The Fire that Inspired Flaming Crimes by Chrys Fey (Part 5)

Thought for the day: Dear Winter, I'm breaking up with you. I think it's time I started seeing other seasons. (Besides, Summer is much hotter than you are.)

[image courtesy of seniorark]

Brrrrrrrrrr! Most of the U.S. has been in a super deep freeze recently, but at least here in the Atlanta area, the temperature took a much-appreciated leap into the sixties this week. I don't know how long it'll last, but we're sure enjoying it while it's here. 

 ♪ ♫ Oh the weather outside can bite me. My muscles ache, despite me. I don't have a happy glow. Winter blows, winter blows, winter blows...♪♫

How cold was it, you ask?

So cold, politicians kept their hands in their OWN pockets... (Now THAT'S cold!)

Okay, let's forget about snow and ice, shall we?. Today's guest post is from the lovely Chrys Fey, whose latest installment of her Disaster Crimes series has just been released... and it's about... fire.

In conjunction with her new release, Chrys is sharing a ten-part account of her memories of the real-life fire that inspired some of the scenes in her new book. I'm pleased to share part five of her story today. Enjoy! 

                          Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. 

                                                     Take it away, Chrys!

                                                           *     *     *
AUTHOR NOTE: Many scenes in Flaming Crimes (Disaster Crimes #4) came from real life. For this short blog tour, I am sharing my memories as a ten-part continuous story, so hop along for the entire experience.

Series: Disaster Crimes #4
Page Count: 304 
Digital Price: 4.99 
Print Price: 16.99

Rating: Spicy (PG13) 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

The Wild Rose Press

FLAMING GUEST POST PART FIVE:

One of my family members did make it in the newspaper. My oldest sister. In the picture, she was clutching one of our pregnant cats (Monkey…yes, really). My sister did not make it to our car with the cat. Seconds after that picture was snapped, Monkey fought her and got away. She ran toward the fire….

The reporter who took that picture ended up getting my sister’s full name and put it and our address in the newspaper as the photo’s caption. Because the reporter did that, my sister got a letter in the mail from a prison inmate. I never found out what the letter said, but my parents reported it.

I remember when, two days later, a florist delivery came to the door. My sister freaked out as my mom signed for the delivery. She thought it was from the inmate. Actually, she thought the delivery person was the inmate. As it turned out, the flowers were for me from my parents, because my birthday was in a couple of days.

TO BE CONTINUED…

FLAMING CRIMES EXCERPT:

“Excuse me?”

Beth turned to see a man with a note pad and pen. He had a camera around his neck. “Is that your home?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Can I ask you a few questions?”

“Sure, but don’t use my full name or put my address in your paper.” She had heard about a young woman, a victim to these fires, whose address had been put in the newspaper along with her picture, and because of that, a prison inmate had written her a letter. Beth didn’t want the same thing happening to her, especially since there were a few inmates who would very much like her address, if they didn’t already have it.

The story will continue on these blogs:

1/8 – Circle of Friends Books - Part 1

1/9 – Sandra Cox – Part 2

1/10 – Elements of Emaginette – Part 3

1/11 – Julie Flanders – Part 4

1/12 – I Think; Therefore, I Yam – Part 5

1/15 – Alex J. Cavanaugh – Part 6

1/16 – Just Jemi – Part 7

1/17 – Sandra Dailey – Part 8

1/18 – Fundinmental – Part 9

1/19 – Elizabeth Seckman – Part 10

About the Author: Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.

Author Links:

Website / Blog / Goodreads

Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

Thank you for reading this post! Don’t forget to hop along to the other posts on their designated days for the full fiery story.

SHARE: Your fire story with me.

Still Staying Warm

Thought for the day:  Dear Winter, I'm breaking up with you. I think it's time I started seeing other seasons. (Besides, summer is much hotter than you are.)

[courtesy of Seniorark]

Man, I feel like such a fraud. Our temperatures are in the eighties here this week, so it  isn't exactly cold, but it IS still winter... technically... and it's still very cold in some places, right? Right! When I ran the first staying warm post the last Friday in January, it didn't get much love. In fact, it was virtually ignored, possibly because that post didn't show up on anyone's blog roll, as some have told me. Dunno why, but if at first you don't succeed...

Let's see if this second part of the post fares any better. With the official start of spring right around the corner, let's give a nod to winter's last gasps. Before we know it, we'll be bellyaching about the pollen, and how hot it is. In the meantime, here are some more pictures of critters trying to stay warm. Enjoy!

How about a nice cat-serole for dinner?

This bed could use a softer mattress.

How many angels can fit on the head of a pin... how many cats in a sunbeam?

