Well, I always seem to drive myself, but this past couple of weeks in Las Vegas I have pushed the envelope a bit. I've done five presentations to readers and writers promoting "Seven Deadly Samovars," all on different subjects, attended a few meetings, written several more chapters of the new Silver Sisters book, "Vanishing Act in Vegas," finished the proposal for "You Don't Say," with my co-author on that project, submitted a short story to an anthology, and posted columns three times a week to www.examiner.com and one a week to www.perpetual prose.com.

Today I took the day off. On Sunday, the author rested. Had breakfast with my granddaughter and marveled at the fact that with her 12th birthday approaching at the end of the month, she is now almost as tall as I am. She has transitioned from a child to an almost-teen. We talked a bit about how different things were when I was her age, as she took time out to text her mother and show me many of the photos and aps on her cellphone. We hung out and chatted, like a couple of girlfriends...okay, girlfriends with a bit of an age gap...okay, again...a pretty big age gap, but able to hold fun conversations.

I wish I could watch my grandsons grow up as I have with her, but photos for the most part have to do. England is a long way off, and I'm lucky to be able to visit once a year. Little Tennessee is almost two and Texas is three already. Why is it that all of my three grandchildren are named after places? Texas, Tennessee (a bit unusual for a couple of British lads) and almost-teenage Denali named for the national park in Alaska.

The interesting thing to me is that unusual names aren't considered unusual anymore. In fact, the unusual ones are names like Sally, or Bob. You know, good solid names that used to be widely used. As authors we need to remember this when naming our characters. Make sure that their names are typical of the times.

Well, as I said, I'm taking the day off, so I'm going to the movies to see Pirate Radio. Time to kick back and listen to what is supposed to be some great rock, and with Phillip Seymore Hoffman in it, it should be good.

Next week it's back to L.A. for a while.

Today www.perpetualprose.com posted an interview with me and my sister Phyllice. We talked about how we came to write the Silver Sisters Mysteries, what our backgrounds are, and many other things. Check it out, and while you're there, read some of the other good interviews and articles. I write one article a week for them.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
www.morganstjames-author.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS
and much more...visit me on the web

I must admit, I am sometimes a news junkie and watch the commentary shows, even through most of the time it's hard to separate fact from fiction. It seems that radio and TV hosts are the faces of the parties they favor. You can channel or station surf and get so many versions of the same story or fact, it makes your head swim.

Sometimes I go onto overload, swearing that I will never watch another show and tune into vintage comedy shows like Lucy, Becker or The Nanny. Why? I've hit the wall on "gloom and doom" and just want to chill out and laugh.

After watching property values plumet, investments get beaten to death, political debates reduced to the level of two bullies on the schoolyard duking it out, while the poor battered victim watches in awe, (that victim is us...the public), I just want something that I don't have to agonize over. Something that will make me laugh.

I think that's why folks like our Silver Sisters mysteries. They're silly sometimes, over-the-top, goofy names, zany action, loveable characters---they're a comical crime caper that you can exercise your gray matter with, as you try to solve the mystery. If only for a few minutes, isn't that better than wondering where your next positive tidbit of information will come from?

Must be, because in the past few weeks our rank on Amazon has gotten better and better. To me, that means people want to escape and just laugh. Do you? I know I do.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
www.morganstjames-author.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS
Both available in every format: paperback, Kindle, e-book, CD and MP3 download
VISIT ME ON THE WEB

"A Corpse in the Soup" got a great new review on Amazon from Gayle Bartos Pool and the Las Vegas Review Journal did an article on me in the Sunday edition. It was in both print and on line in the Living Section. Here's the link: http://www.lvrj.com/living/sisters-bond-is-no-mystery-64690112.html

Here's the review:

A Recipe for Murder, October 11, 2009
By Gayle Bartos-Pool - See all my reviews

Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner's delightful novel, A Corpse in the Soup, is a delicious cook's tour through what can only be called a smorgasbord of murder and mayhem in the wacky world of professional chef's.

When Beverly Hills advice to the lovelorn columnist, Godiva Dubois, is nearly killed by poison mushrooms on the set of famous chef, Caesar Romano's TV show, her twin sister, Goldie, flies in from Alaska to see what's going on. What the aging hippie from the boonies finds is a world very different from her quiet life up north. Then her daughter, Chili, gets a job on the very show that produced the near-fatal fungus.

The heat is really turned up when rival chefs vie for the coveted Gourmet Gladiator award. Chef Romano is waging a war of words with handsome aerobic chef, Biff Wellington. But there are lots of axes to grind in this plot, so when one of the chef's turns up dead, Godiva and Goldie use their skills to help solve the crime.

