Had a fabulous time at the Gravette Public Library’s  50’s themed Mystery dinner gala last night. Thanks to the auction, we have a couple new characters coming in the next Deception novel. Many thanks to those who bid to become a part of the next book while supporting the library. I can hardly wait to share these new characters with you! …you can’t make this stuff up!

BOOKS ON SALE!  GREAT GIFTS

Stop by the Village Writers and Poets tent at the Bella Vista Arts & Craft Fair tomorrow through Saturday. I’ll be there with signed copies of my novels – on sale!   2/$25 OR $14 EACH! Other local writers will be there with their books, too. Great gifts! (If nothing else, pick up a piece of that bubble gum Quay Thompson likes to chew.)

The Boundary Waters Wilderness is the setting for my next book. The destruction of it by a Chilean copper mining company is the focal point of the plot for the book. The Boundary Waters need to be kept as pristine and beautiful as they have always been. There’s danger afoot! It’s a Boundary Waters Deception! I’ll tell you all about it…when I finish getting it written down.

See the following blog post from Friends of the Boundary Waters posted September 6, 2018:

The Trump administration’s huge gift to foreign-owned corporations

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Peter Marshall

Today, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that he would cancel the application for a proposed 20-year mining ban on 234,000 acres of federal lands in the Superior National Forest. This mineral withdrawal would have protected the Rainy River watershed and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from the threat of sulfide mining.

Along with impacting the hundreds of thousands of individuals who visit the Boundary Waters each year, this decision will hurt the thousands of people whose livelihoods and economic wellbeing has been built on a thriving outdoor recreation economy in the region.

In a public statement, Perdue says, “It’s our duty as responsible stewards of our environment to maintain and protect our natural resources.  At the same time, we must put our national forests to work for the taxpayers to support local economies and create jobs.”

Ironically, this statement and the federal government’s action comes only days after an economic analysis from Harvard University found overwhelming evidence that opening the region to mining would, in the long run, hurt the regional economy.

By ignoring science, economic studies, disregarding the overwhelming public support of the mining ban made during the comment periods and not allowing the environmental assessment study to be completed, one has to wonder: What prompted this decision?

Today, the Trump administration did a huge favor to Twin Metals and other foreign mining companies who will profit off our public land, pollute a unique ecosystem and harm the thriving economy built around this wilderness.

What does this mean going forward?

The 20-year mineral withdrawal would have been one of the most effective ways to protect the Boundary Waters from the devastating effects sulfide-ore mining.

Currently, there are several dozen federal prospecting permits in place and even more pending review. This means that in the coming years we will have several more Twin Metals and Poly Met-sized fights.

Northeastern Minnesota is blessed with incredible beauty.

That beauty is worth protecting.

Tomorrow’s the day. It’s a SALE! Come visit me at the Gravette Library from 10-1:00. Get your signed, discounted books…IT’S A DAY OF 2’S: 2 BOOKS FOR $22!!

The possibilities of the gene editing tool CRISPR drive the plot in my most recent novel THE FINAL DECEPTION. Click this link to the CBS 60 Minutes segment to see what it’s all about! Our Brave New World is waiting! Fascinating stuff!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crispr-the-gene-editing-tool-revolutionizing-biomedical-research/

When I began my blog, I decided to call it The Kitchen Sink. It was intended to be a bit of this…a bit of that. Some of it being messy, cluttered, stacked and wedged in piles like those dirty dishes from the day’s meals waiting in the sink. Bits of ‘food’ left from dining that need to be cleared up.
And since I began the blog three years ago, the “kitchen sink” has been just that. I’ve written about my mother with dementia, my issues with time, family, my dog, days spent just getting by, and days of writing until I could finally publish my first book, and then my second. (That was a surprise!)
Some days, writing comes easy, and I can’t stop. It’s as if some other person has inhabited my mind and is dictating what to write. I don’t know where it’s going, but it quickly fills page after page. Other days it’s just a ‘slogging through the slough’ kind of struggle. (I guess that’s an image from the days I tagged along hunting ducks with my husband and son.)
All in all, though, writing is a release. Thoughts and ideas flit through my brain demanding attention. And what am I to do? I just write it all down. Afraid I might forget some poignant thought? Hardly! Just driven to clarify, demystify, organize, and put the pieces together in a nice order. To make some kind of sense. To clean it up, wash and dry those dishes and put them back in the cupboard. That’s what it is. And sometimes, the dishes need to soak a bit before they can come clean. See what I mean? It just takes patience. And then, in the right time, all of it will come together. There may be another book in there. Who knows?

It’s a rainy day…good day to write a bit. This is what’s been cooking with Quay and Samantha. Just a taste – #newbook?
#newplot? #DeadlyDeception?

Quay Thompson stood with relaxed attention taking in the day around him, as he waited, thinking about what he was about to do. The breeze, bringing with it the scent of fresh pine, was just enough to make the tops of the aspens whisper. The crystal blu lake glimmered in the distance, diamonds sparkling adornment to the moment.
He was sure. This was right. It had taken him a while to accept that he really wanted to, needed to, had to have Samantha Atwood in his life forever. He’d asked. She’d agreed. After having their lives turned in directions they hadn’t understood or wanted, they’d climbed over mountains, bumbled through the dark tunnels, and slid into the valleys, before they’d marched out as stronger, better people. Now, they just wanted to be together. That was all. That was it. From here on out, they’d face those mountains, tunnels, and valleys together.
Quay looked at the friends and family surrounding him and smiled confidently. They all were here to support him and Sam. Mike Bergman, or Super Mike as they had dubbed him, their boss at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, stood silently waiting. Next to him Steve Boogie Schroeder, the top BCA tech man and a great friend to both of them, waited. Quay noticed he’d even cleaned up for the event. Boogie would normally be found at his desk behind several computer screens in a well-worn pair of jeans and an old sweatshirt. Boogie held the leash of a golden retriever Chip who sat at attention scanning the people as they chatted nearby. Chip, the BCA adopted mascot, was a perfect addition to their team. Boogie was his caretaker during the day, but Sam and Quay got to enjoy him when they weren’t working. Chip’s playful antics had brought a few laughs to more than one tense moment. Quay noticed that Chip was wearing a black bowtie around his neck over his collar. Boogie’s idea, he assumed.
Sam’s sister had arrived and was being led down the path by Quay’s nephew Adam. She was shorter than Sam with dark hair and dark eyes. They didn’t look at all like sisters, he thought. They’d never been close until recently when Sheila had reached out to Sam. The two girls had one brother Shane, but they didn’t know where he was. Sheila had been trying to track him down. He was older by about eight years. He’d left home when the girls were still in their early teens.