Mom's new heater was the best birthday present ever!

Alternating positions is obviously the most efficient use of the sunshine.

I think I'll sleep right... HERE!

I betcha this one warms your heart.

Now, how cold has it been? It's been so cold...

* Teenagers have pulled up their pants. And put on a jacket!
* When farmers milked their cows, they got ice cream.
* If you can believe it, politicians had their hands in their OWN pockets.
* I saw a dog over on Main Street. The poor thing was frozen to the fire hydrant.
* We have one of those new rain showerheads. I love it, but the other day, when I turned it on, I got hail.
* Smarticus and I ate lunch at a greasy spoon on Wednesday... just for the heartburn.
* EVERYBODY had a stiff upper lip.

With all of the snow... and shoveling...  some folks have had to deal with this winter, I present this fictional diary. You may have seen it before, because it's one of those things that's been floating around the Internet for a decade or more:

Diary of a snow shoveler, probable location - North East

December 8 - 6:00 PM
It started to snow.
The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat  for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven.
It looked like a Grandma Moses Print.
So romantic we felt like newlyweds again.
I love snow!
 
December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape.
What a fantastic sight!
Can there be a lovelier place in the whole world?
Moving here was the best idea I've ever had!
Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again.
I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again.
What a perfect life!
 
December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow.
Such a disappointment!
My neighbor tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas.
No snow on Christmas would be awful!
Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again
I don't think that's possible.
Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
 
December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night.
The temperature dropped to -20.
The cold makes everything sparkle so.
The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks.
This is the life!
The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again.
I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way.
I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.
 
December 15
20 inches forecast.
Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer.
Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels.
Stocked the freezer.
The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out.
I think that's silly.
We aren't in Alaska, after all.
 
December 16
Ice storm this morning.
Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt.
Hurt like hell.
The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
 
December 17
Still way below freezing.
Roads are too icy to go anywhere.
Electricity was off for 5 hours.
I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm.
Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her.
Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her.
God I hate it when she's right.
I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
 
December 20
Electricity's back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night.
More shoveling!
Took all day.
The damn snowplow came by twice.
Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey.
I think they're lying.
Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out.
Might have another shipment in March.
I think they're lying.
Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me.
I think he's lying.
 
December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white   shit fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August.
Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss.
By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel.
Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy.  I think the asshole is lying.
 
December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today 
And it warmed up to 0.
The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning.
What is she, nuts?!!
Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago?
She says she did but I think she's lying.
 
December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel.
Thought I was having a heart attack.
If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel.
I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been!
Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.
 
December 25
Merry freaking Christmas!
20 more inches of the damn slop tonight -Snowed in.
The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil.
God, I hate the snow!
Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel.
The wife says I have a bad attitude.
I think she's an idiot.
If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.
 
December 26
Still snowed in.
Why the hell did I ever move here?
It was all HER idea.
She's really getting on my nerves.
 
December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.
 
December 28
Warmed up to above -20.
Still snowed in.
The BITCH is driving me crazy!!!
 
December 29
10 more inches.
Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in.
That's the silliest thing I ever heard.   How dumb does he think I am?
 
December 30
Roof caved in.
I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass.
The wife went home to her mother.
Nine more inches predicted.
 
December 31
I set fire to what's left of the house.
No more shoveling.
 
January 8
Feel so good.
I just love those little white pills they keep giving me.
Why am I tied to the bed? 
******

                                                 Chin up! Spring is right around the corner...

                                       Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Staying Warm

Thought for the day:  ♪ ♫ Oh the weather outside can bite me. My muscles ache, despite me. I don't have a happy glow. Winter blows, winter blows, winter blows...♪♫

Looky there. We actually had a little bit of snow in our neck of Georgia last weekend. It didn't last long, and very little of it stuck to the ground, which was supersaturated from all the rain we've had. Mostly, a dusting of it stuck to rooftops and vehicles.

But a promise is a promise. I told Joanne that if it snowed here, I'd make a snowman and post a picture of it on my blog. So here he... it... is. All two and a half inches of him. Frosty he ain't.

[courtesy of Seniorark]

It was sixty degrees here the other day, and is gonna hit near seventy today, so no, it isn't really all that frosty here, but it has been brutally cold and snowy in some parts of the country... and world. Then again, this isn't a real post, either, because I'll be doing that next Monday for a blogfest. (It might not be too late for YOU to participate, too. Just click on that badge in the sidebar to find out...)

This is more of a quickie keeping-my-place-because-it's-Friday kinda howdy. I hope some of these pictures of critters trying to keep warm put a smile on your face.

Smart dogs!

Smart cats, too!

How to get the most mileage out of a single sunbeam.

Radiator, I love you, I love you, I love you!

Hey! There's more than enough room in here for both of us.

This heat lamp is MINE, all MINE!

So, how cold is it? It's so cold...

*  Hitchhikers have been holding up pictures of a thumb.
* A recorded message at the  911 center says to call back in the spring.
* I saw a squirrel throwing himself at an electric fence.
* My friend chipped a tooth on her soup.
* The old lady across the street couldn't believe how badly her teeth were chattering on Tuesday night. They were sitting in a glass at the time.
* Chickens have been running into KFC, and begging to be thrown into the deep fryer.
* Starbucks started selling coffee on a stick.

                        Have a super toasty weekend. Hope to see y'all on Monday!

                          Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

The Cold Truth

Thought for the day:  Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.  [Oprah Winfrey]

You guys still there???

Ta DA! I'm ba-a-a-a-ck! Better late than never, right? Oh, and by the way, if you didn't happen to notice my semi-lengthy absence from the ol' blogosphere, kindly have the decency to keep that rather unflattering fact to yourself, okay? After all, (harumph) an old lady needs her illusions...

 More importantly, let me wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! Jeez, it's hard to believe it's the tenth already, isn't it? I hope your Holiday celebrations were off-the-chart terrific, and your new year is off to a stellar start.

Mark Twain said, Now is the time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving the road to hell with them as usual.  So... now that we've passed that first week milestone, how you doing so far? I'm pleased to say I haven't broken a single resolution yet. (Then again, I never make any.)

[seniorark]

The weather is warming up quite nicely now, but earlier this week, most of the country... including Georgia... was painfully c-c-c-c-old. And since it's kinda late in the month to babble about our (old news!) Christmas and New Year's celebrations, or about the galloping case of pink eye I'm still recovering from, (Why do they call it pink when it's actually bright bloody red...?) how's about if I babble about the cold?

                                                                    As in...

[seniorark]

How cold was it? It was so cold...

*  Hitchhikers were holding up pictures of a thumb.
* A recorded message at the  911 center said to call back in the spring.
* I saw a squirrel throwing himself at an electric fence.
* My friend chipped a tooth on her soup.
* The old lady across the street couldn't believe how badly her teeth were chattering on Tuesday night. They were sitting in a glass at the time.
* Chickens have been running into KFC, and begging to be thrown into the deep fryer.
* Starbucks started selling coffee on a stick.
* When farmers milked their cows, they got ice cream.
* If you can believe it, politicians had their hands in their OWN pockets.
* I saw a dog over on Main Street. The poor thing was frozen to the fire hydrant.
* We have one of those new rain showerheads. I love it, but the other day, when I turned it on, I got hail.
* Smarticus and I ate lunch at a greasy spoon on Wednesday... just for the heartburn.
* EVERYBODY had a stiff upper lip.

Okay, I'm on a roll with this whole talking about cold stuff, so I'm gonna share one more thing with you before wrapping it up. You know how the people in some cities pride themselves on being able to handle frigid temperatures better than people in other cities? There have been quite a few funny pieces written along this line about various American cities, and you may have seen some of them. One of the truly cool things about amateur radio is how it opens the door to enjoying friendships with people from all over the world. So, thanks to amateur radio, and specifically to a funny Finnish amateur radio operator, here's a fun piece about cold-weather fortitude... with a bit of an international flair. All temperatures are in degrees Centigrade.

• +15 --- Spanish wear caps, gloves, and winter coats; Finns are sunbathing.
• +10 --- French desperately try to get their central heating on; Finns plant flowers.
• + 5 --- Italian cars won't start; Finns drive convertibles.
•    0 --- Pure water freezes; water in River Vantaa thickens a bit.
• - 5 --- First people are found frozen in California; Finnish midsummer festival ends.
• -10 --- Scots turn the heat on in their houses; Finns start to wear long-sleeved shirts.
• -20 --- Swedes stay indoors; Finns are having last barbecue before winter.
• -30 --- Half of the Greek people have been frozen to death; Finns start to dry laundry indoors.
• -50 --- Polar bears evacuate North Pole; Finnish army starts its winter training.
• -70 --- Siberians are moving to Moscow; Finns are furious, because their Kiskenkorva liquor can't be stored outdoors anymore.
• -273 --- Absolute zero; Finns admit that it is quite cold outside.
• -300 --- Hell freezes over; Finland wins the World Cup.

So, there ya have it. Time for a cuppa hot tea, dontcha think? Or maybe ...  a little nap. My brother is coming for a visit, so I'll see you guys again next Friday. Matter of fact, Friday-only posts may become the norm for me in 2014. It's time for me to decide if I'm a writer who blogs... or a blogger who writes. That next book ain't gonna write itself... (Dammit.)

