4 Lessons Learned from 483 Pieces of “Desk” by Susan Harris Howell

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Oh my do I feel the pain of my guest blogger. We just purchased a put-together desk recently...but I stepped back and let FDW fight with it. Ah, the language! Enjoy this post from Susan Harris Howell. She is fearless for tackling such a project. And then check our her book which sounds like a fun read.

My new desk came to me in 483 pieces—slats, panels, and hardware wrapped in plastic bags for “easy delivery and assembly.” My daughter commented that the company might have just sent me a tree and an ice pick for the work it would require.

I sat on the floor, surrounded by debris that looked nothing like the desk I had ordered. I wanted to lie down and cry. I would have too if I would’ve had enough floor space to lie down. This was an impossible task. 

I wanted to send it back, but I could no more repack that box than I could unring a bell. So, I picked up the forty-eight-page instruction booklet, turned to page one, and put the “twist-lock fasteners into outer ends A and C.” 

That first step was the beginning of a three-day process which led to the beautiful desk I now adore. It also taught me a few things about another “impossible” task I would soon face – writing my first novel. 

Here’s what I learned. 

Lesson One: Just do today’s work. 

As I thumbed through the encyclopedic-sized instruction manual, I knew I’d have to narrow my focus. So, I concentrated on step one without mentally moving on to steps two or three. This helped me begin and kept me moving forward.

Likewise, when writing a book, we often work best by tackling one manageable task at a time without mentally wandering into steps two, three, or beyond. Narrowing our focus can move us forward.

Lesson Two: Be confident. 

That first day, colleagues dropped by to offer condolences. I assumed they would know more than I and would have secrets to share on furniture assembly. Sadly, none of them did; evidently, there were no secrets.   

Similarly, when we have a story to tell, we can’t assume someone else will tell it better. They have their own stories to write, their own desks to assemble. My story is my story; your story is yours. Be confident in the telling.

Lesson Three: Use available resources.

On the first day when my husband offered our power drill, I declined since the instructions clearly said power tools weren’t necessary. On day two, I grabbed that power drill and didn’t let go. Using the right tool made the task easier.

Likewise, when writing, we can avail ourselves of quality resources. Books, conferences, blogs and podcasts – a lot of information is out there. Find it and use it. 

Lesson Four: Let others participate.

When one of my students (now a friend) offered to help, I gratefully accepted. Not only was Bethany’s help priceless, she and I bonded through our desk-a-thon experience. For several days, we posted pictures and progress reports on social media. Friends across several states watched with interest and celebrated the finished product.

In the same way, writing is richer when others walk alongside us. Whether they read each draft, encourage our persistence, or subscribe to our newsletter, many will participate if we invite them. Don’t go it alone.

The take-away?

My desk now serves as a daily reminder of what can be accomplished when we focus on today’s work, remain confident, use available resources, and invite others to join us. 

I hope these lessons encourage you in your next “impossible” endeavor.

Book Blurb:

When Samantha and her students uncover a campus death, they must draw on everything from science to seances, to learn what happened before Samantha gets fired for “dabbling in the paranormal.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Vanderlaan-Samantha-Hayes-Book-ebook/dp/B0DHV65RM4?ref_=ast_author_dp

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-spirit-of-vanderlaan-susan-howell/1146282868?ean=9781509258888

Author Bio:

Susan Harris Howell is a psychologist and retired university professor. The Spirit of Vanderlaan, draws on her career to capture the warmth between a teacher and the students who inhabit her office. Susan is also the author of Buried Talents. She and her husband have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, one adorable grandson, and an incorrigible beagle named Doc. 

My Social Media Links:

Website: https://susanharrishowell.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/susan_h_howell/

Email List & Monthly Blog:  https://susanharrishowell.substack.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/susanhowellwriter

Eureka Moments: Researching for Second Wives

MUSE MONDAY

What a fun guest post we have today. Please welcome Patricia McAlexander to Discover... on Muse Monday.

