The book cover of 'A Penny Saved A Murder Earned'

This is the long awaited cover of my new book 'A Penny Saved A Murder Earned' being epubbed either the end of this month or early September.

A Penny Saved A Murder Earned is the story of Lily, Kelly and her family. Lily Katha, Amelia, as well as Lily’s adopted daughter Rose Brooksfield feel like they are under a curse; but appears to be the work of a serial killer that people around them having been falling like dominoes. Amelia’s parents and siblings, Amelia’s husband and son, and Lily’s first husband all have been targeted by a killer. Now as Amelia’s store clerk, a homeless man, Lily’s present husband the Mayor, and Lily’s mother-in law are targeted. Lily and her cousin Amelia are suspected by the investigating officer Emmett Rogers. Lily and her family must fight the impulse to blame the curse and get to the bottom of who is causing all their woes before the killer targets them.

People who inspire others to be even better

    When I was in grade nine I went to a high school where I knew no one. I remember coming in the doors and not even knowing where to find my classes. I was shy and probably seemed standoffish because of it. Let’s face I was not a cookie cutter person either. I was quirky and didn’t quite fit in. It was on the second day of school, I met Rose.

       Did you ever have one of those friends, that when they came in the room it was better for it? That was Rose. She was one of those people, that other people were drawn to like bees to honey. She was kind and inclusive of all. She showed me where things were in the school and became my friend as well as introduced me to her sidekick Lucy(who also became my friend). School was better with Rose in it.

       We were both in music and choir and she had the most beautiful operatic voice you’d ever hear. The teacher thought with lessons she could certainly be an opera singer, but Rose had other plans to what she wanted to do.  Rose wanted to continue helping people.  When I ate lunch it was with Rose and her friends who became mine. She made my high school experience and my life better just by being in it.

       At the end of grade nine, she was the one to encourage me to ask out the boy I liked, to the Sadie Hawkins dance (where the girls ask the boys) even though she also liked him. She knew that we liked each other, that is how giving she was. The night was fun despite the fact that my date broke his leg six weeks before and had just gotten his cast off (but that’s another story).We lost  touch when he moved away. A year ago he got in touch through Rose, and we remain friends.

     Rose was fun and told many a joke. She made everyone smile. Faces would light up when they saw her.

All through high school she was one of my closest friends. So much so that when I married after school, she came to my wedding and then was there for the birth of my first child. Life got busy and I lost touch with her though I heard she married and moved out of province and then suddenly she was on Facebook. It was like there was no gap in time we talked regularly; although sometimes two weeks would go by or even a month we’d talk about our lives our children. She loved her husband and felt like I do about mine, that he was her soul mate and best friend. She was so proud of her son and daughter. We talked Wedding details leading up to her daughter’s wedding, as I had just gone through a wedding for my daughter. Distance didn’t matter. She lived on the opposite side of the country and I really didn’t have the funds to visit though I wanted to. We just continued to talk on Facebook chat and in messages, sending each other pictures and often reading their messages I heard her voice from school in my head.

A week and half ago she posted her last message to me on my birthday.

“Happy birthday sweetie-pie! You're the best! Good health, happiness and God's blessings for you on your special day”

        I will treasure those last words forever, as two days later she died, though I didn't know until yesterday. They say that people live on forever in words and deeds, and if that is true, then I know my dearest friend will live forever in our hearts. for she was all things, a wonderful loving wife, and mother to two wonderful individuals, a mother -in-law and the dearest most  loyal friend a person could ever have.Anyone who ever met her would consider her their friend.

        My dear friend Rose you will be missed, my heart breaks and tears flow from my eyes, selfishly knowing I will not see your lovely face for awhile;I know someday I'll see you again.Until then dear friend  I love you and I will always speak of you.

RIP Rose July 29, 1959-May30,2012

(Rose at graduation)

For Rose because she was our Angel.

M is for Mother

M is for Magnificence 

Her beauty well known, but inside and outside my mother was beautiful. She shared with everyone her four tips for being a good person. The four tips tolerance, compassion, empathy and courage.

 O is for the Optimism she taught so well. That even when times were bad things would get better.

Many times when I was young my mother scrambled to find the money for food but she always found a way to have the food on the table. We never went hungry and if any neighbour needed some food she found some for them.

