In Memoriam

Aunt Gayle with some of  her beloved grandchildren.

What's the best way to honor someone after they pass away? For me, I chose to dedicate Museums Can Be Murder to my sister-in-law, Gayle Elaine Biggs, known in my family as Aunt Gayle, a saint, and the most loving grandma — hands-down — that any child could wish for. Gayle had a dry wit that kept us laughing at family reunions. She also cooked non-stop for her family. My sister-in-law was so loving that she encouraged my brother to build a pool just so their family would congregate at her house and she could cook for them.

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I based one of Jillian Bradley’s sisters-in-laws, Paige, on Gayle. Her character first appears in Book 5 Pacific Beach, again in Book 6 Waiting for Santa, and lastly in Book 11 Museums Can Be Murder. I gave her only one child, Kaitlin Romero, who plays an important role in Book 11 as it's her boss Amanda Corbin who's murdered. In reality, Gayle had three amazing children.

I don't understand why Gayle got cancer. Does anyone understand this horrible disease? The only good thing I can surmise is in remembering the old saying, “Only the good die young.” Gayle was good. She was young. Fortunately, her death was painless and she died knowing the Lord had prepared a place for her when she left her earthly home. And amazingly, she was able to say goodbye to her pastor, her husband, her children and their spouses, and all nine grandchildren, one by one. They will never forget her.

Neither will I.

It's a good thing to remember those we love. Now Gayle can also be remembered every time someone reads these books.

Thanks for letting me share my heart.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

Nancy Jill Thames was born to write mysteries. From her early days as the neighborhood story-teller to the Amazon Author Watch Bestseller List, she has always had a vivid imagination and loves to solve problems – perfect for plotting whodunits. In 2010, Nancy Jill published her first mystery Murder in Half Moon Bay, introducing her well-loved protagonist Jillian Bradley and clue-sniffing Yorkie “Teddy.”

When she isn’t plotting Jillian’s next perilous adventure, Nancy Jill travels between Texas, California, and Georgia finding new ways to spoil her grandchildren, playing classical favorites on her baby grand, or having afternoon tea with friends.

She lives with her husband in Texas and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) CenTex Chapter.

To learn more about Nancy Jill, visit these sites.

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A Favorite Book of Mine

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When visiting my daughter in California I often come across good books to read due to the entire family being voracious readers down to the 12 year old.
   I've read a variety of subjects, from suicide, special pets, to best sellers. All enjoyable. But one book remains one of my favorites, a simple, beautifully written memoir of Anne Morrow Lindbergh when she spent a vacation alone in a small cottage on Captiva island off the Florida Gulf Coast.
   What I like best about this "Gift from the Sea" is the way Lindbergh correlates seashells to the various stages of adult womanhood. You'll have to read the book to understand.
   This is the second time I've read this work. I choose to read it at the beginning of a new year to further ground my outlook of life now as a senior.
   Fascinating for me is to realize that although Anne Lindbergh suffered through the terrible tragedy of the murder of their infant son, she found strength through her writing, her husband, and in later years her five children.
   Not all of us can spend a week or two in solitude on a remote island. But what we can do is step into Anne Lindbergh's experience, read about her journey, and discover that each one of us has the capacity to be a whole person no matter what life hands us.

Please let me know if you have read this book or plan to. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Cheers!

Nancy Jill  

                  

Top Six Reasons to Celebrate in 2016

It's been a whirlwind writing year for me. Time to look back at reasons I'm celebrating in 2016. I hope it's been a good year for all of you as well.

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"Sweets, Treats and Murder"
by Nancy Jill Thames 

   When a celebrated author like Joanna Campbell Slan invites you to be part of her holiday anthologies, your answer is a resounding YES! The Happy Homicides anthologies have been a big hit for cozy mysteries starting with the first Christmas edition in 2015.

   Happy Homicides 2: Thirteen Cozy Mysteries centers around Valentines Day with Crimes of the Heart. "Sweets, Treats and Murder" is the story I wrote centered around a murdered employee of a chocolate and gift shop in Jillian Bradley's hometown of Clover Hills.

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"Birthday Bash"

by Nancy Jill Thames

   The second reason to celebrate is the Summertime Crime edition of Happy Homicides sharing my story of "Birthday Bash" as Jillian's niece Lexis (introduced in Book 4 "Pacific Beach") is embroiled in the murder of her date for Grandmother Lovejoy's 90th birthday celebration, also taking place in Clover Hills.

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   Joanna didn't stop there. I'm also celebrating her decision to commission more authors to write "Fall into Crime," the fall edition for "Happy Homicides 4." You'll read about a murder at the Clover Hills Historical Society's Gala Event in "Raven House." To sweeten the deal, we offer a boxed set of Happy Homicides 3 and 4 at one low price.

