Eye for an Eye, Murder Mystery with a Twist

    Eye for an Eye is a murder mystery with a twist. Izzy O’Donnell is a brand-new detective, but she’s not new to police life. She grew up with it. Her dad was a cop. Retired, now he hung out in his apartment above the bar he owned, and she looked after him. And now this. A pervert was on the lose and it seemed he was targeting her. And then there was Moreno. She couldn’t afford to get involved with her new partner. Like she didn’t have enough problems.

Moreno hung up the phone and walked past Izzy, purposely brushing her elbow with his. Startled, she jumped and looked at him. “You hangin’ in?” he said. “Guess I’m a little shell shocked.” They crossed the room and met Cal at the fireplace. He was bent over, examining the body. “Cal, Moreno, you’d better take a look at this,” said one of the techies. He motioned them over to the blood-soaked couch. Izzy hadn’t been called over, so she stayed at the fireplace. The scene was gruesome, and the stench wafted up her nose. She gingerly touched the body with a stainless-steel probe. It crunched. She steadied her queasies and took a deep breath. Get back on task. She scrutinized the area, searching for fibers and trace evidence. When she picked up the fireplace poker that lay nearby, a blood-soaked packet tumbled off the hearth and plopped on the carpet. Izzy glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed. When she realized she was the sole recipient of this piece of evidence, her heart skipped a beat. This could be her first break—her way to show those seasoned guys that this newbie knew her stuff.

Eye for an Eye is a smart, funny and gruesome murder mystery all wrapped up into one. Check it out and as always, leave a review if you love it. I’m sure you will.

 

Take Five

    Taking five after a long, hard day. Here’s a little fact about weightlifting from the My Fitness Pal blog: A pound of muscle burns anywhere from 7–13 calories over a 24-hour period, whereas a pound of fat only burns between 2–5 calories over the same amount of time. “That is a significant difference,” says Michele Olson, PhD, certified strength and conditioning specialist and a senior clinical professor at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. So… come joined me and learn to lift weights. You’ll feel better when you take five, too. #womenshealth #womenwholift #masterlifter #shepersists #grit #getfit

Interview

Here is my interview with Fiona McVey:

  https://authorsinterviews.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/here-is-my-interview-with-jocelyn-pedersen/

LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS ANNIVERSARY SCAVENGER HUNT

LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: An Eye for an Eye by Jocelyn Pedersen

National Book Lovers Day!

    It’s National Book Lovers Day!  The day in every reader and writer’s mind as the best national holiday of the year.  It may be obscure in comparison to some, but not in my heart.

What is your all-time favorite book?  No, not one you wrote – even though I’m sure it is fabulous – but what book changed your life and made you pay attention to the world in another way.  For me, it had to be To Kill a Mockingbird.  I loved it because of how Atticus Finch stood up for the underdog and didn’t care what others thought. He spread that love-of-mankind by teaching his children to be accepting of others, like his defendant, Tom Robinson, or the neighborhood recluse, Boo Radley.  The only book that Harper Lee ever published was an American favorite then as it is today.  And in today’s climate it is needed once again to teach a new generation of Americans brotherly love.

Literature is a big part of my life and many others.  National Book Lovers Day means many things.  Literature can be fun and entertaining, teach a lesson, or just occupy a part of a day.  But for many of us bookworms, it is a part of our lives.  Where would we be without the book – in any form.   

Enjoy a book today.  Read to your kids, read to your dog, read to your friend or enemy, they’ll appreciate it.  Read to your plants, they’ll probably grow faster.  But just read.  You will surely enjoy it, and if you’re not careful, you might learn something.

What is your all-time favorite book?

Be the Things you Loved the Most

    Our First Lady of Lifting, Bonnie White, Coach Bob’s wife of 65 years passed away this week. We are all very sad. We will miss Bonnie very, very much.

I ran across this meme today and it seemed fitting, because Bonnie was a kind person. She and Bob have given so much to so, so many. Existing technology cannot measure how much or how many they have helped. I am among them.

I made a list of all the lifters who have been through the gym: 143. That’s a lot of lifters.

I remember Bonnie from when I was an undergraduate back in the 70’s. She worked at OU in Admissions back then. She was always very sweet and kind. She always had a smile for us students, and she was incredibly helpful, never giving anyone the run-around.

When I moved into my house seven years ago, I saw her, my new neighbor, in the yard and I thought, “I know her! She’s so nice!” and to have been her neighbor has been a pleasure, a privilege, and an honor.

Bonnie was a quilter, a softball player–she even lifted for a while. She loved animals. She and my Flo dog were fast friends. Sometimes Flo would come lift with me, but really, she’d just go hang out with Bonnie. They’d watch TV together and Bonnie would play with her. Sometimes, Flo would just go over to Bob and Bonnie’s and sit at the door until Bonnie let her in. Bob would call and ask me, “Are you missing your dog? She’s been visiting for about an hour!”

Bonnie was mom, grandma, friend, and confidant to many. Lifters past and present have shared many memories of her with me over these past few days. All of them are stories filled with love and emotion. Lots of smiles in those remembrances.

The lifting team and the softball team will serve as honorary pall bearers. An honor and privilege, for sure.

Bonnie, I hope to be the things I love the most about you. Goodbye, my friend. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. I hope to do you proud.

Eye for an Eye – The Izzy O’Donnell Series

    Izzy is a Rookie.  It is obvious the way she up-chucks on a crime scene and hesitates to make her opinions known.  She’s at the bottom of the rung on a long ladder that may never reach the top.  But she has instincts – some say she’s psychic – like her friend Apple and the rabbit she carries with her most of the time. But Izzy knows a pervert when she works a crime scene. And they have one in this case.

She also knows police work.  She was a uniform cop for years and grew up in a household of policemen.  Her dad retired from the force and now she looks after him and his bar after every shift. And she’s determined to make him proud of her. Now if her partners will let her.

The latest round of murders are getting the better of her and everyone who works it.  And that is just how the perp wants it.  If they are pitted against each other, the crimes will never be solved. 

Check out Eye for an Eye and let me know if you like it by writing a review.  It is the first in the Izzy O’Donnell series. There’s more to come!

Vaughn Meet

My personal competition record at Vaughn Meet – this is my last lean-and-jerk lift.  That’s 35 kg (77 lbs.) on the bar. Pretty proud of that lift! It’s a person competition record. Even the main judge in the middle smiled when I made it. Thanks, Coach Bob, for your encouragement and faith in me. And for prodding courage into me!

Eye for an Eye Re-release Day!!!!!

    A female rookie cop. A nasty serial killer. And time is on the killer’s side.  Jocelyn Pedersen is re-releasing Eye for an Eye today with a $.99 sale on Kindle versions of the novel.  Pick up a copy and if you love the book (and you will) leave a review!

USAW Level 1 Coaching License!

    I just earned my USAW Level 1 Coaching License!

I went to Austin, TX and attended a class with 14 other people. Some had never done Olympic style weightlifting before and others of us had some experience. We lifted for about four hours on Saturday and again on Sunday, practicing lifts, teaching technique to each other, and critiquing. Afterward, I had one week to take an exam over the material covered in the class. Boom! Passed the first time.

Thanks to Coach Bob for preparing me so well before I took the class and to David at Texas Barbell in Austin for hosting and teaching the class. Also a shout-out to Mo Cooper, a fellow transplanted Canadian whom I met at the event.

Finally, another big thank you to Coach Bob White, Jr. for supervising me in coaching folks in our gym so I can work toward obtaining my USAW Level 2 Coaching License. I am blessed.