T is for the Tolerance she gave to all.

My mother would say to me whenever I wondered why people were mean, try to put yourself in their shoes. Did they have a bad day? Do they have a bad home life? Has anyone ever been nice to them? Is there any way you can make their day better?

H is for the Happiness she spread

Everyone loved my mother. I know a lot people say that about their mothers but with mine it was true. Total strangers became friends to her and she showed them kindness. Her friendship was valued as she would help if needed and just be there.

E is for the energy she always had

She had an inner energy that burned brightly like a candle that seemed like it would never go out. 

When I was a child we went on nature walks for miles (km for Canadians now) that she would make so much fun. Talking of the types of trees foliage and in summer picking berries by the side of country roads (you’d never do that today but then you could pick berries).

R is for resilience that she had

She had a lot of strife and many hard times that would have broken most people but she never gave up, she just continued on showing her children that belief that things would get better and that there is always a solution. If those don’t work that make your peace and accept what you cannot change with grace and love. Always be there for your children.

This was my mother. I was fortunate, as was all my siblings to have the best mother ever. Even though she’s gone, I know she’s not far away 

                   so

Happy Mother’s Day Mom
©Sheilagh Lee May 11,2012

Unrequited Love

 For Valentine's Day I thought I would give you a personal story of unrequited love.

When I was nine I had my first marriage proposal and even a mock wedding but I‘m getting ahead of myself. As I said I was nine years old and attended a rural school so was transported each day by bus to the school. I had a small group of girls I hung out on the schoolyard during recesses.( morning lunch and afternoon ones). It was June and one of the girl’s Mary-Beth said “He likes you .”

“Who likes me?” I asked surprised.

“Someone likes Sheilagh?” asked Cindy.

“Yes John.” Grace answered then chanted “Sheilagh and John sitting in a tree, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Sheilagh with a baby carriage.”

“Yuck.” I answered. ”I’m not having babies for years and years and years.”

“So you do like John?” Mary-Beth asked.

“He’s okay.” I answered not committing myself looking over at the blonde headed boy.He was kind of cute and had nice blue eyes when he smiled.

“She likes him.” Grace said

I ignored them and walked away .If John wanted to like me that was okay but I didn’t want them to talk about it. The bell rang and we went in for class. Frankly I forgot about it as the teacher taught two of my favourite subjects History, then Music. Lunch came and I ate it quickly. it was an early spring day, the sun was out, and I wanted to skip rope and just enjoy the outdoors. I spotted my friends talking to some boys one of them John, and he smiled at me. What were they saying? Had they told him I liked him? I wondered my stomach hurting. I ignored them and walked back in to go to the washroom to wash my reddened face and get some composure back. As I put the cool water on my face my arms were grabbed I looked up water in my eyes to find several girls around me.

“You are getting married.” Grace said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m only nine years old. Let me go.” I pleaded as I struggled. With three girls holding me and two others holding guard I wasn’t getting away. I was at the time smaller than all the girls at only about 4feet 8 inches, and they had a firm hold on my arms.

“John wants to marry you. This is your surprise wedding.” Grace answered. “My Dad’s a minister, so I know all the words and I’m going to marry you.”

“I don’t want to marry anyone and I don’t love him.” I continued to protest as they stuck toilet paper in my hair with bobby pins for a veil and started to wind toilet tissue around me for my gown.

“Well John does and we want a wedding.” Mary-Beth replied.

I glared at all of them and thought none of them were truly my friends or they wouldn’t be doing this to me. When they finished dressing me for the wedding they pulled me out to the playground and to a corner of the yard. Grace picked some dandelions and stuck them in my hands saying “There now you have some flowers. The girls let my arms go but stood close enough to grab me again.

John walked over smiling and said “I really want to marry you.”

I was flabbergasted this boy who had barely said two words to me wanted to marry me? I grew frightened what if because Grace’s father was a minister the ceremony was legal I didn’t want to marry anyone especially at nine years old.

“Do you John take Sheilagh.” I heard and then his agreement then it was my turn

“Do you Sheilagh take John.”

I felt my heart pounding in my chest as fear seeped into every pore of my skin.

“No,” I said but it came out as a yell and then like my feet had wings, I ran away.