While writing fiction, one has, I think, sudden bursts of insight and inspiration. They might be called Eureka moments. When I was writing my historical fiction Second Wives, many such moments came as I researched  the past.

Second Wives is based on three generations of my German Kornmeyer ancestors. I knew that the first two generations—a father and his seven children—came from Baden to New York in 1850 as steerage passengers on a ship named the Jane E Williams. I experienced one of my first Eureka moments when I simply googled the Jane E Williams—and up on the screen came a painting of a sailing ship with its US flag stiff in the wind. It was labeled "The Barque Jane E. Williams of New York, 1848, oil on canvas 18 x 25.5 inches” and signed by artist Lorenz Petersen (1803-1870).  The actual painting had been sold, but its image made my ancestors’ voyage across the Atlantic suddenly vivid and real for me.

Another Eureka moment came when I found on Ancestry.com the manifest listing the passengers on the Jane E Williams, which arrived in New York Harbor from Rotterdam on October 7, 1850. The names of my great-great-grandfather Martin Kornmeyer (age 38, male, Baden, farmer) and his seven children, written in the archaic cursive of the recording official, was another lightning bolt from the past. It made me see the family standing on the deck of the docked ship as the official checked off their names.

A third such moment came in my own home, this one involving my grandmother, Emma Kornmeyer, born in 1877, daughter of Martin’s oldest son.  In one of my dresser drawers I re-discovered her engagement ring, which I had inherited years before—a small circle of gold, with two amber topaz stones.  I had read of her beautiful 1902 wedding in a yellowed newspaper among my mother’s mementos, and now, holding the ring, I could even more fully imagine the love between her and the young man who had given it to her.  I put these lines in my novel describing his proposal:

He took a small box from his pocket and handed it to her. Emma lifted the lid. There was a double-stoned topaz ring, the amber stones set in gold, winking in the sunlight.

“Will you take this as an engagement ring?”

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Emma took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. “It fits perfectly. And the two stones side by side—they are you and me.”

This husband died long before she did. One of the ring’s stones was now missing, a dark hole bordered by the loosened prongs that had held it. As I looked down at the ring, now with just one stone, I felt the pain Emma must have felt when she lost him. Another Eureka moment.

 

Book blurb

Amid the political chaos of the German Confederation in 1848 and with crops on his Baden farm failing, thirty-six-year-old Martin Kornmeyer persuades his wife, Esther, to emigrate to America with their seven children and her widowed younger sister, Rosa. When Esther falls ill on the journey, the family is delayed in the Netherlands for two years—a time marked by guilt, new love, and death while they strive to follow the dictates of their Catholic faith. At last, the family crosses the Atlantic and settles in the farming regions of western New York State. As decades pass there, first Martin’s oldest son, Karl, and then Karl’s daughter Emma also face love and loss and look to that earlier generation for guidance.

Inspired by the author’s ancestors, this historical saga traces the lives of three generations through marriage, loss, and the possibility of renewal through a second love. 

 

Excerpt

Martin reached down, scooped up a handful of soil, and, opening his fist, showed it to her. “I’ve loved this land, worked this soil, all my life. It will always be a part of me. But the crops have failed too many times. The farm is mortgaged. We would lose it if we stayed longer. And you know the political situation here.” He let the soil sift through his fingers back to the ground.  “I will find new land in America. It will be a better home there for Esther and our children and their children.”

Rosa recognized in his eyes, his voice, the kind of passion she’d seen in Johannes when he talked of politics, of revolution. She turned away to look out past the farmhouse and barn to the winter-barren land beyond. She thought of the ragged men in the cities, of their angry demonstrations, of what Johannes had said about America. She turned back. “Yes, I see why you have to go.” Pulling her hood back over her head, she began moving out into the wind. “And it’s time for me to go back to Stuttgart. I’ll find work there as a governess.”

 “Rosa!” He reached out and took her arm. “Esther and I want you to come with us.”

