It is a fact of life! If you don't exercise, unfortunately the sands shift south, and as the years keep clicking by I'd like to keep my "sands" as much in tact as possible, thank you very much. So, I commit myself to exercising at least three times a week.

However, being a writer, my time is my own to schedule, so sometimes that self-imposed exercise date at 9:00am turns into noon or even later. I mean, first I have to scan all of my e-mails, don't I? What if the publisher wants something? Gotta be right on top of that. And, I'm writing a new Silver Sisters mystery with my sister Phyllice. What if she desperately needs feedback or comment on the last chapter I sent her of VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS? Oh, yeah, the final edits for the print edition of SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS are almost finished, too. What if the editor needs another change?

Of course, after checking all of my messages, I have to answer all of my friends out there, don't I? And it wouldn't hurt to read through those chapters or edits I worked on until three in the morning.

Nest, a headline on AOL or Yahoo catches my eye. Gotta read that one and find out what's going on in the world, be it world-class earth-shattering news or juicy gossip. Whoops, before I know it, it might be almost time for lunch. Fuel for the furnace, you know.

Okay, I've run through all the excuses. Here's the reality. Actually it's only 9:40am here in L.A. Not bad. Almost the time I would have finished exercising if I'd been true to myself.

The edits on SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS await,but they're not going to change at all in the next half hour. I have chapters to go through for my novel THE DEVIL'S DUE, currently being finalized. They beckon to me, too, but...I know...I know...they'll still be there to be worked on after I wipe the sweat from my brow! Getting a little desperate now. My friend's manuscript--I promised to read it, got to work on the Sisters in Crime newsletter, and how about all of the other projects just waiting to be noticed?

Rats! I've run out of excuses. Time to turn on the DVD and do those exercises. Then, with my mind as sharp as a keenly-honed blade, my writing life resumes.

Cheers...

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP - BEST MYSTERY AUDIO BOOK-USA BOOK NEWS
Available in every format you can think of
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS - Now in Audio-Coming soon in paperback,
Kindle and e-book
Visit me on the web

Today was totally dedicated to writing. This morning I had breakfast with two of my friends from the world of writing, and we discussed various presentations we are going to polish for talks to several types of groups including libraries, seniors groups, organizations and writers' conferences. We've appeared on panels together during the past few years, and really have a good time bantering back and forth for the benefit of the audience.

Fortified with a nice blueberry scone and (gulp) too much coffee, this now wired writer was ready to attack our editor's marked up galley for the paperback of the latest Silver Sisters comical crime caper, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS. Whooee. The audio book was released in March, and now the time is drawing near for it to be in print. Several hours later, now crosseyed, my whites a blazing shade of red, I wrapped up the last of the requested changes for the first fourteen chapters. That gives me time to work on other projects before the next batch of chapters arrive, including the newest Silver Sisters adventure, VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS.

I worked on another of my manuscripts last night until around 2:30 am. But you know what? I love it. My books and stories are either in print or close to going into print and that's what I care about. As an "accidental writer"--you see, I never started out to be one--I love sharing how that came about with people who ask, "When did you know you wanted to be a writer?" Well, for starters, I was an interior designer at the time. When I saw my first magazine article in print in a prestigious magazine, the bug grabbed me.

Here are a few pictures from last month's trip to Holland:

ONE OF THE CANALS IN AMSTERDAM
PART OF THE SEA WALL IN ZEELAND. THIS IS AN AMAZING SYSTEM--THE SORT OF THING WE NEED IN NEW ORLEANS. WE TOURED THE PUMPING STATIONS AND LEARNED HOW THE WHOLE SYSTEM WORKS.

Wow! How time flies. It's been quite a while since I've posted so it's time to catch up. Here's a photo of me at the incomparable Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam...one of my favorite places in the world!\


I spent a month in Europe from the middle of April to the middle of May and had a great time. However, it started with a river cruise from Amsterdam to Brugges, Belgium and the disaster everyone fears when traveling--particularly if you'll be gone for a long time--ALL of our luggage was lost. You know, that helpless feeling that invades your soul when you know every bag has come down the chute and not one of yours is in sight. The thin shred of remaining hope that maybe the folks in baggage claims can help you.

Well, that shred disintegrates when it's obvious that no one in the baggage claim department seems to know what' going on. Because we traveled on two different airlines, the proverbial right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing.

Last time I checked United and US Air were supposed to sort of be under one umbrella. The only good thing was that the Dutch baggage agent spoke English, as do most Europeans, but what he had to say wasn't encouraging. It seems that the two airlines basically don't communicate with each other even though each can access the other's computer notes. His caution was, "The notes are from United, so I can't say if they're accurate or not. I think your luggage is in Philadelphia. It should be here tomorrow because there's only one flight a day."

