Author: brokenanvil29325

Title: Deadly Withdrawal

Author/Publisher: Michelle Ann Hollstein

Year of Release: 2008

What starts as a simple visit to the bank turns out to be much more for the attractive, fifty-something widow, Aggie Underhill in Michelle Ann Hollstein’s “quirky” first novel in her Aggie Underhill Mystery series.

While waiting to open a savings account for her grandson at the local bank in the small North Carolina town where Aggie’s daughter, Sarah-Underhill Ferguson and son-in-law, Everette Ferguson – a US Marine, currently overseas, live with their son, Aggie’s grandson, Shawn, Aggie encounters a host of characters, and learns that the bank has been subject to several robberies and the recent murder of a security guard. And, as if that’s not enough, while she is there, a police detective, who is at the bank to investigate the recent murder, is murdered herself in the break room of the bank, and two teenage boys come in to rob the place, one of them holding a gun! Being “too nosy for her own good”, as her daughter tells her, Aggie can’t help but get involved in solving this mystery.

Who is responsible for the murders? Why is the bank such a prime target for robberies? Does Aggie get to open the savings account for her grandson?! All of these answers, and more can be found by reading “Deadly Withdrawal”.

The first time I was introduced to Aggie Underhill was when I read “The Case Of The Haunted Address” by Michelle Ann Hollstein. All I can say is I’m sorry I didn’t meet Aggie ten years ago. When I read “The Case Of The Haunted Address”, I pegged Aggie Underhill as a cross between Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Ms Jessica Fletcher, no-nonsense but with a touch of whimsy. While reading the character list at the beginning of “Deadly Withdrawal”, I saw where she is from England and spends time in the US, visiting her daughter’s family. The book will also introduce you to a host of other characters, each with their own quirks and agendas.

There are currently ten books in the Aggie Underhill series, and I wanted to start at the beginning, so I’m about ten years late with this review. At this time I’m reading the second book in the series, “Something’s Fishy In Palm Springs”. Future review to come. As always, you can visit Michelle’s website at michellehollstein.com for a complete list of her Aggie Underhill Mysteries and her other books.

Ready for another soapbox rant? As I’ve said before, I am not a political person, and I don’t intend to make this a political statement of any kind. However, there seems to be a lot of stuff in the news about Russia did this to influence the outcome of the election or, the democrats did this or, the republicans did that or, why isn’t she in prison or why isn’t he being impeached? It seems to me that there are a lot of people getting paid too much money to cry over a lot of spilled milk. Whatever whomever did or didn’t do to influence the election – that happened a year ago! – the fact remains that he is the president, and will be until he’s either voted out, or impeached.

Why can’t we put this behind us, and use these “people getting paid too much money” to look into a few things that are worth looking into and talking about? Here are some areas I’m thinking about, as I write this.

First off is Puerto Rico. Over a month after suffering two very devastating hurricanes, this US territory is still in dire need of power and shelter and food. I have seen pictures and videos of US military members in PR, helping clean up and deliver food and supplies. Well, we have active and reserve service personnel who are trained in communications, electronics, heavy equipment, construction and other areas needed down there. Why can’t we divert some of these people and monies to going down and setting up rudimentary communications and shelter. It would be a start, and give our service members some great training opportunities, as well.

And, while I’m on the subject of Puerto Rico, I know that a lot of people wish they could go down there and help, but, for some reason, can’t make the trip. Just because you can’t physically go to PR, you can still do something. Loads of food and water and clothing and household goods have been collected and sent to them. What about more personal items? If you are a school teacher, why not have your classes write letters to be delivered to teachers and students in Puerto Rico? When I was a kid, we called that being a “pen pal”. An outdated concept with the invention of the WWW, but, they don’t all have the benefit of electronic communication. If you are a member of a book club or reading group, maybe your club could send down some books, coloring books and crayons or colored pencils. If you knit or sew, knitted goods and blankets would be welcome. My point is, while sending truckloads of goods down there, there is something special on an individual level that lets them know they are thought of, as people, not just charity.

Now, a little closer to home, how about giving states a little more of these monies to buy, fix up and staff some of the defunct, closed down motels, school buildings, apartment complexes, etc to give the homeless and hungry a place to live, be safe and warm and a soup kitchen in areas that don’t have much to offer. State prisons could play a role in this, too. Set up working farms on the prison grounds, and the inmates could grow food for the prison, the public kitchens and even the schools. That’s something I’ve been saying for years. It also gives them something productive to do while serving their time, and teaches them a skill. They took Home Economics out of the schools. They should put it in the prisons. Skills they can use to aid them in finding work when the are released.

If these “people getting paid too much money” are really good investigators, let them investigate the ones who are abusing the welfare system and SSI, and put a stop to all of the unnecessary monthly “paychecks” being sent out across the country. If I’m able to work, and have to work to support myself and my family, they should have to, also.

Thats enough for now. Sorry if I stepped on any toes. Like I said, I’m not political, that’s just “the way I 👁👁 it.

