A Book to Die For - 11

It's time again for Weekend Writing Warriors where we post 10 sentences from one of our works in progress or a book we have written. This week, the investigation continues after Margie is found dead, beheaded, along a hedgerow in a farmer's field. Her death has something to do with the odd book club run by Malcolm Sinclair at his estate on the lake. Pepper picks up a Hemingway book like Margie's, which she assumes the club has been reading. Pepper goes over the plan to infiltrate the book club with Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro as she gets ready.

A farm field in Wyoming County, NY.

And now the snippet:
“The guy is a bit peculiar from what I was told, and I’m not talking about a minor foible or two,” said Clayton, “Mostly keeps to himself except the book club and who knows how he gets a hold of the bookies, as you call them.”

“The problem is how much of what you heard is true and how much is small town busybody gossip?” Pepper picked up a book of Hemingway’s poems similar to Margie’s. “Got it at a bookstore a couple counties over—in case you’re wondering,” said Pepper. “It’s not exactly the same, but it’ll work.”

Clayton stood up to walk Pepper out. “Got one of the department’s unmarked vehicles for you to use--still wouldn’t park near the house though, go a ways down the road. Any ideas how you’re going to justify being there seeing as no one knows how to get into the group?”

“Sure,” she said, taking the keys. “I’ll say Margie invited me and told me to meet her there. It’s not like Malcolm can ask her, right?”

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

 

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10 - A Book to Die For

(Fictitious) home of Malcolm Sinclair.

Welcome to WeWriWa! I'm back with an excerpt of a finished mystery.

The setup:
 
Margie is found dead, beheaded, along a hedgerow in a farmer's field. Her death has something to do with the odd book club run by Malcolm Sinclair at his estate on the lake. Inv. Pepper Black is retracing Margie's steps and stops at the girl's job, McCormick's Boat Rental, the last place Margie was seen before she went to the book club. The owner said Margie seemed upset she couldn't find her book.

Now the snippet:

Steve extended the book to Pepper--Complete Poems, Ernest Hemingway. She opened the ragged cover and turned to the copyright page. The 1983 date justified the wear. She riffled the pages with her thumb until she arrived at a page with the corner turned over. There were markings in the margins. She read to herself the short verse called, Chapter Heading.

  For we have thought the longer thoughts
    And gone the shorter way.
And we have danced to devils’ tunes,
    Shivering home to pray;
To serve one master in the night,
    Another in the day.

Oh Margie, why didn’t you talk to someone? Whatever had been going on in her life she must have begun to realize she wasn’t herself—it was just a little too late.

****

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

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A Book to Die For - 09

The estate of Malcolm Sinclair on Spirit Lake
(In real life the country club on Silver Lake in Castile, NY where I live)

Previously, Sheriff Nazzaro and Investigator Pepper Black separated the parents of the victim. Both parents thought something was fishy about the guy leading the book club where her daughter was last seen. With Clayton's permission, Pepper has decided to influtrate the book club. She went home to get ready at her apartment above the Lamont Bicycle Shop. She stops first at McCormick's Boat Rental where the victim Margie Webster worked. And now the snippet:

 ***

 The bell tingled above Pepper Black’s head as she opened the door of McCormick’s Boat Rentals. A man sat behind the counter sorting through a carton of Rapala fishing lures.

“Excuse me,” said Pepper, “are you Steve McCormick?”

“That would be me--what can I do ya for?”

Pepper unclipped her badge from her belt and opened it for Steve to see. “I’m Investigator Black from the county sheriff’s office. I’d like to ask you a few questions about Margie Webster.”

Steve dropped the lures back in the box and sat down on the stool behind the register. “Damn bad business that. Margie was a nice gal.”

***

We'll continue here next week and see what Steve knows!

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

My new book  A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York is now available via the History Press (and Arcadia Publishing) the largest publishers of local & regional history in the country. Cool huh? Swing on over to Amazon or enter the Goodreads giveaway!

 

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A Book to Die For - 08

Previously, Sheriff Nazzaro and Investigator Pepper Black separated the parents of the victim. Both parents thought something was fishy about the guy leading the book club where her daughter was last seen. With Clayton's permission, Pepper has decided to influtrate the book club. She went home to get ready. This is Pepper's scene. And now the snippet:

***

Pepper had four hours to decide what to wear to the book club and the persona she wanted to adopt. Should she go for the hot erotica book reader type or maybe the quiet librarian look? Sheriff Nazarro wasn’t much help. Although he knew Margie Webster it was just to say hello or small talk when he had seen her out and about with her parents. Clayton had known Jack and Alice Webster for years through different town organizations, but not the daughter. The sheriff was single with no kids so he never crossed Margie’s path socially and the parents didn’t seem to know the real Margie.

