Bargain on Rachel Christie Mystery Series - Three-Box Set

I have just published a three-book set of the Rachel Christie Murder Mystery novels. The second, third and fourth novels are bundled together in one book, but are still available individually. The set, Rachel Christie Murder Mysteries, is priced at $5.98 for the eBook and $15.19 for the paperback from Amazon. This is a price reduction of one third for the eBooks and about half off for the paperbacks. All the books are standalone novels, but some of the same people show up in each, including Rachel's lanky, easy-going assistant Cody, her by-the-book friend Ron and boisterous Sheriff Farrell. The plots are all different, but the murderers are all cleverly plotted and Rachel is pushed to her intellectual and emotional limits. The reader has all the clues Rachel has and no rabbits are ever pulled out of a hat at the last minute.

Note that the first book in the series, Murder by the Clock, about a murder during a small town Autumn Festival is available as an eBook for $0.99 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and Smashwords.

The second book, Murder in Emerald Hills, takes place in the Emerald mining area of Western North Carolina. While working on a land fraud case, Rachel uncovers a murder of which the body has been buried for six months.

In the third book, Murder by Lion, the murder takes place at the North Carolina Zoo in front of a crowd. The police think it's suicide, but Rachel believes it's not.

The fourth book, Murder of the Innocent tells the story of how Rachel Christie solves the murder of a young girl whose parents are separated, but trying to get back together. It's a case she doesn't want, but her partner Cody accepts it readily.

The last three mysteries are Murder One Too Many, Murder Along the Blue Ridge and Murder Among Friends. These thee are available from Amazon for $3.99.

Reminder of Childhood Memories

Reminder of Childhood Memories

Pilot Mountain is a landmark that is recognized by most North Carolinians living in the Piedmont region whether it's on canvas or whether we are traveling along US Route 52. It towers to about 1400 feet in a rather flat terrain and was a beacon to native Americans and early settlers for hundreds of years. I guess living here we take it for granted when traveling from smaller communities to the larger cities of Winston-Salem or Greensboro. I took this picture this past week on our weekly trek to the "larger city" to buy the essentials such as port and cheese. It is now a state park and is a place for climbers and visitors, some of which have lost their lives falling from the paths.

I remember as a small child traveling to Florida and my father would always point the mountain out to me. The Saura Indians called it Jomeokee or "Pilot" or "Great Guide." I guess we take our GPSes for granted and don't realize that the earlier people used such landmarks as an indication of where they were or where they were going.

Geologically it's a quartzite formation that was formed billions of years ago and was dedicated in the 1970s as a National Natural Landmark. No matter what the formation was and is, it is a constant reminder of long ago memories of wonderful summer vacations.

Blueberries

Blueberries

It's blueberry season again. Yesterday we picked 3 quarts of blueberries from 2 bushes and another several quarts today. The first bush has smaller berries, are flavorful and prolific. The second bush produces a smaller quantity of blueberries, but they are 3 times larger than the others and much sweeter and juicier. It doesn't matter what. I eat blueberries almost every day and it is good that these are free.

I did say free. Well, I had to pay for the bushes 8 years ago and then we had to put fences around them to keep the birds and squirrels away. Come to think of it, I guess they aren't free. But they are so much better than store-bought blueberries.

Instead of eating an apple today, I ate a half cup of blueberries. I froze some that I will use when the cost of blueberries will skyrocket. I don't know about the rest of the country, but in North Carolina a package of blueberries less than a pint will run about $3.99, sometimes $4.99, in the fall and winter. I have many more quarts to gather and will enjoy them until they no longer bear fruit.