Life in Calgary
Maybe too much air in the tires?
Canadian Tire had a sale on mountain bikes last week. I found one I liked but the back tire was flat, so I asked the sports clerk to inflate it. I then bought the bike and threw it in the back of my car.
By the time I got home, however, the tire was again flat. I immediately turned around and went back to the store, receipt in hand.
Unfortunately, CT has a lot of problems with people banging canoes into rocks and trying to get their money back, so they no longer allow most sports equipment to be returned or exchanged.
The customer-service clerk pointed to my bill. “See, it says right here, no returns or exchanges.”
“But you sold me a flat tire,” I responded. “You do see the irony here.”
“What?”
“Your store is called CT. Do you want to change it to CFT?”
The clerk pondered for a moment. “Canadian Flat Tire?”
“I was thinking of another four-letter word.”
She eventually relented and allowed me to exchange my bike for the same model. “Is there anything else you need help with?” She asked
“Yes, I hear you rent car tires, as well. Can you give me your flat rate?”
Coming This Fall!
Reading and Signing at Owls Nest Books, September 15, 4 pm!
An Interview With Author Gordon Cope
Crystal Ball is the sixth book featuring FBI Agent Jack Kenyon. To what do you attribute the longevity of the series?
I’ve been writing the series for several decades now, and the characters – Jack, Jasmine, Marge – are all like old friends. Whenever I start a new book, it’s like a reunion. I also try to create a unique crisis – hackers, genetic terrorists – that reflects what’s happening on the front pages of the real world. And finally, there’s lots of twists and turns that keep readers turning the pages!
A lot of series are episodic, in which the action happens and then everyone switches back to default mode until the next crisis comes along. Do you do that with this series?
Jack and the other characters have evolved through the series, growing older, changing jobs, etc. Crystal Ball is an important installment in their lives, in that Jack and Bee are getting married, and one of the main characters dies. It’s going to be a very traumatic book for fans of the series.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It takes me about twelve months from start to finish. I spend a month or two plotting out the premise, then about six months writing the first draft, then another month editing and getting feedback from my cadre of volunteer readers, and then laying out the book and having it converted to eBook and paperback files for Kindle. I end up wearing a lot of hats! By the time the book reaches the official launch date, a year has passed.
Are you planning another book for Jack Kenyon?
Yes! Without giving away too much from Crystal Ball, Jack and Bee start a new life together, with lots of complications ensuing! Once I launch Crystal Ball, I’ll begin plotting out the premise for the next book.
Recipe: BBQ Cod
This is an easy and delicious summer meal; simply flavor the cod and let it cook! Great with asparagus and rice on the side.
Ingredients
4 cod fillets or cod loins about 8 ounces each
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
1 clove crushed garlic
Chopped green onion
Chopped fresh parsley
Lemons for garnish and juice
Instructions
Pat the cod fish very dry with paper towels. Brush them with olive oil.
Combine the Cajun seasoning, salt, and crushed garlic. Sprinkle evenly over the filets.
Bake in the BBQ at medium for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork at its thickest point.
Sprinkle with green onion and chopped fresh parsley. Serve with fresh lemon wedges or spritz with fresh lemon juice.
Book Review
Trunk Music
By Michael Connelly
Connelly is our all-time favorite police-procedural author, and we’ve been reading him for several decades. Trunk Music came out in 1997, and is one of his classic tales revolving around LAPD Detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch.
The book opens with the discovery of a murder victim in the trunk of his Rolls Royce, which is found abandoned in a fire lane above the Hollywood Bowl. Harry and his team are called out to investigate what appears to be a mob hit; the corpse was killed with two execution-style wounds to his skull from a .22 pistol.
Harry soon focuses on a mafia gang that has its tentacles in a number of Vegas casinos, but things aren’t quite what they seem; the evidence pointing to a prominent capo is simply too good to be true.
Harry’s dogged determination to find the real killers makes all kinds of enemies both within the mafia as well as LAPD headquarters, where entrenched interests would just as soon not see the truth revealed. Soon, Harry is dodging more bullets than a marine on D-Day. Justice ultimately wins out, however, and the bad guys are royally punished.
I found reading the book just as enjoyable today as when I first laid eyes on it over a quarter-century ago. I highly recommend Trunk Music!
Movie Review
Queen Bees
Streaming on Netflix
This is a feel-good movie starring some of Hollywood’s most endearing actors. Ellen Burstyn plays Helen, an independent widow living on her own until she gets forgetful and lights her kitchen on fire. Her worried daughter insists she temporarily relocate to a senior’s home during renovation, and Helen reluctantly agrees.
The home is dominated by the Queen Bees, a quartet of bitchy divas led by the seriously uptight Janet Poindexter (played with demonic glee by Jane Curtin), whose purpose in life is to make life unbearable for all the other tenants.
Helen isn’t intimidated by the Queen Bees, and makes it her task to give them their comeuppance. Along the way, she meets handsome widower Dan (played by James Caan), who becomes her love interest.
This is a great movie for cameos; pay close attention and you’ll see French Stewart, who played the delightfully goofy Harry in 3rd Rock from the Sun.
While a few hearts get broken, it all ends well; I especially like the fact that there wasn’t a single car chase scene or shoot-em-up in the entire movie. I highly recommend Queen Bees!