#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--PANDEMIC, POLITICS & HOLIDAY {{{STRESS}}}, OH MY!

Is there anyone out there who isn’t totally {{{stressed}}} right now? 2020 has been one planet-wide bummer of a year. Luckily, I’m a fictional character, and although I’m rarely happy with the way my author, Lois Winston, has turned my world upside-down and inside-out, I have to admit, right now I’m totally thankful she hasn’t also dumped a pandemic into my world. Murder and mayhem are bad enough.

Shortly after the pandemic hit, Lois decided she wouldn’t be addressing Covid-19 in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, the one named for me. For one thing, the books she writes about me don’t take place in real time. My series began years ago. Lois sold the first three books in 2009. Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, debuted in 2011. A Sew Deadly Cruise, the ninth book and my latest adventure, came out this past October. However, in my world only a little more than a year has passed between the first and latest book. So Lois has a perfectly good excuse for not including a pandemic in my life.

 

I’d like to think it’s because she feels guilty about all the turmoil she’s already created in my world, but I know it has more to do with her than me. Lois lives eighteen miles from Ground Zero. Nineteen years later, she still has nightmares about that day. She’s never watched a show or read a book about 9/11 and never will.

 

And that’s how she feels about the pandemic. 

 

As I write this, I’m certain there are countless suspense, thriller, and Dystopian writers already hard at work on Covid-themed novels. However, Lois writes humorous cozy mysteries. Yes, they include murder and mayhem, but not in a way that keeps readers up at night or gives them nightmares. Even though the situations she writes me into are often inspired by actual events, the series is an escape from the real world, not a reminder of it. In other words, come for the mystery; stay for the laughs.

 

So whether you’re stressed by the pandemic, politics, the upcoming holidays, or all three, take a break, grab a cup of hot cocoa, put your feet up, and visit with me for a spell. I promise you a bit of Christmas cheer, plenty of laughs, and of course, a murder or two…or three or four…or…Hey, they are murder mysteries!

 

Drop Dead Ornaments

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 7

 

Anastasia Pollack’s son Alex is dating Sophie Lambert, the new kid in town. For their community service project, the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank. Anastasia taps her craft industry contacts to donate materials for the students to make Christmas ornaments they’ll sell at the town’s annual Holiday Crafts Fair.

 

At the fair Anastasia meets Sophie’s father, Shane Lambert, who strikes her as a man with secrets. She also notices a woman eavesdropping on their conversation. Later that evening when the woman turns up dead, Sophie’s father is arrested for her murder.

 

Alex and Sophie beg Anastasia to find the real killer, but Anastasia has had her fill of dead bodies. She’s also not convinced of Shane’s innocence. Besides, she’s promised younger son Nick she’ll stop risking her life. But how can she say no to Alex?

 

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Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

 

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

 

In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

 

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Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Books 7-8
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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GOTTA LAUGH! GOTTA CRAFT!

Gotta Laugh! Gotta Craft!

Is there anyone out there who isn’t stressed to the max right now? Probably not. We’re living in extremely stressful times. Just about everyone I know wants to crawl into bed, pull a quilt over their heads, and not get up until the world is a safer and saner place for everyone.

Personally, I’ve been feeling that way for some time now, ever since author Lois Winston started messing with my life. Sometimes my head spins when I think about the way she’s turned my life upside down and sideways. A year ago, I was living the American Dream with my husband, two great kids, a home in the suburbs, and a job I loved. The one fly in the ointment was my cantankerous communist mother-in-law who was living with us while she recuperated from a hit-and-run, but Karl, my husband, had assured me her stay was temporary. He didn’t want her in our home any more than I did.

Then Karl dropped dead in Las Vegas, and life has never been the same. I felt like such a cliché—the clueless wife who knew nothing of her husband’s affair. Only Karl’s affair had been with Lady Luck, and his luck had run out. He left me, not only permanently stuck with his mother but also his loan shark, having gambled away everything—including money we didn’t have. The loan shark didn’t care, which I’ve since learned is SOP—standard operating procedure—for loan sharks. Being a Jersey girl, you’d think I would have known that.

You might also think all of the above would be enough of a triple whammy for any clueless wife, right? Far from it. Ever since Karl’s death, thanks to Lois, the dead bodies keep piling up around me, and I’ve found myself with a second career as a reluctant amateur sleuth. It was either that or wind up railroaded for a murder I didn’t commit.

I don’t think even Sherlock Holmes stumbles across dead bodies at the rate I have this past year. Nor did Sherlock have as many people trying to kill him. You’d think I work in law enforcement, given all those dead bodies, but I’m the crafts editor at a women’s magazine, for heaven’s sake! Hardly your typical life-threatening occupation. And yet, my life keeps getting threatened, thanks to Lois.

They say that laughter is the best medicine. Of course, laughter isn’t going to cure everything that ails us right now, but it will release endorphins, which make us feel better. And at least Lois has decided to give me a sense of humor that helps me get through all the murder and mayhem she throws my way.

She’s also decided that you, too, could probably use a good laugh right about now. So for the next few days Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, is on sale for only .99 cents. Treat yourself to a good laugh at my expense. I won’t mind.

