Murder in Emerald Hills

Murder in Emerald Hills

A Rachel Christie Mystery 2

After many months of hard work and months of editing by myself and others, I have finally published my second mystery novel “Murder in Emerald Hills.” This is the second in the Rachel Christie Mystery Series with the first book in the series being "Murder by the Clock."

The heroine, Rachel Christie, is a mechanical engineer turned private detective. Her years as an OSHA accident investigator have prepared her for her new life investigating murders. She also brings a lot of baggage to her new job in the form of bad memories of failed relationships. She moved to a quiet town in North Carolina to get away from her nickname “Jinxy.” But it isn’t working.

This novel opens with the heroine, Rachel Christie, in a dark hole. A real hole - a well. Thirty feet deep. Her assistant Cody is nowhere to be found. Her cell phone doesn't work. Her radio doesn't work. Her screaming doesn't work. She can't climb out because the well is too big and a pipe fell on her shoulder. Who did it? Who sent her a bomb? Who filled her desk with black widow spiders? It began as a case of land fraud in Emerald Hills. The chief suspect couldn't possibly do it, says Rachel's friend Ron. Sheriff Hayley has carnal knowledge of Ron but likes Rachel so much she deputizes her. There are too many pieces and they don't fit together. Who will Rachel believe as the bodies begin to stack up? Somebody's a murderer, a clever murderer.

Value of a Free Book

Value of a Free Book


Over the last several months, I have downloaded a number of free eBooks onto my Kindle Fire. I read all but one of them and found that one in five were worth reading. The other four out of five were a waste of time. I've decided to stop reading the free books. Why were these books a waste of time? A big reason is the lack of editing. Too many distracting errors interrupted the flow of reading the book. If people aren't willing to spend the time to edit their book, I'm not willing to spend the time to read it. Free or not.

After reading a lot of posts on forums, I believe that the reading public has come to the same conclusion. In addition, I've seen a number of posts saying that $0.99 is the same as free. Also, a number of posts say that authors should not sell themselves short. How many times have you gone to Wal-Mart and been given a free hammer? People say, if you give away one book in a series, people will buy the rest. But Wal-Mart is good at selling things and they do not give away a hammer to get you to buy other tools.

I have decided not to give away my books or sell them cheap and I've decided not to waste my time reading free or $0.99 books.

Review of Snofrisk Goat Cheese

Review of Snofrisk Cheese

Let me say first that I am a big fan of goat cheese. And Snofrisk is one of my favorites.

Snofrisk is a creamy goat cheese from Norway. Actually it is 80 percent goat’s milk and 20 percent cow’s cream. Needless to say, that 20 percent cow’s cream makes this a creamy cheese. When it comes to the taste, however, it is definitely a goat cheese. I don’t know how many times I have bought a mixture of goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses and the taste of the goat cheese has been watered down. Mild cheeses, that is. A goat Gouda to me is not a true goat cheese. The texture and taste is more like a cow’s cheese. There is no mistaking Snofrisk for such. The taste is strong and the texture, while creamy, is that of a goat cheese.

I usually eat Snofrisk spread on a hard French baguette or a good crisp cracker, followed by an equally good port, usually a 10-year Offley or a 20-year Cockburn port. While my port is not the cheapest, this goat cheese is inexpensive.

Snofrisk is readily available at my local Whole Life Food store.