John never spoke to me again after that and I felt bad about that. I think I might have broken John’s heart. As for the girls I forgave them and they realized that they couldn’t push me into something I didn’t want to do and respected me for it. And that dear readers is my story for you today Valentine’s Day.
© Sheilagh Lee   February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day

Three Word Wednesday- Hell's Pass

Prompts:

Brutal; adjective: Savagely violent; punishingly hard or uncomfortable; direct and lacking any attempt to disguise unpleasantness.

Sullen; adjective: Bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy; (of the sky) full of dark clouds; noun: A sulky or depressed mood.

Trust; noun: Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something; acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation; the state of being responsible for someone or something; verb: Believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of.

     It was nineteen sixty eight and a young family was making its way across the country to a new home on Vancouver Island. There were four sullen and hot young children in the backseat of the red rambler. The car had been hastily repaired by the father and a sympathetic garage in Alberta.(Remember these were the days when people didn’t even wear seatbelts).The car was now held together by some soldering, Duct tape and rope but the father trusted  it would get them to where they were going even pulling the U-Haul that had pulled the car apart. The windows would all open but the back doors would not open. In true fact the only door that would now open was the passenger side. The father was tired, the mother even more so, as she slept little staying awake to keep the driver awake. She then would stay awake to watch the children as he slept. The children were cranky as the long car ride of four days continued. It wasn’t an adventure anymore but torture to remain quiet and stare endlessly out the window.

     It was the middle of the night that the Old U-Haul trailer they were pulling suddenly pulled to the right as they went up the mountain. The father pulled the car over to stop, but no one got out as the middle of the car was tied shut with rope and the backdoors wouldn’t open after their last stop.

“Hon get out and check the U-Haul will you?” the father asked

The mother rushed to comply. Putting one foot down she gasped and pulled it back inside the car ashen.

“Would you hurry up, and go check the trailer. Damn it.” The father demanded.  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing there. No ledge no ground. We’re going to topple over the mountainside.”

“What?”

“The ground is gone. We are practically over the edge we have to get the children out.”

“If we move the wrong way the weight of the car and the U-Haul will pull us all the way over.” said the father.

“Children wake up.” the mother said softly.

“But it is still dark.” they protested.

“Help your sister out the driver’s side window, and then help the others out. Once they are all out, you get out.” the mother commanded.

“Why?” asked the oldest boy.

“Just do as your mother says.” the father commanded.

The boy helped his sisters out of the car and when he himself got out realized the situation and moved the children further across the road. He then told his sister who was the next oldest to watch them. He went to help get his mother out across his father. The only one left in the car was his father who refused to get out.

“Find some rocks and put the woodblock behind the wheels of the U-Haul.” the father commanded the older boy and his wife.

The boy and the man’s wife complied and the man yelled that it wasn’t working. The wife was then told to get in and the man yelled at them to steer in the correct direction as he moved the U-Haul pushing it in the right direction. A few minutes later with great relief the man said to his wife.

“It’s straight now.”

The danger was over the man and the woman had steered the car into a stretch were the car could be pulled over. The man and the woman waited in the car at the side of the road until morning. In the morning when they walked back to the spot where the car had almost gone over they saw the brutal truth. They looked out down and saw that they were on not had only been negotiating the Roger’s Pass but had stumbled on the road that overlooked Hell’s Gate, When they looked down all they saw was a river very far down so far they could barely see it.They then realized how lucky they had really been.

© Sheilagh Lee January 11, 2012

Author’s note: This is a true story about my youth. I was one of the younger siblings in the car. We would have surely died if not for the tug that my father felt of the U-Haul .My father always said he had a bad feeling and felt a mysterious tug on his shoulder that caused him to pull over. He felt that this was not from anything earthly (since we were all asleep except my mother and him); so I’d like to think our guardian angels saved us that day so long ago. This road at the time was known as Hell’s Pass. There were no guard rails either at the time making this one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the country.(they have since refined  the road and installed guard rails)The river they saw was the Frasier River flowing through.

