I know of one author (who I will not name) who actually killed off the husband of one of the primary characters in her series… and never mentioned him again!

Actually, I have to admit that the fact that the killed-off husband wasn’t mentioned even one time in the next mystery of the series was enough to turn me off of that particular author forever! I have never read another one of her mysteries, so maybe the deceased husband is mentioned in one of the following books in her series. But ignoring one of the secondary character’s death in the following novel of the series was enough for me to essentially "ignore" that particular author!

I just don’t like it when authors take "the easy road" on pesky details. Sometimes, I wonder what the editors are doing! Don’t they actually read the mysteries and make notes like "What happened to Mrs. Primary Character’s husband? Why don’t you mention his death? Why don’t you mention that he was the killer in the previous book? Why is Mrs. Primary Character still feared as a beacon of the town when her husband turned out to have killed several people? Do you even remember that Mrs. Primary Character had a husband?"

Yes, those are just some of the questions that I would have annotated in the margin of the original transcript to the following novel in the series. And, yes, (or should I say no?!)…. I am not an editor! I just don’t like inconsistencies…

How about you? Are you able to overlook author’s forgetting about a character? Or just changing a character mid-series? Maybe I’m too harsh of a reader… Or maybe it brings out the "teacher-days" in me… red pen in hand… trying to note the positive…. along with the sloppy/just-plain-wrong!

PS>>>>>>> I guess I am really showing my age when I say "the margin of the original transcript" instead of saying "highlighting and adding a comment in the downloaded file" that authors probably submit these days!

I am just wondering what is happening to my time! It feels like as soon as I post an author, I get two or three more recommendations… Which is why it is taking me so long to get all of the authors you all have been nice enough to recommend for the site. Not to worry though… I will get to them soon. (Some of them sooner than others!)

I am not following any particular manner in my posts… I just sort of "grab" the name of an author from my list, and start looking up the needed information. I really like it when I am able to gather all of the information from that particular author’s site. And, I have been lucky in being able to find authors’ sites through search engines.

But, as I have mentioned before… some of the authors don’t list their books chronologically. I don’t really know why they would scatter their novels… unless it is to make sure that we can see that the mysteries can also be read as "stand alone" novels. And, most of them can be.

Anyway… I will soon be posting new authors who you all have recommended for the Cozy Mystery Site. Thanks (again) for the recommendations!

* * *I have gotten several e-mails/comments asking me to please send this magazine. I am sorry, but I have absolutely nothing to do with the publication or mailing of the magazine… I suggest that you call this phone number (1-800-521-4403) or go to their website and ask Kraft Foods to put you on their mailing list.* * *

This is another one of my posts which has absolutely nothing to do with Cozy Mysteries… or any other type of mystery. Sometimes I just feel so strongly about a product that I simply have to tell other people about it.

I receive the “Food & Family” magazine FREE from Kraft foods. I think that I have been with the FREE magazine for as long as they have been publishing it. It comes out each season, and is full of recipes that (of course) use their Kraft items as well as some really nice ideas for that particular season’s holiday festivities.

I can’t remember how I actually became a subscriber… whether I went online or mailed in a card… But, whichever way it was… I’m glad I did! The address is kraftfoods.com/connect, and I can see (from their information page) that they also have a 1-800 telephone number (1-800-521-4403).

I really enjoy looking through the magazine for not just the recipes, but also to find out what new items Kraft is putting on our local grocery shelves. Oh, and did I mention that the recipes are easy to follow, and seem to use a lot of short-cut ingredients? And, the FREE magazine also offers hints for new cooks… This spring’s edition explained how to make hard-boiled eggs>>> which they claim are “perfectly hard cooked eggs every time.” (I might just have to follow those directions in lieu of my own!)

*******I just found out (March 16, 2009) that the Food & Family magazine is no longer free. It cost about $12.00 for a full year, and the magazines are quarterly. Anyway, that’s what the card that came with my last issue said.***************

PS>>>>> I have gotten several e-mails/comments asking me to please send this magazine. I am sorry, but I have absolutely nothing to do with the publication or mailing of the magazine… I suggest that you call the phone number (1-800-521-4403) and ask Kraft Foods to put you on their mailing list, or go to their website.

I wish that I could say that the past few months have been hectic… spending time with my daughter. Unfortunately, it has only been a few weeks since she got back from college, and already she has left for the summer!

We had to cram doctors’ appointments in before heading out on our "road trip" to Colorado. We took a week to drive up and visit my brother and my mother and her beau, and that was indeed hectic… As it turns out, I think that we spent more time driving than actually visiting! Once back from Colorado it was back to more appointments… a lot of "busy time."

Yesterday, my husband and I drove our daughter to her summer job and got her situated so that she can begin work on Monday. Already I miss her! It sure is difficult when our "little ones" grow up, isn’t it?

As I sit here typing this blog, I am thinking of several friends who have had their "little ones" grow up WAY TOO FAST! They, too, have to rely on cell phones and emails to keep in touch with their children.

One of my friends has a son who visited last month and her daughter is visiting this month… Life is good!

Two friends have daughters who have returned to live "back home" with their own children… Grandchildren bring all of the fun, but none of the strict rules… Can’t beat that!

My sister has been lucky… Both of her grown children live in the same city as she does… They have become her best friends (and allies!) And, my husband and I have been very fortunate because our son lives right here in San Antonio. 

Hey there, Baby Girl, I sure do miss you! … BUT… The moral of this blog is probably best found by NOT looking at a gift horse while holding a half-full glass!