To add to the sweet concoction, Godiva and Goldie's mother and uncle do their best to find out who dunnit. These cool cats are in their 80s, but they don't let that stop them.

This is a fun ride through TV land and even to the wine country of California. The two great gals are fun to be with and you're with them all the way to the nail-biting end.

I'm now writing two on line columns in addition to my books and short stories. Articles on http://www.perpetualprose.com will discuss various aspects of the craft of writing. This is cool, because although I live in Las Vegas and L.A., the column is published in Perth, Australia. Talk about a global situation!

I'm also writing about local happenings in the writing industry, profiling people, groups, companies and events in the literary community in Las Vegas, and topics of interest for http://www.examiner.com. A complete listing of my new columns can be found at: http://www.examiner.com/x-24363-Las-Vegas-Writing-Examiner

One of the important things in life, in my opinion, is never stop learning, never stop checking out new things, and live every day!

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

Since our new Silver Sisters comical crime caper, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, begins in Juneau, Alaska, I thought I'd give you an idea of what Franklin Street looks like. This was obviously taken on a patriotic holiday, so I must qualify that the flags aren't there all the time, but you can get a sense of the area. Cruise ships dock in the bay on the other side of the street.

This is the street where Goldie's Silver Spoon Antiques Shoppe is located. Phyllice Bradner, my sister and co-author, actually designed the color schemes and some of the other details during the restoration of some of these historical buildings, as well as restoration of the legislature building and governor's mansion several years ago.

Our books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BooksaMillion and many other sites.

www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS

The second zany Silver Sisters comical crime caper is now available as a Kindle edition on Amazon. Seven Deadly Samovars finds Goldie receiving the wrong shipment of fancy Russian tea dispensers at her antique shop in Juneau, Alaska while her twin, Beverly Hills advice columnist Godiva Olivia DuBois, is in town visiting. She can't reach the exporters, so puts the samovars on display in her shop. They sell quickly but people begin to die. Why? A visit from the bumbling Russian thugs, the Dumkovsky brothers, might hold a clue. The Silver Sisters and their eighty-year-old mother and uncle, former vaudeville magicians, are hot on the trail, trying to prevent more murders! Check out our website for more information.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP - Best Audio Mystery Book 2007-USA BOOK NEWS
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS - Available in Kindle, CD and MP3. Coming soon in paperback.

Well, I'm back in Los Angeles again, complete with its smog and traffic. However, after leaving the murky skies of Las Vegas yesterday, it doesn't seem that much different. The smoke and ash from the Station Wildfire in California has definitely made its mark in Sin City. Sunday night you could smell the smoke the minute you stepped out on the Strip. Thank goodness progress is being made.

I have a small idea of what the fire victims must feel like. In my lifetime, I've been threatened by fires four times. Twice in the Porter Ranch area of Northride, California, once in Chatsworth, California, and the worst of all...living right on the beach in Malibu, California.

One Porter Ranch fire--an oil well fire--was burning for several days and they had to bring in a famous firefighter named Red Adair from Texas. He knew how to contain the oil well fires, if at all possible. For two days, we didn't know whether we would have to evacuate or not. Then a few years later, another fire broke out, coming much closer to our house while raining ash over everything. Again, as the wind shifted, we got the message that we would, then wouldn't have to evacuate.

During the Chatsworth fire, I lived on horse property and was very worried about what to do with the horses if we had to evacuate, but we didn't.

Finally out of the foothill fire areas, I breathed a sigh of relief. Now I was living in a beach house in Malibu, right on the sand with the water sometimes thirty feet away and sometimes under the stilted house when the tide was in. No worries there...right? Wrong!

When the Malibu fire jumped Pacific Coast Highway and burned it's was down to the beach,it was the one time I was evacutated. For three days I lived in a hotel wondering if there would be a house to come back to. Fortunately it was spared, but only by fifty feet!

So my heart goes out to those who have lost so much. Four times, it could have been me.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP - 2007 Best Mystery Audio Book - USA Book News
SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS: watch for September 2009 release

I just finished listening to the audio book of Jeffrey Deavers' "Garden of Beasts." It is set in Nazi Germany and follows the path of an American button man (killer for hire) who has been sent to kill one of the top people in the party. In true Deaver manner, the story is filled with rich descriptions, twists and turns and definitely captures your interest. I'm usually not a fan of this type of novel, but do like Mr. Deaver's writing, so I decided to give it a try and was rewarded with a book that I would recommend.

Audio books can be highly affected by the quality of the narrator. This one was excellent. Combining the well drawn characters and the compelling narrative, I found myself sitting in the car after I arrived at my destination so I could listen to a little bit more.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
COMING IN SEPTEMBER: SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS

Whew! Thank goodness the repair company finally sent out someone who knew what he was doing. The other guy just couldn't wait to leave, which was obvious the minute he walked in the door. After three service calls, I was still sweltering with a laboring, or mostly non-working system.

When wonderful Daniel was sent in response to my melt down and demand to the AC company that they send someone who could actually fix it, it only took him about two minutes to determine that the fan motor was bad. He ordered a new fan and by the next evening everything was fixed.

Here's the scary part. I asked him what could have happened...worst case scenario...if I'd simply gone back to L.A. after the last time the inept serviceman paid me a visit. He frowned and said, "Well, worst case, your compressor could have blown up!" That's a comforting thought.

Anyway, as the release date for Seven Deadly Samovars approaches (September)I'm getting more excited as I always do before a release. My advance copies arrived, and it looks great. When I appear on the "Knock 'em Dead" panel at the Burbank Library on September 5, I'll have a few advance copies available. Check the website, www.silversistersmysteries.com, for details and other appearances.

Whoo hoo! Now it's time to finish VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS.

Morgan St.James
www.silversistersmysteries.com
www.morganstjames-author.com
http://AllAboutArliss.blogspot.com

Look for the second Silver Sisters comical crime caper, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, to be released in early September by L&L Dreamspell. It will be available in every format from paperback, Kindle and e-book to CD and MP3 from Books in Motion.

Here's something cool. The audio books are out already, so if you want to preview, you can go to Barnes & Nobel's website and search either A CORPSE IN THE SOUP or SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS. Then click on the audio clip link and listen to a bit of either book.

My sister Phyllice and I are about half-way through the first draft of VANISHING ACT IN VEGAS, and the whole quirky group...twins Goldie and Godiva and eighty-year-old Flossie and Sterling really get into trouble this time. We're having a barrel of fun writing it and I even got to go backstage at a major magic show on the Strip to research one scene. That is a definite advantage to living part time in Las Vegas.

Although, my air conditioning went out the other day, and with the temp at about 105, I would have been a lot more comfortable at my other residence in California...five blocks from Venice Beach!

Still, I love Las Vegas, and if I had to choose between the two, Las Vegas would take it hands down.

Now all I need is for the air conditioning repair service to send someone who knows what they're doing. I've already had three ill-fated service calls.

Hot under the collar...

MORGAN
www.silversistersmysteries.com

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

Well, there are only a few more hours left in 2008, and what a year it has been! We have had more unfortunate happenings than most years, an unusual presidential campaign, an historical election, scandal, record snow in Las Vegas, a new grandchild in England, and the list goes on.

I received a Christmas letter this week that actually moved me to tears. I make no secret that I'm against the Iraq war. A friend I worked with several years back is an officer in the Navy reserve. I haven't heard from him lately, and through his wife's Christmas letter found out that he was mobilized and sent to Iraq in April. He will be there until next April. His wife's letter was called "I spy." It began with "I spy a soldier," and detailed events through the year in the eyes of a military wife and children of a husband sent to a far off land. It was so poignant in its simplicity that I finished reading with tears streaming down my face.

I've worried that was what would happen for a few years now. He's a fellow in his thirties with three small children. This post is dedicated to my prayers for his safe return, and the safe return of all of our brave men and women engaged in this disasterous war.

I also pray that our country will get back on it's feet as the unique country that we once were and will be again, and that our new president will be able to carry out at least a portion of the things on his agenda. I wish for the political parties to stop slinging mud at each other and pull as one to restore our prestige.

I wish adequate health care for our citizens, jobs where a living wage can be earned and the preservation of family units.

We all have our own aspirations and hopes for the coming year, and with a positive can-do attitude we can help 2009 to be a happy, prosperous year.

Thanks to everyone who has visited our site this year and purchased our books. Look for the new Silver Sisters comical crime caper, Seven Deadly Samovars, in 2009.

MORGAN ST. JAMES

My story, "Saying Goodbye to Miss Molly," will be part of a new anthology entitled, "The World Outside the Window."

Before I say any more, the release will be in January 2009, but it's available for pre-sale now. Here's the link for all of the information -

http://www.rjbuckleypublishing.com/amazonanthology.html

This is a boook that started with an idea from one Amazon Shorts writer, Lana M. Ho-Shing, who was joined by E. Don Harpe. Don ran with the ball so to speak and before you knew it, Lana and Don recruited seventeen other authors of Amazon Shorts to contribute a story. I was fortunate to be one of this great group of writers.

