David Baldacci's KING AND MAXWELL

I took a break from writing to read David Baldacci's King and Maxwell. I like his series about the former Secret Service agents.

This one begins during a storm on a dark road. King and Maxwell find a young man running in the rain with a gun. This rescue leads to a new case where everything is not as it first seems. The boy's father and a lot of money have disappeared during a secret mission in Afghanistan. The private eyes learn that the scandal goes all the way to the White House.

King and Maxwell battle a paramilitary group and multiple government agencies with all kinds of letters in their acronyms to solve the crime and find out what happened to the missing man and the money.

This is my favorite of Baldacci's series. I love that parts are set in Virginia. Baldacci is a good storyteller with strong male characters. His female characters are often caricatures. It reminds me a lot of how Hemingway portrayed females in his work.

King and Maxwell is well worth the read. There are enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing all the way to the end.

Catch Phrase: A Lesson for Writers

My nieces introduced me to Catch Phrase this weekend. It's a timed game where you have to describe a word or phrase without using any part of it. So, not only do you have to know what the thing is; you've got to find a way to communicate it to your team in a way that they will understand. It's frustrating when your team doesn't get what you're describing.

It's the same with basic business communications. To pass on a idea to your readers, you need to:

• Be clear and concise.
• Use words that are understandable to your audience.
• Look for common experiences.
• Present the material in an organized fashion.
• And proofread to make sure that your message is clear.

Best wishes with your writing. It's often harder to write in a plain, clear fashion. It often takes several revisions and some editing.

My Winchester Adventure...

Last weekend, we visited Winchester, Virginia, and we toured the most beautiful library that I've ever seen. The Handley Regional Library is in the downtown district. The dome, stained glass, spiral staircases, statues, and books, books, books are incredible! What a great place to spend an afternoon!

We found Patsy Cline's grave at the Shenandoah Memorial Park and visited her home on Kent Street.

Virginia is such a scenic state. To a girl from the flat part of the state, the mountains are majestic, and I can't wait to get back to see them when the leaves start to change.

Steve Berry's THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR

Steve Berry's THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR doesn't feature his usual sleuth, Cotton Malone. The novel explores the question that Christopher Columbus may have used a manufactured name and background to hide the fact that he was Jewish. And he left a treasure behind in the New World.

The story bounces around Europe, US, and Jamaica. And it pits a disgraced journalist against his estranged daughter in a quest to find Columbus' hidden treasure. 

The mystery and the action are good, but I think I like Berry's Cotton Malone stories better.

Janet Evanovich's TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE

One of my guilty pleasures is reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries. I don't have to think. I just get to be entertained. It's great for weekend reading.

In Top Secret Twenty-one, all the old favorites are back. I love Grandma Mazur. She and Lula are the comic relief .

This one has a pack of wild Chihuahuas and a little person who's running from the mob. That just makes more sticky situations for our heroine.

My only hope is that Stephanie one day makes a decision about her two love interests. That story line is getting a little old. And I would really like her to learn to shoot her gun.

It's National Poet's Day!

It's National Poet's Day! Celebrate with some old favorites!

It's National Cupcake Day!

It is National Cupcake Day! Enjoy!

Day 6 of the Staycation

Well, it's back to work and a normal routine tomorrow. Yesterday, we went to Williamsburg and the Great Wolf Lodge. What a fun place. I couldn't have picked better weather for a vacation week!

J and E found VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES at the Barnes and Noble in New Town (Williamsburg, VA).