The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

An Entry That Isn't about Mystery Books or Mystery Book Authors, AGAIN!?!?!

I received an e-card from a friend a few years ago, and I have loved this site ever since. The artist’s name is Jacquie Lawson, and her work is absolutely fantastic. You can go to her site and preview the cards before you send them. Make sure that you have the sound turned up on your computer. She also provides music for the cards.

I love her black Lab (Chudleigh) >>> He is absolutely a treat to watch! Bertie (the Golden Lab puppy) and Fluff (the black kitten) are also delightful. And, the artwork is spellbindingly beautiful.

I know this has nothing to do with mystery books or mystery book authors, but love this site so much that I thought I would tell you about it… in case you’re thinking about sending an e-card, or simply want to see some phenomenally fantastic computer artwork.

Luisa Buehler, Sarah Rayne, Rebecca Tope, & Leslie Wheeler… The Most Recent Authors Recommended to the Cozy Mystery Site…

First of all, thanks for all of your recommendations. I keep thinking that I will (at last!) catch up, but I still have a rather large number of authors who you all think belong on the site. I know that all of the authors who are recommended for the site are not Cozy mystery authors, but they are authors who other Cozy mystery readers think are really good.

The latest four mystery authors who I have (finally) put on the Cozy Mystery site are:

Luisa Buehler: Grace Marsden Mystery Series… Grace has obsessive/compulsive disorders which “help” her solve cold case mysteries…

Sarah Rayne: Rayne writes psychological thrillers, some of which look like they are quite “paranormal” to me…

Rebecca Tope: Cotswold Mystery Series… This British mystery series features a house-sitter. (Tope ghostwrote the mysteries which are the basis of the Rosemary and Thyme shows as well as two other mystery series: Den Cooper Mystery Series and Drew Slocombe Mystery Series.)

Leslie Wheeler: Living History Mystery Series… Wheeler has her Bachelor’s from Stanford in both English and history, and her Master’s in English from UC/Berkeley. She uses all of these degrees to write a mystery series which features an author of history textbooks.

Thanks (again) for all of the recommended authors!

Heat Wave by Richard Castle … or is it?!?

Hmmm… I should preface this by pointing out that I have not read Heat Wave…

As I have written before, I am a fan of the ABC show Castle. I found out about the work of actor Nathan Fillion when he was on Firefly, and have enjoyed watching him ever since. I think that his comedic timing is to be commended. He is able to be the funny character or the straight, dead-pan character with what appears to be the same ease. And, he is usually very self-deprecating… I don’t know why I find that so charming.

Several people have written to tell me that they got the book Heat Wave, which is “authored” by Richard Castle. Don’t get me wrong… but isn’t Richard Castle a fictitious character on a show called Castle?!? Yes, being a fan of the show, I can tell you that he is just that! A fictitious character on a show.

So, why is it that the book doesn’t list a ghost writer?

Personally, I would rather know who the person (#1) behind the person (#2) is. (You can substitute “ghost writer” for #1 and “fictitious character” for #2.)

I looked around on the internet hoping to find exactly who the author is, but was not able to come up with anything concrete. I did, however, find a lot of speculation. Here are a few of the names I found being tossed around as possibilities:

Stephen J. Cannell (True, he is a best selling author and creator of television shows…)
James Patterson (True, he’s another best selling author…)
Nathan Fillion (Isn’t he an actor?)
Oh, and did I mention Tom Straw?

Sprite is Becoming a Little More Demanding as the Years Pass On…

It’s sort of odd how our “puppy” Sprite seems to feel most comfortable when all four of us are home. She really seems to relax. She sort of has that “all is well in the world” behavior when all four of her humans are home. Of course, now that she is fifteen, it is like having a very old person living with us. We have to plan all of our excursions so that someone is home after being away for four hours… Someone has to be around to pick her up and let her sit in her favorite places… namely my seat of the couch and our bed.

Sprite seems to have an internal clock going on at all hours of the day… Unfortunately, her internal clock is moving everything up earlier and earlier. She now wants to eat her dinner at 3:30. She lets us know when it is 3:30 (almost on the dot!) She also expects to go up to bed no later than 7:00, and when that time isn’t met, she whines and complains until we carry her upstairs to her throne (our bed.)

And, she has become very interested in geometry… always wanting to lay perpendicular to my husband and me… wanting both of us to sleep on our respective edges of the bed.

Sprite does indeed rule our home… with her demands and expectations. But, we all love her, so we “Make it so.”

P.S. Our daughter left yesterday, and already I can see how much Sprite misses her!

MENU