Not so bad. We could wing it for one day, by buying spare underwear and a few sundries at the airport before we went to the ship. WRONG! The next day the luggage hadn't come nor was there any sign of it anywhere. "Bad news," said Michael, our helpful cruise director, "the airline said there was no flight from Philadelphia to Amsterdam today, so they think your luggage is still in Philadelphia...or maybe Chicago. GREAT! At dinner, I became known as "the lady in the striped sweater whose luggage is lost." The passengers really didn't pay that much attention to my husband's attire being the same as the day before.

The following day, having run out of clean underwear, besides enjoying sights we were in search of a store to replenish our supply, and maybe buy a teeshirt or two, just in case. Once on the ship, our choices would be limited. I bought a cool AMSTERDAM teeshirt, figuring that if the luggage turned up when we returned to the ship, I could use it as a sleep shirt. NO LUGGAGE.

By now, I was getting a bit unglued. We'd lost the chance to buy real clothes, because we were leaving Amsterdam for the small village of Hoorn. I implored Michael to get in touch with the airline and let me speak to them. The conversation was circular with no conclusions ever being reached except that no one really had a clue where the luggage was. I asked if he could call United directly to find out what their notes meant. His answer? "United baggage services is in Mexico and I doubt they would know as much as me, here in Amsterdam. I think your luggage will probably be sent tomorrow, from Philadelphia...or Chicago."

Resisting the urge to throw the phone, I said in measured tones, "Why didn't you tell me there was no Sunday flight when the luggage was lost on Saturday? Then we could have purchased clothing at the airport." I don't recall exactly what he said, because I was red-hot by then. My laptop charger was also in the luggage, so no laptop of my own. Ugh. A writer unable to use her laptop. I had a thumb drive with me, but had used up all available battery power on the plane. Michael took pity on me and said he would lend me one for an hour, and after that would have to charge five Euros an hour to use one of the ship's.

When I went to the reception desk to return Michael's laptop, lo and behold the woman on duty said, "Good news. US Air called and they're sending your luggage right over. They promised it would be here before we sail at 6:00." I glanced at my watch. It was 4:30. At 4:00 the agent told me it was in Philadelphia...or Chicago. Well, I wasn't going to argue. Maybe the gods would smile upon us and the luggage would arrive. And it did...from Barcelona! Go figure.

More on my travels later. As for now, I'm back to writing the next Silver Sisters funny mystery, doing book festivals and signings while wearing my Amserdam tee shirt!

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com

At the beginning of the week, we received our author copies of the newly re-issued A CORPSE IN THE SOUP from our new publishers, L&L DREAMSPELL. It isn't up on Amazon yet, but can be purchased directly from the publisher. It will be on Amazon as soon as they load it.

http://www.lldreamspell.com/ACorpseintheSoup.htm


Then at the end of the week, our new SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS audio book was released by Books in Motion, Inc. A comical new Silver Sisters crime caper. Same thing as A CORPSE IN THE SOUP. It isn't up on Amazon yet, but can be purchased from the publisher directly. It will be on Amazon soon.

http://www.booksinmotion.com/SEVEN_DEADLY_SAMOVARS_By_ST_JAMES_AND_BRADNER_p/-978-1-60548-290-3.htm



Phyllice and I are still walking on air!

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com

The cover of A CORPSE IN THE SOUP will be changing radically as of March 14, 2009. That's because we have a new publisher, and the new edition will be released on that date.

Silver Sisters Mysteries are funny, zany escapades and the cover from our previous publishers did not shout "funny". This edition will also have an excerpt of the new SILVER SISTERS COMICAL CRIME CAPER---SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS. Audio book release is expected by the end of March (Books in Motion) followed by the paperback, e-book and Kindle by the end of August.

This will be the new style for our Silver Sisters Mysteries covers. Just take one look at the chef on the left, and there's no question that something is afoot. The chef whose face is in the soup is not lapping it up--he's dead. But who killed him and why? Guess you'll have to read the book to find out.


Several libraries across the country already shelve the book with the ISBN number of our old publisher. The new edition, published by L&L DREAMSPELL will be available on Amazon soon or can be requested at bookstores or libraries by using the following ISBN number:

978-1-60318-120-4

Our audio books will continue to be published by BOOKS IN MOTION. If you want to request this award-winning comical crime caper on CDs,

the ISBN number is 1-59607-857-X -- it was named Best Mystery Audio Book by USA Book News !

When SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS is released as an audio book by Books in Motion you can bet I'll post the cover and an excerpt.

What is the secret of those fancy Russian teapots? This time the whole family really gets into the act--The Silver Sister twins Goldie and Godiva are aided and abetted by their 80-year-old mother and uncle, Flossie and Sterling, (former vaudeville magicians) as they set traps for the bumbling but dangerous Dumkovsky brothers. Goldie received the wrong shipment of samovars at her antique shop in Juneau, Alaska. But now the Dumkovskys are even killing people to get them--why?

WATCH FOR RELEASE DATES or check our website:
www.silversistersmysteries.com
MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.morganstjames-author.com

Everything has been moving at a whirlwind pace, but it's time to take a deep breath, smell the coffee and do a little catch-up.

I'm always balancing so many balls in the air, I know one day one of them will probably hit me on the head! The wonderful Amazon Shorts Authors anthology, THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, was released last month and is doing very well. If you haven't already gotten your copy, you should. I was privileged to be one of nineteen authors whose stories were chosen for this eclectic collection of short stories. Everyone sees the same thing, but when the author's imagination steps in, the result is nineteen unique stories and a multitude of places, times and genres.

On March 14, our new publisher L&L Dreamspell will be releasing the new edition of our award-winning Silver Sisters adventure, A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, this time with a cover that says, "FUNNY BOOK!" It will also feature an excerpt from the second Silver Sisters comical crime caper, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, due for release this summer in all formats including paperback, audio and electronic. Work is progressing on the third book in the series, VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS.

As always, I'm also working on three other books, two with collaborators and one on my own.

Here was the high point of my day yesterday. I received a call in the morning from a woman who was the organizer of a party I'd attended. Their organization is going to sponsor a launch party of SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS after it is released. She was speaking to the restaurant manager about the possibility of having it there, when apparently our waitress overheard the conversation. According to the woman who called me to tell me the story, it went something like this: "Morgan St. James? You mean, the author Morgan St. James was here? I've read her Chicken Soup for the Soul stories and they really touched me. Helped me though some rough times. I wish I'd known she was here." Of course, the woman got her phone number, and I left her a nice message.

It is so gratifying to know that your stories mean something when that very something might be what gets them through the day. I always get comments on how the Silver Sisters mysteries make people laugh, and how much they love the characters. A few people have told me they feel like they'd love to sit down and visit with Goldie and Godiva, our twin protagonists who are as different as Goodwill and Gucci, or with Flossie and Sterling, their eighty-year-old mother and uncle who are former vaudeville magicians.

But then there are the people who tell me, for example, that "Shopping for Dancing Shoes," in Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul made them cry because it could have been their parent, or the inspiration they received from "Measuring Miracles by Leaps and Bounds," in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating People Who Make a Difference. Those are the comments that inspire me to write more stories that are true in addition to the fiction I enjoy so much.

For a true, VERY FUNNY STORY that couldn't have been filled with any more laughs if it was fiction, check out my Amazon Short, THE SECOND TIME AROUND. There are lots of books with that title (should have checked before I chose it) so you'll have to search for mine. I've included the cover to make it easire to find.
Keep checking back. You can always send me comments on write2morgan@aol.com.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
www.morganstjame-author.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
Best Mystery Audio Book 2007-USA Book News

It's always exciting to me when I know that the release of a new book isn't far off. So I'm doubly excited right now. First of all, I got the word that the second Silver Sisters Mystery, SEVEN DEADY SAMOVARS, is now with the narrator, so the audio book should be released in the first quarter of 2009 as planned. If you read A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, you know all about our zany Silver Sisters and their equally zany mom and uncle. If not, rather than elaborating here, I invite you to visit either of my websites. www.silversistersmysteries.com or www.morganstjames-author.com. Our books are stand-alone although they're a series, but it would be fun to read A CORPSE IN THE SOUP before SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS is released. You can also check your library. Several across the US have the book in their collection - generally the MP3, but also paperbacks and CDs. If you want to see if they'll order it, use the ISBN numbers on the Silver Sisters site.

Hey, live dangerously. Visit both websites! They are packed with information about our books and my real life sister and co-author Phyllice Bradner, and of course, lots about me and what I'm doing. On the Silver Sisters site, you'll find a PDF of Chapter 1 of A Corpse in the Soup, an interview with the twins' 80 year old mother, an audio clip from the award winning audio book, reviews and lots more. So, drop by.

