Thank you for more than 4,000 downloads

I was stunned that "Eula May and the Flim Flam Nun", the e-book version of my funny mystery had 4,182 downloads over the weekend.  For a 24 hour period it was # 1 mystery and # 1 cozy (subset of mystery) at amazon.com.  Thanks to all the readers that thought it would be a good read.  And I want to thank again the two artists (Sandra Tang Fremgen and Tom Fremgen) responsible for the cover that attracted such a huge number of people.
     If you want a vacation from your world, visit the madcap characters in a warm hearted town, Karnak, Kentucky, site of the Eula May series.
     I write funny stories because there is so much stress in the world.  A laugh a day keeps the doctor away.  Have fun, enjoy life.

Continuing Preview of EULA MAY AND THE MONKEY BUSINESS

Scroll down to previous blog to read the beginning of chapter 1.  This material continues it.

End of previous material

“Oh dear, I seem to have found another dead body.” I grimaced, looking at the deceased.

“Not again! You shouldn't be allowed out on your own." Sheriff Buck growled.  "Where are you? I'm coming over.”

“I'm at that new shop, Monkey Business. As mayor I thought I should welcome the owners to Karnak.” The shrill animal voice in the back kept shrieking. “Maybe you should bring someone from animal control, too.”

New material

“Lord love a duck. All I got is Deputy Kipp. He'll have to handle any animal problem. Hang on, don't touch anything. I'll be right there.” He cut the connection.

I squeezed my eyes shut hoping things would look different when I opened them. But nothing changed. It was still Monday morning, my stomach was still overfull from the Chamber of Commerce breakfast I just gobbled down unaware I would soon be staring at a dead body. I sighed, punched in #2 on my phone and heard, “Clip and Curl, we're here for you.”

“Wanda, thank God you answered the phone. I'm in deep do-do again. Get over here fast.”

“What? You think I can just run around like a jack rabbit. I've got clients to take care of.”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but..” my voice dropped to a whisper, “I've found another dead body.”

Wanda shrieked, “Did I hear you right? Did you say...”

I cut her off. “Stop. Don't say it. Everyone in town will be running over here.”

“Where's here?”

“The Monkey Business. It's the new store in town, about a block from you.”

“Oh yeah, I know it. I'll be right there. Sylvia can run the shop.”

I clicked my phone shut. I didn't know if I should call anyone else or not. It was hard to think with all the noise coming from out back. I ran my fingers through my short, curly red hair, worried about what I should do as mayor. Scanning the shop, I noticed the animal cages were empty. Perhaps the owner didn't have time to stock them with small dogs, cats, and rabbits.

Oh, oh, I remembered reading angry letters to the paper about the new business. A 'concerned animal lover' wrote the shop should be boycotted because it encouraged 'unspeakable puppy mills'.

I didn't know about pet store ethics, but I knew the town needed new businesses. Karnak had been slammed by the current economic recession. No matter what the politicians called it, when you couldn't find a job it was a recession, maybe even a depression. I cringed as I realized now I was one of those dreadful politicians feeding at the public trough. Well, at least I hadn't sought the office. No one even told me there was a write in campaign for me as mayor to get rid of good ole boys' politics. Since my salary was only a token $1,000 a year I didn't think I was a burden to the taxpayers either.

A police car pulled up to the curb, Buck and Deputy Kipp slammed out of it and ran into the store.

“OK, Eula May, where's the body?” Buck snarled, his meaty hand on his holster.

The noise from the back grew louder. Kipp shoved back his cap and asked, “What's that?”

Eula May and the Monkey Business, Preview of my new book

Chapter 1. Not Another Body

I pulled the shiny brass knob on the glass door and walked in to the tinkle of an overhead bell. As newly elected mayor of Karnak, KY, I felt it my duty to call on new businesses and this one, Monkey Business, promised to be fun. But what I saw wasn't funny. The merchandise seemed to have tumbled off shelves in an earthquake. Boxes and bags of dog and cat food, pet toys, leashes, and shattered glass aquariums were strewn on the concrete floor. From a back room I heard squawking. There was a strange, fusty smell. I stepped around the fallen supplies to the green Formica counter. A tossed pile of clothing behind it caught my eye.

My stomach clenched as I saw what looked like a human head sticking out of the jumble. “Oh, law. Not another dead body.” I shuddered remembering the mess I'd gotten into the last time I found a body—an aborted wedding and my arrest for murder. I stared out the shop windows, trying to think of a way out of this new mickle. Ignoring the beautiful spring morning, the swaying pink and red tulips in the grassy park across the street, I moaned, “There's gotta be another explanation.”

But I knew what I had to do. I couldn't run and hide this time. I pulled my phone out of my blue blazer pocket and hit #5. Because he'd insisted, Sheriff Buck Johnson was on my speed dial.