Pepper grabbed her badge and clipped it to her belt, along with a few accessories—notepad, police radio, and her Sig Sauer 380. Her day old coffee sat thick in the pot. No time now to brew a fresh one and she didn’t feel like stopping at the Stop-n-Shop to grab their version of coffee. She poured the sludge in her mug, diluted it with a bit of tap water and put it in the microwave—nothing a good dose of sugar wouldn’t cure. 

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

My new book  A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York is now available (E-book releases in mid April)  via the History Press (and Arcadia Publishing) the largest publishers of local & regional history in the country. Cool huh?

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A Book to Die For - 07

Last week Investigator Pepper Black and Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro split the parents up to question them. Alice, the victim's mother, had seen her daughter Margie once with Malcolm Sinclair, the head of the book club. He went through the motions of interest in Margie, but not as interested as Margie was in him it seems. Jack, the father, wanted his daughter no where near him or his book club. Now the snippet. A conversation between Sheriff Nazzaro and Investigator Black, Piecing Malcolm's motives together:

***

"So you think this guy Malcolm, found her important for the purpose she served, to him anyway?" asked Clayton.

"That's how I see it.," Pepper answered.

"That's something like what her parents implied when I first got them in here. Said his attention towards their daughter wasn't on the up and up so Jack insisted she drop the book club."

"Obviously she didn't take her dad's advice."

"Suppose we better have a talk with Mr. Sinclair to see what he was up to last weekend," said Clayton.

Pepper had a cat that ate the mouse look on her face. "Better yet, I haven't read a good book in a while. Know of a club around here I can join?"

*** 

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

My new book  A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York is now available (E-book releases in April)  via the History Press (and Arcadia Publishing) the largest publishers of local & regional history in the country. Cool huh?

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A Book to Die For - 06

We last left off with Investigator Pepper Black entering the station where Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro is trying to get answers out of the parents of the victim, Margie Webster. For some reason Jack Webster didn't want his daughter going to a certain book club and finds out his wife knew that Margie went anyway on the Friday before her body was found. The parents have been separated. And now the snippet:

***

Pepper closed the door to interrogation room number two where she left Alice Webster with a box of tissues and a female guard. Clayton could see through the glass that Alice would need another box very soon.

"Get anything useful?" asked Clayton.

Pepper sat on the edge of Clayton's desk and slid her pad across to him. "Alice didn't approve of Margie going to the book club either. Not so much the club as the guy running it, Malcolm Sinclair."

"Same here. Jack thought the guy was filling her head with crazy ideas. He didn't say exactly what though."

"Alice said she only saw Malcolm once," said Pepper, " and Jack didn't know about it--still doesn't.

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

My new book  A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York is now available (E-book releases in April)  via the History Press (and Arcadia Publishing) the largest publishers of local & regional history in the country. Cool huh?

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A Book to Die For - 05

We continue with Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro questioning the parents of Margie Webster about the daughters movements the day of her death. Alice, Margie's mother spoke up saying Margie didn't go to work like normal. She went to a book club that her father had forbidden her to go to. We pick up here.

***

The problem with murder when it comes to parents, is to get them past their misplaced guilt. Clayton ran into it on other cases too, not just murder. Even after Clayton reassured them there was nothing they could have done; that Margie, like most twenty-five-year-old women, had a mind of her own, but it didn't help ease their pain. They felt responsible in some way.

The guilt they placed on each other made it all the more difficult for the Websters to stick to the questions. Why hadn't Alice told Jack that Margie went off to the book club? If Jack hadn't stifled their daughter so she would have been more open with them--and on and on. It took Clayton an hour to get any honest answers from either of them and that was only after he called in his investigator, Pepper Black.

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

And just to share some excitement, release day is tomorrow for my new book A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York (E-book releases in April)  via The History Press the largest publisher of local history in the country. Cool huh?

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A Book to Die For - 4

Welcome again to Weekend Writing Warriors. Last time, in A Book to Die For, Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro was questioning the parents of Margie Webster about the daughters movements the day of her death. Jack thought she had been at work at McCorrmick's Boat Rental saying she worked every Friday until 4. Alice, Margie's mother spoke up saying, no she didn't. It seems Alice knew a few things her hubby didn't. We pick up here.

A scene of Silver Lake, in this story Spirit Lake.

SNIPPET:

 “She didn’t what Mrs. Webster," asked Clayton.

“She didn’t go to work Friday,” Alice said, “She was supposed to--normally did--but not last Friday.”