 

buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTWT772K

Email: mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com

Website: https://patriciamcalexander.weebly.com 

Bio:

Originally from upstate New York, Patricia McAlexander earned degrees from the State University of New York at Albany, Columbia University, and The University of Wisconsin, Madison, all in English. It was in Madison that she met her Southerner husband, Hubert, a fellow graduate student. They made Athens, Georgia their home, raised their son there, and taught at the University of Georgia. After retiring, Patricia has had more time to garden and travel while renewing her interests in photography, history, and, most of all, writing fiction.. Since 2020 she has published four contemporary novels of romantic suspense—Stranger in the Storm, Shadows of Doubt, The Student in Classroom Six, and The Last Golden Isle. In Second Wives she combines the romance and psychological complexity of her previous works with family lore and genealogical research to create her first novel of historical fiction. 

 

Reading and Reviews (Black and Grafton)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. From time to time, I'll share my reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day. 

Here are some of the books I've read recently. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author. 

Death by Coconut by Susie Black 

Obnoxious Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors and customers alike. So the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating scoundrel dead. The question was who didn’t. Mariel Levine, Laurie’s Fashions' swimsuit buyer and Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by impaling him with the jagged edge of a coconut shell at the base of his skull. The wisecracking, irreverent President of Mermaid Swimwear jumps into action to uncover the real killer. But the treacherous trail holds more dangerous human predators than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades. Everything turns out differently than amateur sleuth Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a vengeful killer.

 

My Review

The Yentas are at it again. They’re cheering Holly on as she tackles another murder mystery. Ms. Black’s imagination and creativity are stellar in this Holly Swimsuit mystery down to using a coconut shell to stab the most obnoxious Posnick. This story is set in Miami, and having lived there, I can say she’s portrayed the setting rightfully, plunging the reader into the Florida city. Not to be a spoiler, but there might be a little romance for Holly in this book of the series. It’s a madcap mystery romp with plenty of unique characters. 

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Coconut-Holly-Swimsuit-Mystery/dp/B0GX9FZDNP

 

 

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton 

Although business has been slow lately for P.I. Kinsey Millhone, she's reluctant to take on the case of locating Beverly Danziger's sister Elaine Boldt. It's a small matter that Beverly should be able to handle herself. So why is she enlisting Kinsey's services? Beverly claims she needs Elaine's signature on some documents so that she can collect a small inheritance. But it doesn't sit well with Kinsey. And if there's something she's learned in her line of work, it's to always follow your instincts…

Kinsey's hunch proves true when she begins her inquiries into Elaine's whereabouts and discovers that the attractive widow was last seen in a flashy lynx coat boarding a plane for Boca Raton. But the more Kinsey searches for Elaine the more questions she encounters. Is Elaine's disappearance tied in to the brutal murder several months ago of one of her bridge partners? And what happened to Elaine's Persian cat who seems to have also vanished?

Things take a turn for the worse when a stranger vandalizes the home of one of Elaine's neighbors and another neighbor turns up murdered. With her reputation and career on the line, Kinsey risks all to find a missing woman and a killer who's waiting in the shadows to strike again…

 

My Review

I’m hooked on the P.I. Kinsey Millhone books. I’ve been reading them out of order but it doesn’t matter, although I can see the growth in her character in later books. Anyway, read the blurb and know I recommend this book for lots of entertainment. 

https://www.amazon.com/Burglar-Millhone-Mystery-Alphabet-Mysteries/dp/1250020247/

Life’s Adventures: Trips and Trauma II

This is summer number 2 of a real mixed bag of highs and lows. 

In May, we made a partial move. We rented an apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona to get out of the heat of the RV at the Ranch. Mom (95-year-old Mom) moved in with us. 

On the high side, we are five minutes away from the kids. That means I’ve been able to play chauffeur to my granddaughter. 

On the low side, a 13-year-old granddaughter is not nearly as interested in spending time with her Nana anymore, so chauffeuring her around, to friends or with her friends, I at least get to see her. 

On the high side, we LOVE the apartment complex where we are living. It’s beautifully landscaped with lots of trees, grass, and flowering bushes which actually keeps it cooler in this gawdawful heat. 