“Sheriff here, Eula May. What's up now?” His gruff voice hurt my ear.

“It's not my fault, so don't get any ideas...” I started to explain.

“What's not your fault?” he demanded. “Get to the point.”

“Oh dear, I seem to have found another dead body.” I grimaced, looking at the deceased.

“Not again! You shouldn't be allowed out on your own. Where are you? I'm coming over.”

“I'm at that new shop, Monkey Business. As mayor I thought I should welcome the owners to Karnak.” The shrill animal voice in the back kept shrieking. “Maybe you should bring someone from animal control, too.”      [This book will be available this fall as an e-book.] 

"Invitation to Destiny" continues, Other Good Reads

Just a reminder that Chapter 2. "Who is Michelle" of  Invitation to Destiny, a free serial novel, will be posted on Friday, August 1.  The adventures of Vanessa with the honey colored hair are continued at www.amy-solittletime.blogspot.com.  In this chapter, she learns more about Charlie, opens the invitation from France, and her boyfriend with the darling dimples calls.

Other Good Reads 

Some e-books I recently read that I enjoyed are:

1.  The Gaugin Connection by Estelle Ryan.  This is the first in a series featuring protagonist/detective Genevieve Lenard, an autistic woman who is a genius at finding patterns and works in the fraud department of a huge insurance company.  She is dragged into helping outwit an international murderer who is killing promising young artists after they forge multimillion dollar paintings for him.  An ingenious plot, with engaging and enraging characters, but it is Genevieve's vulnerability, intelligence, and moral sense that will keep you reading past bedtime.

2.  Two Faced by Sylvia Selfman and Leigh Selfman.  Every time I thought the heroine was safe, another horrendous problem was tossed at her.  If you like twisty plots, underhanded crooks, and vulnerable heroines, you'll enjoy trying to figure out what's really going on.  Add a little romance, is he a hero or a villain, and the plot is complete.

3.  Butler Did It! by Sally Pomeroy.  An innocent young woman, photographing ocean curiosities unwittingly sees what she shouldn't, risks her life to save a human target, and becomes a target herself.   Fun and scary story and characters. An unusual adventure focusing on the adaptation of WWII vehicles, ships, and other apparatus for peace time research activities.  But they turn out to be extremely useful, too, for saving the world from the evil machinations of power mad men.  

 

How to Hug an Author

As a writer I try to support other writers.  A friend sent me an email, included below, which gives ideas on how to do that.  I did not write it, but if you love to read, it's for you.

Subject: *Hug an Author* Today! Here is how to support your favorite authors (it'll encourage them to write more books!)

Hello dear Bookworm! 

Did you know that authors need our help? 

Authors put their heart and soul into their books.  Then, after laboring over their book for many, many hours, they release their work into a world of millions of books where it is hard to get noticed. 

How can we help? 

There are many things we can do to support our favorite authors.
 Here are my top 5 suggestions:

5. Share the author and their books with your friends.
Word of mouth is powerful! 

4. Like their Facebook page and sign up for their email list. 

3. Purchase their new book when it comes out.

2. Share about their book on your blog (if you have one), in
forums, and on any social media platform you enjoy.

And the easiest and definitely one of the most effective ways
to support an author you appreciate is:

1. LEAVE A REVIEW for a book you love!

It’s the easiest way to show some love and it is immensely effective!  

Reviews will help bring more sales which in turn will help better rankings 

within Amazon...which are greatly important to your favorite author. 

So hug an author today. Leave a review!

Eula May and the Flim Flam Nun, Chapter 1 and Invitation for a new story

New Blog Novel:  Invitation to Destiny
I'm keeping the first chapter of 'Eula May and the Flim Flam Nun' posted below for a while.  In the meantime, I'd like to invite you to read the first chapter, No Good Deed Goes Unpublished, of my new blog novel, "Invitation to Destiny."  Follow the adventures of Vanessa with the honey colored hair on the first of each month as she juggles her job, a boyfriend, a dog, and a mysterious invitation.  All the action is at www.amy-solittletime.blogspot.com.


Eula May continues
To thank all of my enthusiastic supporters, here is the first chapter of my funny mystery 'Eula May and the Flim Flam Nun'.  I would really appreciate comments sent to me at afremgen@gmail.com.  Enjoy.
The entire book is now available at
http://www.amazon.com/Eula-May-Flim-Flam-Nun/dp/149961151X/


                                                            1 Death of a Saint

“I know you’re in there, Sister Claire. Let me in.” I rattled the doorknob on her old trailer. The latch was loose and the door swung open. I called, “Sister Claire? Is anyone here?” 