We were given several things that could be used in our stories, but we could write in any genere we wanted to as long as the guidelines were adhered to. The result - a unique collection of short stories ranging from sci fi to romance to mystery. You name it. There is even one where the window was in an office building in the Twin Towers on 911.

I thought I was going to write a mystery, but all of a sudden as I sat at the computer, Miss Molly popped into my head. I wrote and wrote as though she was dictating her story and the result was a sweet story about an old woman in her nineties recalling the love of her youth.

As of January The World Outside the Window will be available on Amazon and in many bookstores across the country. If they don't carry it, you'll be able to order it. For now, if you want to be one of the first to have a copy please visit the RJ Buckley Publishing site above.

Our publisher, Rebecca Buckley, took the book on its final journey from manuscript to publication. There is something for everyone in The World Outside The Window.

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

Today there was a story in the California section of the L.A. Times entitled, "TACA Passengers in a Fog after 9-Hour Flight Diversion. TACA International Airlines Flight 670 was diverted to Ontario Airport because LAX was fogged in, and the passengers were kept on board for nine hours.

Apparently the dispute over why the 193 passengers were not allowed to disembark was explained as a claim that airport officials didn't want the passengers from San Salvador to go through their customs vs the statement from Ontario Airport operator Los Angeles World Airports that the passengers never asked to exit the aircraft. The article mentioned that usually aircraft forced to land at Ontario refueled and waited until it was safe to take off.

Guess what? Unless the rulings and procedures have actually changed since October 17, 1989 I don't think anyone was going to be able to get off that plane without a major challenge of the airport policies and procedures. On October 17, 1989 I was in the same situation at Ontario, but fortunately only for three hours---non nie. I found out first hand about the rules at Ontario Airport. Two conditions existed that caused all of the planes to be diverted to Ontario. There was an earthquake in San Francisco that caused the Nimetz Freeway (880) to collapse and the airport to be closed and extreme fog in many California cities. It is memorable to me and ties into this subject for two reasons.

ONE: I was on the upper deck of that freeway, the one that collapsed, the week before. Talk about fate.

TWO: On October 17, 1989 I was on a flight coming back from Dallas to LAX. We were almost on the ground when the plane veered up sharply, jostling people in their seats. The pilot said that the runway literally disappeared before his eyes as the dense fog rolled in. We headed for Ontario Airport.

There we stayed marooned on the plane on the tarmack for over three hours with no one saying anything to us other than the fact that we couldn't disembark because of airport rules. This is where the similarity begins. According to the spokesman, way back in 1989, airport rules forbid the disembarking of passengers not scheduled to land at Ontario because they did not have the facilities to handle it. We weren't even an international flight requiring customs.

Things got very ugly because there was no air conditioning to circulate the air, no potable water to drink and no real way to calm the irate passengers. For example, one woman had a small baby clad in only a diaper and she had run out of fresh diapers. The baby was screaming, she had no way to heat a bottle, and was threatening to force her way off the plane. People started to chant that they were prisoners.

I had been fortunate to be upgraded to first class, and if a man seated near me wasn't a very famous singer of the time, he was definitely his double. The poor man was beside himself, threatening legal action if he couldn't get off the plane. It didn't help. All of us were trapped. Just outside the window we saw so many stranded planes it looked like an aero-parking lot. It seemed like every plane from San Francisco south had been diverted to Ontario because of fog or other circumstances. Scores of buses lined up taking on passengers from the various flights as we sat there. No one told us anything except saying that the demand had outnumbered the available buses and we would just have to wait.

Finally our time came, and at once everyone demanded to know what was going on. The bus driver said, "Well, you know the combination of the massive earthquake in San Francisco and the fog at all the local airports has really caused a mess." Almost in unison, the weary passengers said, "Earthquake??" Of course, we had no way of knowing that at almost the same moment our pilot tried to land at LAX a massive earthquake hit San Francisco, crippling the city.

The man I thought was a celebrity wound up sitting next to me on the bus back to LAX. He was really mad, but as we talked, he calmed down. By the end of the ride he'd told me he was an entertainer (gave me a name I never heard of--one I suspect wasn't his real name) and that he loved having breakfast on Sunday's at the Omlet Parlor in Malibu. Having lived in Malibu myself, I agreed that it was a great place.

When we got to LAX, his limo was waiting and he asked if he could give me a ride. I thought that was nice, but declined, and said I'd take a taxi. He very graciously carried my bags to the taxi stand and said he'd enjoyed meeting me. Don't think I didn't consider going to the Omlet House for breakfast the next Sunday and hanging out to see if my new acquaintance turned up. But like many things we think about, I didn't.

