All I Want for Christmas is what???

RHYS BOWEN: Are you all in the holiday spirit? I would be if I could get the bleeping lights on the Christmas tree to work. I've ordered most of my gifts online which avoids going out in the rain. And if you're anything like me, you've received several gazillion catalogs. Some of them are fun and useful but this year I got one of those MOST OUTRAGEOUS AND USELESS GIFTS EVER type of catalog.
So here is my top ten list, starting with the most harmless.

1.The spinning spaghetti fork. It has a thumb-activated button that sets the fork rotating to wind up your spaghetti. At only $20. A bargain if you can't twist a fork by yourself.

2. The Darth Vader Toaster: toast your bread in this likeness of the iconic villain. Would you want Darth Vader staring at you, early in the morning, on your kitchen counter? Who could possibly want Darth Vader on their kitchen counter, unless you are George Lucas or have a Star Wars themed house?

3.The bearded beanie: A special knitted hat with a beard covering in contrasting color for those whose beards get cold (bearing in mind that hair has no sensitivity)

4.And if gets even colder: The Subzero Warm Breath Mask. Preferred by high altitude mountaineers (in case you have any of those on your gift list). It humidifies and warms winter air for more comfortable breathing. Maybe our Red who lives in Maine might think it's wonderful.

5. Light-casting gloves. An LED light in your gloves can shine on the front door as you try to insert your key without taking your gloves off. And the fingers are tipped with a material that mimics human skin so that you can use touch screens without taking gloves off. May be useful to see what you are eating if you go through the drive-through in your car.

6.Now we move to the more exotic. This one fascinates me: THE WORLD'S FIRST 3D PRINTING PEN. It sends out a thin stream of plastic to create 3D drawings. I still don't understand how it works but it's a steal at $99.99

7. Here is my favorite (NOT) a realistic remote controlled tarantula! Anyone who bought one of those for me for Christmas would definitely be on the "naughty" list forever.

8.And for those who like to go big: a 15 foot inflatable Rudolph. In the picture it looks like the reindeer could squash the house if it sat on it. And it's only four hundred dollars. I must get two.

9.And speaking of big things: A LIFE-SIZE TYRANNOSAURUS SKELETON. And I mean life-size. I don't know about you but a forty foot long and fifteen foot high Rex would not fit in my house. (Maybe it could go on the lawn and devour Rudolph). And it's a mere HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!

10: And last but not least: The Celebrity Robotic Avatar. This robot is adult-sized, has appeared in movies, and is controlled by a wireless remote, small enough to escape detection so that it looks as if the robot is reacting by itself. It can engage in impromptu banter with guests. It's LED mouth lights up when it talks. Shipping weight is 500 pounds and it costs a mere $345,000.
For that amount I could hire a first-class butler whose mouth didn't light up when he talked but could move without a remote!

So Reds:Would you want to put any of these on your Christmas list?  Have you found anything more outlandish than these? Do share.

Mary Kennedy Dreams a Little Dream

RHYS BOWEN: When I met fellow writer Mary Kennedy I was instantly drawn to her new series because it's all about the interpretation of dreams and a Dream Club. I've always been fascinated by dreams and was hooked when I did a course on dream psychology when I was studying at the University of Freiburg in Germany. And I put this knowledge to good use when I wrote my upcoming Molly Murphy book called THE EDGE OF DREAMS. The story hinges on understanding a young girl's vivid dreams after a horrible crime, thanks to Professor Freud's recent treatise on interpreting dreams..
So Mary's book is right up my alley, so to speak. But I'll let her tell you about it.....

MARY KENNEDY:


What Do Your Dreams Really Mean?

Dreams are amazing, ephemeral and fun.

As a psychologist, I enjoy listening to my clients’ dreams and I’m grateful to have a window into their world. Their dreams teach me so much about their unconscious fears and desires, their most hidden emotions. When I read about the popularity of dream clubs in the northeast, I thought it would be a great idea for a mystery series and I wrote Nightmares Can be Murder, the first in the Dream Club Mysteries (Penguin, Sept 2,2014).

A dream club is like a book club except the topic is dreams.  In Nightmares Can Be Murder, business consultant Taylor Blake has returned to Savannah, Georgia, to help her sister Allison  run an old-fashioned candy store.  Allison is interested in dream interpretation and forms the Dream Club where members meet once a week to share their dreams (and solve a murder or two!)

Are dreams really the “royal road to the unconscious,” as Freud suggested? Can they give us insight into our deepest thoughts and unspoken wishes? Or are they simply random firings of neurons as the brain rests and recharges itself, processing the day’s events?  Do the dream club members really uncover clues in their dreams that expose the killers? Or are they just lucky coincidences? I leave it to the reader to decide.
Mary Kennedy is a licensed psychologist in private practice and lives in the northeast with her husband and eight eccentric cats. The cats have resisted all her attempts to psychoanalyze them but she remains optimistic. You can learn more at www.marykennedy.net or at the Cozy Chicks where she blogs every Saturday. www.cozychicksblog.com

 

 

http://www.marykennedy.net -visit Mary's website.
Nightmares Can Be Murder, the first in The Dream Club Mysteries,  http://tinyurl.com/kloqok3
Be Mary's Facebook friend https://www.facebook.com/mary.kennedy.948
Follow Mary on Twitter https://twitter.com/marykennedybook
Link with Mary on Linked In  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=10658765&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Mary blogs every Saturday with the Cozy Chicks. http://www.cozychicksblog.com


RHYS: And Mary will be stopping by to chat and will give away a copy to one lucky commenter today.

Reds Celebrate DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS @LucyBurdette

Today all the Reds are humming Christmas carols and wearing Santa hats to celebrate the launch of Lucy Burdette's fifth Key West food critic mystery, DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS. Lucy herself is simply floating so we thought of some questions to ask about the new book...although she did edit out some of our best suggestions like: What do you really think of skate? (Hallie) and Have you ever eaten cod cheek? (Hank)

REDS: Seriously, tell us what are the best--and hardest--things about writing a cozy mystery series?


LUCY: I'll start with the hardest part: Suspension of disbelief. My readers must be persuaded to suspend disbelief in every way—characters, plot, setting, everything! For example, what business does a food critic have solving murders? Since Hayley Snow's profession does not explain her involvement with criminal investigation, the sleuthing must evolve because of her relationships with other characters and because of her own personality and history. Challenging!

What I enjoy most is learning more about the characters with each book I write. Do you know that I had no idea Miss Gloria would become such an important character when I started out? A series is always full of surprises...and so is the Key West setting.

REDS: Speaking of relationships, this story has a lot to do with Hayley and her mother. What do you find most interesting about this duo?


LUCY: I love writing about the push and pull of the mother-daughter relationship over time. Hayley is "finding herself" as a true adult, and her mom is revealing herself as a regular person with flaws and fears, not just a mother. I lost my mother when in my early twenties so I think I get extra satisfaction imagining the transition of Hayley and Janet Snow's relationship--how it changes and matures in ways that I didn't have the chance to experience.

REDS: What's so special about Key West during the Christmas season?

LUCY: So many things! It's funny how just a string of white lights around the trunk of a palm tree looks festive. But Key West does a lot more than that. They hold a lighting decoration contest, a lighted boat parade, the hometown holiday parade...this display took SECOND place last year: 


And don't let me forget to mention the Winter Wiener Wonderland which is a parade of costumed dachshunds. (I marched in that last year with John and Tonka—we all wore hot dog costumes.) It was so much fun to work all of those events into the book!

REDS: What was the best thing you ate while in training for this writing this book and the book launch?

LUCY:  Now you're getting to the heart of the matter:). The recipes in the back of the book are mine, except, of course, for the Jungle Red cocktail, which is Susan's brainchild. And I'm crazy for the Scarlet O'Hara raspberry cupcakes (which are also wonderful with mocha icing...)

Thank you Jungle Red Writers and READERS for all your support! The new book can be found wherever books are sold, including independent bookstores, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Burdette infuses the mystery with Key West spirit and holiday fun along with delicious food references and recipes. This strong series continues a unique blend of island mayhem and sparkling characters surrounding a layered mystery.  Booklist, December 1, 2014