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   With new stories flying off my keyboard I simply had to publish a collection. I'm celebrating "The Jillian Bradley Short Story Collection" release containing all four "Happy Homicides" short stories plus two additional stories published in the "A Cup of Cozy" collections. 

 Christmas Stories from the Authors of Cozy Mystery Magazine
Including Holiday Menus and Recipes!
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   The fifth reason I'm celebrating in 2016 is this latest collection. After three editions of "A Cup of Cozy" it was time to publish a boxed set for everyone to enjoy this Christmas. You'll find not only three of my short stories included in the set, but wonderful holiday menus and recipes, too.

Number six on the list is our Happy Homicides Christmas Anthology out in paperback.

NEW!

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Includes "Teddy Saves Christmas"

When Jillian Bradley finds herself alone for the holidays, her dog Teddy, a cute little Yorkie, finds a homeless woman with an interesting but dangerous secret. Teddy won't leave her on the street so Jillian has no choice but to take her home.

   As we come to the end of 2016, let us pause to always remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Praise God for his Unspeakable Gift! Merry Christmas, everyone!

~Nancy Jill

Valentine's Day 2016 - Top 10 Tips for Married Couples

Tip #1: Always believe you're right, even if what your spouse says may make a little sense. You don't want to confuse them.

Tip #2: Spend as much time as possible away from your spouse. This will give you little reason to ever argue.

Tip #3: If you're the wife, always wear makeup even if it's only lipstick. Your husband doesn't like looking at the 'Before' picture.

Tip #4: If you're the husband, refrain from covering up your messy unkempt hair with a baseball hat. Your wife knows you're not paying attention to personal hygiene.

Tip #5: If you're the wife always demand gifts on Valentine's Day, your birthday, anniversary and Christmas. This is a real proof of your husband's love.

Tip #6: If you're the husband take your wife shopping starting three weeks ahead of any event to make sure you know exactly what she would like for Valentine's Day, her birthday, anniversary and Christmas.

Tip #7: Husbands should always remember "A Happy Wife is a Happy Life."

Tip #8: Wives should always remember their husbands live to serve.

Tip #9: If you're a wife remember that all men are the same so it won't do any good to trade yours in for a later model.

Tip #10:If you're a husband remember that if you are thinking the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, all cows eat grass.

What tips do you have for keeping love in your marriage?

~Nancy Jill
Married 47 years.

Nancy Jill Thames was born to write mysteries. From her early days as the neighborhood story-teller to the Amazon Author Watch Bestseller List, she has always had a vivid imagination and loves to solve problems – perfect for plotting whodunits. In 2010, Nancy Jill published her first mystery Murder in Half Moon Bay, introducing her well-loved protagonist Jillian Bradley and clue-sniffing Yorkie “Teddy.”

When she isn’t plotting Jillian’s next perilous adventure, Nancy Jill travels between Texas, California, and Georgia finding new ways to spoil her grandchildren, playing classical favorites on her baby grand, or having afternoon tea with friends.

She lives with her husband in Texas and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) CenTex Chapter.

To learn more about Nancy Jill, visit these sites.

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Twitter 
Website

Pinterest

Do You Know Your State Flower and Tree?

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What a delightful read! "The Official State Flowers and Trees Their Unique Stories" by Glynda Joy Nord was an extremely interesting history of our beloved flowers and trees that we often see, are studied in classrooms, and appear in government institutions. I had no idea what battles were fought in passing adoptions of some of these symbols. California's golden poppy, for instance, took 13 years to become the state flower! My favorite story, though, was about the bluebonnet, the great state of Texas' flower. It was chosen from a Comanche legend about the sacrifice of a Chief's daughter. You'll have to read the book to learn what happened. The sketches were renderings based on the author's granddaughter initial drawings, which added a personal touch to the book. I also enjoyed the author's humorous comments laced throughout the stories. It's a book I'll treasure!

Learn more about Glynda Joy on her Website.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill Thames

Purple Plums Dripping With Memories

Oh, yum! As I passed through the produce section at Walmart the other day, I inhaled a whiff of purple plums. Not only did the scent of the sweet fruit engage my senses, but the childhood memory of the plum trees in our backyard also flashed in my mind.

There were two mature trees smack dab in the back of our yard, big enough to climb and hide in, and prolific in the amount of plums they bore each summer. Mom would make plum jam, which would last through the winter, and we never ran short of fresh fruit to eat. With a family of six, that's saying something.

Looking back at all the fun I had with my brothers and the neighbor kids, I realized the incredible importance child's play has on the development of the imagination. For instance, we'd overturn the Adirondack furniture on the lawn, scooting the  pieces together to make a fort, or even better, we'd make a pretend airplane which we would fly all over the place, taking off and landing in exotic places. Of course, we'd be munching on plums while we played, climbing up the trees for supply as needed. 

During other times of play, our bikes became horses which we'd water in little red wagon troughs, then take on a cattle drive around the block, setting up camp in a vacant lot around the corner. Yes, we morphed into Spin and Marty from the Micky Mouse Club.

Sadly, we moved from that fun existence when I was in the 6th grade. By the time I was in the 8th grade, though, I had determined to be a yacht designer, an architect, or a foreign diplomat. I spent hours drawing boats, buildings, or reading about foreign lands, believing I could become anything I wanted to be.

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It turns out after taking piano lessons, I wound up in music, playing the organ in church, and eventually leading a choir. But I never forgot the childhood ambitions. Now, I write murder mysteries where I can incorporate all the dreams of my youth, as well as experiences we've shared as a family. "Murder at the Empress Hotel" is a good example. The story is based on a summer vacation our family took, along with both sets of grandparents. 

What about you? Did you have ambitions as a child that turned into reality? Or do you sometimes bite into some delicious food that reminds you of your past? It would be fun to hear about your experiences.

Until next time,
      
Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

Bird Wars

It began when we discovered a huge nest in one of our trees in the backyard built by a long-tailed grackle, which is in essence a big blackbird. The nest must have been a foot and a half in diameter, nestled 20 feet up in the tree.

Their squawking was annoying but that was not the worst of it. 

A young sparrow ventured too close to the nest and was brutally attacked by a female grackle,  while its mother watched helplessly. The blackbird viciously pecked the small bird's eyes out, and then five or six of them went for its face. My husband's righteous indignation grew to the point that he was ready to go to Walmart and buy a shotgun to blast the venomous creatures. He tried shooing the grackles away, but it was too late. The poor little sparrow just sat there on the ground with no face.

If that wasn't bad enough, the female blackbird was now empowered to call a bunch of her  group to settle in our trees to form a community.

After the vicious attack, we weren't going to let that happen.

We wanted our robin and mockingbird families back with their sweet songs, and so the Bird Wars began.

Whenever the blackbirds attempted to land in our trees, I'd run outside shooing them away by waving a dish towel, and yelling, "Go away, get out of here. Shoo!" I'd yell and scream at them until they would finally take the hint and fly into a different yard.

My husband took a different tactic by attaching an extension handle onto the hose creating a powerful water canon to discourage them away. 

That worked well until the hose sprung a leak and the water turned to a trickle.

Finally, when we asked our gardener to remove the nest, he scurried up the tree and knocked it down.

The birds were not discouraged. Not wanting to give up the place they'd chosen to nest, their numbers increased.

We keep chasing them away whenever they fly into our trees.

My husband will buy a new hose, and keep spraying them.

For now, the blackbirds seem to understand the message that they're  unwanted, and other birds are returning to our yard.

We'll see if we won the war now that we've been gone a few days.

Who knows? Maybe they will only have moved to the front yard.

Do any of you have tips for getting rid of unwanted blackbirds? We'd love to say, "Quoth the grackles, never more."

Cheers! 

~Nancy Jill

What Do British Royals and Queen of Afternoon Tea Have in Common?

When I saw the news of Prince George viewing his first Trouping of the Colors last week, I was transported back to my visit to see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. 

At the time, Prince Charles was still a bachelor with no apparent heirs to the throne. 

What a thrill to see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip step from their limousine, wave to the crowds, and tour Sutter's Fort in downtown Sacramento, California, where we lived.

I took my two children out of school for the event, and bought them British flags to wave. I wore a navy hat in honor of the occasion.

Back then, we used Polaroid cameras to take photos instead of our iPhones. Alas, the hard copies faded. Here is what's left of that memorable day.

If it hadn't been for a professional photographer next to me in the crowd offering to sell me one of his images, the picture of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip would have faded, too.

Perhaps seeing the British Royals in person and inheriting the last name of Thames, it was inevitable that I would come to love afternoon tea and include it in all of my books. 

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And now, you may ask, what do the British Royals and Queen of Afternoon Tea have in common? Well, today, the Queen Mum is a Queen Great Grandmum, Prince Philip is a Prince Great Granddad, and my two children have made me a Queen of Afternoon Tea Grandma six times. I think that qualifies us having something in common, don't you?

Have you seen any members of the Royal Family in person? I'd love to hear about it.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill