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.

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

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.

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

Here we are at November 5 already with a new President-Elect who will live in the pages of history way beyond the term of his presidency. Congratulations to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

I confess. I was an ardent Obama supporter and my husband and I even became part of an amazing on-line photographic gallery by fantastic Photographer Maarten De Boer entitled "I Am Obama." We are currently number 60, 61 and 62 of 500 black and white photographs of the diverse demographic that composed the Obama voter base.

http://www.maartendeboerphotography.com/iamobama

During the campaign I became a political junkie, addicted to watching MSNBC, CNN and posting on blogs all over the web. Everywhere, it seems now, but on Live Journal. So, now I'm back to my Live Journal and have found, because of all of the posts I did on other sites during the campaign, that I really love doing somewhat irreverent commentary on a variety of subjects. Who knows, maybe someday I'll pitch doing a column along with writing fiction. Anyway, that's the new face for my Live Journal page. Sharing commentary on anything that pops into my head.

I finally finished my manuscript for DANCING WITH FATE, a touching story of perserverence, survival and retribution when seventeen-year-old Sandra Barton is kidnapped, raped and left for dead. I'm currently am looking for an agent and publisher for it.

SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, the second Silver Sisters Mysteries book is in production and we look forward to release in first quarter 2009, I've gone back to working on my government fiasco Nine-to-Five meets The First Wives Club style comedic novel with my co-author. Both of us lived through a government scam/fiasco that was just too good to pass up. It was the inspiration for WELCOME TO PARADISE. By the way, in the book Paradise will be a Federal Prison. Hah. Not quite Paradise I would say.

Anyway, keep coming back to check this out because I promise my blog will be filled with fun stuff. As for me today, I'm just gonna kick back and recover from overdosing on politics.

Remember you can read or listen to A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, the award-winning first Silver Sisters book co-authored with my sister, Phyllice Bradner. Or you can read my stories in Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating People Who Make a Difference, and Writers Bloc II. For a quick fix, try an Amazon Short for only 49 cents. You can choose from The Second Time Around, Miracles Happen on Horseback, What Happened to Mandy Blake or Eight Surefire Ways to Tell a Jewish Mother. All available on Amazon.

See you 'round the corner.

MORGAN

Okay, there's lots of hype about Alaska right now. Some of the references to small town and unusual attitudes is right on. My sister and co-author of the Silver Sisters Mysteries, Phyllice Bradner was a resident of Alaska (both Anchorage and Juneau) for over thirty years, married into a political family and was a political print specialist who worked on campaigns of governors, senators and state financial reports. She has received four Alaska Press Club awards. So she knows a little something about Alaska.

For those of you not familiar with the Silver Sisters Mysteries, they are a comedic crime series featuring identical Baby Boomer twins Goldie and Godiva. Goldie is an aging hippie who owns an antique shop in Juneau and Godiva is a spoiled Beverly Hills widow who writes a syndicated advice column. These wisecracking twins have help from feisty elder-sleuths Flossie and Sterling Silver, their eighty-year-old mother and uncle who are former vaudeville magicians.

Although A CORPSE IN THE SOUP touches on some scenes in Alaska, most of the action taking place in California. The twins and their sidekicks lead the reader on a zany chase from Hollywood to South Bay in search of the real killer. The audio book was named Best Mystery Audio Book 2007 by USA Book News.

The next book, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, currently in production, takes place largely in Juneau, Alaska, with lots of authentic-style local color provided by Phyllice. Characters like Taku Ted and Ollie Oliver are reminiscent of people Phyllice knew while she lived there. Look for colorful descriptions of local attractions and customs as well, when Goldie receives the wrong shipment of samovars from Vladivostok (yes, from Russia in close proximity to Alaska) and a spree of murder and mayhem finds the sisters tracking bumbling but vicious Russian thugs.

Visit our website www.silversistersmysteries.com to find out more and for links to purchase A Corpse in the Soup. Seven Deadly Samovars will be out late this year or early next year. Watch for it.

For any of you who remember when I bought a new laptop last year and had to switch from XP to Vista, I went through about two weeks of hair-pulling, head-banging, and @*%&Y# frustration. Everything was finally up and running, just the way I wanted it. I found I liked the enhancements in Vista and life would be good.

Until two weeks ago. Thirteen months old and the motherboard went bad. The darn thing wouldn't boot and I was told I might lose all of the programs and data. Can you say "traumatized?" Just think of Wylie Coyote when he knows he's going off the cliff. I wasn't much better. A real basket case.

While my "patient" was being diagnosed, I spent an hour a day at the library trying to pick up as many e-mails as I could, but I must say I was pretty out of contact. Then came the weekend, so the daily count went up to nine. I finally found out it was the motherboard, and that's when the real frustration started. I had a three year extended warranty, but the chain store I bought it from said it would take about four weeks to repair and there was no assurance that the $99 data transfer would work.

I decided to take it to a private laptop repair specialist chain, and found out that the repair would be $550, most of which was the cost of the hardware. Guess what I did?

I wound up having to get another laptop for $599, the private store was able to very carefully transfer all of my data on to the new one even though I lost all of the programs. They charged much less to transfer the data. Maybe the desperate look in my eyes made them take pity on me. Today, two weeks after it crashed, I took the culprit to the chain store and let them repair it. This way, I have all of my data, a backup laptop, I didn't lose four weeks of writing and promoting, and it cost me less than having the private store fix it.

It is still taking lots of time to round up all of the expensive software and reinstall it, but at least I can sleep at night. It really sucks that even though the most expensive part is covered by the extended warranty, that doesn't begin to cover all of the other costs and time. What ever happened to quality control? A laptop should last more than a year.

Oh yeah. I keep an external hard drive and program an automatic backup every night. The problem was that because of the bad motherboard, it kept giving me false positives and telling me that everything was backed up as programmed. NOT! It hadn't done a lick of work since mid May, so I was missing a good part of my new manuscript and other important things.

Here's the lesson learned. If you're using an external hard drive, periodically check to make sure that the files are actually on it. I started recording really important stuff on a DVD as well for a little insurance. It would have been devastating if I'd lost everything. Also, look at all the options before you make a decision when you have a problem like this. I figure I got a back up laptop and saved well over a hundred dollars over what it would have cost to have a private company repair it. I just couldn't risk losing everything. At least with the private company backing up my data it was more personal and I felt more optimistic.

On the good side, Seven Deadly Samovars, the second Silver Sisters Mystery, is moving along with Books in Motion currently recording the audio book and designing the cover. Still don't have any information about a print edition, but as soon as I know, you'll know! On my next blog entry, I'm going to post some of the advance blurbs from people who have read it.

With all of my data recovered, I'm also about 3/4 of the way through an edit of my other manuscript, a stand alone women's fiction book that has been keeping my editor and first reader asking for more chapters. Besides that, Phyllice and I are doing lots of research for the third Silver Sisters book, "Vanishing Act in Vegas."

Glad to be back on line. More later.

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

Today I appeared along with three other authors on a "What Makes a Chicken Soup Moment" panel in Las Vegas. All of us have at least one story in (or planned for) a book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Along with three other authors, Darlien Breeze, Tena Thompson and Linda Lou, we talked about our stories and what the publishers call the "Chicken Soup Moment," happy to share our experiences with a wonderful audience.

If you read my post the other day, I said I was going to start telling stories about my mother's family. Maybe as I tell these stories, it will give you a sense of the type of family my sister Phyllice Bradner and I grew up in.

Well, back to the Chicken Soup panel. After the presentation, everyone had lunch, starting with chicken soup.

I got to thinking about my grandfather. (That's him in the picture at the top of this post along with my grandmother.) He died before I was born, but I am told that one of his greatest pleasures in life was a good bowl of soup. The problem was, the bowls weren't big enough for him. By the time my grandmother finished serving all of the ten children, his was gone and he was ready for a refill. "Oh," he used to say, "what I would give for a wonderful big soup bowl."

Back in the early twenties he loved to go shopping in an area of Chicago called Maxwell Street. It was almost the equivalent of some of our swap meets or flea markets. Pushcarts with every type of wares lined both sides of the street and items were always offered at great prices. He would grab a few of his children, hop on the streetcar and search out bargains.

Mom said one day when she was lucky enough to be one of the kids tagging along for the grand adventure, Grandpa spotted a bowl that he decided would be perfect for his soup. It was large enough to hold a double or triple portion, and thick enough to keep the heat in for a while. The entire inside of the bowl was decorated with beautiful handpainted flowers. He haggled the price, as people did on that street of bargains, and walked away with his prize.

"Matilda," he called out. I have the perfect bowl for my soup tonight. She filled it and he gobbled it down to the last drop. Mom said when he finished, he looked down at the bowl perplexed. He turned it and stared at it, set it down and called to my grandmother in Yiddish, "Matilda, where have the flowers gone?"

Truth of the matter was, they were just painted on the surface and the hot soup washed them away. He still loved his bowl, but now it was plain and boring. Beware of bargains!

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A Corpse in the Soup
Best Mystery Audio Book 2007 - USA Book News
Coming Soon in audio: Seven Deadly Samovars

Well, I finally got around to updating the trailer for A Corpse in the Soup...here it is. I figured now that we are finished with the manuscript for the second book, Seven Deadly Samovars, we really should have a current trailer for Corpse.

Spent lots of time yesterday reserching antique Russian samovars to come up with photos of seven outstanding ones for the pre publication trailer I'll be doing for Seven Deadly Samovars.

That said, here is the new Corpse trailer. You might have to click the PLAY ARROW TWICE.


Find more videos like this on BOOK PLACE

As you probably know by now, when my sister Phyllice Bradner and I created the Silver Sisters, we based their personalities somewhat upon our own. Therefore, Goldie is sort of like Phyllice who really did move to Alaska back in the days of hippies. At one point in her career she did own an antique shop in Juneau. Whereas I am what she calls a “fashionista”, Phyllice often dressed in layers of vintage clothes.

Fast forward. Phyllice moved from Alaska to Yamhill County in Oregon’s wine country a few years ago. This year she moved into a house right off the main business street in McMinnville. I arrived in Oregon yesterday and we are working on finishing the manuscript for SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, the second book in our Silver Sisters series. So why do I say she has become Goldie?

Well if you’ve read A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, you know all about Goldie’s personality and that she keeps handwritten ledgers for her antique shop. Her office is in the back of the store, behind a curtain.

Phyllice has now opened the Katz and Dawgs Boutique in McMinnville at 605 NE 1st Street. One thing I saw when I arrived at her new shop, was that her office in the back was complete with handwritten ledgers. As I watched her sitting at her desk I thought of two differences between Phyllice and Goldie: For one thing, Phyllice and I are blondes, not silver-haired like Goldie and Godiva. The other thing is that Phyllice’s shop is filled with wonderful animal artifacts and accessories of all kinds instead of antiques. However, as she pointed out, there are some antiques, too. Phyllice has exhibited her whimsical cat and dog etchings in two art galleries for several years. Now you can also see some of her pieces by visiting the boutique. Outside of that, I swear my sister has become Goldie.

By the way, if you are anywhere near McMinnville, stop in and browse. You will probably find something just wonderful for yourself, your pet or for a unique gift. She is open Wednesday-Saturday. And, of course, she carries our paperback and audio books. She is happy to autograph your copy.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
Best Mystery Audio Book 2007 – USA BOOK NEWS

I've been in my house in Las Vegas for the last week. That is where I write, go to meetings of Henderson Writer's Group and am able to work without interruption. Believe it or not, Las Vegas is a real city beyond the strip. I live in a very quite community in the southwest part of town about twenty minutes drive from the strip. It is a wonderfully creative place to be and best of all I don't have to deal with traffic if I choose not to. Very different from L.A.


I've been working on several things, but mostly moving forward on SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, the second book in the Silver Sisters series. For those of you who haven't read about how Phyllice and I write together, being in two different states, this past week we had some marathon telephone creative/editing sessions and e-mails continued to fly back and forth. We are making good progress and this one promises to be just as much fun as A Corpse in the Soup. If you don't know what a samovar is, it's a Russian tea server. Just Google samovar on the web and you'll get more information about samovars than you ever wanted to know.


We are also finishing up the information for a new interview for A Voice in the Dark newsletter (on line). It will include one fun thing...an interview with former vaudeville magician, eighty-year-old Flossie Silver...the twins mother. It will most likely post in July. More updates later.


I've also been working on DEADLY DANCE, the first novel I ever tried to write about nine years ago. As I transitioned from only writing magazine articles to short stories and novels, this manuscript sat on the shelf, unpublished. Last year I realized what had to be done and started a major edit. Some of the opening chapters have been posted on urbis.com.


I get very emotionally attached to it now because one of the changes was to take it from third person to first person real time from the point of view of the main characters. As I write, in my mind I become each of the characters so I know what they are thinking and how they feel.


The story is about Sandra Barton, and starts when she is only seventeen. Sandra was destined to be a prima ballerina, but destiny gets derailed and her world comes crashing down around her. Sandra nearly loses her life and her struggle back is a series of triumphs and tragedies. While it is a work of fiction, it was inspired by true incidents that happened in the mid 1950's. I call it a woman-in-jeopardy/ romance/murder novel and I'm a little more than half way through it.


I've also written some new short stories that I've submitted to Amazon Shorts. My story, "Miracles Happen on Horseback" was released as an Amazon Short on April 13, 2007.


Well back to the computer keys on this Memorial Day. May our wishes bring the brave members of the military back to us.


MORGAN

Well, I'm visiting my sister and co-author Phyllice Bradner in Oregon. We are supposed to be working on our next book, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, and the workshop we are presenting at the Las Vegas Writer's Conference, April 19-22 "From Novice to Novelist...Good Critiques Can Be Valuable".

Thumbs up on the workshop. We just finished the outline and it is going to be a very helpful workshop. Next we have to translate the outline into the actual presentation. No time to work on SAMOVARS yet because Phyllice moved into a great 100 year old house and you guessed it...she put big Sis to work. I have helped to move more artwork than I care to count and there is still more to go! Besides being an author, she is an artist and had a whole separate house devoted just to being her art studio at the old house, so you can just imagine. It is like moving sand off a mountain. And this is after she spent three days with movers and over a week moving other stuff before I got here. Anyway, I'm so glad we have been able to move forward on designing the workshop and hope to be able to work on SAMOVARS before I go back to Las Vegas.

Our audio book publisher contacted us, and the audio book for A CORPSE IN THE SOUP should be finished sometime in April. Whoop de doo. That's exciting. Can't wait to see it. When it comes out, we will be offering it at a super discount from the retail price on our website for a limited time, so watch for it.

I will be on a Sisters in Crime panel at a library in Thousand Oaks, CA on March 24. The link with the information is on our website. The title of the panel is Murder on the Menu and two other authors will join me in discussing this subject. It should be lively and interesting.

Visit our website for updates, links to buy A CORPSE IN THE SOUP and to view our trailer for CORPSE. Would you like to see a real wacky advice column like the one our Silver Sister Godiva Olivia DuBois (Ask G.O.D.) writes? If so, click on the link on the website and let us know what you think.

As that isn't enough, I have really been moving along on the book I'm writing by myself...DEADLY DANCE. I'm up to Chapter 17 which means I'm over 100 manuscript pages into it.

More later.

MORGAN ST. JAMES www.silversistersmysteries.com

Silver Sisters Mysteries A CORPSE IN THE SOUP ISBN#1-59705-805-X

How did an aging hippie from Alaska and an advice columnist from Beverly Hills get into this mess?

Phyllice and I will be doing a writing and editing session for the Silver Sisters Mystery, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, for the last two weeks of February.

Until I go to Oregon to meet with her next week, I'm still working on my solo novel DEADLY DANCE. It is a cross genre book murder mystery/woman-in-jeopardy/romance that I started many years ago before I knew to write fiction. I'm in the process of rewriting it, cutting it from 750 manuscript pages to a target of 400 +/- pages and switching it from third person to first person real time starting in 1956.

I've reached the 100 page mark and I'm really excited. I've been submitting the chapters to reviewers and authors as I go along and the response is all very positive which pushes me to keep writing. I cannot believe the difference in the original version and what I'm writing now. It's like night and day.

The lesson was learned and I think with the debut of A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, the first Silver Sisters Mystery book and my short story in Chicken Soup for the Shopper's Soul I made the jump from only writing magazine articles to knowing what I'm doing when writing fiction or short stories.

I've been posting chapters on www.urbis.com for critiques and have gotten some really good and helpful ones from other writers and editors. Every valid comment is appreciated, be it in a review or an e-mail sent to me, because writing in first person is a whole new animal for me. However, a few months ago, after writing a short story in first person, I realized that this is the only way to do justice to the story of DEADLY DANCE.

i just finished The Husband by Dean Koontz, which was book #6 for the year. I do "cheat" because some of the books are audio books since I'm in the car quite a bit. I have to say this was a bit of a weird book, not at all what I would expect from him. I did listen to it in audio, and the narrator had a very annoying voice which didn't help.

In parts the writing was so flowery that it could have been part of a gothic romance novel. The villain was totally creepy in a way that I didn't like and there were lots of circumstances set up that were completely off the meter.

I generally like Dean Koontz, but if I had to read it again, I would pass. The interesting thing is that the basic premise of the book was pretty provocative and I did want to find out what happened so I suffered it through to the end.

On to the next one.

Our Silver Sisters Mystery book, A CORPSE IN THE SOUP, looks like it will be going audio quite soon. We are currently listening to readers and particularly after this experience with listening to The Husband, I want to make sure that our reader has a good voice and phrasing. More later on the progress of A CORPSE IN THE SOUP as an audio book.

Next month I'm off to Oregon to work with my sister Phyllice on the next book in the series, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
How did an advice columnist from Beverly Hills and an aging hippie from Alaska get into this mess?