Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #35 (7.3)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Vinnie calls Troy McGarrett to satisfy his mind that certain loony actresses are still safely locked up, but he still feels uneasy. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #35 (7.3)

By my reckoning, we were maybe an hour and a half, more or less, from our destination of Imperial, Georgia.  Smooth sailing, right? Drop Sarah and Alex off at her friend Mercy’s place, bid the pair a fond farewell. Maybe talk about future plans to get together once all this was behind everyone, particularly Benny. Not to mention Sarah and her again ex—did that make him an ex twice removed or something? Then continue on to Atlanta, spend a couple of days at a hotel with Benny until it was time for him to testify and put his own ex away for a very long time (lot of exes going on here, I’ve noticed. Glad I don’t have any).

And then I heard Sarah ask, “Ethan, can we get off at that rest area? Alex needs to go.”

How could a trip that seemed so short take so long? Not that I was anxious to be rid of Ethan’s relatives, that wasn’t it at all. The reason for the journey aside, it was nice to spend time with Sarah and Benny and little Alex. Make it seem as though we were having a nice, cozy family occasion…until one examined the reason why we were all there. Suddenly not so nice or cozy.

It also didn’t hurt that we seemed to attract misfortune every time we stopped for something. First the flat tires. Then the woman who resembled you-know-who. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I didn’t particularly want to find out what was behind Door Number Three.

I still couldn’t entirely rid myself of the feeling that maybe Chip was stalking us. If not personally, then through some misguided flunky who was willing to do his master’s bidding through a strange sense of loyalty. Okay, even I could tell how off-the-wall that theory was. Didn’t mean I wasn’t apprehensive about seeing that maniac serial killer again, but I knew we would be notified if he should so much as come up for parole (which he wasn’t eligible for, ever) or if he somehow managed to make a daring jailbreak. That hadn’t happened, clearly.

Sarah was saying something about diapers and potty training but I was only half listening as Ethan took the exit to the I-75 Welcome Center. I was too busy examining the parking lot, which contained a few other vehicles. As we parked, I noticed people getting into a couple of cars, heading back toward the highway, leaving only two others.  Nothing suspicious that I could see…yet.

The welcome center resembled a gray log cabin. Inside, the motif was continued, with a fireplace on one wall, in front of which sat a few wicker rocking chairs, displays of local interest, and a long counter filled with brochures from end to end. No one was in sight, but an older gentleman came from the men’s room. He paid us no attention, but browsed through the available brochures before selecting a few and exiting the buildings.

Sarah started down the hall toward the rest rooms.

“Maybe you should take him to the men’s room?” I suggested. She gave me a look as if to say why the hell should she do that? Ethan seemed to understand my line of reasoning. What if the unknown woman was lurking there? We certainly couldn’t accompany her there and she’d be defenseless.

Okay, maybe not defenseless, but she’d have Alex, and that could make things tricky.

“It’ll be okay, Vinnie. But just to be safe, maybe I should go in first and check it out?”

“To the ladies room? Be serious.” Sarah snorted. I guess the idea was a little ridiculous, and just as likely to get Ethan busted for being a pervert.

“I can check,” Benny offered, but that idea was quickly shot down as well.

“Guys, if I don’t go right now, Imma make you lot clean up the mess. And trust me, you don’t want to do that.” Not waiting for a reply, she carried Alex down the hall and through the restroom door. The three of us looked at one another and shrugged, as if to say what can you do? We stood there for an awkward moment, but when no screams were forthcoming from that direction, we settled ourselves in the rocking chairs and waited.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

Book Review: Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An), translated by Robert Van Gulik

 

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An)      

Author: Robert van Gulik (Translator)

Publisher: Dover Publications

American release date: June 1, 1976

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Detective/237 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

In the first half of the seventh century AD, during the Tang dynasty, Judge Dee (Dee Jen-djieh) is appointed magistrate of Chang-Ping.  Dee has four assistants. His chief assistant is Hoong Liang, known as Sergeant Hoong, whom he has known since he was a small boy. Two others, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai,  are of special use in the dangerous task of apprehending criminals and were once “brothers of the green woods”…that is, highway robbers. His fourth lieutenant is Tao Gan, a reformed swindler.

 Those who wish to avail themselves of the tribunal when it is not currently sitting do so by striking a gong, alerting the magistrate that he is need to adjudicate. One morning this is done by Koong Wan-deh from the Six Mile Village, where he owns a hostel. According to his tale, two silk merchants stayed at his hostel overnight and left the next morning. Apparently they were robbed and murdered on their way out of town. The village warden, Pang Deh, believing that Koong had killed the two and dragged their bodies to the road to avert suspicion from himself, dragged the bodies back to the hostel and accused the hostel owner of their murder. So he hastened to the tribunal to set matters straight.