Jack released the hold on his wife as if the shock of her words were electric. “She didn’t go in? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“She took the day off. Some day trip or other with that book club.” Alice was on the edge of collapse. “That ridiculous club of hers. You know the one, Jack; you forbade her to go.”

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

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A Book to Die For - 03

Weekend Writing Warriors time! We last left off in A Book to Die For with Sheriff Clayton Nazzaro and Coroner Herbert Wilde leaning over the decapitated body of a young woman found along a hedgerow between two farm fields. They identified the girl as Margie Webster who worked at McCormick's Boat Rental, but they were confused by the simple girls flashy clothing. Her body was taken to the morgue to be identified by her parents. And now the snippet:

Just some cows in the rural setting of the story---the county where I live.

***

“Jack,” Clayton began, still unsure of what to say next, “I’m going to have to ask you some questions, and I’m sorry about that, but you understand we have to try and figure out what happened, right?”

“Yes, I understand,” Jack said, as he looked at his wife's blank expression.

“Alright then, so was Margie still working up at McCormick’s Boat Rental?”

“Yes, just the weekends this time of year, until tourist season starts beginning of May.” Jack faced Alice as he answered. “Isn’t that right honey?” His wife gave no indication that she heard the question.

“So she worked yesterday then, I take it, on Friday?”

“I believe she did, every Friday til 4 o’clock,” Jack said.

“No, she didn’t ...” said Alice, her voice barely audible.

***

If you've liked my posts of The Milk Carton Murders, you should like this tale too. It was written to predate MCM and includes Sheriff Nazzaro and Pepper Black as well as other characters, from MCM.

Check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors---where a sampling of a variety of great writers is only a click away!

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Milk Carton Murders 43

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. This is a view of Silver Lake, one of the settings in The Milk Carton Murders

SETUP:We are still in the county sheriff's office where Dave is looking at files and photos pulled from his attic kept from when his mother and father were foster parents to several children. Last week Inv. Pepper Black and Dave come across two group photos of the missing girls taken during a Friends of Foster Families picnic at a local farm, from when Dave was a kid. Dave is pointing some people out in the photographs to Pepper.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET: (Pepper speaks first)

“Now why, I wonder, is Lisa or Rachael even in this photograph?”

“I’m not following you.” Dave said.

“Rachael McKenzie would have been four in 1987, but she was abducted from Cuba, NY in 1986. Same thing for Lisa – why is she in this photograph? She would have been three in this photo, but she went missing from Albany, no where near here. Did you look up anything on microfilm for Samantha or Lisa?”

“I tried. I didn’t find anything,” Dave answered. 

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

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Milk Carton Murders 42

 Weekend Writing Warriors Snippet time!

SETUP:We are still in the county sheriff's office where Dave is looking at files and photos pulled from his attic kept from when his mother and father were foster parents to several children. Last week Pepper and Dave come across two group photos of the missing girls taken during a Friends of Foster Families picnic at a local farm, from when Dave was a kid. Pepper leaves the room to make a photocopy of the group shots.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

Dave continued  his rummage through the box. He was almost done, and still no baby pictures of himself. He pulled out more from over the years that he could match up with the photos from the foster files, a few of Samantha--but none of Lisa and Rachael except for in the two candid group photos from the picnic of 1987.

Pepper came back in the room. “Okay, a copy for you and a copy for me. Now let’s see what we can figure out.” She sat down next to him and put both of the photographs in front of them on the desk above their photocopies.
 
“I recognize Samantha," Dave said, "she’s the girl on the cow."

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

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Milk Carton Murders 41

It's Weekend Writing Warriors time! When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.(Photo from collection of the Wyoming County Historian)

SETUP:We are still in the county sheriff's office where Dave is looking at files and photos pulled from his attic kept from when his mother and father were foster parents to several children. Last week Pepper and Dave come across a group photo of the girls from when Dave's was a kid.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:
Pepper picked it up and studied it for a moment. “Shit, all three of the girls  are in this one. Where was this taken?”
   
“It was one of the foster family picnics," said Dave. James Donley’s grandfather, Patrick Donley, was very supportive of the Friend’s of Foster Families group. He donated a lot of money to it in fact. That’s why he jumped on board when the missing children’s milk carton program started. His son Albert was pissed about it—thought it was a waste of space that should have been used for advertising.”

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

 AND MY BIG NEWS OF THE WEEK....
If you're connected with me on Facebook or Twitter you already know. :) I signed a contract with The History Press to publish my non-fiction book on Indian land title in New York State. Due out sometime after May in 2015 (based on my deadlines. I'll know when as it gets closer.) Their focus is regional history, so a good choice for this particular book.