A very sweet short story I wrote, entitled SAYING GOODBYE TO MISS MOLLY, will be part of a wonderful anthology of short stories in all genres that have common threads. THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE WINDOW. This unique collection was written by 19 authors who are part of the Amazon Shorts books. We all have at least one story on Amazon Shorts. This book was the dream of one of the authors, more picked up the ball, a publisher hopped on board and when it comes out, it will represent authors all over the country who didn't know each other and pulled together a fantastic book. Again, the link is on our website.

Last but not least, we are clicking along writing the third Silver Sisters book, VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS, and I love being back in the swing of writing with Phylllice again. We have so much fun as sisters when we create the adventures and characters that our phone conversations go on for hours. After all, I live in L.A. and Las Vegas and she lives in Oregon.

Cheers. Think about giving someone who loves funny mysteries A CORPSE IN THE SOUP for Christmas. If you have a friend or relative who is sight impaired, the audio book is perfect.

Phyllice and I were excited to see a review of our award-winning Silver Sisters mystery, A Corpse in the Soup, featured on The New Book Review. To read it, and reviews of other books featured on Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s informative new site, GO TO

www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com

Carolyn also previewed our new Silver Sisters adventure, Seven Deadly Samovars, currently in production by Books in Motion, Inc. and due out late this year. This is what she had to say:

“The Silver Sisters are at it again. This time they place their mystery in Alaska and they do it with verve and humor. When you finish reading Seven Deadly Samovars you'll not only have been entertained, you'll be more familiar with a part of the US seldom featured in fiction these days. ~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This Is the Place”

We are now working on the third Silver Sisters book, Vanishing Act in Vegas, where the twins and the eldersleuths will get into a heap of trouble in Sin City.

Please visit our website for more information and photos.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A Corpse in the Soup
Best Mystery Audio Book 2007 – USA Book News

Attending Book Expo America and the Writers' Digest Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center was a real experience. It was HUGE. I was fortunate to attend many very informative panel discussions and seminars, meet authors, agents and publishers one-on-one and get a peek at what's new in the industry.

Everything was capped off by a signing in the USA Book News Booth of our award-winning book one in the series I write with my sister Phyllice Bradner,"A Corpse in the Soup."

One of the most important things I learned was that it wasn't immediately obvious to many people that the Silver Sisters mysteries are funny, tongue-in-cheek mysteries with schemes that backfire, zany characters and twists and turns leading up to discovering whodunit.

It is a common thing. Think about all of the things you know and assume others know as well. Then think about all of the times that turned out to be wrong. As a result of this epihany, Phyllice and I asked the cover artist for our new book in the series, "Seven Deadly Samovars," to make sure something on the cover says: "Hey, I'm a funny mystery."

The audio book is due out from Books in Motion before the end of the year and I'm so glad that this became apparent in time to do something about it.

It isn't always easy to look at something through another's eyes, particularly when you are very close to the "something," which can be a situation, a thing or a person. Keep your eyes open and you might be surprised at what you see.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
www.morganstjames-author.com

This might duplicate something you read on another site, but I'm so
excited, I'm posting it everywhere.

This is really blatant self promotion, but I just finished listening
to an advance copy of the audio version of our cozy mystery, A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, read by Stephanie Brush for Books in Motion.

WOW. Stephanie did such a good job, I found myself laughing through
my own novel. The release date is April 15.

Identical twins Goldie and Godiva get involved in a crazy chase
through the world of TV chefs in search of a killer. These
wisecracking Mae West look-alikes are helped by their goofy eighty
year old mother and uncle, former vaudeville magicians who love to
dress in costume disguises so they can "go undercover" to help their
girls.

It all starts when Godiva, a syndicated advice columnist who lives on
an estate in Beverly Hills is accidentally poisoned on "Flirting With
Food" featuring romantic chef Caesar Romano. Her twin, Goldie, an
aging hippie who owns an antique store in Juneau AK rushes to her
side. Godiva starts dating Romano, and things heat up. Four chefs
are competing for the Greatest Gourmet Gladiator medal, the academy
award of cooking, and one of them will die.

If you love funny mysteries with lots of twists and turns and a
surprise ending, you shouldn't miss A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, either in
paperback, e-book or the new audio CD or cassette.

The audio publisher, Books in Motion, has given us a limited number
of CD's that we can sell on our own site at a great introductory
price...$17. 95 instead of the retail $23.99. This is good only with
the special Pay Pal button on our site for as long as these copies
last. You can also read the first three chapters there.

www.silversistersmy steries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
How did an aging hippie from Alaska and an advice columnist from
Beverly Hills get into this mess? Find out at
www.silversistersmy steries.com