    [Morguefile]

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.  {Benjamin Franklin}

Gee, I dunno, Ben. I'm pretty darned happy with the man I've got... [me]

                                    Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

[Many thanks to the fine folks at icanhascheezburger for granting me permission to use the cat images shown at the top of this post.] 

Cold Enough For Ya?

Thought for the day:  It's been so cold in Texas, my brother's rooster ran into KFC and begged to use the pressure cooker.

[seniorark]

Okay, so I lied. Parts of Texas have been bitterly cold this year, (right, Jon?) but not where my brother lives, so none of his chickens have actually made a suicide run to KFC.

So sue me. I thought it was funny.

I don't know where that incredible ice storm picture I found at seniorark was taken, but I do know it's someplace I don't wanta be. How about you? Has it been a cold winter where you live?  I know some of you guys reading this are in the middle of a miserable summer heat wave right now, but most of us are in the middle of winter. Not that you'd know it around here. It was 76 degrees a couple weekends ago, and our daffodils look like they're gonna bloom any day now.

Nonetheless, I trust that some of you are feeling the cold right now, are seeing snow outside your window, and are already daydreaming about springtime. So these are just for you...

[seniorark]

How cold is it? It's so cold...

• Hitchhikers are holding up pictures of a thumb.
• A recorded message at the  911 center says to call back in the spring.
• I saw a squirrel throwing himself at an electric fence.
• My friend chipped a tooth on her soup.
• The old lady across the street couldn't believe how badly her teeth were chattering last night. They were sitting in a glass at the time. 
• Starbucks started selling coffee on a stick.
• When farmers milk their cows, they get ice cream.
• If you can believe it, politicians have their hands in their OWN pockets.
• I saw a dog over on Main Street. The poor thing was frozen to the fire hydrant.
• We have one of those new rain showerheads. I love it, but the other day, when I turned it on, I got hail.
• My husband and I ate lunch at a greasy spoon yesterday... just for the heartburn.
• EVERYBODY has a stiff upper lip.

[Morguefile]

So, let's chat. Wanta know why  cold weather is on my mind today? 

I'll tell ya. Because of Julie Flanders' hot new book with a super cool title:  Polar Night. 

And that's not ALL!

[Morguefile]

I'm plunging in to help her cover make a big splash!

                                                                   

                                                                   Ready to see it? 

                                                           

                                                            It is absolutely gorgeous.

                                                                     

                                                                     Chillingly so...

                                         

                                      WOW, right? Wanta hear something about the book?

                                                    Take it awaaaaay, Julie:

Book Blurb: When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Bio: Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. It will be published by Ink Smith Publishing on February 7, 2013. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

******

There ya go. February 7 is the date to remember. Best wishes to Julie for a red hot launch next month.

******

Okay, I'm on a roll with this whole talking about cold stuff, so I'm gonna share one more thing with you before wrapping it up. You know how the people in some cities pride themselves on being able to handle frigid temperatures better than people in other cities? There have been quite a few funny pieces written along this line about various American cities, and you may have seen some of them. One of the truly cool things about amateur radio is how it opens the door to enjoying friendships with people from all over the world. So, thanks to amateur radio, and specifically to a funny Finnish amateur radio operator, here's a fun piece about cold-weather fortitude... with a bit of an international flair. All temperatures are in degrees Centigrade.

• +15 --- Spanish wear caps, gloves, and winter coats; Finns are sunbathing.
• +10 --- French desperately try to get their central heating on; Finns plant flowers.
• + 5 --- Italian cars won't start; Finns drive convertibles.
•    0 --- Pure water freezes; water in River Vantaa thickens a bit.
• - 5 --- First people are found frozen in California; Finnish midsummer festival ends.
• -10 --- Scots turn the heat on in their houses; Finns start to wear long-sleeved shirts.
• -20 --- Swedes stay indoors; Finns are having last barbecue before winter.
• -30 --- Half of the Greek people have been frozen to death; Finns start to dry laundry indoors.
• -50 --- Polar bears evacuate North Pole; Finnish army starts its winter training.
• -70 --- Siberians are moving to Moscow; Finns are furious, because their Kiskenkorva liquor can't be stored outdoors anymore.
• -273 --- Absolute zero; Finns admit that it is quite cold outside.
• -300 --- Hell freezes over; Finland wins the World Cup.

So, there ya have it. Time for a cuppa hot tea, dontcha think? Or maybe ...  a little nap.

    [Morguefile]

                                    Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.