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Saturday, June 18, 2016

Laura Secord's famous trek through history, retold

A little story for my Canadian readers. You all know the story of Laura Secord, who drove her cow through 20 miles of forest to warn the British of an American invasion during the 1812 war with the US. You also know of our famous Laura Secord chocolates based in Ontario, named after the heroine. This is a little tongue in cheek story of Laura's walk to fame, based on the real story but of course, embellished.

You Won a Milk Chocolate Gold Cigar
by Kenna Mary McKinnon

The white house at the bottom of the green hill was more than twenty miles from the British forces at Beaver Hills. There in the white house,  a young woman, Laura Secord, and her wounded soldier husband, James, billeted American troops. It was June 21, 1813, the British forces unaware of a fiendish attack planned by the chocolate eating Americans in Laura Secord's home. James lay helpless with bullet wounds in his leg and shoulder, hardly able to lift a hand to pop a miniature mint into his mouth.
"Good men," Laura said to their slobbering guests, "I must go out and find Bossy Cow to have milk for the liqueur tomorrow. Otherwise no Bossy no Candy."
"You nefarious Loyalist," a captain said, "we won't need your box of miniatures tomorrow, nor a bag of your perfect sized bars…"
"… all made from premium chocolate." She concluded his sentence with pride. "Why not, may I ask, good Captain, do you not require my premium chocolate, or perhaps a box of premium teas?"
"Tea!" the Americans roared. "Remember the Boston Tea Party!"
"Oops," Laura said. "Sorry, fellows."
"This is Canada," James said gently, raising himself onto his good arm and reaching for a mug of French & Frosted Mint hot chocolate.
The American soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves. Laura could hear "surprise attack" and "June 23" and "Beaver Dams". She knew the British commander, Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, would be caught unaware if the Americans attacked his post, as her husband had informed her that their encampment, reached only through a trail of barbed wire, land mines, and cow dung, was not prepared for an invasion. James had recently come back from Queenston Heights himself, where he had been sorely wounded and now could scarcely lift a Milk Chocolate Crispy Chip to his mouth.
So it was that the next morning, brave Laura beat Bossy Cow with a stick ahead of her on the treacherous twenty mile journey alone to Beaver Dams, to warn the British Lieutenant FitzGibbon and his Loyalist troops of their danger.

She was successful. The Americans were beaten back, and upper Canada held. No acknowledgment was given to the slender, brown-eyed woman who so courageously trod the slippery path of loyalty to the Crown and warned the British and their Mohawk allies of an impending invasion. James later succumbed to an acute case of diarrhea, and Laura died impoverished and unrecognized at the age of ninety-three, other than having a number of schools, statues, a granite monument, a circulation stamp, a chocolate factory, a deluge of articles, entries, and plays, and a coin named after her.
            Of course, that was after her death. Small help it was to her then.


Brought to you by Blood Sister, a quirky and courageous mystery starring a schizophrenic young woman private eye and her two friends, formerly published under the title Red Herrings. 
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Friday, June 10, 2016

SHORT CIRCUIT sale over and BLOOD SISTER coming up next!

Thank you to all who helped bring Short Circuit and Other Geek Stories down to within 20,000 on Amazon, which is better than a million where it had sat for several months. I have my new publisher, Creativia, to praise and also my own efforts. 

Also the very good stories in the book, which may appeal to those younger people who love SF and fantasy, robots, and all good things my son liked so much growing up.

It's still 99 cents (pence) on Kindle but the sale will be gone soon.

If any of my readers remembers Red Herrings, it will be in it second printing with Creativia soon under the new name, "Blood Sister". 

We're working on a new book cover. Will keep you appraised of Creativia's decision. Their book covers rock! Can hardly wait to see what they come up with. I've given them some input and some graphics for the creative process.

Do you have any suggestions for a new book cover for a macabre double murder solved by a young schizophrenic female private eye?

It takes place on an island off the coast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

 Look for more on this later.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

SALE 99 CENTS ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE WORLDWIDE

JUNE 3 - 9 NINETY-NINE CENTS
UK READERS GET IT HERE!

A collection of twenty-nine literary, fantasy, and science fiction short stories written by Canadian author Kenna Mary McKinnon in memory and honor of her son, Steven Wild, who died in September 2012 of cancer at the age of forty-four. Steve loved 'hard' science fiction such as that written by William Gibson and Greg Bear, as well as the classic authors including Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. We cannot hope to compare, but present these little stories with love and remembrance, and a nod to Steve's heroes.
The stories range from The Sea and His Guitar to Music of the Spheres and are a poignant reminder of the ephemeral nature of life and death. Sandwiched between these two works are twenty-seven vignettes culled from Kenna's imagination and life.
Predominant in this collection are the themes of music and love, both reminders of the legacy left by a remarkable man.

Presented with love and remembrance in memory of Steve Wild.
99 cents until Thursday
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SALE
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