A Hair Raising Adventure

By Maureen Bonatch

My hair is straight as a board. My sister and I used to have waist-long straight hair, and we’d jokingly call each other ‘the paste sisters.’ (The length is another story related to a childhood of short, poorly cut hair courtesy of my mother). 

Looking around now, it seems that straight hair has come back, but this wasn’t the case in the 1980s. 

I’d look longingly at the 1970s when I’d heard rumors that some people even ironed their hair to get it straighter (remember, this was before flat irons existed). But in the 1980s, my stick-straight hair put me at a disadvantage. Luckily for me, there were perms. And hairspray. Lots of hairsprays. Even so, I couldn’t obtain or maintain the desired ‘big hair’ for long without it falling flat.

Back in the day

Still, I look back to the 1980s and love that time. For me, when I’m thinking of the trends, I think of the hairstyles, the makeup (Oh, so much makeup! I loved trying out all the crazy eyeshadow trends), the music, and of course, the miracle of stirrup pants, harem pants, and spandex—for a girl who wasn’t a fan of jeans. 

So when I see some of these trends returning (who thought mullets would ever make a comeback?), it always takes me back to that time. My girls would roll their eyes as I’d remind them that, ‘back in the day,’ I had that style. Too bad I cleared out my closets long ago. 

What does this have to do with books?

A few books In my Charmed Cocktail Cozy series feature James Stone. A private investigator cursed to be pale as a ghost and walk the earth, appearing like he’s already left this world. My amateur witch sleuth and her furry sidekicks might want to help James erase this curse. The only problem? The curse happened ‘back in the day.’ You’ve got it—the 1980’s. 

So I’ve been thinking about what my characters might notice if they glimpsed the 1980s. In Marissa’s time, a dark streak of hair on a witch could indicate that she’d performed a nasty spell. Imagine what some of the 19080s styles could mean.

 It could be a real hair-raising adventure!

Find the charmed cocktail cozies here

Do You Have a Favorite Decade? 

What Do You Think of When You Think of the 1980s?

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Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries and paranormal romance as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. 

While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival.

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How Do You Choose What To Read? by Diane Burton #amreading

With deadlines (our own or imposed by editors) and love of writing, it's hard to carve out time to read. Just like I can't not write, I can't not read. I was a reader before I ever became a writer. I think that's true of most writers. 

I read before I go to sleep. Hubs doesn't mind the light on, but I try to keep it low. Everyday, I check "Free Kindle Books and Tips" and "Freebooksy" for free or inexpensive books. A free or discounted book will introduce me to a new author.  

Some authors are 1-Clicks for me. Veronica Scott (our former contributor who often returns with new books) is a 1-Click. So is our own Nancy Gideon's books. Veronica posts new releases on her blog on Wednesdays, which is good news/bad news. Love new sci-fi romances, but my wallet groans.

My local newcomers' group has a book group. Most of the time the books chosen are part of the library's "book group in a bag" where the library provides the books for us. Belonging to the book group makes me read outside my comfort zone. Left alone, I'd read genre fiction--mysteries, romantic suspense, science fiction romance. Our group has had lively discussions over historical fiction, biographies, best-sellers, poetry, and genre fiction. 

BookBub and Thrillist often post "lists"--like 31 Best Summer Reads, a great place to find new books. Last year, PBS ran a series on America's Favorite 100 books (I think I mangled the title). So, I printed out the list to see how many I'd read. Not even half. If I wanted to stretch my reading wings, that was a good place to start.

My favorite time to read is to my grandchildren. The Twins (now 17 months old) grab a book and race to sit on my lap, or Hubs'. The younger of the two knows "all done" and often says it at the end of a book before racing to the bookshelf and grabbing another book. Their 4-year-old sister will tell you if you skip a page.

With all the great suggestions (like Lea Kirk's post yesterday on dragons), it's hard to decide what to read next. My iPad is chock full of books. I have a virtual TBR pile. My choice to read depends on my mood. Or a deadline, like book group's next meeting. If I really like the first book in a series, I'll binge read the rest. 

I think my favorite method of choosing what to read is word-of-mouth, the recommendations from people whose reading choices are similar to mine. So, if a friend says "You gotta read this," you bet I'll try it.

How do you decide what to read next?