International Women’s Day Quiz

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I came back to my desk on March 8, 1969, and found a chocolate and a postcard wishing me a Happy International Women’s Day. A Russian colleague had left those for me and every other woman in my section of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Even though the first National Women’s Day originated in the United States in 1909, I’d never heard of International Women’s Day. It has received better publicity in the United States since the United Nations began celebrating it in 1975. In honor of the day, I offer a short quiz, part of one written originally … Continue reading →

Book Launch for Show Me the Gold

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Readers, writers, and others with nothing better to do are invited to come celebrate the publication of Show Me the Gold at 2 p.m., Saturday, January 24, Columbia Books, 1907 Gordon Street, Columbia, Missouri. We’ll have conversation and refreshments before and after a short presentation. I’ll talk for a few minutes about how the series has developed and why mystery writers and readers like series. I may even look ahead to book four (now beginning the production process) and book five, now in the early chapters of the first draft. And, of course, guests can ask questions about the books … Continue reading →

Different Readers, Different Reviews

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More reviews of Show Me the Gold went online this week, and the difference in comments from those who had read the first two books and who had read only the third one struck me. In a brief review on the January 7, 2015, Bibliophilic Books Blog, Star noted that Gold has good characters and an interesting mystery and reads very well as a standalone. She added, “I could have gained more insight into the characters from reading the other books in this series.” To read the full review, go to http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/2015/01/book-review-show-me-gold-by-carolyn.html. I hope her readers follow her advice and … Continue reading →

Guest Blog About Phoenix Plus Giveaway

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To introduce Show Me the Gold to potential readers and give a bonus to the regular ones, I wrote “A Day in the Life of Phoenix Smith” for Dru’s Book Musings (http://drusbookmusing.com). If you leave a comment on my blog by January 11, 2015, you may win a free copy of the book. Here’s how the story of a typical day for Phoenix begins.   Achilles licked my hand to remind me to get up and take him on our morning run. I sat up before my hyperactive Belgian Malinois could lick my face.  “Sorry I overslept, boy. My souvenir … Continue reading →

Reviewers Value Books’ Characters

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Yesterday two reviewers gave me an early Christmas gift, appreciation of the people who inhabit Show Me the Gold, the newly released third volume of my mystery series. In Living on the Page: Personal Journal of Author Sandra Parshall, the Agatha winner wrote, “The plot has enough twists, turns, and blind alleys to keep readers turning pages, but the greatest strength of Carolyn Mulford’s writing is her gift for creating likable characters with the kinds of flaws that make us all human. … Highly recommended for readers who love character-driven stories with realistic small town settings.” If you need a … Continue reading →

Glimpses of Chile

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For decades I traveled Peace Corps style: riding buses and trains, staying at B&Bs and austere hotels, and buying most of my food in markets and small restaurants. Traveling on a low budget took extra time, planning, and effort, but it enabled me to experience life in unfamiliar countries somewhat as the natives did. Gone are the days. I’ve reconciled myself to touring with a group of curious, well-traveled retirees on two-week trips planned and directed by people who make sure hotels and restaurants meet high standards and know where to find a bathroom every two hours. In November I … Continue reading →

Library Journal and Gumshoe Like Show Me the Gold

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One of the most important reviews for any author comes from the Library Journal. With Show Me the Gold to be released December 17, I started searching for the review, only to discover it came out October 1, 2014. I’d missed two months of feeling good. The reviewer, librarian Viccy Kemp, put Phoenix Smith in the company of three of my favorite mystery protagonists: Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone, and J. A. Jance’s Joanna Brady. Those three writers pioneered in introducing intelligent, tough female investigators. Here’s the review: “Ex-spy Phoenix Smith and Sheriff Annalynn Keyser respond to … Continue reading →

“Aura of Death” Published in That Mysterious Woman

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Experience has taught Jessica to keep secret her ability to see character-revealing auras. When an inexplicable cloud over a murder victim’s grave leads her to a killer, her unusual perceptions pose a dilemma and place her in danger. I tell this tale in “An Aura of Death,” one of 27 short stories that appear in That Mysterious Woman, a new Shaker of Margaritas anthology published by Mozark Press in paperback and e-book editions (available on Amazon). Among the other writers are Paula Benson, E. B. Davis, Sharon Woods Hopkins, Edith Maxwell, Harriet Sackler, and Donna Volkenaant. The writers come from … Continue reading →

Kirkus Praises Show Me the Gold

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“Mulford confronts her troupe of reluctant crime solvers with plenty of action and a few surprises.” So ends Kirkus Reviews’ 300-word review of Show Me the Gold, the third mystery in my Show Me series. Five Star/Gale, Cengage releases the hardback and e-book editions December 17. As usual, Kirkus is the first pre-publication reviewer. The publisher sends paperback uncorrected proofs (often called advanced reader copies—ARCs) to national review publications three to four months before the release date. I send out copies to my own list, which consists mostly of bloggers and newsletters. Few newspapers today carry staff-written book reviews. The … Continue reading →

Show Me the Gold Giveaway on Goodreads

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Want a chance to win an advance copy of Show Me the Gold?  I’m offering five copies on Goodreads.com from now until November 29. If you’re not a member of this huge site for readers, you’ll have to join (pretty simple) before you can sign up for the giveaway. If you’re already a member, go to https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22945313-show-me-the-gold. The third book in my series, Show Me the Gold will be released in hardback and e-book December 17. You can read chapter one and a summary on this site (go to Show Me Mysteries). —Carolyn Mulford

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What I Learned in the Peace Corps

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To take part in a panel on the Peace Corps Then and Now, I had to think about the lessons I learned during my two years teaching English in Ethiopia. In doing so, I realized that the experience affected not only my attitudes and interests but also the jobs I held in the years after that and the fiction I’m writing today. In September1962, the Peace Corps responded to Emperor Haile Selassie’s request for secondary teachers by sending in 275 volunteers. We doubled Ethiopia’s secondary faculty. I taught eleventh grade English at the only high school in the mountainous Wollo … Continue reading →

High Season for Sexual Assault on Campuses

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Fall is high season for rape on college campuses because new students haven’t yet learned their geographical and social way, but sexual violence and harassment last all year. Recent events have raised awareness of the severity of the problem locally and nationally, so my branch of the American Association of University Women scheduled the topic for its October program. I “volunteered” to moderate it, and I’m sharing my preparatory notes here. One in five women suffer rape in their lifetime. Almost 80% of those victims are raped before the age of 25, and 40% before the age of 18. Senator … Continue reading →