Book Review: The DCI Casebooks: Ellis Flynn

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

I greatly enjoyed my first installment of Donovan's work. Ellis Flynn was fast-paced, exciting, and edge-of-your-seat intriguing. I had no idea it was written in UK English, and that threw me a bit - especially when Donovan would veer from that and use American English terms i.e.: miles instead of kilometers. Not sure why his UK main character would do that, but cool. I loved to hate Flynn. He was an exceptionally well written bad guy and I greatly enjoyed the climactic scene when Jones finally meets him. The violence in that scene made me smile. Jean-Luc seemed extremely beyond helpful - more so than any cop I've ever read or heard about - ever. The twist with him at the end had me more interested in knowing more about his history. There has to be a reason for him to be so ridiculously helpful and knowing. To be honest, I wasn't greatly invested in the kidnap victim. I didn't really care if she was rescued or not. I personally could have used a bit more character development on her to really feel the need to rescue her. To me, she was just another stupid girl. Also, I find it extremely admirable that Jones can remain so functional on such little sleep. Being someone that works 12 hours, sleeps for two and works another 6, I don't know how he maintains any type of thought process with such little sleep and so much activity. That being said, if you like fast-paced, exciting books that lead you on a twisting adventure, pick up this book. It was a good read that had you turning pages quickly to see what happens next.

Scammers

When I was 18 I moved from Florida to Nevada. Quite the culture shock! More on that later, but you have to know that to really understand the story I'm about to tell. Six months or so after I moved to Nevada, I received a weird letter in the mail telling me that I had money in Florida that some company wanted to send me. Of course, my instant thought was, "this is a total scam. People suck so much." After reading through all the paperwork I realized that I didn't have to send any money, and supposedly they would send me a check for some undisclosed amount they had waiting for me in Florida.
I shrugged my shoulders and mailed the thing back. What did I have to lose? A few weeks went by and I completely forgot about the letter, knowing from the beginning that it was a scam and my identity was probably being stolen. Not that they'd be able to do anything with it. I was 18, didn't have any credit or any life to speak of at that time. I moved on.
Months later, I received a check in the mail.
I was shocked. Speechless. Flabbergasted. Maybe there was goodness in humanity after all. Maybe, just maybe, good things could happen to me! I was so excited. I cashed it - everything was fine. I was actually sent a random letter regarding random money and received it!
So now, when I get these strange letters in the mail, I have to read through everything before completely dismissing it as crap. Today, I get this letter in the mail:

And I think to myself, "hmm. It happened once, perhaps it could happen again?" Then reality kicked her steal-toed boot firmly up my behind, and I stopped myself from doing something stupid. I've never lived in the Netherlands, don't know any reason why anyone from there would want to send me money, never heard of Media Opportunities Direct, and I really didn't feel comfortable sending them $26.00 in processing fees.
Then I got irritated. I am so sick of people preying on the desperation of others. I looked them up and saw hundreds of comments from people who fell prey to this scam and are picking up the pieces. I know there are terrible people in this world, but I often wonder, how do they live with themselves? How do they sleep at night, knowing they're destroying the one thing keeping most of us sane - hope?

Major Depression

I was driving out to see a friend on Monday, after working a 12-hour shift at the hospital and I was thinking of posting a blog regarding major depression. I had it all worked out in my head, I just had to get home to type it up onto my computer. However, when I finally got home and turned on my computer, I found out about Robin Williams and this post just seemed cliché. That being said, I can't get this out of my head, so you get the post anyway. Just keep in mind, I'm not doing this because of the recent celebrity suicide.
They say one in four people suffer from major depression at one point in their lives. What a lot of people don't realize is that some people may have feelings of depression for a period of time, while others deal with it their entire lives. I'm in the latter group. I don't suffer from major depression, I live with it. There are days when things are okay, that I can cope and manage things, and even manage to be genuinely happy.
Then there are the dark days, the days where it's an accomplishment to even get out of bed. These are usually the days I try not talking to anyone, because I don't even want to be around myself. So, of course, these are also the days when I either have to work or everyone and their brother wants to talk to me. Murphy's Law.
I was very suicidal as a child. When I was eleven, one of my great-uncles died, and it devastated my younger brother. Watching him mourn the death of someone we both admired and loved opened my eyes to the selfish behavior of suicide. While I still thought that people would get over it in a matter of days, I couldn't put my brother through even that small amount of grief. It wasn't fair to him.
So I pushed myself to find things that made life worth living. I challenged myself to succeed, to be positive, to find peace and grab it with everything I could. I surround myself with positive people; collecting positive sayings and quotes like they're air and I'm suffocating. Most days, it's good. Most days, I can find a way to see the good in people, situations, and things.
Other days, well, that's what writing is for.
I guess what I really want you to know is that you're not alone. If or when you feel that no one understands you, that you're all alone in the world, or that people would be better off without you, know that I'm here. There are others too, who feel your pain. While we may not experience the same triggers, there are others out there who understand and can empathize with what you are feeling. And even though you may not believe it, or feel the truth of these words, please remember, you're special to someone. You may not know it, and they may never tell you, but everyone is special to someone on this earth - because of you, they are a better person.
So go out there, live your life, smile and give someone a hug today. You never know how much they could actually need that. <3

