Coral Moon

It's been forever and a day since a blogged (ok just 11 days, and on the web that's forever). The doctor bumped up my prednisone, so in two weeks I've already got chipmunk cheeks, I can't hold a pen to write very well, and the insomnia is back with a vengeance. I haven't done as much reading as I like to, but other things have been getting done. I'm taking Mia into work today. The hospital where I work is taking pictures of the children of employees for Shush photos. Mia has to say "Shhh" with her finger in front of her mouth. The pictures will be posted in hospital hallways to encourage staff and visitors to be quiet. It's a terrific idea. The hospital doesn't have to pay for expensive or useless signs, and the community gets to smile at pictures of local kids being cute. Tonight Jess and I are going out on an actual date that doesn't involve a trip to Wal-Mart! I won tickets to see the Green Bay Gamblers, the local hockey team, at the work Christmas party. I can't remember the last time we had a night like this.

Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins is a roller-coaster ride of a book. I took out a bookmark to place in the book and never needed it. This is not a book you can put down once you've started reading it; it grabs you by the lapels and never lets go. Leslie Brymes is a small-town newspaper reporter from Kanner Lake, Idaho with plans to hit the big time. Her plans go awry when she discovers the body of a beloved elderly woman in her car. Kanner Lake is devastated by the loss of the community and church leader, but the town is also living in fear because pinned to her blouse was a paper with the number 1 written on it. Leslie's roommate Paige is still dealing with the repercussions of the previous crime spree that rolled through Kanner Lake (from book 1 of the series Violet Dawn), and chemistry has sprung up between her and police officer Frank West. Evidence soon turns up that the victim may have been killed by her long-dead husband, especially when his shoes and hairs show up at the crime scene. While Leslie and the police investigate the murder, new high school student Ali finds a mysterious note that pulls her into occult doings she wants no part of but may hold the key to what's going on in town. Collins writes at a breath-taking pace giving the reader no time to break free, but she does a great job while doing so. While I was screaming at Ali to wake up and stop acting like a typical teenager in a horror movie, Collins wrote her motivations and thoughts in way to make them completely believable, and threw in an unexpected twist. The darkness that Collins describes as infiltrating Kanner Lake may be dismissed by some, and it's a topic few Christians are willing to discuss. I look forward to the next book in the series (and the one after that and the one after that...).

Here's my public service announcement for today: Caress and Hamburger Helper are giving out free samples, no strings attached.

And Mia's cuteness for the day. Mia's cousin Hana is losing her baby teeth. Mia wanted to know why and when I explained, she asked what do we do with the baby teeth.

Me: We put your tooth under your pillow and then the tooth fairy comes at night, takes it away and leaves you money.

Mia: Mommy, there's no such thing as a tooth fairy! We just throw the tooth in the garbage.