Dog daze of summer and hurricane season

cj Sez: The dog days of summer were historically the period following the heliacal (sunrise) of the star Dog Star, Sirius. Sirius is one star in a group of stars that form the constellation Canis Major, meaning “Greater Dog.”

   Greek and Roman astrology connected Sirius to heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. For Egyptians (according to the Farmer’s Almanac), “Sirius came into view just before the Nile River’s flood season. They used Sirius as a 'watchdog' for that event. Because it also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all of time! Some ancient peoples believed the summer swelter was due to the combined heat from Sirius and the sun. The name Sirius means ‘scorching’ in Greek.”

   The Farmer’s Almanac also says, “the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11” are the traditional timing of the Dog Days. It also says that “some of our hottest and most humid days happen after August 11.” Seems there’s a lot more hellacious heat and humidity to come…so we have that going for us.

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Here’s an offer to cool you down, at least visually.

   You-all guys know it’s Hurricane Season on the Gulf Coast, don’t you? Well, have I got a deal for you. The HOMETOWN HEROES Christmas anthology is available at the low, low price of 99 cents (one week only, folks) or free on Kindle Unlimited.

And you’ll be getting a two-fer!

   Part of the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Cajun Navy, those hometown heroes who trailer their personal boats to hurricane devastated areas to help those in need. And they do their incredible volunteerism on their own nickel. You can help out and read some wonderful stories at the same time by buying this book—the stories are lovely reads for any time of the year.

   Discover the role this fox plays in my story, “Hobbes House Noel,” one of the five romance stories in the anthology. (Well, actually not THIS fox. This photo was taken in my back yard.)

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   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

By the way, if you read/heard about the U.S. Navy ship that recently destroyed an Iranian drone by laser, I found that amazing because I proposed that concept in DEADLY STAR in 2008. To read what else I wrote about, the novel is still available free on Kindle Unlimited here:  https://amzn.to/30JqTMq

For your summertime/beach reading pleasure, stop by my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj 

To order an autographed copy of DEADLY STAR, CHOOSING CARTER, HOMETOWN HEROES, and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice, and I shall be forever grateful.

Visit me on Facebook at:  cjpetterson/author on Facebook

Gothic tales, mysteries, and reviews

cj Sez:  A few recent releases for your To-Be-Read pile.

New Gothic/horror novel from USA Today Bestselling author Carolyn Haines . . .  THE DARKLING 

   

   When Berta and Bob Henderson open their open to foster Annie, a young amnesiac found wandering the streets of a nearby city, bad things begin to happen.

   As tragedy strikes the family one by one, it becomes clear something is stalking the Henderson family. 

Available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2JS5dHh

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TROUBLE IN ACTION: Book 10 of 10 in the Cat Detective Familiar Legacy mystery series  by Susan Y. Tanner  

   Trouble, the Sherlock of black cat detectives, strolls into the exciting world of stunt riders amid tension between a university sponsoring a reenactment of the Civil War battle of Albrecht Creek and a Cherokee nation tired of being wrongly blamed for everything.

   Trouble must race the clock to keep protagonist Kylah West safe and help love interest Wolf Stockton solve the murder of a young reenactor. The clever feline also realizes that those two bipeds have another deep need—for each other.

Available on Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2GmdDFM

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MY REVIEWS:

MURMURS OF EVIL (The Possession Chronicles Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Carrie Dalby  

Historical Southern Gothic

   Protagonist Magdalene Jones is hired as a companion to a wealthy woman who is despondent over the death of her daughter. Magdalene soon finds herself immersed in an economic class she knows nothing about and is immediately tempted and challenged by the heir-apparent of her employer, his father, who, himself, is tempted by her. Intrigue abounds in this recommended read. I gave this book 5 stars.

Available on Amazon here:   https://amzn.to/32Hk4wv

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THE RECKONING

by John Grisham   

   I thought this book would be a legal thriller—it is anything but. To repeat the Amazon description, “The Reckoning is Grisham's argument that he's not just a boilerplate thriller writer.”

   

If Southern Gothic is one of your favorite reads, THE RECKONING by John Grisham is for you. If you don’t know what Southern Gothic literature is, it includes dark humor, violence, destitute characters, discrimination, angst, and a strong sense of place—THE RECKONING hits the high notes and then some of all of these Southern Gothic characteristics.

   Grisham has told a suspenseful tale of betrayal and lies that drive a town’s favorite son (a World War II hero whose Bataan Death March experience is detailed) to commit a horrific crime. The negatives were the sometimes too-long paragraphs that seemed to ramble and didn't add a lot to the narrative. I gave this angst-driven story 3 stars.

Available on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2Z2UX5l

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

By the way, if you’ve read/heard about the U.S. Navy ship that recently destroyed an Iranian drone by laser, I had already proposed that concept in DEADLY STAR. To read what else I wrote about, the novel is still available free on Kindle Unlimited here:  https://amzn.to/30JqTMq

For your summertime/beach reading pleasure, stop by my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj 

To order an autographed copy of DEADLY STAR, CHOOSING CARTER, HOMETOWN HEROES, and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook  

Aspiring romance writers take note

cj Sez:  Harlequin is looking for new talent and wants to bring more stories representing diverse voices to romance readers and announced they will accept writing submissions from September 1 to October 15, 2019.

   “Harlequin’s ‘Romance Includes You Mentorship’ initiative offers aspiring romance writers from traditionally underrepresented communities the chance to work one-on-one with a Harlequin editor for a year on writing a romance novel and includes an offer to publish their book and $5,000 (US) to support their novel writing.”

   If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a published romance novelist, here’s an opportunity. Submit a sample of your writing and apply here:  http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/mentorship/

   (PS:  Be sure to follow all the directions.)

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Well, tropical disturbance aka tropical storm aka hurricane aka tropical storm Barry has inundated the Gulf Coast of Alabama with a lot of rainfall (not nearly as much as New Orleans and other cities in Louisiana and Mississippi). It seriously rained all day today. Weather Alert: The storm is weakening into tropical disturbance Barry and is now moving inland and Northward toward Memphis.

   I just wanted to mark my family and I safe but soggy. 

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The following pieces of writerly info really makes me happy:

   James Lee Burke was born in 1936. I’m not that old, but it tells me I don’t have to be a twenty- or thirty-something to succeed. (Granted, I should have started earlier. Sigh)  In the back of his novel, WAYFARING STRANGER, on the “About the Author” page, I found this:  “His novel, The Lost Get-Back Boogie, was rejected 111 times over a period of nine years and, upon its publication by Louisiana State University Press, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.” 

   Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.

                                          ~Mickey Spillane

   From author Chris Bradford: “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” 

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   You get the idea. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Where did I get the idea for DEADLY STAR, you ask?... One of my sons came up with the premise. "What if what looks like an asteroid was really a satellite?" he said one night. "Suppose it was a weapon?" My imagination took over and gobs of research followed. One of the more interesting things I found was that in the 1990s, the U.S. government funded something called "Operation Dawgstar" and provided grants to college students to develop nanosatellites. I also discovered that nanosatellites were actually launched from the space station Mir in 2001 and that they possibly could go undetected by world powers for some time. The surprise meteor that hit Russia in February 2013 proved that to me. The meteor was reported to be as big a five-story building when it entered the atmosphere but wasn't detected. Scary stuff. 

   Buy it. I think you will fall in love with Mirabel and Sully and their struggles.

   For your summertime/beach reading pleasure, stop by my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj  — at the time of this post, CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are free on Kindle Unlimited.

   To order an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

   If you send me a note at cjpetterson@gmail.com, I’ll personalize your choice, and drop it in the mail to you (cover price plus mailing).

Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook  

The research rabbit hole

cj Sez: I think another day of celebrating the 243 rd birthday of the United States of America is in order, so here’s a shot of the July 4 fireworks over Mobile, AL (says the proud mother whose son took the photo).

Click on the picture to get a better view.

Jeff called the tiny, white sliver of moon in the middle of the photo a “waxing crescent moon.” My friend in South Africa took a photo of that same moon at dusk and described it as a “sickle moon.” Yep, that’s how an author/poet shows the lunar shape to her readers.

***

   It occurs to me that doing research for a story is therapeutic in a way, almost like getting lost in a good book.

   I can get so caught up in searching hither, thither, and yon that hours pass before I realize I’ve just spent half a day or more absorbed in collecting information, a lot of which is just interesting trivia that has little or nothing to do with the story I’m writing.

   Some days all those hours are productive, some days they’re minutes I should not have wasted. There are other days, however, when doing a deep dive into research becomes a kind of meditation. I get so mesmerized by all the words in that research rabbit hole that the mortal worries of the day disappear.

   I don’t think I’m alone in this. Do you? Besides, when the afternoon heat/humidity index in Mobile climbs to a helacious 107° F, I’d rather be meditating in front of the computer in my air conditioned office than outside…anywhere.

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Quote of the Day: 

The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.           E. L. Doctorow

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That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Hurricane Season is heating up along the Gulf Coast, and that brings to mind HOMETOWN HEROES, the Christmas anthology that gifts a portion of the benefits to the “Cajun Navy.” The Navy is that magnificent group of volunteers who help (on their own nickel) people in hurricane-stricken areas. The anthology may have been released at Christmas, but the stories are timeless.

You can order an autographed copy of the anthology (as well as CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE) from The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

If you send me a note, I’ll personalize the book of your choice, and drop it in the mail to you (cover price plus mailing).

If you prefer Kindle, at the time of this post, HOMETOWN HEROES, CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are free on Kindle Unlimited

Contact me at cjpetterson@gmail.com and visit me at

Amazon Central Author Page =  https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

Simon&Schuster Author Page = https://bit.ly/2uo1M0Z

and on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook