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.

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.

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

I was interviewed on The Michael Dresser Show on August 20 and you can listen to it by visiting my personal website - www.morganstjames-author.com. Just click on the INTERVIEWS AND MEDIA tab.

We had a great time bantering back and forth. Michael lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for 25 years and my sister, Phyllice Bradner, my co-author of the funny Silver Sisters Mysteries, lived in Alaska for longer than that. What I haven't mentioned before, is that my oldest son, Scott Goodkin, went to University of Alaska at Fairbanks. He brought honor to the university by being named a member of the USA Today All-Scholastic Team the year he graduated. Members were chosen from the top graduating students across the entire United States.

Since most cozy mysteries take place in small towns, we can probably call our latest Silver Sisters Mystery, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS, (due out as an audio book late this year)a cozy mystery as well as a funny mystery. Much of it takes place in Juneau. Population thirty thousand may not sound that small, but when you live in cities whose populations number in the millions it seems small.

Michael and I discovered that we had some other parallels as well. We were both born in Chicago and moved to California as teenagers.

When you move to another city as a young teen, it's easy to lose contact with those who were your friends. I was no exception. Last year I was fortunate to re-connect with the person who was my best friend in elementary school. She comes to California several times a year, and when we get together now it is as though no time has passed. In reality, we hadn't seen each other since we were twenty!

That led to making contact with some other transplanted Californians who also were in our class. Last Saturday, we got together for lunch, if you can call it that. It lasted three and a half hours and we could have yakked for another three hours.

Don't let old friends slip away. Make the phone call, or send the e-mail or letter. You'll be happy you did.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
Visit my other website: www.silversistersmysteries.com

Listen to Morgan's Radio interview on the

MICHAEL DRESSER SHOW

PodCast and Live Broadcast

Lifestyle TalkRadio
August 20, 2008
10:30am EST/1:30pm PST

The interview will be archived on
THE MICHAEL DRESSER SHOW site
for a few days and after that it will be on www.silversistersmysteries.com and www.morganstjames-author.com

This post isn't going to be all about writing, although (fingers crossed) I am back in business with my new ACER laptop that replaced the thirteen month old HP that died a month out of warranty. Whew. Everything was saved! So I'm back working on all of my projects... the next Silver Sisters Mystery---Vanishing Act in Vegas, Welcome to Paradise-- a women's fiction revenge novel like Nine to Five meets the First Wives Club, and one that I'm still hoping to find just the right tile for. It's been through four already and I'm thinking about "A Matter of Fate" for number 5. This is women's fiction about the turns fate takes when an aspiring sixteen-year-old ballerina is kidnapped, raped and left for dead. The last title was "Death Takes a Curtain Call," but it's more than that. It's her life. If anyone has a suggestion for a title, I'd love to consider it.

Anyway, on to today's topic. I've been watching TV commercials about not patronizing stores like Walmart because they sell so many offshore imports. This post isn't about low wages and no benefits --- it is about the subject of the imports.

It is absolutely true that the majority of the merchandise is imported, but I got to thinking about it. Step back for a moment and look at what has happened to our manufacturing base, the thing that used to drive America.

If you shop in a department store, even the very high end ones, and check out the labels on clothing and other merchansise you will find very little made in America, and you're paying deparment store prices even though most chains have evolved to "no-service." Hooray Nordstroms and Saks, the customer service is still good for those of you who can afford to shop there.

Now let's go to the hardware store, or the office supply store, or shop for a new car. What do you see? An overwhelming percentage of imports. Let's face it, guys, this has become our way of life and it isn't restricted to one or two discount chains. It is everywhere. The office furniture and cubicles you spend your working life in, the food you buy. All of it.

Did you ever stop to consider that products manufactured in China, for example, from raw material like steel, no longer use U.S. steel. They use Chinese steel or raw materials from whatever country manufacturers the product in question. I was in commercial office furniture project sales and design for several years, and can tell you that a large percentage of your cubicles sold by U.S. companies are fabricated off shore and sent to the U.S. for assembly.

We need to take back some of our infrastructure. That doesn't necessarily mean anything radical and doesn't mean sanctions. It just means getting our economy back in balance with a distribution of intellectual and manufacturing bases. Think about it.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.morganstjames-author.com

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

This is just a short one. One of these days, I'll gather all of the incidents into the family memoir I want to write..."Can We Come In and Laugh With You?"

Uncle Sam, one of the oldest of Mom's seven brothers, wanted to be an artist. He was quite talented, and in his eighties and nineties finally was able to use his talent as the "elder artist" in his group. He did some other neat things too, which inspired a scene with Flossie and Uncle Sterling in our award-winning mystery, "A Corpse in the Soup," but that's another story.

He got a job as a furniture finisher and had to experiment with finishes. He had a talent for it and his boss kept expecting new things. So he used all of the furniture in the apartment to test out finishes. Mom said that they never knew what the apartment would look like when they came home. One day a table would be white, another it might be blue, and the following day it might be stripped down to the bare wood. She said sometimes she wondered whether she was in the right house, but eventually got used to the changing environment. Grandma and Grandpa said, "Let the boy develop his talent."

Several year later, he used his talent to develop finishes for bowling games and pinball machines. Some of the family members were in the gaming business.

That's all for today.

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

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 is just a short entry today. I was thinking that I've always known it's never too late to change direction. I've done it so many times in my life...recreated myself with new careers, self taught skills or any laundry list of things. When I looked at this photo from the author's panel I was on yesterday, it was yet another bit of proof that it's a valid philosophy.

About nine years ago (and, just so you know, I was definitely over fifty at the time) I decided to try my hand at writing fiction. I had written lots of magazine articles and non-fiction pieces, but never really tried fiction. Well, as they say, it ain't easy. The more I wrote, the more I realized that I had to learn this new type of writing. Look at the photo and you will see four books and one audio book. That doesn't count the Amazon Shorts I've written and other published stories.

I'm working on two novels on my own, a new Silver Sisters book, my sister and I just signed a contract for the audio book for the next Silver Sisters mystery, SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS.

Not bad, if I say so myself. So this is the message. Never tell yourself you can't do something until you are 100% certain that you can't. That doesn't mean make a stab at it and say, "Okay, I tried...can't do it." It means that if there is something you want, go for it and tell yourself that it is within your reach.

I never want to stop learning, and it doesn't matter how old I get. I'll always be looking for and trying the next thing.

Have a great day.

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

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.


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