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Milk Carton Murders 40

Another Weekend Writing Warriors. This photo is one of my inspirations for my Milk Carton Murders World-Silver Lake

SETUP: We are still in the county sheriff's office where Dave is looking at files and photos pulled from his attic kept from when his mother and father were foster parents to several children. Last week Dave answered the voice in his head out loud, and Pepper heard him. The voice pointed out it was weird there were no baby pictures of "Davy," as the voice calls him. What can't Dave remember?

 
AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

She heard him. He focused back on the collection of dog-eared prints then stopped at a pile of familiar faces.

“Yes,” Dave said, "it's weird." Agreeing was the easiest way out of his latest faux pas.  He paused a moment and took a closer look at a group photo. “Pepper, can you put the Center for Missing Children's photos of Samantha, Lisa, and Rachael on the table?”
   
Pepper pulled them out from one of her files and laid them out in a row above where Dave had placed several old photographs.“I see we have some matches here, Dave.”

 
 

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

 ***

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Milk Carton Murders 39

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors! This photo is my lake from my Milk Carton Murders World.
In my book it's called Spirit Lake, in reality it is Silver Lake by my house.

SETUP: We are leaving the scene where Investigator Pepper Black tells Dave about the clue found inside the stuffed dog that was in the coffin with six-year-old Samantha.We are back in the county sheriff's office where Dave is looking at files and photos pulled from Dave's attic from when his mother and father were foster parents to Samantha and other children. As always, italics is the "other voice" in Dave's head.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

This box of photographs held more promise, they were in the right time frame—even a few of himself as a kid.

What? No baby pictures of you, Davy? That’s weird, don’t you think? 

“It’s not weird,” Dave said, out loud. Dammit—now he really was talking to himself. The first thing on the list when this case was over was to see that shrink.

“I’m sorry, did you say that’s weird?” asked Pepper.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

 ***

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Milk Carton Murders 38

Wiscoy Creek (Yes, it's a real place near where I live.)

SETUP: The three girls whose twenty plus-year-old coffins washed out of the bank of the Wiscoy Creek have been identified as Lisa Appleton, Rachel McKenzie and Samantha Briggs. Samantha was a foster child at Dave's house when he was a kid who he knew as Sally, and it was the last place Dave seen her alive. Last time Pepper tells Dave of the stuffed dog found in the coffin with Samantha. Turns out Dave had given it to her before she disappeared. Pepper explained last week a piece of Balsa wood was found inside the toy with a carved message from the girl. (I'm leaving out part of the convo as it has clues and to keep it to 8 sentences.) Dave is trying to keep the "other voice" he hears in his head at bay, as asks what Samantha wrote. Pepper leads us off...

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

“On one side it said, ‘Sammy Briggs August 22, 1987’ and underneath it, ‘Remember me, September 28, 1987.’ ”

“The August date had to be the week of the fair,” Dave surmised, "but the September date is after she left us—way after.”

Pepper agreed. “I'm sure she guessed something was going to happen, but what she carved on the other side was even more unsettling."

Dave squelched the other voice in his head from coming to the forefront of his mind. “I almost don’t want to know, but go ahead.”

Pepper looked up at him. “It said—the milk man is evil.”

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

 ***

My blog may look different again when you stop next week. Some things with this one don't work right, like the side show. :(
It is canning and freezing time so I may not get to all of you on Sunday. I must take advantage of hubby being home to help. I shall be visiting blogs all week though. :)

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Milk Carton Murders 34

Since Polly Frish is finally off committing murder in the digital world, I thought I would relax with some fiction. Time to get back to....

SETUP: The three girls whose twenty plus-year-old remains washed up in coffins at Wiscoy Creek have been identified as Lisa Appleton, Rachel McKenzie and Samantha Briggs. Samantha was a foster child at Dave's house when he was a kid, and it was the last place Dave seen her alive. His dad Hal is one of the suspects. Dave and Investigator Pepper Black are at the police station going through boxes Dave pulled from their attic. One is a box of old foster family files (that Dave's dad believes will help clear him) and a couple boxes of old photographs from the right time period and before. Dave's dad, Hal, also worked in the print shop at the dairy.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET: 

Pepper picked one up and studied it for a moment. “Shit, all three of the girls are in this one. Where was this taken?”
   
“It was one of the foster family picnics," said Dave. "James Donley’s grandfather, Patrick Donley, was very supportive of the Friends of Foster Families group—donated a lot of money to it in fact—that’s why he jumped on board when the missing children’s milk carton program started. His son Albert was pissed about it—thought it was a waste of space that should have been used for advertising.”

“So how often did these picnics take place?”

