Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Free Book - Free Hat?

Riddle: I have an apple tree. Every week the number of ripe apples doubles. On the 30th week, all the apples are ripe. In which week are half the apples ripe?

Ever get taken to a restaurant that looks kind of dodgy and discover it's wonderful? That happened to us a few weeks ago. It's a hole-in-the-wall place on East River Road in Fridley, Minnesota, in a little strip mall with a gas station on one end and a tattoo parlor at the other. It's called Rinconcito Latino and it's run by a family from the Dominican Republic. I was coming off a cold and wanted some spicy-hot soup. I love seafood and rather bravely ordered their big bowl of seafood soup. It wasn't a big bowl, it was a huge bowl. Steaming delectably, it had the secondary claws of a king crab rising nobly from one side, and the shells of clams thrusting upwards in the middle. In it were big shrimp, a big hunk of white fish filet, oysters and scallops. Most amazingly, it wasn't spicy-hot. I almost didn't notice because it was so delicious. Did any of you know the culture of the Dominican Republic does not tend toward spicy food? My sister in law ordered the big bowl of chicken soup and discovered that half a chicken came on the side; the bowl itself was full of vegetables. Is anyone surprised that we're going back this Friday? Maybe on a third trip I'll try something else, but I can already taste that crab . . .

ANOTHER FREE BOOK: Get your copy of Original Sin, a mystery I wrote as Mary Monica Pulver here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HFLDL8. One of my favorite kinds of mystery is set in an old house out in the country during a blizzard or flood or some other emergency that cuts off help and communication, with a body in the bedroom or library or parlor. The murderer has to be someone in the house. There aren't a great many of these grand old-style mysteries, so when I ran out of them to read, I wrote one myself. The book was first published in 1991, before cell phones made true isolation almost impossible.  I think the solution is very clever.

One thing I did with this series is preface each one with a verse from Rudyard Kipling. It was fun – I love Kipling! – searching through a collection of his poetry for something appropriate for each of the five books. The verse for this one is: “Only the Lord can understand / When first this pangs begin, / How much is reflex action and / How much is really sin.”

I made an agreement with my husband that when I buy a new hat, an old hat must go. Well, I'm up to three new hats, and I've pickrd the three that have to depart – but they're still sitting here. What should I do with them? One is really, really nice, one is rather sedate, and one is a faded red straw with a huge floppy brim. Should I hold a contest and give them away? Sell them on ebay? Give them to a charity? Suggestions welcome. The photo with this blog entry is of the nice one.
Answer to riddle: The 29th week.

7 comments:

Katreader said...

I enjoy those old style stranded in a manor mysteries too. As for the hats...I love hats. I suggest a contest for one and perhaps a raffle or sale of the other two with the proceeds going to a charity.

Monica Ferris said...

NOTE; I forgot to say the offer of a free copy of Original Sin as an e-book is good only Wednesday and Thursday, February 27 and 28.

Linda O. Johnston said...

I love trying new restaurants, too, Monica, and that one sounds good--especially since I'm not fond of spicy food.

Betty Hechtman said...

You could donate a hat to the Malice silent auction.

I love those kind of mysteries, too.

Unknown said...

Monica, you made me hungry for that soup! The mystery sounded good too. Current technology has made it harder for mystery writers, hasn't it?

Monica Ferris said...

Oh, Anne, you are so right! There is something definitely new about young folks' need to be constantly in touch. I am grateful to know there is a lodge up on the North Shore of Lake Superior - it's called Naniboujou - that is out of range of most cell phones, and does not have a phone or television in any of the rooms. There is a television down in the lounge but it only plays DVDs.

Anonymous said...

I wish I could get one of your hats, but my sister (who is not a hat person) would veto the idea at the snap of a finger. I knit my own, though; right now, I'm working on cloches.