I read an article on resolutions on the website Career Authors. The fresh take on the tradition of making New Year's resolutions describes perfectly my desire to slow my life to a reasonable pace, to allow myself more time to think and reflect.

Article author Glenn Miller writes:
What if instead of resolutions, you chose not what you will do, but who you will be?

My main goal for 2018 is to simplify my life. I want more time in the mountains to see creatures like this Bighorn Sheep, and to hike, camp, and fish. As I prioritize, I plan to continue writing short stories and novels. That is one thing I won't be trimming from my schedule. In fact, I hope to make more time for my writing.

I will also continue my Thursday short story reviews, which seem popular. I will be cutting back to one post every other week, instead of weekly. On Tuesdays, if I post, look for more nature photos.

I have more stories to tell, and not enough time to write them all down. I hope to remedy that problem in 2018.

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify. - Henry David Thoreau

I could list my excuses for not posting a Thursday review last week, and again this week. I am sure you have been busy, too. Suffice it to say, I am hoping to get back on track in 2018. I may cut back to posting reviews twice a month. More on that next week.

This novella has as the backdrop an environmental issue, circa 1975. My short stories often have an environmental angle, so I was curious to learn how this author would use a reality-based situation in a fictional setting.

In The Burning by J. P. Seewald, George Ferris has issues. He’s jealous of his ambitious lawyer brother. George is convinced his father favored the successful younger brother. George can’t stand his snooty sister-in-law, who looks down on George’s blue-collar roots and lifestyle. When an underground coal fire threatens both his family’s safety, and everything George has worked for, he has to choose a solution.

The tension builds as the reader begins to suspect something bad is headed George's way. The story focuses on the family relationships as the reader races through to the dramatic ending. This entertaining read can be found at: annorlundaenterprises.com/books/the-burning/

Mystery and Mistletoe

WHEN:Wednesday night, December 13 - 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, 290 East Speer Blvd.
MENU: Heavy appetizers will be provided along with light desserts, iced tea, water, and coffee. Beer and wine will be available for sale.

​Mystery & Mistletoe is back for another round of holiday cheer, delectable food and the culmination of RMMWA’s Six-Word Mystery Contest! And, oh yes, there will be a bar. This is the perfect evening to buy gifts for your mystery-loving friends, not to mention listen to readings from our members.

Tickets are $10. The Tattered Cover will be on hand to help those shopping for holiday gifts. The public is welcome. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.rmmwa.org.

Authors will read from their work. In addition, the winners of the Six-Word Mystery Contest will be announced. Judges will select finalists in each category and winners will be chosen by those attending “Mystery & Mistletoe.”

After the Thanksgiving feast, we became weary of having turkey sandwiches for lunch at work everyday. I had purchased an expensive free range organic turkey. I couldn't afford to toss the remains. Sunday night, I decided to try my hand at baking a turkey pot pie. It was terrific!

The same goes for the stories in The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Fifth Serving of Chaos. Thanksgiving may be over, but these leftovers are still delicious. There are recipes, too!

I read four stories this weekend, starting with Turkey Underfoot by KM Rockwood. I like my mysteries with a side of cute. In this tale, the family cat is the narrator. An obnoxious rich uncle is ruining Thanksgiving with his rude behavior and threats to write various relatives out of his will. Something has to be done, but all efforts to deal with the uncle fail. Until the cat gets involved.

Herschel Cozine's humorous story Kid Kelly features a young boy as the narrator. Trevor is obsessed with a detective television show, and takes his investigating seriously. When grandma bakes a pie that is to die for, Trevor kicks into high gear to prevent a murder.

In Killer Bro-vember by Kelley Lortz, Detectives Brewer and Gupta enter the world of Bro-Body Extreme where body builders have disdain for Cross Fit trainers, and everyone abhors eating to excess. When a famous body builder dies with a stack of pies in his car, there are two mysteries for the detectives to solve. The one his colleagues and wife seem most concerned with are why the man had a load of carbs and sugar in his vehicle.

​I chuckled reading the next story in the anthology when the inflatable turkey appeared. I had just posed beside one at a local turkey trot fundraising race. Later, several of my neighbors placed Christmas inflatables on their lawns. One Santa Claus lurks in shadows under the neighbor's eaves, making for a frightening nighttime scene.

​Back to the short story - in Nameless Turkey Trot of Terror by Bobbi A. Chukran, heroine Kendra negotiates the suddenly busy streets of Nameless, as the small Texas town decides to host a Thanksgiving celebration. Everything seems to be going as planned, until a box of money is stolen from the fair, and a turkey goes missing.

Don't think this Thanksgiving-themed anthology is stale just because the holiday is over. Like any good feast, the leftovers are even better the next day.

I reviewed a story recently by author Robert Lopresti. He discusses choosing titles in his article on the AHMM Trace Evidence blog, Insert Clever Title Here.