And before I go, I’m going to put my craft editor hat on and remind all of you that there’s something else that can make you feel better right now—crafting. Working on crafts projects can be a huge stress reliever. If you’ve got some unfinished craft projects lying around the house (and what crafter doesn’t?), pick one up and finish it. I promise, it will put a smile on your face. And who doesn’t need an excuse to smile right now?

Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 1

When Anastasia Pollack’s husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life craps out. She’s left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her hateful, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention stunned disbelief over her late husband’s secret gambling addiction, and the loan shark who’s demanding fifty thousand dollars.

Anastasia’s job as crafts editor at American Woman magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her desk chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia’s husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. Can she find the killer and clear her name before he strikes again?

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HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--{{{{{STRESS}}}}}

{{{{{Stress}}}}} We all deal with it. But stress isn’t good for us. It can make us physically sick. It can make us depressed. It can affect those around us. It can hinder our work. Stress will never go away. It’s a fact of life, but there are ways to cope with it, minimize it. Even get rid of some of it some of the time.

Many people swear by yoga. Others are into meditation. Lots of us exercise to relieve stress. All are great. However, sometimes we don’t have the luxury of taking a yoga, meditation or exercise break at specific times when we’re feeling overwhelmed. We need something we can do while at our desks or when we’re stuck in a traffic jam and late for a doctor’s appointment.

Here are two stress relievers to try for those times when your usual mode of stress relief isn’t available to you:

1. Take slow, deep breaths, sighing loudly, for two minutes. Large exhalations of air help your body release tension and pent-up anxiety.

2. Sing! According to a recent survey, the breathing patterns used while singing can positively influence your heart rate and health. It’s similar to doing yoga breathing exercises. (This one is best in the car with the windows rolled up if, like me, you can’t carry a tune to save your life!)

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--THE BENEFITS OF QUILTING

photo by Misocrazy

Joseph Rodriguez writes about hobbies and arts that help with stress relief. His recent work is on earning an online psychology degree.—AP

A Creative Craft: How to Discover the Benefits of Quilting

Making a quilt is more than just making a bed covering to keep you warm at night. It’s about expressing yourself through the art of sewing. Quilting is an inspirational and creative craft that allows you to create wall art, comfort a sick child or adult, travel and bond with other quilt makers, create a source of income and more. Discover the joys and benefits of quilting by looking at the sewing craft through the eyes of adventure.

Wall Art

Express your own individual taste by creating a quilt to hang on the wall of your home. A handmade quilt can be made any size and any color to perfectly fit into your unique living space. A full size quilt often is the perfect solution to add color and texture to the large, open wall space in homes with high vaulted ceilings. Mini-quilts can be handcrafted to tell a family story, and/or matted and framed to become a priceless heirloom. When friends come to your home and see your unique wall art, they will be requesting their own unique pieces and a business can be born.

Comfort the Sick

A personal touch of a hand-crafted lap quilt will bring comfort and warmth to a sick child or adult. A medium sized quilt, just right to fit over the top of a hospital bed or across the lap of someone who is ailing, will benefit both the giver and receiver. Taking your time to create a unique quilt for someone who is sick will minister to both you and the recipient on many different levels.

A handmade quilt gift does not have to be reserved for the sick only but would also make an outstanding gift on many occasions. A wedding gift, baby shower gift or as something unique to give to a college-bound teen. A quilt can be made to suit the recipients, the occasion and still allow the creator to express themselves through their sewing talents.

Travel and Bond

Quilt shows and workshops occur regularly all across the U.S. and are usually open to the public. Quilt makers can and should travel to various venues, near or far, and meet like-minded seamstresses and form bonds of friendships. These events allow for displaying and selling your handmade quilt items, learning new sewing techniques and gaining new ideas for future projects. You never know who you might meet at such an event and a new business venture could be formed along with a new friendship.

Stress Relief

Immersing yourself in the quilt-making process is therapeutic. Shopping for fabric, selecting the design, cutting and sewing, the whole creative process keeps the mind and body active while relieving stress. Quilting can be done seated or standing, so no matter what fitness level you’re at (or hope to be at), you can adjust to doing most of the work in whatever way suits you.

Creative Covering

Quilts aren't only for covering beds—you can cover a multitude of household objects with quilts to make a decorating statement. A couch back, chair, ottoman or table top can easily be covered with a quilt. Cover a window, shower curtain liner or create a room divider with a lovely quilt. Look around your home for creative and inspirational ways to use quilts, and you'll never be left bored or wanting for more.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - TAKE A DEEP BREATH!

Is there anyone out there who doesn't feel stressed at some point during the day? We all deal with way too much stress in our lives. One stressful situation that occurs on an almost daily basis for anyone living in a metropolitan area is the stress of traffic. Being caught in a traffic jam, whether you need to be somewhere you have an appointment to keep or a backseat filled with complaining, hungry, irritable kids, sets those stress hormones soaring.

So here's a tip:

The next time you're stuck in traffic, practice some deep breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, then exhale slowly to the count of four. Do this several times. Deep breathing creates a road bloke against those stress-causing hormones. You've heard of the phrase fighting fire with fire? Now you can fight one road block with another road block.

And once you get out of that traffic jam, head to the store to buy yourself some lavender, mango, or lemon scents. These fragrances contain a chemical called linalool which helps banish stress when you inhale it.