“Every year, right at the dairy; all the kids were taken on a tour."

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

 ***

  If you're curious what Polly Frisch is doing, you can find her on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle, Smashwords, and for Nook. 

 You can download a free excerpt (about 3 chapters) on NoiseTrade Books in mobi , ePub or PDF formats.  NoiseTrade has been for music since 2008 and just stepped into the literary side. Lots of things to read for free in exchange for an email addy and zip code. A great way for authors to inform their readers of what the're up too, or if they're in their area for a signing.

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Bread and Butter Murders 07

Hoag Family Plot - Alabama Center Cemetery, Alabama, NY

SETUP: We left off last time with Polly preparing for the final doses of arsenic to do away with her husband.The dialogue below is taken from the description of Albert's testimony against his mother at the trial. Albert was a few months shy of his tenth birthday at the time of the murders.

AND NOW THE SNIPPET:

Polly removed a small folded piece of paper from out of her bandbox, poured part of the contents of the paper into the brandy, and shook the bottle. She then returned the paper to its hiding place behind the clock. Julia was wrong—Polly had known all along where the paper with the arsenic had been.

Albert asked his mother, “What are you putting into it?”

“Salaeratus,” answered Polly.

“What did you put it in for?” asked Albert.

“To sweeten it,” she answered.

Albert knew there was something not quite right about this; the salaeratus, was kept in the buttery in an oyster can, not a piece of paper.  Polly wrongly assumed that Albert wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing.

 ***

 

In 1856, in the rural town of Alabama, NY one woman's family suffered from multiple unexplained deaths. The town folk grew suspicious of the now remarried Polly Frisch. An investigation commenced, bodies were exhumed, an affair—exposed. Polly would be arrested for the murders of her first husband and daughters. Her fourteen-year-old son would testify against her. If found guilty, the punishment for such a crime was the gallows. Bread & Butter is the true story of Polly Frisch who poisoned her family with arsenic and the five trials it took to convict her.

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

**** 

The above excerpt is from Bread & Butter: The Murders of Polly Frisch, a book I co-authored with my friend, Ellen Bachorski in 2000. We are re-releasing it into the modern world of POD in both soft and hard covers, as well as Nook, Kindle, etc. with a new cover, fresh edits and new info. Due for release in On April 1, 2014. (Had to wait til 4/1 due to scheduling conflicts.) Below is a picture of the hardcover.

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Bread and Butter Murders 06

Hoag Family Plot - Alabama Center Cemetery, Alabama, NY

SETUP: We left off last time with Henry deathly ill again, and the medicine from the doctor, not working. Two neighbors, Selah Vosburg and Mrs. Bugby, pay a call on Henry to inquire to his health. Polly was the only one home caring for her husband at the time of their visit. (Side note: I explain earlier in the story the similarities in some of the symptoms between cholera and arsenic poisoning.) 

Any quotes are exactly as they appeared in trial testimony.

And now the snippet:

 Selah recalled, “She told us about his vomiting, thirst and pain in his head. We saw Polly give him something to drink and put a wet cloth on his head. She said Henry was subject to spasms and called it Cholera Morbus. I saw nothing peculiar in Henry’s appearance, except one of his ears, which seemed black, as if blood had settled there. Don’t recollect Henry himself saying he had Cholera Morbus.”

Here is where the difference in symptoms of cholera and arsenic in the system first become evident—the pain in his head and skin discoloration was the result of arsenic poisoning. Henry himself did not tell them he had cholera morbus; it seemed as such at the beginning, but as he worsened, he knew that’s not what he had.

This is the first instance, which we know of, where there were witnesses to the fact that Polly had been alone with Henry—now was the perfect time to begin the completion of the final act. 

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BLURB:

In 1856, in the rural town of Alabama, NY one woman's family suffered from multiple unexplained deaths. The town folk grew suspicious of the now remarried Polly Frisch. An investigation commenced, bodies were exhumed, an affair—exposed. Polly would be arrested for the murders of her first husband and daughters. Her fourteen-year-old son would testify against her. If found guilty, the punishment for such a crime was the gallows. Bread & Butter is the true story of Polly Frisch who poisoned her family with arsenic and the five trials it took to convict her.

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The above excerpt is from Bread & Butter: The Murders of Polly Frisch, a book I co-authored with my friend, Ellen Bachorski in 2000. We are re-releasing it into the modern world of POD and Kindle, etc. with a new cover, fresh edits and new info. Due for release in March 2014.

Thought I'd show you the jacket cover I designed for the hardcover edition. (Got a free hardcover from LuLu, participants choice as to manuscript, for doing NaNoWriMo.) So might as well sell those too now that it's done. :)

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