Light

Warmth

Heat

Comfort

Reminiscinces of ago times

Old friend

Home

I’m still new to all this social media stuff, and am trying to get my WordPress posts to automatically share with Twitter and Facebook. Also, I’m trying to set this thing up to where I can share individual blog posts, instead of the whole site. If this works, great! If it fails, please help! I need all the help I can get. You know…old dog…new tricks…that kind of thing lol.

Another author I have had the pleasure of meeting on Twitter is Michelle Ann Hollstein. She is the talented, multi-genre author behind the Aggie Underhill Mysteries series. Fans of fantasy reading may know her as the author of The Niberia Chronicles trilogy, or, if you prefer mystery mixed with paranormal romance, you might enjoy reading her Lost Souls series. And, if that is not enough, she is also a very talented artist with a series of non-fiction books out, titled, Who Says You Can’t Paint.

She has recently ventured into a new genre, that of sci-fi, with her Fatal Reaction series.  The first book in the series is titled, appropriately enough, “The Beginning”, and it is every bit as good as her other books with a strong plot and solid characters.

After spending a girls’ weekend in Vegas, Ellie was heading back home to California and stopped in at a dessert gas station to refuel and grab some snacks. When a woman, looking very ill and seemingly badly blistered, entered the store and started growling, Ellie wondered if the woman was okay and tried to render assistance. After the woman attacked the elderly store owner in a beastlike manner, Ellie managed to get away with her life intact, only to realize later that it was not just an isolated incident. She would soon discover that similar attacks by the “infecteds” were happening all over the world.

This is a great first book of, what looks to be, an equally great series. What is causing the people of the world to become infected, raging lunatics? Is it a terrorist plot? A biological anomaly? Predestined genetical occurance? Or is it something much bigger? I highly recommend that you read this book. The second book in the series, Fatal Reaction: Survival, has just been released, so, get in on this series from The Beginning!

To learn more about Michelle Hollstein, you can find her author page at Amazon.com, or visit her web page at http://www.MichelleHollstein.com. She’s got some really cool book trailer videos on here, also.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Why, you ask? The biggest reason is because the temperatures begin to drop in the South and the changing of the leaves. Living close to the Blue Ridge Mountains is great for taking day trips up to see the beautiful colors; the fiery reds, the crisp burnt oranges and the sun-kissed yellows.

The second reason is because it means that football season is soon upon us. Now I know the season is well underway, but, as I sit here, watching our local middle school playing, and waiting for the JV game to start, I figured this was as good a time as any to type out a new blog post.

Thirty-five years ago, when my family moved to small town South Carolina from Hixson Tennessee (Go Wildcats!), I was a fifteen year old sophomore, about six feet tall and 300 pounds. The day I walked in for registration the football coach walked up to me and asked, “what position do you play?” And I replied, “usually third chair trumpet, but I haven’t tried out here yet, so I don’t know.” Yes! I was a band geek! I ended up playing mellowphone (that’s a marching French horn) during marching season, French horn during concert season and trumpet with the jazz band.

Anyway…back to football. I’m not much on crowds or noise, and avoid them whenever I can. But I like watching football games, and listening to the bands, so, when I go to a game, I tend to sit as far away from the crowd as I can and still see the action. There is just something about a small town high school football game; the lights, the stadium, the concessions and the announcers voice, booming over the loudspeakers, that brings everyone together. It’s one time that social standing, class structure or what side of the tracks you come from doesn’t matter. It’s everyone united for a common goal: to cheer on their team. I’m fortunate that I live close enough to my high school alma mater to come and relive those times, 30+ years ago, in the stands and on the field, cheering and playing. And, speaking of concessions, I absolutely love hot dogs! Well, the best hot dogs I ever had was at a middle school football game several years back. Our son was playing for the middle school, and I was at one of his away games. During the first quarter I went to the concession “tent” and got two hot dogs. Now, the parents of the players of the other team were in charge of the concessions, and they had a charcoal grill set up and had several slow cookers full of homemade chili. They were so good that I went back during the second quarter and got two more, then two more at halftime and again just before they packed up! They were so good that I started looking at their school website just to see when they were playing at home again. And it wasn’t even our school! Haha!

I also live close to my college alma mater, and go to as many games as I can, although, I admit that I haven’t been the most faithful alum. I wasn’t a traditional college student, but that’s a post for another time.

Another author that I have had the pleasure of meeting on Twitter is Richard Klu. Richard writes in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, commonly referred to as Cosmic Horror. His book, Cabals of Blood will be releasd October 30, and he put out a call for ARC readers. I used to read mainly sci-fi and horror in my teens, and even read some Lovecraft, so I told him I’d be an ARC reader for his new book. Since it has been decades since I read any of H.P. Lovecraft’s works, when I got the ARC copy of Cabals of Blood, I’ll admit that it took me a few tries to get into it. I went back and read some of Lovecraft’s works again to get into the rhythm of the stories. Once I found that rhythm, I had no problem reading, and enjoying Richard’s stories. What follows is my review of Cabals of Blood.