While investigating this case, Judge Dee disguises himself as a physician and heads to the town in question. In the course of selling his drugs, he is approached by an older woman with a sad tale involving the death of her son. Deciding this case needs a closer examination, Dee accompanies the woman to the house. All the while, she extols the virtues of her late son’s wife, so grief-stricken that she shuts herself up in her room for most of the day, a serious widow. Dee suspects there is more to this case than meets the eye.

A third case concerns the death of a beautiful young bride on her wedding night. The distraught father of the groom blames a young man who was present at the teasing of the couple, whose jests went too far. He accuses the young man of being jealous of the bride and thus killing her by an unknown poison.

Chinese detective stories have their own unique style, a direct result of the culture in which they were written. Many of them begin with the knowledge of who the criminal is, although that is not the case with these stories. The translator, Van Gulik, has written an introduction to the volume as well as extensive notes. I would definitely recommend you read the introduction, as it provides valuable as well as interesting insight into the stories.

These three stories intertwine, and were definitely fun to read. This is my first time reading Judge Dee, although I know a little of the character having seen two Detective Dee films (based on the same character). It is also important to note that in Chinese courts, it is not uncommon for them to torture witnesses in order to get them to confess, and such is the case here. That being said, these stories are well written as are the characters. They are very interesting, and I enjoyed figuring out the mysteries involved (sad to say I don’t believe I guessed correctly on any of them). I look forward to reading more of the series. This is a must read if you enjoy detective stories as well as stories involving Chinese culture.

Saturday is Horror Day #73 - The Great Hypnotist, Everything Everywhere All at Once

 The Great Hypnotist

Xu Ruining (Zheng Xu) is a successful psychologist who specializes in hypnotherapy. His former teacher, Professor Fang (Zhong Lü) refers a rather troublesome patient to him, Ren Xiaoyan (Karen Mok). Red has been to other therapists, but no one believes her when she says she can see dead people. Dr Xu doesn't especially seem to believe her either, but he's determined to get to the bottom of her problems, which involve having been abandoned as a child and left in an orphanage, even as he tells her that no one leaves his office without having been cured.

Sounds like a challenge, but which one will come out on top?

This is a beautifully filmed, well-acted and well-written thriller about two protagonists who are both strong-willed and determined. The plot and the characters suck you in until you don't know which side to believe. Does Ren really see dead people? Can Dr Xu bring her back to reality? It seems as though the more he tries, the more he is sucked into her reality. Is it reality or is it something else?

You may remember Zheng Xu (Dr Wu) from another film I recently reviewed, Lost in Hong Kong. This 

role is like night and day from that other one, showing the actor's versatility. I'll have to look for more of his films.  I enjoyed watching this film and will give it 4 solid Stars.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Evelyn Wang's (Michelle Yeoh) life is not quite the way she once pictured it. She and her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) own a failing laundromat. Her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is at odds with her, and Evelyn can't bring herself to tell her aging father, Gong Gong (James Hong) who lives with them, that Joy has a girlfriend. The business is being audited by the IRS. Evelyn, Waymond and Gong Gong go to the office to meet with agent Deirdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis). And that's when everything begins... to change?

Evelyn finds her attention is wandering from Deirdre and her incessant complaints, when she finds herself looking at a strange note telling her to do strange things, such as put her shoes on the wrong feet and think herself inside the janitor's closet. When she does, she finds herself with a man who looks like her husband but who says he is from another universe, and it is up to her to save the world...

Say what?

To say this movie is a wild ride would be an understatement, and on the surface it seems chaotic and 

erratic as Evelyn tries to make sense out of everything, but in so doing she learns to come to terms with her own life and the people in it. Great cast and imaginative writing make this sci-fi thriller is sure to become a cult classic. It requires multiple viewings, I think, and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see it in the theater. I hear it was mind-blowing. I give this film 4.5 Stars.

Book Review: Skip Beat! Vol 13 by Yoshiki Nakamura

 

Skip Beat! Vol 13      

Author: Yoshiki Nakamura

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: July 1, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Shojo Manga//2 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

It’s a sink-or-swim moment for Ren! He has to convince both the President of LME as well as the director of the film that he can play Katsuki not only well but better than his predecessor. Mostly he has to convince Lory, who knows him too well to think he can accomplish this. Ren requests to ad lib a scene, expressing his confidence that his co-star Itsumi will not only be able to do so, he will make her react the way he wants her to. The scene begins…where will it end? Most importantly, will Lory approve?

Afterward, Kyoko is amazed that Lory has figured out that Ren is in love with a girl…although she is clueless to the fact that the girl is her! Mr Yoshiro suspects the truth, and tries to give Kyoko a clue, but the poor girl remains oblivious to his hints. When Kyoko offers Ren the precious stone she once received from Corn (whom she believes to have been a fairy but was actually Ren), what will he do?