On the low side, the patio isn't seeing much time in this gawdawful heat. 

On the high side, spending time with Mom is a blessing. How many women still have their mom around at 95? She’s spry, loves to shop, but her energy level is spotty. She still does for herself, so we are lucky. 

On the low side, my time isn’t totally my own anymore…that took some adjusting. 

On the high side, one of my books was chosen for a BookBub Featured Deal. I've tried numerous times, but they only let 20% of the submissions pay the outrageous price for the one day ad. The thing is, that one day equals lots of exposure. This is the book: Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW1GPJR7

On the low side, FDW and I have had numerous doctor appointments. And a few of his doctors are in Payson which is closer to Tonto Basin. Lots of time in the car. 

I’d like to end on all high side notations. 

On the high side, much of his problems are slowly getting better. My one excursion under the knife turned out amazing. 

On the high side, we managed an overnight trip up north to visit friends. 

On the high side, I had a great little birthday celebration with some
family. 

One last high. Although my time is not as free since our move, I am managing to put in some time on the next book. I’m writing a 1969 prequel to The MacKenzie Chronicles. 

All of you have a happy summer…if you haven’t heard, I HATE summer. LOL

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JCKBVH2

 

 

 

Book Sale Limited Time Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder

 

While I work on book 5 in The Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery series...yet to be named...you can take advantage of a special! And I'll let you in on a clue for book 5. Nic is on her own in this one. Can she find the murderer without Em by her side? How will Guthrie feel about that? Can ex-husband #2, a relative of Wyatt Earp, be of any help?

AVAILABLE AUGUST 13 TO AUGUST 20, 2026

It’s a rib cookoff…with a recipe for murder.

 

Nicole Earp and Emma Banefield are celebrating another birthday at the Dulce Inn with the added fun of a rib cookoff in the park of their small town. Not only are chocolate martinis in their plans, Nic is baking and has her heart set on winning the cornbread contest. But as the excitement heats, someone is stirring up trouble for the inn and its employees.

 

Strange occurrences at the Dulce are on the rise. Slashed tires, menacing phone calls, and unsavory characters add a vibe that threatens the sisters’ anticipated fun-filled stay. When the hot-headed hotel owner is caught wielding a bloody letter opener over a dead coworker, the sisters are embroiled in a caper to help the one person who finds their sleuthing as welcomed as a rattlesnake in her bed. But is she innocent?

 

In this cozy culinary mystery, these amateur sleuth sisters are primed to find out. First, they’ll have to eliminate a host of suspects that includes a dishonest restaurant owner, a jilted girlfriend, an ex-wife, the barkeeper, and a masseuse with a crush. If the Chocolate Martini Sisters can stay off the radar of the surly chief homicide detective long enough, they can put out the fire…unless the killer burns them first.

 

The third book in this amateur sleuths, cozy mystery series will have you chuckling and on the edge of your seat as the sisters solve the murder.

Wicked is as Wicked Does: Wicked Wednesday with J. D. Webb

 WICKED WEDNESDAY

My guest, J. D. Webb, deals in multiple villains. Enjoy this look at his book this Wicked Wednesday.

Wicked villains:

Frequent Flier villains are members of a drug cartel. A splinter group from a huge operation run by Ukrainian Oligarch. Not the most competent organization, but they get by. Two brothers keep the drugs flowing by recruiting high schoolers as runners.

A young friend of ex-military pilot, Matt Pearson, is a reluctant recruiting target. Matt steps in to convince the recruiters to back off. It doesn’t go well. Matt gets the upper hand but that just increases the efforts.

Excerpt:

A commotion outside prompted Matt to enter the hallway.

Luis stood in front of his apartment. Two Hispanic guys flanked him. One other boy rubbed his shoulder. The two swiveled to see who’d entered the hallway.

Matt approached. “Luis, is everything okay?” He heard Sharon open the door wider.

Luis didn’t say anything.  

The tallest boy sneered at Matt. “You need to go back inside.” They looked to be teenagers or early twenties.

“Do you own this building, son?”

