Grandmas Goulash

Hope died, when fate conspired to demolish everything she treasured. Her husband, her child, her work and her home were gone. On the last day of December, Constance Martin made a final resolution and drove to Kesler Bridge with a plan to end the pain. Jarmal planned on stealing enough cash to transform his ghetto existence. He hadn’t planned on the demise of his getaway car. As he hurried across the bridge, hoping he had shaken the cops, he saw the answer to his dilemma: a jumper and her shiny BMW. He had to get the keys before she let go of the rail. In the second after she released the rail, Constance knew she didn’t want to die. Hope blossomed as strong arms snatched her from death and held her close. Jarmal didn’t plan on being a hero. Book Blurb Friday  is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro, who posts a weekly photo and challenges us to “write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.” T...

Clarice Hunter’s pampered childhood included frequent visits to Simone Street’s shopping district. Seventy years later, jewelry stores and fancy restaurants have surrendered to delis and second-hand shops. Clarice is now a poverty-stricken widow, living in a tiny apartment above the stores. For Spike Carter, poverty is a fact of life. His shabby apartment and minimum wage job are a vast improvement over homeless shelters and food kitchens. Spike spends his spare time strumming his dumpster-salvaged guitar and dreams of being a rock star. Horace Jennings spent forty years in prison for a jewelry heist gone awry. The jewels were recovered, but Horace plans to retire with cash stashed in the jewelry store’s stairwell. Three days before Christmas, Spike saves Clarice from falling, when she trips on a stairwell floorboard. While examining the board, they discover Horace’s cash. Christmas promises to be very merry. Until Horace starts searching for his money. Book Bl...

Have you heard about the tiny house trend? My daughter is very intrigued with the idea of building and living in one. I must admit that her enthusiasm is infectious, although my mind can’t accept anything less than 400 sq. feet. Houses of that size are called cottages or small (but not tiny) homes. Tiny homes are usually under 200 sq. ft and many are built on a trailer base to make them mobile. The homes cost less, lower utility usage and contribute to a greener environment. If you’d like to see pictures or learn a bit more, check out these tiny home sites or do a search for “tiny homes”. Tumbleweed Homes Tiny Texas Houses Tiny Green Cabins These homes were my inspiration for this week’s photo. How did I get from city lights to tiny homes? Read on. Myra hadn’t heard of tiny houses until Greg brought pictures to their magazine’s brainstorming session. “We don’t need to leave home to do an article on living small, Greg. Look at the size of New York apartments.” Laughter fo...

After twenty years Dr. Jessica Peake, a prominent NYC psychiatrist, has become frustrated with her clients’ narrow minds. Her best efforts rarely enable them to open the door to life’s possibilities. Jessica dreams of exploring history’s best minds and learning what fueled its greatest innovators. Dante is a panhandler, who is using solicited money to fund his invention. Jessica is intrigued and soon he is her first pro bono patient. Dante is obsessed with his work and explains that his machine will retrieve individuals from the past. As she delves into Dante’s world, Jessica finds a mind that is both brilliant and tortured. The machine, however, seems real and Jessica believes it is the answer to her dreams. Has Jessica been sucked into Dante’s psychosis or has she discovered a mind without walls? Book Blurb Friday  is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro, who posts a weekly photo and challenges us to “write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potenti...

Detective Tom Brinkman grew up near the water. He rose before dawn to help his father fish and joined him at the wharf’s marketplace. When he was twelve, Tom discovered his father’s body, murdered and robbed for the pittance he had earned that day. Nothing from his humble beginning prepared him for multi-million dollar yachts or seductive socialites. When Julie Carter, daughter of shipping tycoon, Howard Carter, is pulled from the waters beneath the pier, he has to learn fast. As he penetrates the covering of deception and intrigue, he begins to trust no one. Not Howard Carter nor his wealthy Crystal Beach neighbors. Not the enticing Sylvie Rockford, Julie’s best friend. Not even the members of his own team. Then Tom begins to doubt himself, as unfolding evidence points to his father’s participation in a nefarious scheme. Will he risk his father’s honor to solve a crime? Book Blurb Friday  is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro, who posts a weekly photo and chall...