Today I researched a definition of the disembarkation policy at Ontario California Airport. Here it is, and my thought is that we have another case of a spin of circumstances in the wind. It looks like the TACA flight wasn't treated any different than another flight in that situation. I do think that after several hours, however, something could have been done. The three hours I experienced was no walk in the park! Nine had to be a living nightmare.

PER WIKIPEDIA:

Thanks to Ontario's long runways (runway 8L/26R is longer than any of those at LAX), it is often used as an alternate landing site for large aircraft when LAX is inaccessible due to weather conditions or other reasons. It is a particularly important alternate airport since there are many trans-Pacific flights headed to LAX which may not have enough fuel left after the long journey to reach other major airports. However, due to Ontario's relatively small customs facilities and limited options for connecting flights, such rerouted flights typically do not disembark passengers in Ontario. Instead, the airport is usually used to refuel the aircraft, which then take off again for a short flight to LAX once landing conditions there have improved.

Generally I have nothing to do on Thanksgiving but eat turkey and stuff myself. Well, yeah, there's complaining about eating too much and gaining weight, but that's a discussion for another day. Thanksgiving has always been my cousin's opportunity to shine.

My gig is Christmas. It's been that way for years. She does Thanksgiving, I do Christmas. This year my cousin's husband hasn't been feeling 100% and last week she asked me if we could trade holidays, just for this year. Sure. No problem. Except that my place in Marina Del Rey has a kitchen the size of a closet. A very tiny closet. No counter space and barely enough room for two people.

My home in Las Vegas is a different story. A WONDERFUL kitchen, and I love entertaining there. Ever since we've had two homes, I've usually been able to convince the family to make a trip to Las Vegas. Not exactly the over the river and through the snow of songs, but suffice to say it's over the hill and it's a good idea to hit the 15 freeway before a Friday afternoon.

So, with that said, yesterday morning I started the day by thinking I would have to rearrange furniture to set up an extra table. Then I realized that this year we wouldn't have the normal number of guests and lucky me---I wouldn't have to move one piece of furniture. Things were looking up. Next came kitchen logistics. And, I do mean logistics! When you have about five feet of counter space and enough pots, pans, platters, a big turkey, a salad bowl the size of a trampoline, and all sorts of side dishes to prepare, the juggling, balancing and stacking act is amazing. The biggest concern is making sure the turkey doesn't fall on the floor while being stuffed, and nothing goes down the garbage disposal by mistake. I did learn that it's easier to juggle a sixteen pound turkey than a twenty-eight pound one.

Having dealt with this postage stamp sized kitchen for five years now, I've gotten pretty good at balancing things on the stove, the sink, a plank spread between them and any other flat surface I can find. The thing that's the pits is that I usually have to turn down any offer of help because we might need a crowbar to pry at least one of us out of the tight space. Well, I guess a really skinny guest could help, but when my husband and I try to pass each other, one of us is likely to get stuck.

I was a woman with a mission. I wanted everything to be ready to go when the guests arrived. Fifteen minutes to finish the yams, dump the salad in the the huge bowl and mix in the dressing, reheat a few dishes and viola --dinner is served. Believe it or not, everything went as planned, right down to a beautiful golden turkey. My frustration vanished in a millesecond amid hugs, kisses and calorie laden cakes. One cousin brought a huge package of chocolate truffles to die for. How can you feel frustrated with all of that chocolate within easy reach?

Throughout the evening, we regaled each other with tales of zany things that happened during our childhood, stories from the years when we were young parents and now the tales of being empty nesters. For the first time in as long as any of us could remember, this year the only young people at the table were my cousin's son and his wife. My three and their spouses were miles away in New Jersey, England and Australia. My cousin's daughter is out of state working on a PhD, and neither of her brother's adult kids were able to come. So there we were. The smallest holiday dinner any of us could remember. But we will remember it, and I was so glad I offered to do the dinner instead of letting the tradition of getting together, at least on major holidays, ebb away.

Back when my Mom was alive, and a portion of her large family lived nearby, every holiday dinner was a major production with a cast of anywhere from twenty-five to forty. Slowly the elders have passed on and my cousins and I have seen our children move away to other cities, states or even other countries. Our kids have always known their friends were welcome, and sometimes we've had a strange array of guests, but that's always made the dinners more interesting.

However, for one reason or another, this year there were only eight of us at the dinner table. Looking at each face, as we exploded with laughter and good will, I realized how important it is not to let these times of bonding fade away.

Next year---Christmas in Las Vegas---and we'll invite friends who don't have anywhere to go to join our crazy holiday feast. They can even bring their friends.

Hope your holiday was a time for joy. MORGAN