Most of this volume is taken up with Ren’s test, but it’s well worth the price of admission to watch him in action, drawing on newly discovered although unadmitted feelings for Kyoko. Between the two of them, they don’t have a clue! Guess we have to wait to find out which one catches on first!

Great volume, can’t wait for more!

 

Book Review: Bleach, Vol 68 by Tite Kubo

 

Bleach, Vol 68      

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: March 1, 2016

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Yhwach has slain the god Reio – his own father! Or has he? Kiskue has called an emergency meeting of the captains, although they don’t all show up, some being dispatched on other business. And some, such as Kenpachi, being laid up. Kiskue’s purpose is for them to storm Reiokyu. Yhwach kindly offers to lay Ichigo to rest by his own hands. Does anyone think even for a moment Ichigo will take him up on his “generous” offer? Not likely! The Visoreds assemble as well, and are given Soul Reaper uniforms.

Yhwach tells Ichigo that if he pulls the sword from Reio, he can destroy the Soul Society with his own hands. He appeals to the Quincy blood that flows through Ichigo. As the world begins to tremble, Orihime offers to heal Reio, but is told that cannot work. This is when Ukitake steps up and offers to take Reio’s place! Say what? How does that even work? And what effect will that have on Ukitake, who is fragile at the best of times?

Meanwhile, Shunsui has business of his own to attend to. He is attempting to make a deal with the devil, aka Aizen, still confined far beneath the barracks. He offers to bring him to the surface under certain conditions, in return for which he will use his spiritual pressure to aid the Soul Society. As Ichigo argues with Yhwach, Uryu appears, but his appearance seems to be no cause for joy because, as he puts it, “I am a Quincy.”

Will Ukitake’s sacrifice be in vain? Will Uryu prove to be a traitor to his friends? Will Shunsui really be able to control Aizen, and will Aizen be of aid to the Soul Society? Holy cow, so much going on. With each volume, we draw closer to the end. I have to believe Ichigo et al will triumph, but there are no guarantees, especially in a manga.

Onward to the next volume!

 

Virtual Book Tour: Irresistible by Darcy Burke

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Darcy Burke to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here to tell us about her new release, Irresistible. Darcy will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at  the end of this post!

 

Irresistible

by Darcy Burke

 

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GENRE: Historical Romance (Regency)

 

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BLURB:

 

Jessamine Goodfellow has spent six Seasons avoiding the parson’s trap, and spinsterhood is finally within her grasp. A brilliant scholar, she longs for adventure and new experiences, things her family frowns upon. Presented with the opportunity to use her puzzle-solving talent on a secret mission for the Foreign Office, Jess eagerly accepts. Even when it means posing as the wife of a scorchingly attractive Scotsman who she must also covertly investigate as a possible double agent.

 

Lord Dougal MacNair, the new Viscount Fallin, has always completed his assignments for the Foreign Office alone. Now he’s saddled with an overly enthusiastic amateur partner. She possesses a remarkable intellect, but something about her isn’t quite right, and after two failed missions, Dougal is certain someone is working against him. Battling their secret suspicions, Dougal and Jess dive deep into their cover as a married couple, which arouses temptations they find irresistible. Danger is all around them, but it’s their hearts that may be the most imperiled.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

“Have you ever given up on a cryptogram?”

 

“No.”

 

“And I imagine some of them weren’t easy.”

 

She exhaled. “No, they were not.”

 

“I assumed as much. I know you, Jess, and you’re tenacious.”

 

“We haven’t even known each other a fortnight,” she scoffed. “Not officially anyway.”

 

“What does that mean, ‘officially’?”

 

She took a generous drink of brandy. “We have met before. Four years ago. I remember it distinctly.”

 

“Four years ago?” Damn, now he felt terrible. “How can you be sure?”

 

She gave him a haughty look of certainty that quite frankly pricked his desire. “Because I am. You asked me to dance at the Edgemont Ball.”

 

He’d danced with her. Four years ago. And never again. Worse, he didn’t remember it. He was an absolute cad. “I should have remembered you. I can’t imagine why I didn’t.” he said softly.

 

Sentiment, which he preferred to indulge in small, manageable doses, threatened to send him to her chair, to take her hand and beg her forgiveness. A husband would do that. A lover. He was neither and since they were alone, there was no reason to continue the pretense. Only, he was fairly certain he was no longer pretending.

 

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Click here to Join her Reader Club.

 

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow).

 

They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, or binge-watching TV with the family.

 

Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too.