“No and I ain’t your son. Leave.”

“Now there we have a problem. I’m not the owner of the building either, but I’ve been invited here. How about you? Have you been invited?”

The guy faced Matt. He was about two inches taller than Matt and had the muscles of someone who worked out. His sharp face featured a short goatee and a ring in his nose. Gold chains hung around his neck across the front of a T-shirt with the lettering J-Boyz. Tan cargo pants partially covered a pair of brown, pointed-toe Western boots. 

The boy bounced on his feet and curled his hands into fists. His frizzy black hair bounced as well. “I’m telling you to go back inside before you have a problem. Me an’ Luis are having a discussion and it don’t concern you. Beat it.” He turned back to Luis and waited. “I don’t hear your door closing,” he said.

“Funny, I didn’t either. It would be advisable for you to leave now. Luis, are you finished with this conversation?”

Luis nodded.

“Well, there you have it Mr…. I didn’t catch your name. We’re done here.”

The guy dropped his shoulders and rushed Matt. Matt sidestepped and grabbed the gold chains. He pulled down and the man face-planted on the floor. Matt took the young man’s wrist and twisted, cupping the hand, putting pressure on the wrist.

He lifted the boy and stood him facing the wall. The second boy had not moved, and his jaw was wide open. His expression revealed this rarely happened. 

Matt took a step back. “Are you listening to me, ah, what was your name again?”

“Stone. Ahh, name is Stone.”

“Mr. Stone, we’re done here. You need to leave, and I don’t think you should come around anymore. Got it?” Matt gave an extra push on the hand. A yelp let him know it worked. He turned Stone around and tugged his goatee. A smear of blood had formed under his nose. “Didn’t hear you?”

“We’re done.” His lips said it, but his eyes disagreed. He rubbed his wrist and arm. “I’ll remember you.”

“I’ll remember you, Mr. Stone. If we meet again, I won’t be so kind.”

“Me neither.” Stone motioned to the other boy as he shook out his hand. He glanced back and they left.

“What was that about, Luis?”  

“They wanted me to go to a party with them. I said no and Stone shoved me. Said I disrespected him.”

Blurb:

Ex-military pilot Matt Pearson in San Diego for a short visit meets the ‘perfect’ woman. A six-month whirlwind romance succeeds in her saying yes to his proposal. What followed should have been Nirvana. If only. It wasn’t to be. A confrontation with a drug cartel never results in peace.  

 

Buy Links for Frequent Flier:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Frequent-Flier-J-D-Webb-ebook/dp/B0GHZG9Z58/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2M8O33AMW2RZT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dLmESGccLmw5Wv3vvSeHJw.KtlEFAWAGTRZUS9aPNQX8QyLD2HQfmbquK07g0FPruM&dib_tag=se&keywords=frequent+flier+webb&qid=1782517004&sprefix=frequent+flier+webb,aps,235&sr=8-1

Wild Rose Press:

https://wildrosepress.com/product/frequent-flier/

 

Bio:

J. D. Webb, served in the Air Force in Viet Nam and the Philippines as a Chinese linguist, as a corporate transportation manager, then shoe repair and sales shop owner, before becoming an author. Obviously had trouble keeping a job.

An award-winning author of seven novels, an anthology and two short stories. Incredible Witness the anthology was a finalist in the 2023 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion awards. Bayou Chase, a thriller, was published September 2023 by Wild Rose Press.

His next thriller, Free To Be Me, released in July 2025. As a pre-published manuscript, it was selected as a Top Pick at the 2024 Killer Nashville Claymore Awards. In 2026 it placed first in the annual NEST awards suspense category.

A second thriller titled Frequent Flier was released in 2026. This is a series with a third and fourth book under development.

Shepherd’s Pie coming soon. Chicago PI becomes the target of a killer.

Her Name Is Mommy coming soon. Chicago PI thwarts a kidnapping.

In 2023 Webb was honored to be elected to the Midwest Writer’s Workshop Board of Directors.

A recent move relocated him to Gallatin, TN. Currently learning to speak Southern.

