New Post at Paranormal Romantics

 It's the 1st of the month. My turn at Paranormal Romantics where I share my thoughts on the television series Snowpiercer. It's a post-apocolyptic dystopian thriller. What would you do to survive?

https://paranormalromantics.blogspot.com/2022/02/post-apocolyptic-dystopia-meets.html

Pop on over and add your thoughts. Does Sean Bean play a good villain?

Monday Morning Musing: Stroke Symptoms

 Instead of my usual “musing” I’m offering some important information. Last week, my friend author Elizabeth Meyette posted life-saving advice on her blog, Are You Prepared For A Medical Emergency?

Her post reminded me of what happened to my husband and what I learned from it. Elizabeth’s husband survived a heart attack thanks to her quick thinking. Mine had a stroke, twice. I wrote about the first time on the Paranormal Romantics blog. At that time, I used the acronym FAST to recognize the symptoms. Before I commented on Elizabeth’s post, I googled FAST to make sure I had the explanation correct. To my surprise, I found Beaumont Hospital’s From FAST to FASTER. That new acronym is so much better and would’ve helped me recognize the symptom for Hubs' second stroke.

 

F – Face

A – Arms

S – Stability

T – Talking

E – Eyes

R – React

With Hubs’ first stroke, he began speaking strangely. His words were clear, not slurred, but they made no sense. After asking what he meant, his response again made no sense. I remembered FAST (then the "S" meant Speech) and drove him to the ER.

Mistake #1. In an emergency, and that was one, I should have called 911. A lot could’ve happened in the 15 minute drive to the hospital. The EMTs are better equipped to handle any emergency en route.

A stroke happens when a blot clot blocks oxygen to the brain. I was able to get Hubs' to the ER in time for medicine that dissolves the blot clot in the brain to prevent worse damage.

The second stroke didn’t present the symptoms listed in FAST but did in FASTER. His left leg gave out. He couldn’t put any weight on it. He’d been weak and had fallen before. STABILITY. Had I known FASTER, I would’ve called 911 immediately. I didn’t even take him to Emergency until the next day. Big mistake.

Hubs was fortunate not to experience long-lasting effects from either stroke. Now, I know what to look for. Here’s a further explanation of FASTER.

FACE: drooping or numbness on one side. Ask the person to smile. That will make the droop more evident.

 

ARMS: one arm is weaker. Ask the person to raise their arms and hold for the count of ten. If one falls or begins to drop, that could be the sign of a stroke.

 

STABILITY: lack of balance, falling, inability to walk without help, lack of coordination.

 

TALKING: garbled or slurred speech, nonsensical words, inability to understand or respond properly. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.”

 

EYES: visual changes, loss of vision in one eye, double vision, partial or complete loss of vision in one or both eyes.

 

REACT: This is the reminder to call 911. IMMEDIATELY. Time is of the essence. Call even if the symptoms go away. Remember (write down) the time the symptoms started.

 

Don’t be afraid to call 911. Call even if the person tells you not to. Or they don’t want to bother the emergency people. Call. Don’t worry that you’ll forget your address. Your smart cell phone identifies your location.

 

I hope this post will help anyone in similar situations.

 

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Let Us Begin

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week. I really appreciate your support. I'm sorry I didn't get around to everyone. I'll do double duty this week and catch up.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This follows immediately after last week's snippet.

Snippet:  

Jim Matthews, Dottie’s husband, stood next to Nick, his best man. Todd Garven, the teen we’d rescued from an abusive stepfather, stood next to Jim. I’d never seen Todd so thrilled and proud. I’d been surprised that Nick hadn’t chosen one of his agency friends to be in the wedding party. He’d assured me that he’d chosen the right men for the job.

Before Pop handed me over, he kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “Your mother would’ve loved to see you like this.”

My heart clutched wishing cancer hadn’t taken her from us. “She’s watching, Daddy. I know she is.”

And a little more: 

Then Nick raised my veil, a quaint custom, one that was so touching. He clasped my hand, his warm and steady, just like him. How did I get so lucky? The love shining out of the brown depths of his eyes filled me with love, joy, happiness.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

As I blinked back tears, I grinned. “I’m ready.”

Father Jack, whom I’d known since high school, said, “Good. Let us begin . . .” He began the traditional mass.

Nick and I stood and knelt along with the congregation at the appropriate times. Instead of the usual sermon, Father Jack talked about us, how he remembered us from religion classes and youth group in high school. Nick squeezed my hand when Jack charged us to love each other—no problem there—to take care of each other—again, no problem—through good times and bad. We’d had a few of those, already. But I was in for this for the long haul. No bailing when things got rough. I knew Nick was, too. He’d said it enough and showed by his actions how much he loved me.

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week.

My Favorites: Coffee Cake

 

My mother didn't learn to cook until after she was married. Her mother didn't teach her more than stir the pot or heat up whatever. Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook became her bible. She followed recipes to the letter, never deviating, never experimenting. She made sure her daughters learn to cook, when we were young. I sat on the red stepstool next to the stove and stirred pudding--no instant pudding back then. Or I learned to make a white sauce (aka béchamel, according to my chef son), again stirring so as not to have lumps.

