Snarkology Halloween Hop #giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOELY B. FOR WINNING THE FREE COPY OF

THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER.

This time of year is especially fun. Now I'm not crazy about scary stuff. I really do not like scary books or movies. And forget roller coasters. Even Ferris wheels give me the willies. But I love the cold nights and warm days, the brilliance of maple and poplar leaves, the smell of woodburning fireplaces. Baseball World Series is only a favorite event if the Detroit Tigers are playing. Second best is the St. Louis Cardinals (Mom was from St. Louis and her mom took me to my first baseball game at Busch Stadium). Football isn't my thing, but I will sort of watch Michigan State play. If my family reads this, they will disown me since they're avid U of M fans.

But the most fun of this time of year is watching the kids come trick-or-treating. The costumes are so much fun. At our old house, a neighbor dressed their dachshund in a hot dog costume. The noise of kids and ringing doorbells would drive our dogs nuts so Hubs and I would sit in lawn chairs at the edge of our open garage door to hand out candy.

What's your favorite thing about this time of year?

I'm giving away an ecopy of my newest release, a PI mystery titled THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER (An Alex O'Hara Novel) that will be released on Thursday, October 30th. As you can tell from the cover, the story  takes place in the fall. This is the first of a new series featuring a private investigator in a fictitious small resort town on Lake Michigan. Alex O'Hara gets into scrapes as well as danger as she hunts for a missing relative. 

Here's the blurb:

Alex O’Hara finally gets a case that will give her bottom line a much needed boost. She might even be able to change her diet from ramen noodles to prime rib. All she has to do is track down a man who’s been missing for over ten years. Piece of cake . . . until an old flame arrives and a mugger roughs her up with orders to back off. 

Buy links:
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/489085
Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B00P1GPR0Q

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/case-bygone-brother-alex-ohara/id935501248?mt=11

Be sure to leave your email address along with your comment to be eligible to win the free ecopy of THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER.

 Every blog hop has grand prizes. This one is no different. Enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win.

href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6832075a2/"
rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now check out the other participants for more opportunities to win prizes.

The Days of October

October is my favorite month. October means the cool nights and warm days of Indian Summer. It's the time we in the Midwest pull up the annuals, cut back perennials, mow the grass one more time, and make sure the snowblower is ready. My birthday begins the month.

But, those aren't the reasons for my preferring October over other months. It's baseball. The World Series. I really thought the Tigers had a chance this year. If not them, then my next favorite team is the Cardinals. You see, my mom was from St. Louis and Mom loved baseball. As a girl, she played first base because she was always the tallest on the team. As a teen, she parked cars in their tiny city backyard for games at Sportsman's Park (the predecessor of Busch Stadium). During the match-ups between the Cards and the Tigers, Mom had divided loyalties. She would claim she lived longer in Detroit than in St. Louis so she was for the Tigers, but I think she secretly rooted for her "home" team.

Baseball has been my favorite sport since I was a girl. I remember hot, summer days lying on a blanket in the shade listening to Ernie Harwell do the play-by-play on my little transistor radio. My grandmother (Mom's mom) took me to my first baseball game at the "new" Busch Stadium which has since been torn down and replaced with the new "new" stadium. Gram taught me how to keep score. That came in handy when my kids played Little League and I got drafted into being scorekeeper.

Some people, my husband included, think watching baseball on television is like watching paint dry. So, Saturday night presented somewhat of a dilemma. I'm sure I got "carpal finger" from the remote as I switched back and forth between the World Series and the Michigan State football game which my husband insisted on watching. Sure, we have more than one TV. Due to recent redecorating, not one was connected to cable, forcing me to hope I didn't miss anything while irritating my honey to no end. And wouldn't you know, often commercials were playing on both channels. Thank goodness for replays.

As I watch this year's World Series, I think about my mom and grandmother. Saturday night, they would have been very proud of their Cardinals. After last night's game, I'm still hoping the Cardinals do better than skunk the Rangers  only once.

The days of October are coming to an end and with it the end of baseball. Until next year.