okay, Angelina. Francine should be returning any minute. The doctor took her upstairs to do a CAT scan.”

            “Why?”

            “Because she’s unconscious.”

            “Oh dear God.” Angelina covered her mouth. “What about the baby?”