Mom was always cutting recipes out of the newspaper, a habit I followed for years. She found one for coffee cake that has become a staple in our home, as well as our daughter's and daughter-in-law's, on Christmas Day.

"Secret" recipes is not in my vocabulary. Others have shared their recipes with me and I do the same. So, here's a favorite recipe from my home to yours.

Streusel Coffee Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1/4 cup firm butter

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 eggs

1  1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream

Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or grease and flour the pan). Measure 2/3 cup dry cake mix into small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in brown sugar and walnuts. This will be the topping. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly with fork; stir in sour cream. Blend in remaining dry cake mix, scraping bowl often. (Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.) Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half the topping over the batter. Spoon and gently spread remaining batter in pan, top with remaining topping mix. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350°.

 

One time, My daughter-in-law added blueberries. Let me know if you make a variation. I'd love to try it.

Enjoy.

 

Guest: Shannon Lawrence and The Business of Short Stories

Welcome to Shannon Lawrence. I met Shannon through that fabulous group The Insecure Writers Support Group. Her new book comes at a good time for me as I prepare some short stories for publication.

Shannon's book, The Business of Short Stories: Writing, Submitting, Publishing, and Marketing releases February 1 in digital and paperback! 

Whether you're looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don't have to learn the hard way. You'll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

There's never been a better time to get into short stories!

Pre-order The Business of Short Stories in E-book from Amazon 

Pre-order The Business of Short Stories in paperback from Amazon

Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she's released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season. 

Find her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads | Amazon | Podcast Website

Monday Morning Musing: Snow, Cabin Fever, and Snowpiercer

 

When we moved to the west side of Michigan, I expected snow. Our first winter (2012-14) we got over 350 inches. Yep, you read that right. It reached the top of our mailbox and you couldn't see around corners. You had to creep out and hope nobody was coming. I hope we don't see that much snow this winter, but the winds are blowing across Lake Michigan and bringing all the white stuff with it. We have a lovely neighbor who uses his snowblower on our driveway and shovels our sidewalk. What a guy! If we have to go anywhere, we can do so safely.

Cabin Fever is a common ailment in the Midwest in the winter. First, the lack of sunshine is a biggie. Something about all that water around us sends up enchanted clouds to block our sun. (That's the technical explanation. LOL) Then, there's lake effect snow. I heard about that the first time we moved to this side of the state. The wind blows cold, arctic air across the open water Lake Michigan creating snow. It's not a big band of snow, either. The farther you are from the lake, the less snow you get. It's common to see school closings scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen. Snow day, yay! Poor moms (and dads) who have to put up with kids who can't go outside and/or need sitters so parents can go to work. For us retirees, we enjoy staying home. But only for so long then, like kids, we get antsy. One good thing about west Michigan: we get so much snow, the county is prepared with heavy duty snow plows that keep our roads clear.

Speaking of snow. Have you seen the TNT presentation of "Snowpiercer"? The premise is that seven years ago, the world froze up, and the remnants of humanity are on a perpetual motion train traveling around the world. The very rich (those who could afford tickets) are in the front of the 1,001-car train. Class divisions all the way to the tail. Like any good post-apocalyptic story, politics, class warfare, and efforts to survive abound. I watched the first season, got sidetracked during the second, and today the third season starts. Guess I'd better catch up before watching the new season. With all the cold outside, I'm not so sure a frozen wasteland will be fun entertainment.

Keep warm and stay safe. 

 

 

 

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Alex is Ready

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week. I really appreciate your support.

I hope you're doing well and staying healthy. I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This follows immediately after last week's snippet.

Snippet:  

The church was packed. So many people there to watch us tie the knot and to wish us well. Our parents had lived in Far Haven for over forty years. Nick and I had grown up here. I’d never left. Long-time friends, recent ones, and shirttail relatives stood and turned to watch me.

Oh, God, I hoped I wouldn’t trip like I’d done in rehearsal. I clasped my father’s arm.

“Are ye sure you’re wantin’ to do this, darlin’? You can always back out, ye know.” Pop’s exaggerated Irish brogue made me smile. The man was born right here in Michigan, yet he could turn on the Irish in the blink of an eye.

And a little more: 

I gulped. I could do this. Mom had said she’d be watching me from heaven. And I believed her. That was why I wanted to do the big, white wedding thing. Not for me or Maria—dear sweet Maria—but for my mom who couldn’t be here in person. Tears gathered in my eyes. I swallowed hard and blinked several times.

I drew in a breath. “I’m ready.”

To the strains of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, I walked down the aisle, knees shaking, clutching my father’s arm like a lifeline. Until I glanced at my man at the altar. Dear God, what had I done to deserve that ruggedly handsome guy who looked fantastic in a black tux? He’d gotten his hair cut sometime that morning. Last night, the near-black hair had curled over his collar. I loved running my fingers through his dark locks.

Through the white netting of my veil, I could see his grin, as broad as mine. His rich brown eyes shone with love for me. I was truly blessed. Tears shimmered in my vision, and I had to look away before I started bawling.

  

 Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week.