Monday, August 22, 2016

Is writing a solitary experience? Try Mah jongg! says Debra Goldstein #Rssos #MFRWorg #RB4U #playingmahjongg


Although I find writers to be some of the most supportive people who exist, writing often is a solitary experience.  When I look at this purse, which was a gift from my Thursday Mah Jongg group to celebrate the publication of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery, I remember there is a world outside writing that I must stay connected to. 



Look at the picture and you can imagine the friend who always is concerned about you; the one who knows it all and wants to get on with the hand or whatever she believes everyone should be doing; the one who is just there; and the one who sips her tea, observing quietly until she says exactly the right thing. The bag may be small, but its meaning is great and it certainly holds my Maj card and winnings well.

 

Carrie Martin’s precarious balancing of her corporate law job and visiting her father at the Sunshine Village retirement home is upset when her mother reappears in her life after a twenty-six year absence. Her mother leaves her with a sealed envelope and the confession she once considered killing Carrie’s father. Before Carrie opens the envelope, her mother is murdered at the retirement home.

Instructed to leave the sleuthing to the police, Carrie continued efforts to discover why her mother returned and why she was killed quickly put her at odds with her former lover – the detective assigned to her mother’s case.  As Carrie and her co-sleuths, the Sunshine Mah jongg players, attempt to unravel Wahoo, Alabama’s past secrets in this fast paced mystery, their efforts put Carrie in danger and show her that truth and integrity aren’t always what she was taught to believe.

 “The first time I thought of killing him, the two of us were having chicken sandwiches at that fast-food place with the oversized rubber bird anchored to its roof.”


“I know the one.” I hand a cup of coffee across my desk to a woman I have not seen in twenty-six years.


With her free hand, Charlotte Martin pushes back a gray strand escaping from her ponytail.  “It didn’t seem like the right thing to kill him in a place they close on Sundays.  Besides, Carrie, being a lawyer, you can understand I didn’t want to do prison time.  I decided it would be better to divorce your father.”


In all the ways I’ve imagined reconnecting with my mother, I never thought it would be on a Sunday morning in my office discussing why she once wanted to murder my father. …

 

Find Should Have Played Poker at: Amazon

 

Find out more about Debra H. Goldstein at: Website

Oh Debra, do we need to chat because I play mahjong most Mondays. I love how it challenges my brain. And I just have to share my bag. It's a
stitch and zip needlepoint kit which I did stitch and just love. Yours is very cool (major envy over here). Isn't it fab having a group like this to share with??





Who else does an activity on a regular basis like play bridge, paint, book club or what else?? 

 

 

 

10 comments:

Angela Adams said...

That is an awesome purse! I enjoy my book club. We meet once a month and discuss books over coffee. Thanks for the post and sharing your "cool" looking purse!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi,Angela! I meet for book club once a month too. It's great to have a dedicated date and check in with each other. My mahjong group meets every Monday, but I've been bad because of traveling. :)

Melissa Keir said...

Love the purse and the book sounds like fun! My mother in law is a huge Mahjongg player. She plays all the time. I can see her group getting involved in a murder mystery!

Sylvia said...

I play Mah Jong online. It's my exercise for when my brain is tired.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Melissa! I love to play, too! Glad to know your mom likes it.

Hi, Sylvia! I play the match game, too. But it isn't the same as the real one which is very challenging.

Joanne Guidoccio said...

Beautiful purse and the book sounds intriguing. Mah Jong sounds interesting...a new game to play! Best of luck with sales, Debra :)

Debra H. Goldstein said...

Thanks for the good wishes as retweet, Joanne. Congrats on your recent successes, too.vicki, thanks for having me. We'll have to getup a game if we're at a conference I drive to (I keep a set in my trunk because I play one or two times a week). Sylvia, I know exactly what you mean. Even if I a, exhausted, I can enjoy playing because of the womeniplay with - it re-energizes me. Melissa, my mom played, too, I think I learned by osmosis, but in reality I a, sure she explained the game to me. She was a dedicated player. Angela, glad you enjoyed our purses. There are a number of different ,an Jongg related purses.

Nancy Raven Smith said...

I haven't had the pleasure of playing Mah Jongg yet. Looks like I'll have to learn if so many fellow authors are recommending and enjoying it.

Debra H. Goldstein said...

You would love it. And...you'd be good at it. It isn't difficult to learn....writing is a lot tougher.

Cathy McElhaney said...

Sorry I am late! I love mahjongg! My mom played it in the 60's and I learned from her.I haven't played for many years because I don't know anyone who plays it. I taught my husband many years ago, but he isn't into it, LOL. I bought a set a few years ago and I think I have used it 2 or 3 times. I did learn that there are actually TWO versions...the Chinese version and the Jewish version...the Jewish version is the more popular and the one I know. It's the one with Jokers. Maybe I can teach the grandkids...
The book sounds very intriguing!