Procrastination

Working two jobs, being a cat mommy, a wife to a very spoiled man (whom I love dearly), and trying to get a writing career off the ground is exhausting. I absolutely hate cleaning the litter boxes and have been putting it off for almost 30 hours now. I don't want to clean them, but I also don't want to smell cat crap either. Sigh. Why can't things in life be more fun?
What things do you procrastinate doing? How do you waste your time while procrastinating? Me, well, today it was The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and Jaws 3 on AMC. Such a waste of a day, especially when I already own the first two movies and could have watched them when I was finished with the litter boxes and in half the time as them being on tv. lol.
I am now off to clean these stinky boxes, clean my office, and do a bit of sewing, if time permits. I have to be to bed early for work in the morning. <3

Comment alerts

For some reason, I'm not getting comment alerts like I should be. I do apologize for my late responses to some of you, but I'm working on rectifying this problem. It is my mid-year goal as well to post more frequently. Can someone please kick my butt occasionally if I start to slip? lol. I love you guys!

Self Publishing Summit

I am speechless. I was asked to join a Self Publishing Summit held at Truckee Meadows Community College this fall. It will be Thursday, August 21, 2014 from 6p.m. - 8p.m. and I would love to see you there!

"Discover which self-publishing options are best suited for you and your book from four authors who chose various publishing routes. Delve into book release timing, budgeting, marketing and more. After an information-packed presentation, ask panelists your questions and learn about the pros and cons of starting your own publishing imprint, publishing through a large house’s self publishing imprint, and doing it yourself through CreateSpace, Kindle and Smashwords platforms."

If you're in the Reno-Sparks area, and want to chat with authors, grab some books, and hear some valuable information, sign up and say hi! Here are the bios of the other authors:

Virginia Castleman

TMCC's writing instructor since 2001, Virginia authored the book "Mommi Watta-Spirit of the River," a Liberian legend, along with other children's articles. Recently, Simon and Schuster picked up her self-published novel, Strays, and will be releasing it next year. Besides teaching Writing For Children at TMCC, she is the regional advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Virginia has a bachelor's degree in english and a master's in interdisciplinary studies from California State University-Chico.

Kathleen Berry

Kathleen Berry has managed the TMCC Writers’ Conference and the Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series since 2008. She has worked with many of the West's best paranormal investigators and psychics. Stemming from her experiences, Kathleen published her spirituality memoir, "A Reluctant Spirit: A True Tale of God, Ghosts and a Skeptical Christian" and writes a weekly blog at www.kathleenberry.com. Her book has received national accolades from Kirkus Reviews, calling her memoir “intriguing” and “a gripping account.” She’s authored dozens of articles for international and regional magazines, including Automobile Quarterly, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Nevada Magazine and more. She’s been a featured guest on the nationally syndicated Coast to Coast A.M. with George Noory—a program that’s heard by three million listeners across North America. A marketer and accredited public relations professional with thirty years of experience, Kathleen has been employed by Truckee Meadows Community College since 1996.

Patricia Cafferata

Attorney, author and historian, Patty Cafferata is a life-long resident of Reno, Nevada. She has had a diverse career in the law and politics. She served in the Nevada Assembly and when she was elected Nevada State Treasurer in 1982, she became the first woman elected to any constitutional office in the state. Cafferata has also served as district attorney of Lincoln, Lander and Esmeralda counties. Cafferata wrote and published seven books on Nevada history. These books include: The Goldfield Hotel: Gem of the Desert; Mapes Hotel: The History of Reno’s Landmark Hotel and Casino; Lake Mansion: Home to Reno’s Founding Families; More than a Song and a Dance: The Heyday of Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada, circa 1863 to 1897; Tales of the Biggest Little City in the World: A Collection of Patty Cafferata’s columns on Reno, Nevada, Vol. I, II and III. And, she co-authored her mother’s memoirs, Barbara F. Vucanovich: From Nevada to Congress and Back Again published by the University of Nevada Press. Her latest book Christmas in Nevada, a history of how Nevadans have and continue to celebrate the holiday, will be released by the University of Nevada Press in the Fall of 2014.