Available for $2.99 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the “boxed set” of 5 High Heel Mysteries is a perfect way to kill some time, particularly if you’re a fan of chick lit or what I like to call “soda pop”.

Halliday offers up a fast-paced and interesting series, with a heroine that has shades of Bridget Jones and Nancy Drew. She’s a little neurotic, a lot awkward, completely inept at matters of the heart, and a total girl. Blend that with her nosiness, persistence, and her ability to find herself in situations she shouldn’t be in, and you’ve got a (mostly) likable character that will make you laugh.

There are a lot of basic spelling errors and grammar issues, but as I find that to be an issue with even the classics on e-readers, it’s irritating, but expected. I wish they’d dedicate some real copy editors to the e-world!

The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was watch my son’s heart break and listen to his tears as I told him his best friend had been murdered.

Harder still that I couldn’t offer him any form of physical comfort - no hug, not even a hand against plexiglass.

All I could do was watch through a scratchy old CRT monitor as his head dropped in to his hands and his sobs reverberated through the huge black handset, causing my heart to break in to a million little pieces.

Sometimes, motherhood can be the most excruciatingly painful job in the world.

I never thought I’d have cause to say that I was happy my son was in jail. But today, I’m thanking God that he is.

Last night as we were waiting for the Mötley Crüe concert to start, we heard about a shooting not too far from our home. I never imagined that it would be anybody I knew, until this morning when I discovered that the fatality was TJ’s best friend, Frankie.

It’s so hard to be writing about the senseless murder of someone I knew and cared about, who’d only just turned 18. He wasn’t perfect, but I couldn’t have picked a better friend for my son. Frankie and his Mom took Tyler in, they gave him a talking to when he needed it, and helped him deal with things he had difficulty with due to his cognitive problems and his bipolar disorder.

I’m going to miss hearing him call me Mama and listening to his infectious laugh. I’m going to miss him.

Went to the Mötley Crüe concert at the Hard Rock tonight. Wow! What a show these guys put on! We had an absolutely amazing time.

More photos after the break.

Continue Reading »