It was quiet, too quiet, dead quiet. I sniffed a strange, musty smell. Stepping into the living area, I could hear a humming from the nearby refrigerator and the ticking of a wall clock. The heater creaked on as opening the door let the cold January air hit the thermostat. The nun at least had electricity. She wasn’t a poverty stricken martyr. She didn’t need to blackmail poor little me, although she demanded I meet her there with money I didn’t have. 

My eyes swept the room. Beige plastic paneled walls, beige floral covered sofa, beige coffee table with a beige ceramic vase of plastic white lilies and…I gaped at a black robe laid out in what looked like a coffin. And since my mother was the town’s undertaker, I recognized one when I saw one. My heart almost stopped as I realized there was a body in the coffin.

I approached cautiously. “Sister Claire…is that you?” No answer. “Are you OK?” 

No that woman is not OK my brain was screaming at me—that woman is dead. But I had to check just in case. Much as I hated her and what she was doing to me, my upbringing took over.

Grimacing I reached into the coffin, and pulled the soft black sleeve away from her bony wrist to feel for a pulse. I couldn’t see her face—thank Goshen for that—her black head veil had fallen across it. Her skin while still warm produced no pulse. Now what? Should I call 911? And tell them what? I found a murdered body. Murder? What made me think of murder? 

Well, maybe she suffered a heart attack or stroke and collapsed into this wooden box. But it looked to me as if someone tucked her robe around her. I’m not a medical person but I don’t think she could have done that to herself.

My brain ticked away. If murdered, then how? I scanned the tiny area. The beige patterned linoleum floor was bare. No visible blood or likely weapon.

And who would have done it? Who would have killed a saintly nun? Of course, I knew she wasn’t a saint but no one else did. Would a saint try to blackmail me with fake pictures of me molesting my young dance students? Not only would these false accusations ruin my dance studio but they’d ruin my chances of marrying the man of my dreams—rich, handsome, Lance. Maybe I should look for the fake photos. No, I best leave right now.

I wasn’t going to stay there and call the police either. I’d be the first suspect and questioned for hours, if not days. It would be goodbye wedding plans. 

Then it struck me—what if the murderer was still there! I gasped. According to all the murder mysteries I read, the murderer would knock me out, put the murder weapon in my hand, and make a quick anonymous call to 911. I whirled around. No one in sight and no sounds other than the refrigerator, clock, my beating heart and...a soft scrabbling sound. My ears stood straight out of my head. 

The noise came from behind a shuttered door. Something, or someone, was pushing on it. I heard a weak meow. I smiled in relief and pulled the door open. A tiny orange striped cat stepped daintily out, shaking its head. It looked up at me with enormous green eyes.

I didn't know Sister Claire had a cat. Did anyone else? What'd happen to the little guy if Claire's body wasn't found right away. Would he starve? I couldn't push him out in the cold to fend for himself. I groaned. Kitty swayed as he walked over to rub against my leg. My heart lurched. I was going to have to take the kitten with me. 

But if people knew the nun had a cat and saw me with it, I'd have a lot of explaining to do. Oh, mercy me. My brain couldn't decide. My body did. It walked me into the pantry where the cat had been, tossed the empty food and water bowls and all the cat food into my tote bag.

I picked up the cuddly bundle and tucked his fragile body inside my green warm up jacket. I scuttled to the front door and peered outside. I didn’t see anyone. The lacy white curtains in the double wide, soft pink, modular home across the street twitched but I couldn’t worry about it. 

I scurried to my ten-year-old, ugly, but gas conserving Honda Civic and slipped the cat into the back seat. I burped the stubborn ignition twice before I could pull away and drive into town. 

My little yellow car almost sighed with relief as it pulled in front of the white wooden frame building at the far end of the block. The old fashioned lettering on the window read, “Franklin Delano Rockenbucks, CPA. You make it, we count it.” He had gotten me out of trouble before. I was counting on him to do it again.

Swayzie the Cat

Someone asked me if the cat pictured on the cover of Eula May and the Flim Flam Nun had a name.  He does have a name and even plays an important role in the story.  Eula May finds him abandoned at the trailer home of Sister Claire of the Holy Cloth.  The nun is dead and may have been murdered. Because Eula May has a bad history with the nun she is afraid she might be accused of the woman's murder. When she realizes it might be a while before the nun's body is discovered and it's too cold to shove the cat outside, she decides to adopt the cat.  Because the little cat sways when it walks and because one of Eula May's favorite all time movies is "Dirty Dancing," starring the late, great Patrick Swayze, she names the kitty 'Swayzie'.  She worries, though, that she'll be in jeopardy if anyone recognizes the cat as Sister Claire's.   The cat illustrates Eula May's kind heart and also provides humorous events throughout the book.  I love cats.  How about you?