Crunchy with Chocolate Now Available

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Crunchy with Chocolate
An Anthology of Dragon Stories
October, 2021
Amazon: ebook and trade paperback

It has been said that one should never meddle in the affairs of dragons—for you are crunchy and taste good with chocolate.

Come enter the dragon’s lair and roll the dice. Within these pages you will still meet some of the biggest, baddest predators ever—but if you are lucky, you will also discover some that have a sweeter side.

Meet a dragon with a soft spot for hard luck cases and another who is a hopeless romantic.

Enjoy a musical battle between a dragon and the specter of one of the greatest guitarists to ever play.

Meet a dragon in trouble with other magical creatures because he enjoys hanging out with human children.

Join a mother and daughter and their teams of dragons on a dangerous cross-country race.

Reconnect with an imaginary friend – who is not so imaginary and escape the isolation of the pandemic.

And more…

So enter in BUT tread carefully—remember you are crunchy and taste good with chocolate.

My story is titled “The Princess and the Dragon”

If you think this story is a standard handsome knight rescues damsel from fierce dragon tale, think again. Here is a sneak peek to give you the flavor:

Suppose that, like Cyndrith, you happen to be the child of an ambitious mother joined to an insolvent father, a young lady of high birth, better than average looks, and broad but unorthodox education. As fate twists—only slightly assisted by your own and Aunt Vellie’s peculiar talents—you catch the eye of a neighboring prince at a time when he’s under pressure from the relatives to consider his duties. Your problems are solved. Right?

But further suppose that you do the obvious and necessary, you snag your man, and then you wake up the next day or week or month to find the honeymoon is over and you discover that your handsome, charming husband is a terrific dancer but an incompetent prince? And worse yet, your father-in-law, overjoyed that junior is finally settling down to business, and having just enough mens sanus left to realize that he’s losing it, decides to retire to Bath to take the waters, leaving the kingdom in the hands of your sweet but unqualified husband.

Cyndrith found the literature dealing with her particular problem scarce; the old legends insisted that everyone tended to live happily ever after, but her story looked likely to be a short, brutal tale — a leader who is hazy on the difference between cavalry and chivalry can generally expect an early and traumatic retirement.

Clearly, Cyndrith will have to take care of her own rescues, including confronting a rather unusual dragon!

Long Haul Covid – Update – Pulmonary Rehab Done

Karen McCullough Posted on by

It’s now been almost two months since I finished my eight-week course of pulmonary rehab and was handed a certificate to prove it. At this point I’ve seen considerable improvement in my general physical condition and ability to breathe as a result.

On the whole my Covid Long-Haul recovery continues to be a story of two steps forward and one step back. I’m in far better condition that I was last year this time. I still have relapses with unpredictable timing and length, but I don’t seem to be getting as sick with each now. The coughing doesn’t tear me apart and the headaches and body aches are manageable with OTC medicines. Fatigue during the relapses is still an issue, but even that has improved.

Between relapses I feel mostly normal now, with one exception.

I’ve been walking with my husband almost every morning for many years, except for that interval six to ten weeks in March and April of 2020 when I had Covid and the initial part of the recovery. For quite a while post-Covid I could barely make it around a couple of blocks. But that gradually got better, until a relapse would drop me back almost to square one again. But after each relapse I’ve recovered a little faster and stretched my distance again.

I recently had a personal post-Covid best distance of 1.78 miles! I’ve managed to pick up the rate, but I still don’t walk at the same speed I did pre-C. I use a pedometer app on my phone to track time and distance when I walk. I used to shoot for a goal of .25 mile each five minutes and usually had no trouble making that. Today, my speed is generally more like .18 mile/five minutes. Decent, but not as zippy as I used to be.

At this point I’m not sure I’ll ever get back to my former speed. In addition to Covid damage, there’s the age factor. And there seems to be a ceiling on my speed that isn’t there for distance. As long as I keep to the standard pace, I seem to be able to push the distance a bit.

But if I try to push beyond the .18 mile/5 minute pace, I’m likely to experience breathing problems and a total loss of energy either before I finish or shortly after – the sort of collapse that will keep me in the recliner for the rest of the day and possibly a day or two after.

I’m not entirely back to what was normal, but I’m adjusting to a newer version that I can live with.

2021 Goals Update – 3rd Quarter

Karen McCullough Posted on by

We just finished the third quarter of the year, so it’s time to revisit my 2021 goals to see how I’m doing.

My writing goals were to finish two novels in progress.  No Time for Mistakes, my third book in the No Brides Club Series is done, turned in, edited, and set to be published next week.  I’m now back to working on the other novel I hope to finish this year, Playing at Murder, the third book in the Market Center Mysteries Series. It currently stands at 33,000 words of a projected 70,000 – 75,000.  It will be a stretch to finish it by the end of the year, but I’m giving it my best shot.

On the short story front, my goal was to write five new ones.  I’ve met that goal now with five new stories this year, though I hope to write at least one more. Of the five, four have been accepted into various anthologies, including one in the Bould Awards anthology (I have two in that one, but one is an older story), one in the forthcoming Home for the Holidays Christmas Romance Anthology, one in the forthcoming Triangle Sisters in Crime anthology, Carolina Crimes: 20 Tales of Rock, Roll, and Ruin. Of the other two, one was accepted for an anthology that was cancelled, and the other remains unsold. I’ll continue to look for good homes for those two.

My personal project of scanning my photo albums slid somewhat during the summer, but I’m back at it now and making very good progress. I probably won’t finish it before the end of the year, but I expect to do so early next year.

On the personal hope list, my search for a way to give back in a meaningful way, to find a volunteer way to help, has been hampered by the reality of the continued prevalence of the Covid pandemic. I’m at a vulnerable age and already slowly recovering from Long Covid, so I’m not ready to get out and mingle with people except in very safe ways.

Saint Patrick’s Park

Karen McCullough Posted on by

I still have a couple more posts about the family visit last month that I’m now posting after a break to take care of other things. They’ll make a good way to wrap up summer now that we’re moving into fall

The final outing of our visit to South Bend in August was to St. Patrick’s Park, a fairly new park set up on the grounds of a former farm, on the outskirts of South Bend. It includes a number of walking trails and some interesting play spots for the children.

We started our visit with one of the walking trails that winds its way through a wooded loop of the park for about a mile and a half. An early beginning meant the temperature was pleasant, especially in the shade of the trees. The only unpleasant feature was the hordes of mosquitoes, but, fortunately, Sarah brought bug spray, which fended them off.

That part of our visit done, we piled back into the van and headed to the next stop, a play area for the children. Actually two play areas. One was a large, traditional playset with steps, slides and climbing poles, but the boys found the other, less traditional area more intriguing.

The big hit there was a water pump and system of movable wooden sluices that spilled water in a sand pit, where the kids could dig lakes, rivers, streams etc. to guide the liquid in whatever direction and into whatever form they wanted. The older two boys went into this trip with a plan that involved digging an elaborate stream leading under the old wooden rowboat shell, through a series of sand bridges they created and finally ending near the edge of the sand pit. One of them (mostly C.) pumped while the other excavated.

Meanwhile, the six-year-old followed his own program to make use of some of the other intriguing play possibilities. He spent quite a bit of time jumping along a series of tree stumps, negotiating an elastic web about ten feet in diameter, and climbing a hollow log some six feet high.

The four-year-old did his own thing as well, but that involved mostly digging in the sand.

A covered picnic area in the center of this section made the adults happy. The shade and place to rest was most welcome!

For the last half hour or so of our visit, the boys played on the more traditional climbing stairs, swinging from bars, and sliding down the slides (plus trying to run back up them).

A fun time was had by all of us!

No Time for Mistakes Cover and Blurb

Karen McCullough Posted on by

I now have a cover and official blurb for No Time for Mistakes. Pre-order link coming soon.

No Time for Mistakes (No Brides Club Series)
October 8, 2021
Sweet Promise Press.

As an ad designer, she puts all of her focus on her career. Now if only she wasn’t so irresistibly attracted to her new client’s marketing director…

When Lisa Harper is offered the career-defining job of creating an ad series for her largest client to date, she vows to get the work done without any distractions. That was before she met a member of their team who brings up painful memories that threaten to sidetrack her from her goals.

Eric has no idea that he bears a striking resemblance to the fiancé who dumped Lisa a few weeks before her wedding. Despite their tight deadline for finishing the project, the more he works with this attractive advertising exec, the more time he wants to spend with her.

As glitches and obstacles abound, Lisa and Eric are unable to deny their instant mutual attraction, but she has no time for mistakes. Can Lisa resist taking a chance with a personal relationship when her career is on the line?

Also this anthology is now available for pre-order in ebook and paperback!

Crunchy with Chocolate
An Anthology of Dragon Stories
October, 2021

My story is titled “The Princess and the Dragon”

If you think this story is a standard handsome knight rescues damsel from fierce dragon tale, think again. Here are the first three paragraphs to give you the flavor:

Suppose that, like Cyndrith, you happen to be the child of an ambitious mother joined to an insolvent father, a young lady of high birth, better than average looks, and broad but unorthodox education. As fate twists—only slightly assisted by your own and Aunt Vellie’s peculiar talents—you catch the eye of a neighboring prince at a time when he’s under pressure from the relatives to consider his duties. Your problems are solved. Right?

But further suppose that you do the obvious and necessary, you snag your man, and then you wake up the next day or week or month to find the honeymoon is over and you discover that your handsome, charming husband is a terrific dancer but an incompetent prince? And worse yet, your father-in-law, overjoyed that junior is finally settling down to business, and having just enough mens sanus left to realize that he’s losing it, decides to retire to Bath to take the waters, leaving the kingdom in the hands of your sweet but unqualified husband.

Cyndrith found the literature dealing with her particular problem scarce; the old legends insisted that everyone tended to live happily ever after, but her story looked likely to be a short, brutal tale — a leader who is hazy on the difference between cavalry and chivalry can generally expect an early and traumatic retirement.

Clearly, Cyndrith will have to take care of her own rescues, including confronting a rather unusual dragon!

From Vine to Jelly Jar

Karen McCullough Posted on by

My daughter’s new house came equipped with a tree on which a Concord grape vine was growing. During our visit many of those grapes had ripened. There were a lot of them, and it seemed a shame to let them go to waste. On a lark, we decided to try our hand at making grape jelly.

The boys were more than happy to help. From pulling down the vines so we could reach to grab clusters off them, to stripping grapes from the clusters and then mashing them in the bowl, they were delighted to participate.

Being newbies to the whole process, Sarah and I relied on online sites and directions. We followed along carefully, and on the whole it worked out well.

After boiling the fruit and straining, (a process we didn’t let the boys help with) we ended up with four cups of juice. We let that sit overnight (per the directions), which gave us time to go out and buy canning jars, pectin, and another bag of sugar.

The next day we started by boiling the jars and lids to sterilize them before we went ahead to the next step.

We brought the juice to a boil again and added in seven cups of sugar. We were stunned at how much sugar it called for, but several recipes warned us to follow them exactly, so we did as they said. Once the mixture was boiling, we added the pectin.

After boiling for a bit, we were directed to skim off the foam. The directions did not warn us that of the seven inches of goo in the pot, five of them would turn out to be foam. We scooped and skimmed, scooped and skimmed, and began to wonder if there really was anything else beneath it.

Finally, though, we got down to the clear goopy liquid that was molten jelly. We had enough to fill five pint jars, which then went into the water bath for another 5 to 10 minutes to seal them. On first taking them out of the water, the top of only one jar felt like it had squashed down a bit, indicating it had sealed, but after sitting a few minutes the rest developed that indentation as well.

After skimming, we were also left with some of the actual liquid jelly that had a bit of foam still mixed in. We decided to see what would happen if we poured that into jars, too. Instead of putting them in the hot water bath, those jars went into the fridge after they’d cooled.

Did it jell? Oh, yes. Our first indication it had worked came when the boys scooped up a few blobs that had spilled on the counter. Those had congealed into glumps that matched the texture of jelly from a commercial jar. The smiles indicated they passed the taste test.

The bit of foam mixed in meant those last jars of jelly didn’t look so beautifully rich and crystal clear, but it nonetheless congealed into something that looked and tasted very much like Concord grape jelly. Spread on slices of bread, it got the boys’ seal of approval.

The five jars of pure jelly looked spectacular, beautifully clear and richly grape-colored. The oldest provided us with hand-crafted labels for the jars.

Once, many years ago, I acquired an unexpected bounty of plums and I made jam from them. I recall that it was fun, and the jam tasty, but it involved a lot of work, even though I didn’t attempt to seal the jars, but kept them in the refrigerator instead. I think we only got about two jars’ worth, but we enjoyed the taste. That’s the only previous time I’ve made the effort.

With a crew of helpers working on it, though, it made for a fun project, with an end product that everyone could relish!

Anthology Release Today and other Short Story Sales

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Prepare for some BSP (blatant self-promotion) here.  This released today (Sept. 3):

Until Dawn
A Supernatural Anthology
Red Penguin Press
Sept. 3, 2021

Buy from Amazon

My story is titled “The Dog and the Dead Man.”

Lyana is both a witch and a Crime Scene Investigator for the Metro Washington D.C. police department, but her latest case, the murder of a prominent local philanthropist is going to test her ability to keep the two callings separate. The murdered man had a bit of magical talent himself, and it’s clear that the crime could only have been committed using magic.

 

Over the last few months, I’ve had quite a few stories accepted for publication in various periodicals or anthologies. They cover a broad range of genres.  Those I know of with approximate release dates:

Crunchy with Chocolate
An Anthology of Dragon Stories
October, 2021

My story is titled “The Princess and the Dragon”

If you think this story is a standard handsome knight rescues damsel from fierce dragon tale, think again. Here are the first three paragraphs to give you the flavor:

Suppose that, like Cyndrith, you happen to be the child of an ambitious mother joined to an insolvent father, a young lady of high birth, better than average looks, and broad but unorthodox education. As fate twists—only slightly assisted by your own and Aunt Vellie’s peculiar talents—you catch the eye of a neighboring prince at a time when he’s under pressure from the relatives to consider his duties. Your problems are solved. Right?

But further suppose that you do the obvious and necessary, you snag your man, and then you wake up the next day or week or month to find the honeymoon is over and you discover that your handsome, charming husband is a terrific dancer but an incompetent prince? And worse yet, your father-in-law, overjoyed that junior is finally settling down to business, and having just enough mens sanus left to realize that he’s losing it, decides to retire to Bath to take the waters, leaving the kingdom in the hands of your sweet but unqualified husband.

Cyndrith found the literature dealing with her particular problem scarce; the old legends insisted that everyone tended to live happily ever after, but her story looked likely to be a short, brutal tale — a leader who is hazy on the difference between cavalry and chivalry can generally expect an early and traumatic retirement.

Clearly, Cyndrith will have to take care of her own rescues, including confronting a rather unusual dragon!

Home for Holidays
A Christmas Romance Anthology
November, 2021
My story is “The Ghosts of Christmas Present”

Going home for Christmas is not at the top of Lyndsay Williams’ list of things she wants to do, but when her foster brother Josh asks her to come, she agrees, though Lyndsay and the rest of her foster family have never been close. She arrives to find that Josh has also invited his best friend Aaron Hampton to join them. Lyndsay had a crush on Aaron growing up. At Josh’s wedding, she and Aaron found a special connection, only to have their reunion end in disastrous humiliation. Really, she’d hoped never to see Aaron again. The holiday promises to be memorable, though possibly for all the wrong reasons.

BOULD Anthology
November, 2021
My story is titled “Reservations Required.”

Carolina Crimes: 20 Tales of Rock, Roll, and Ruin.
Date: TBA
My short story is titled “Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets.”

42 Stories Anthology
Date: TBA
My 42-word short mystery story is “BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME.”

Wading in Lake Michigan

Karen McCullough Posted on by

On a hot, summer day a trip to the beach makes a perfect outing. Fortunately, South Bend has several within easy driving distance at Indiana Dunes State Park. The park sits at the very southern tip of Lake Michigan and offers a couple of large beach areas and several smaller sandy coves open to the public.

We opted for one of the smaller beach areas and an early arrival to beat the crowds. As it happened, there weren’t a lot of crowds to beat. Despite near-perfect weather, by noon our small area had maybe ten family groups or couples sharing the space, but there was still plenty of room to let everyone spread out and remain well distanced.

We discovered one reason this particular spot was less popular than other areas – the surface in the shallow part of the water was very rocky, once you got a few feet in. The stones made for very unstable (not to mention unpleasant) footing as you stood on them.

On the other hand, the lake water was crystal clear. Even several feet in, you could still see the bottom, and a number of fish, I’m told. I didn’t make it out that far. The unstable rocks kept me close to the edge on the sandier parts. Plus, the water was cold. For someone used to the coastal beaches of the Carolinas, where in summer the water tends to be quite warm, the chill of the lake was a shock.

Even so, the boys had a wonderful time in it. The calm lake water made them more comfortable than the ocean waves, which are rough by their standards even on fairly quiet days. Other than those generated by passing boats, there was barely a ripple at the shore. The boys splashed and floated and played in the water for a long time.

And of course, the sand offered other joys. L. insisted I bury him up to his neck in it. He played dead and then suddenly rose up out of his gritty tomb. Several excavation projects were embarked on, including one mighty hole so deep the surface was at waist level when C. stood in it. H made the bottom of the dune at the back of the beach into an impromptu slide.

Their grandparents mostly sat in the shade of the dune or the beach umbrella and watched, enjoying the pleasant day, beautiful vistas, and the family fun.

A Walk Along the River

Karen McCullough Posted on by

What could be more intriguing to four small boys than a river’s edge? Especially one with places where they can get right up to water, throw stones in to watch the splash, and look around for fish and other aquatic creatures.

Fortunately South Bend is named for the twist in the St. Joseph river it occupies and features several nice places to walk alongside the water. One of them offers a few places where kids can get close to the edge, plus has the bonus of going by a playground that is an excellent goal and terminus. During our recent visit, we took advantage of the pleasant weather to investigate.

The boys spent time collecting pebbles and small sticks and enjoyed throwing them in the water. The oldest, L, moved a small piece of wood near the edge and jumped back startled when something he described as a “small lobster” swam out from underneath. Further observation confirmed that he’d disturbed a crayfish who swam quickly away. Sadly I couldn’t get a good picture of it in the muddy water.

After a short but pleasant walk that featured a few low walls for boys to walk and trees just made for climbing attempts, we finished up at the playground where the boys got a chance to run, jump, climb, yell, and slide to their heart’s content.

A Visit to the Zoo

Karen McCullough Posted on by

The whole gang (sans me, taking the picture) waiting for the train to get underway.

My husband and I recently returned from a visit with our daughter and her family in Indiana. We made the eleven-hour drive from our home in North Carolina because I’m not ready to resume flying again yet. Some fog, heavy rain, and traffic in cities led to portions of the trip being white-knuckle efforts, but for most of the journey each way we had sunshine and smooth sailing.

The weather cooperated during our visit as well and my daughter did a great job of planning outdoor activities for all of us. We had a great time with her and her husband, and their four boys, ages nine (soon to be ten), eight, six, and four.

First stop was the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend. The zoo is small, but well arranged and carefully managed. The interesting assortment of animals includes rhinoceros, okapi, emus, otters, monkeys, bison, and even a lion. The lion’s current habitat is temporary as they’re working on more spacious digs for him. The anteater is surprisingly huge and furry. Also in progress is an exhibit area for a set of animals due to arrive this fall: giraffes.

The boys enjoyed watching the various animals, but most popular things for them were the petting zoo, the train, and the carousel. A good time was had by all.

L (age 9, almost 10) and a vicuna. They are curious about each other.

C (age 8) and the vicuna contemplate each other

A giant anteater. When they say “giant” they mean really, really big!

L. reaches a tentative agreement with a goat.

C. and L. on the carousel.

L. and H. (6) unleash their wild beast side.

And F. (age 4) and C. have a turn.