H.P. Lovecraft was an American short story writer around the turn of the twentieth century, writing in the genre of dark, horror fiction, sparking the ‘Cosmicism’ movement. While reading Richard Klu’s Cabals of Blood it is easy to see that he is a true fan of H.P. Lovecraft’s works, and that said works have had an influence on Klu’s writing style, as evidenced in his thoughts, descriptions and characters. Richard Klu does an excellent job with drawing his readers into his stories by painting such vivid and colorful pictures of his characters and the different places to which he draws the readers’ minds. He has managed to create modern stories while keeping in the tradition of Lovecratian story telling, and, like Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, Richard Klu has created his own unique beings that become recurring characters  in a lot of his stories. I think that any fan of horror fiction, dark fiction, science fiction or H.P. Lovecraft will enjoy reading Cabals of Blood by Richard Klu. I know that I enjoyed reading in this genre again, and look forward to reading more by this author.

That’s it for my review. I hope you liked it. If you want to follow Richard, and read more of his works, he can be found on Twitter at @Richard_Klu_ and at his website: richardklu.com

When I decided I wanted to write my first book, I created a Twitter account, so I could follow writers, authors, editors and others in the business. One of the first authors I started following was Welsh author, Graham Watkins. I saw his tweet for free books, and decided to go to his website and check them out (my most favorite words in the English language – besides All-You-Can-Eat – are Free Books!), and I am so glad that I did!

Graham, who refers to himself as an “apprentice wordsmith, learning the craft” has written several books in the genres of non-fiction (Exit Strategy – his first book after retirement and The Art of the Book Fair: An Indie Authors Guide to Selling at Book Fairs), historical fiction (The Iron Masters and A White Man’s War) and, most recently, suspense/thriller (The Sicilian Defense). He is a brilliant writer, who puts a lot of time into researching his books, so that he can present the most accurate accounts of his stories possible.

However, it was his books on Welsh myths and legends that grabbed me, and put visiting Wales on my bucket list. To me, the greatest thing that defines a town is the stories that come out of them, whether it be about its history, famous people, and, yes, its legends and myths. Graham relates some very interesting tales of people and places and events from Welsh history that makes me feel that I was there, or wish I could have been. I have always been a fan of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, but never realized that so much happened in Wales. I started out by reading Secrets, Stories and Scandals of Ten Welsh Follies. One of the stories I liked the most was “Tan y Coed”, which is kind of like the ultimate man cave, completed by Sir Charles Woodall in 1894. I then read Legends and Myths from Wales – North Wales, where I read “The Death of Arthur”. Sir Bedevere has always been my favorite Round Table knight! After reading The Iron Masters Volume 1 and The Sicilian Defense I had to read more myths and legends, so I bought Welsh Myths and Legends: 80 Myths and Legends from across Wales (cover shown above), thus whetting my appetite more for wanting to see and experience this wonderful country myself.

Graham may consider himself an apprentice wordsmith, however, I have really enjoyed reading his books, and will continue to read them, always looking forward to the next one. You can find Graham on Twitter at @GrahamWriter and at his website: grahamwatkins.info

Like many people I have a bucket list. It’s not a very long list. Just a few places I’d like to visit and things I’d like to do. I’m a pretty simple man. Also, like most I’m sure, I can’t seem to complete anything on it, because my bucket is so full of holes that I have to keep plugging it to keep what little is in there from falling out.

I’ve recently added a new place to my bucket list. That is to visit the country of Wales. Why Wales, you ask? Well… keep reading and I’ll tell you. My daddy’s family has been traced back to the mid 17th Century Scotland. Other than a few names, though, I don’t have much information on them. I do know that the spelling of my surname, Black, is of Welsh origin, and that the Black name is associated with the Scottish Clans McGregor, McClain and Lamont. Our tartan closely resembles that of Clan Gregor, who was labeled as enemies of the king and ran up into the mountains. My theory has always been that my ancestors were of Clan Gregor, who ran up into the mountains and into Wales, where the name was changed in an effort to hide and live peacefully, without  retaliation from the Crown. Again, this is just my theory. I’m not a historian, and my reasoning could be way off base.

But the reason I’ve recently added Wales to my bucket list is not to go on any genealogical expedition. It’s because I have had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of one of Wales’ great authors, Mr Graham Watkins. Look out for Bucket List: Part 2 to learn more about Graham and his books. If you just can’t wait for Part 2, you can go to his website at, grahamwatkins.info, and check out his library.

Whenever I am near you, I can hear you calling me. I can feel you pulling me to you, and anticipate the time we will spend together.

I look at you, and marvel at the beauty of you. The way the warm sun glistens off of your undulations, as you glide gracefully, giving life to all in and around you.

I feel so at peace whenever I am in your presence. You are my sanctuary; my safe haven; my refuge from the world. Every anxiety, every worry, every care slowly ebbs from my head, down through my feet, as I give myself over, and feel you move over me.

As much as I wish I could, I know I can’t hold you. As you continue to move, I know that you belong to others. So I leave you, longing for the next time we can be together.

But shhh…I am the one here now, and this is my time.
(The photo above was taken at my favorite spot on the river near my house)