If you'd like to more on this area click below:

Roger’s Pass info

http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townid=3496   

Hell’s Gate  below Hell's Pass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Gate,_British_Columbia    

Happy New Year 2012

Fare thee well two thousand eleven

You had high points which outweighed the lows

You gave me joy and a touch of heaven

As I saw my dream fulfilled as the work flowed

To the pages of a book and onto readers so dear

To find my work touching others was good to hear

So now two thousand twelve will come creeping, bringing more cheer

As I hope to release four books for readers to enlist fear

And plot points to enjoy,books with murders, with vampires

And family units will spill onto Kobos, Sonys, and Kindles Fires

This New Year two thousand twelve will be the best yet

I hope for readers and myself so no need to fret

That the year two thousand eleven is gone

For time it always marches on.

But we grow, move on and fulfill

Our wishes and dreams that time cannot still

So we embrace the scary and the new

And make it, the new year a rosy hue.

© Sheilagh Lee December 30, 2011

Three Word Wednesday- The Second World War and my Dad

Drank; past tense of drink, verb: Take (a liquid) into the mouth and swallow; consume or be in the habit of consuming alcohol, especially to excess.

Hitch; verb: Move (something) into a different position with a jerk; fasten or tether with a rope; noun: A temporary interruption or problem.

Muster; verb: Assemble (troops), esp. for inspection or in preparation for battle; collect or assemble (a number or amount); summon up (a particular feeling, attitude, or response); noun: A formal gathering of troops, esp. for inspection, display, or exercise.

     My father was a history buff and his favourite field of studies were strategies of war. He often told us stories of Canadian battles and other historical battles. Canada was at war when he was a teen. He trained at school every day as part of his studies to go to war. A crack shot, my dad excelled at all to do with war; after all his older brother had become a Special Forces soldier and his sister also taking part working as a CWAC. He wanted to go one day too. His brother came home drank and told of fun with comrades but never really talking of war. It all sounded wonderful to a lonely boy. His mother worked long hours in the airplane factory, so my father too wanted to do his part .So he went down to the local recruiting centre and signed up to muster off to war while his mother worked  one of her very long shifts at the factory.
His father and stepfather were both fighting overseas. He was thirteen years old, but big for his age. Looking at him he may have appeared to the recruiter to be sixteen, but no one would have taken him for only thirteen years old.
     My grandmother meanwhile frantically tried to find out where her son was and got nowhere. She told the recruiter her son was only thirteen years old and he didn’t believe her. Maybe it was just he was worried about his mistake; after all he had just sent a thirteen year old child to war. He demanded she bring back proof. My grandmother had moved several times since my father was born and she was not sure where she had put his birth certificate. She found it after frantically searching and brought it back to them, only to be told that my father had been trained and shipped off to Halifax to board a troop ship which would take him overseas. My grandmother didn’t hesitate she boarded a train to Halifax went straight to the harbour. She told them proudly how her son fought overseas, her daughter was a CWAC and that she herself worked in an airplane factor, therefore they could not have her thirteen year old son. They demanded proof that my father was thirteen and she produced it. The ship then sailed without my father who went home. That ship my father always told me went to sea without him and later a German U boat  torpedoed them , all about 200 souls or less aboard died. (I’ve been trying to trace the ship but am not sure of the name only that it sailed from Halifax.)
     My father was always grateful that he wasn’t on board that ship. He mourned the loss of those lives and taught his children to remember those who had given their lives for our freedom and peace we enjoy. As he said he could have been one of those who perished and then we might not have been here. We appreciated that and always remember how fortunate we were to have our father.
      Less than a year later my grandmother had a knock at her door receiving a telegram that her oldest son  had been listed as missing in action and presumed dead. A soldier in his unit that was wounded came a month later and told her he was sure her son was dead; but that he had died valiantly saving many of his troops. My grandmother mourned devastated that she had saved one son to lose another. After three long months she received a phone call and rejoiced her son was alive. He had been in a coma for three months injured so badly they had not been able to identify him. They had thought they might lose him from his injuries but he survived. He came home for some time healing and then went back to war just before hostilities had ended.

©Sheilagh Lee  November 9, 2011

We shall never forget their sacrifice.We shall remember.

Remembrance Day Poem-We Remember.

Young men eager to start an adventure

As they face their greatest fear

To leave kith and kin without censure

To fight the greatest foe

Off to the front, the war they go

The young and the older leave their families,

Going to foreign lands, they take their leaves,

Women volunteered and were put behind the scenes

To bandage the weary troops and keep the papers forwarded

With the orders down the line, and to keep the troops boarded

They stepped up those valiant women with none rewarded

The men the battle waged, battling falling in foreign land

Some in lonely countryside, some in Dieppe’s watery sand

Their youth, the strength given for their country

So we can have freedom to live and breathe and see

A world of peace and feel that we are free

To speak our minds and raise our families

They gave their lives their body and mind

To save our country, to give us time to find

Our place in the world without oppression

To save us from someone else obsession

Who wanted to control the world and control thought

So our troops volunteered and so valiantly fought

Giving to us their country the peace we sought

We thank them for their sacrifice                             

Though it barely does suffice

We thank them for the time they gave

We thank them for the lives they save

We thank them truly, for the battles fought

The battles won, for the peace we sought

We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice

Though our thanks barely suffice

And those that come home broken

We give to all of you this token

Of our love and remembrance

For every day that is hence

We will remember and celebrate your life

We remember how you had such strife

To give us freedom and peace

To let the hostilities cease.

Thank-you is all I can say

Thank you each and every day.

We shall not forget.

Though the sunset

We shall always remember

Each and every day

And not only in November

Of the role you played

And the sacrifices you made

Our memories will never fade.

©Sheilagh Lee  November 6 ,2011

Memories of Hallowe'en

Hallowe’en is coming and unfortunately some parents have forgotten that feeling a child gets when they collect ”free” candy  on Hallowe’en ;the sheer delight in that childhood ritual that children get. I think as parents we can take the good with the bad .If you had Hallowe’en as a child give your children a chance to experience that. Search their candy before they eat it go with them when their small and have groups and times to be back when their older. Let the children have this ritual and most of all have someone give out candy at your house. Let your children have memories some day they can write about our tell their children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a child I had sheer delight and joy with the Hallowe’en I was six and now I’m sharing it with you below...

~It was two weeks before Hallowe’en when I was six years old I had come down with whooping cough. I was really sick and yet I still hoped to get better by Hallowe’en. The day before Hallowe’en it was obvious I was not going to be going out for Hallowe’en to everyone but me. I stubbornly was sure I would be magically better after all my siblings had been sick and they were all better ...sure I was the last to get sick but that didn’t really count did it? When my mother told me sadly the day morning of Hallowe’en I cried my eyes out. No Hallowe’en trick or treating ...no candy why it was the kid’s best holiday of the year and I had to miss it. My paternal grandmother came over and brought me a tall Tupperware plastic cup with a lid full of her favourite butterscotch and fruit drops.
“There.” Grandma said “Now you’ve got some candy.”

I thanked my grandmother but still in the back of my mind I was sad that I wasn’t going  out for Hallowe’en especially as I watched my siblings get ready to go out without me their pillowcases held high. I didn’t think anyone cared that I wasn’t going out for Hallowe’en. I felt really sorry for myself.Watching from my bedroom window when I was supposed to be in bed, I saw many children come and go to our front door for their trick or treat goodies. They were a laughing and happy and as I watched I grew more and more glum. . Finally after waiting two long hours for them to come back my siblings walked in the door. I ran from my bedroom to see what candy delights they had recieved (and hoped that my little brother who had promised to share with me would hold to his promise). My older sister Debbie was excited and said

“Guess what I’ve got?” to me as she bounced up and down excited,

“Candy ?” I said knowing the answer or so I thought

“Look .”she said showing me not one but two pillowcases full of candy.

“Some of the people asked me where’s Sheilagh? And I told them you were sick .They said where is Sheilagh’s pillowcase? So I gave them my extra one. So every house I went to I told them that you were sick and they I gave me candy for you. Look you ‘ve got lots of candy.” Debbie announced proudly.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had just as much or more candy than my siblings who went out for Hallowe’en. I ate a lot of that candy over the next month. I also thanked my closest neighbours and others in the small community who had been so kind to me when I was well enough. I also thanked my sister Debbie who generously thought of me when she went out trick or treating knowing that I was able to. How many other sisters or siblings  (at the age of nine years) would have thought about their little sister.Not only thought about them but would have collected and carry home candy for them. Years have gone by but I still think about that Hallowe'en and what joy I received from the kindness of others in the community, my paternal grandmother and my own dear big sister.

©Sheilagh Lee  October 21 ,2011
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