 

Social Links

 

Website https://www.darcyburke.com/

Reader Group Newsletter https://smarturl.it/DBReaderGroup

Facebook https://smarturl.it/DarcyBurkeFB

Darcy’s Duchesses Facebook Group https://smarturl.it/Duchesses

Instagram https://smarturl.it/IGFollowFB

Twitter https://www.twitter.com/darcyburke

BookBub https://smarturl.it/DBbookbubfb

Goodreads https://smarturl.it/grfollowfb

 

IMPOSSIBLE Buy Links

 

AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q2PVNM5/

APPLE https://apple.co/3nek4A9

NOOK https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impossible-darcy-burke/1140862602?ean=2940160998404

KOBO https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/impossible-46

 

 

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INTERVIEW 7

 

Who is the last person you hugged?

My son. He delivered an amazing closing argument for a trial of Goldilocks in Forensics class in high school. He was so happy and proud, and I couldn’t be prouder.

 

What are you reading now?

In a Different Key, a book about the history of autism. My daughter is autistic. She’s an artist in her junior year of college currently working on a graphic design project of three book covers! Sadly, they are not for me!

 

How do you come up with the titles to your books?

It varies. Sometimes they come to me, other times I have to work very hard to come up with something! When I wrote the Phoenix Club, I decided on single word titles that start with the letter I. This came from a brainstorming session with someone, but I don’t remember who! Most of the titles came very easily/were obvious. I just titled a new series I’ll be writing later this year and those titles also came very quickly – we (I’m writing the series with my bestie) decided on a naming convention for branding and they just sort of fell into place.

 

Share your dream cast for your book.

I am SO bad at this! I don’t ever picture real people when I write, so the casting question always throws me off. For my upcoming release, I can totally picture Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor who played a couple in the film Love Actually.

 

 

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Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #34 (7.2)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

A suspicious Vinny calls Troy to find out if his less than favorite actress is still in the loony bin. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #34 (7.2)

I knew Ethan wasn’t likely to leave things alone, and he didn’t. After a few minutes, I felt his fingers caress my thigh before he asked, “So, Sherlock, what did you find out? Is the big bad actress on the loose, a menace to society?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” I retorted, although I took no actual offense at his comment. “No, she’s safely locked up and probably being pampered to within an inch of her miserable life.” Okay, maybe that was petty, but I didn’t really care.

“Feel better?”

“I don’t know.” I knew I should, having heard Troy’s assurances of her location. I mean, he would probably be the first to find out if Miss Looney Tunes were released, even for a day. Even so, I knew what I’d seen…even if I didn’t know who I’d seen. And maybe that was what bothered me—the not knowing.

“Vinny, why didn’t you let me talk to him?” That was Sarah now, grumbling at me from the back seat. “I asked you very nicely.”

My bad, guess I hadn’t heard her request, too focused on the matter at hand. “Sorry, Sarah,” I apologized. “But to be honest, I doubt he had time. He’s anxious to get back to his sweetie. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll meet him sometime.”

“Maybe I should move to Roanoke,” she joked…at least I think she was joking. I didn’t know her well enough to be able to tell. I saw Ethan glance into the rearview mirror at her.

“Is that something you’re considering?” he asked. I turned a little, just to watch her expression. At the moment, she seemed a little weary, maybe even somewhat defeated. Understandable, all things considered. I would be too after what she’d been through.

She released a long drawn-out sigh. “I don’t know. Right now, I don’t know where my head is…or my heart. Or much of anything else. All I really do know is that I have to take care of Alex, to the best of my ability. He’s my priority.”

I watched her set her hand on the arm of the sleeping child—when had he fallen asleep? “He’s everything to me,” she said, and I believed her.

“You’re a great mother.” Ethan echoed my thoughts. “Don’t worry, Sis. You’ll figure it out. And you always have me and Vinnie to turn to.”

“And me.” That from Uncle Benny.

Our declarations produced a small smile from Sarah. “I know. I’m so lucky to have all you guys in our lives. And Mom and Dad. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out,” Ethan vowed. And I had no doubt of his sincerity.

Before long, we crossed over the Virginia state line, into Tennessee, heading west on Highway 40. We passed through some road construction in Knoxville, but before too long we’d left that in our rearview mirror and were headed toward Chattanooga, only fifty miles away.

The first time I saw the road sign proclaiming the distance to said Chattanooga, I turned a mischievous glance toward Ethan, whose eyes twinkled back at me, even as I sang the inevitable words. “Pardon me, boy…”

He quickly joined me in the lyrics, and Benny caught up by the chorus.

“…is that the Chattanooga choo choo?”

Sarah chortled and obliged us with matching train sounds, such a the choo choo and the chug-a-chug.  Alex laughed at his mother’s antics, and for the next few miles, the car was filled with the sounds of the old Glen Miller tune.

to be continued

Now see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb