A Snowy New Year's and a Murder

The house that inspired the book

Kate Morgan loves a good mystery. She’s an avid reader and she recently finished writing a murder mystery. Her novel takes place at the fictionalized version of Maple Ridge, the real life home of Chad Hollingsworth, the man Kate has been dating for the past year.

Chad has invited Kate to his parents’ annual New Year’s Eve party where Kate will meet the other members of his family. On the drive to Maple Ridge, he tells her, “I have to warn you. When the Hollingsworth family gets together, there’s always a lot of drinking and drama.” He has no way of knowing there will be a murder. 

In a strange twist of fate, there are numerous similarities between Kate’s manuscript and what actually happens. Kate is determined to separate fact from fiction by figuring out the identity of the killer. But she soon discovers that solving a murder in real life is a lot harder than figuring out whodunit in a mystery novel. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XC8WC2D/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1 photos

The Year of the Tiger

Patricia Gligor

I recently discovered that I was born in one of the years designated as "The Year of the Tiger." I couldn't help but smile when I read that and here's why.

When my first book was accepted for publication, my mother asked me what pen name I was going to use. When I told her I intended to use my "real" name, she reminded me that Gligor is frequently  mispronounced and/or misspelled. "I think you should use a simpler name, one that readers will remember," she told me.

But I was adamant. However, as much as we all hate to admit that our mother is right, time has proven her point. My name has been mangled on more than one occasion and I cringe every time that happens. Still, I stand by my decision and I decided to end this year and to start the new year by setting the record straight.

My last name is Gligor. It's my maiden name, which I took back after my divorce several years ago. In Romania, where my paternal grandfather was born, our name was pronounced Glee-gore but in the Americanized version Gligor rhymes with tiger. (Now you know why I was smiling.)

I hope you'll stop in to visit with me in the months ahead. If you have a suggestion for a topic you'd like me to write about, please let me know. And, as always, I welcome and appreciate your comments.

Happy New Year!