 

Contact links:

Facebook:

facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/jdavewebb/

Website:

https://jdwebb.com/

What's to Find in the Wormhole: A Muse Monday Post by Lyndi Alexander

MUSE MONDAY

The idea of wormholes existing sends chills up my spine. But for my guest, it's all part of the creative process. I think her muse sent her down a wormhole and Lyndi sure knows how to use it to create some enthralling books. Tell us about it, Lyndi.

At the conclusion of SIXSHOOTER, the book to which SPECTRUM is a sequel, the two ships carrying our characters jump through a wormhole into the unknown, an act of desperation, a desire to survive on their own terms. 

What lies on the other end of a wormhole? 

Who knows? This is the conundrum that fueled the opening chapters of SPECTRUM for me. Having been a long-time fan of science fiction movies and shows, I could think of multiple examples from Star Trek to Doctor Who and back. My intent was to create something different, something that would challenge our heroes. After all, in SIXSHOOTER, several of them had come to that universe and found it populated with humanoids like themselves. Business proceeded as usual. 

But when Valeni, Garrett and the others come to on the other side, they find nothing. No planets, no stars, nothing to steer by.  As the wormhole has closed behind them, they have no choice but to proceed. How can you figure out where you are when you can see nothing? How long does it take before you give up, and what do you do then? 

The crews struggle with every possibility, traveling blindly, trying every sensor available to them, but still can detect nothing. When they are ready to surrender to despair, Zie, the empathic alien healer traveling with them, picks up the existence of other living beings. Based on this, the only positive clue they have received since their arrival, the ships move in tandem toward the faint signs of life. Continuing to make attempts to communicate through more conventional manners is fruitless, and there is no way to determine whether they are approaching a planet, another ship, or a loose space-faring squid. 

Then, perhaps the most stunning of all out of the endless darkness: “A-Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” 

            And the adventure only unwinds from there.

BLURB:

Following the impetuous launch of the spaceships Tiburon and Sixshooter through a newly discovered wormhole, Garrett, Luca, Valeni, Nikki/Nicholas, and Zie arrive in what seems to be an empty universe. 

After several weeks of trying to make headway, they receive a voice out of the dark, asking if they were “a good witch or a bad witch.” Can they adapt to this bizarre universe? If not, can they find escape through yet another wormhole?

 

Book Trailer for Sixshooter:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixU6FfqNZ0

 

BUY LINKS: 

Paperback at Amazon • Hardback at Amazon • eBook at Amazon Kindle • eBook at Apple Books • eBook at Kobo • eBook at Smashwords • Audiobook at Apple

EXCERPT: 

Indigo…violet…indigo…swirls of electric feeling as Garrett’s hand passed lightly down their leg…as Valeni moved softly by Nikki, heaving a long sigh with her release. The shooting lines of red fading as all three lay back, exhilarated but exhausted.

The afterwaves of love.

Garrett groaned and stretched out his legs, reaching all the way to the bottom of the broad mattress. The dark blue duvet slipped off the end onto the floor, but it didn’t seem to bother him. “I swear, you gals make me feel fine as frog hair split four ways.”

Valeni snickered. “What a way to go.”

Was that true? Nikki let the question wind through their coalescing thoughts. Would it be a preferable way to leave the mortal world, while engaged in the procreational act? Not if we managed to procreate. Oh, how we wish we could…

Author Bio

Lyndi Alexander always dreamed of faraway worlds and interesting alien contacts. She lives as a post-modern hippie in Asheville, North Carolina, a single mother of her last child of seven, a daughter on the autism spectrum, finding that every day feels a lot like first contact with a new species. 

Author Links

Website  and Blog      https://lyndialexander.wordpress.com/

Facebook                    https://www.facebook.com/lyndialexander13/

Goodreads                   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4185290.Lyndi_Alexander

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/Lyndi-Alexander/e/B005GDYPU2/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Bookbub:                    https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lyndi-alexander

Smashwords | Lyndi Alexander    https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lyndialexander

Instagram        https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/