Monthly Archives: April 2013

More Than Meets the Eye


(courtesy of Google images)

 

Do you ever feel like you’re misunderstood?
 
 

Okay, maybe I should be more specific here.
 
 

As a woman, do you ever feel like you’re misunderstood?
 
 

Do people look at you as if you’re talking to them in a foreign language? More than likely this attitude comes from people you’re the closest to, people who live right beneath your very nose. Member’s of your own household gaze at you as if you’re a three headed monster. And the worse culprit of them all? Yep, you’ve got it. The man in your life.
 

Let’s face it. I don’t think we can argue the fact that we woman are walking hormones. With an ever so slight, flip of a switch, an imbalance can throw our emotions to one extreme or another. One may never know what to expect.
 

Hee, hee, hee. You know what I say? Why be predictable. Boring!
 

Yet, have you ever asked yourself if men are really meant to read women’s emotions?
 

There’s new research that suggests men do struggle to read women’s emotions — at least from their eyes. Yes, there’s a new scientific finding that shows men have twice the problem figuring out women’s emotions from looking at their eyes verses those of men. Apparently, the part of the male brain that is tied to emotion didn’t respond as strong.
 

Oh, I get it. Now there’s scientific evidence that woman are double the trouble.
 

Great, that’s all we need.
 

Now hold on just a minute. Let’s see what they actually said before we all get worked up about this.
 

Although the popular thought is that men and women come from two different planets, both sexes are somewhat similar. Yet, regardless if one comes from Mars or Venus, small studies have implied that men have difficulty with intuition and predicting what women think and feel.
 

Okay, so how do they know this?
 

This is the cool part.
 

Researchers in Germany put 22 men between the ages of 21 and 52 to the test. Using a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, they measured their brain activity when the men looked at images of 36 pairs of eyes. Half of them were women and the other half men. Then they were asked to use two words that best described the emotion the eyes portrayed, whether a neutral or negative emotion.
 

Guess what?
 

They found that men took longer and had more trouble guessing the correct emotion from a woman’s eyes. They responded stronger to men’s eyes and the results showed that when it came to fear and empathy, their brains activated differently when looking at a man versus a woman’s eyes.
 

It seems that men are worse at reading women’s emotions. So theoretically, this mental deficiency could lead men to have less empathy for women rather than men.
 

Hmm. How did this happen? I mean, mental deficiency? Really? I don’t know about you girls, but I find this very shocking. 🙂
  

Well, the answer is not totally clear. It is thought that this behavior in men could be hard-wired—that through the years it was more important for men to develop the ability to anticipate the intentions and actions of their male adversaries. Thus men have been conditioned to pay less attention to women’s emotional indicators due to their hunting and territorial nature.
 

Aha! Foreign language? Three headed monster? Moi? I don’t think so.
 

All these years women have been taking the blame for something that’s been embedded in men’s brains only to find out it’s not us. And the great news is women now have the scientific research to back this up! This just validates what women have known for years. I couldn’t wait to share this with you. This is exciting news!
 

So the next time that certain someone makes you feel misunderstood, have them look you straight in the eye and tell them there’s more than meets the eye here baby!
 
 

So what do you think about this study? Do you find yourself misunderstood? Do your loved ones look at you as if you have three heads? Are your planets in alignment with your loved one or do you find them in disarray? When talking to others, do you find it helpful to look them straight in the eye? And do they in turn make eye contact with you?
 
 

Thank you so much everyone for sharing your many fine thoughts and comments!
Karen

 
 
For more information about this subject please go to http://www.plosone.org.
 

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And The Winner Is…Yep, Kathy Owen Sure Is Generous!

As most of you know, I was chosen as “Mystress of Ceremonies” for Kathy Owen’s “Dangerous and Unseemly Mystery Book Tour.” Why me? I have no idea. But since it’s my job, I’m gonna make sure that Kathy’s tour ends on a high note!
 

It’s been an exciting time for Kathy with the release of her very first mystery novel. So if you’ve had a chance to enjoy her book, let me assure you there’ll be more to come in the near future. And if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, there are links at the bottom of Kathy’s post that will direct you to your favorite book retailer.
 

Yet, for now, I’d like to hand things over to Kathy because she has an annoucement to make, cause we have winners! Yes winners, as in, more than one! Wahoo!
 

So take it away Kathy!
 
 


 

Hey, Karen, thanks for having me back to wrap up the Whodunnit contest! We had a great time spreading mystery and mayhem all around the blogosphere, bwahaha.
 
 

Here’s the original puzzle:
 

You have received a partial telegram, stating that the murdered body of Sir Reginald “Good Riddance” Crenshaw, your long-lost third cousin (twice removed) has been found. However, the rest of the message has been lost, scattered and garbled along a trail of multiple telegrams to other people by a drunk clerk at the telegraph office.
 

Before you can make a claim upon dear Reggie’s ill-gotten wealth, you must establish the particulars of the murder. Where was he found? What was he killed with? And, most importantly, WHODUNNIT?
 

by K.B. Owen
(by K.B. Owen)
 

Now, I know you’re all dying for the solution, but bear with me for a minute as I walk you through a few of the clues from various sites on my book tour. You needed four letters to solve each piece of the puzzle. Those letters, unscrambled, corresponded to a Clue-game style ROOM, WEAPON, and CULPRIT.
 

The first four stops (Elizabeth Craig, Janice Hamrick, Jill Edmondson, and Margot Kinberg) had the letters to the ROOM. Here were their questions, with the answers:
 

1. One of the following is NOT a rule of Golden Age detective fiction, as famously listed by literary critic Ronald Knox (in a preface to a 1929 collection of detective stories). Which is it?

Answer – B: The butler should be the culprit
 

2. What famous fiction private eye said: “The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter”?

Answer – I: Sam Spade
 

3. This detective said: ”Warning. Assholes are closer than they appear.”

Answer – L: Ace Ventura
 

4. What percent cocaine solution did Sherlock Holmes inject when bored between cases?

Answer – R: 7% (some of those other percentage choices would have killed him!)
 

So, we have B – I – L – R, which unscrambled is LIBR, the acronym for LIBRARY.
 

The next four stops gave us the letters to the WEAPON. Now that you have the idea, I won’t go into the specific questions, but here are the letter answers:
 

Nancy Lauzon: E / Renee Schuls-Jacobson: R / Julie Glover: O / Jenny Hansen: V
 

E – R – O – V Unscrambled, we get: REVO or REVOLVER
 


(image via wikimedia commons)
 

Then the final three stops (Tiffany had two clues) gave us the CULPRIT:
 

Rachel Funk Heller: U / Laird Sapir: M / Tiffany White: P, L
 

U – M – P – L Unscrambled, we get PLUM, or PROFESSOR PLUM
 

So, there you have it! Professor Plum killed Sir Reggie Crenshaw in the library with the revolver.
 

I’ve always thought that one of the defects of the Clue game, however, was that the motive isn’t part of the equation. Well, no more!
 

Professor Plum had murder in his heart ever since 2005, when Sir Reggie had written a mocking review of Plum’s beloved scholarly work: “T.S. Eliot and Geoffrey Chaucer: Reciprocal Influences on a Wasteland Pilgrimage.” It had been the loving work of 13 years and ran 1,847 pages long. Plum had considered it the crowning glory of his academic career, until that philistine Reggie ruined it for him. Then it was “bye-bye” tenure. Since then, Plum has gone from college to college like an itinerant farm-hand, teaching part-time writing classes to privileged college brats whose idea of writing was sitting in the back of the room, texting with their thumbs. Enough was enough – it was high time for payback.
 

He found Sir Reggie alone in the library. At first, Plum thought it would be poetic justice if he konked Crenshaw over the noggin with his “Wasteland Pilgrimage” volume – 1,800+ pages makes for a substantial weapon, after all – but he couldn’t bear the thought of bloodstains marring his precious book, even for a good cause. That’s what revolvers are for, after all.
 

And The WINNER Is: Julie Glover!
 

Congratulations, Julie, and great job! I’ll be sending you a free ebook copy of Dangerous and Unseemly, and a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice).
 

But, wait – that’s not all! I’ve decided to give away an additional copy of my ebook.
 

The winner of that drawing is…Nandini Lal!
 

Congrats! The Kindle version is on its way.
 
 

Thanks so much to everyone for commenting, visiting, and competing in the contest, and supporting me on the book tour. It was a blast!
~Kathy
 
 

Thank you Kathy! And congratulations to both winners!
 


 

Kathy Owen’s new book “Dangerous and Unseemly” is available now at:
 

Amazon Kindle
 

Paperback (Amazon)
 

Barnes and Noble Nookbook
 

Smashwords
 

Kobo
 

Scribd
 

iBooks
 

And please check out Kathy Owen’s website for more historical mystery at kbowenmysteries.com!
 
 

Let’s all give Kathy a big hand for a most exellent Mystery game! She did a fantastic job, don’t you think?
 
 

So how did y’all do? Did Kathy stump you? She can weave a mean mystery, can’t she? Did you have a fun time? What was your favorite part of Kathy’s book release tour? Do you have a new book on the horizon? What are your plans for making the most out of its release? Are you self-pubbing or going the traditional route? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
 

Thanks everyone for stopping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 

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“The Return of Kathy Owen, a Mysterious Murder and Clues”

What does Kathy Owen, a mysterious murder and a bunch of clues have in common?
 

Well, they’re all part of the “Dangerous and Unseemly Mystery Book Tour”.
 

Over the past several weeks, we’ve visited lots of different author sites in an attempt to keep up with the release of Kathy Owen’s new book. I must say that girl is one popular author. Yet, not only that, Kathy, as the talented mystery writer that she is, weaved a Murder Mystery throughout every post on the tour.
 

Isn’t that cool? Besides our introduction to Kathy’s new book, you and I have a Murder to solve!
 

Uh, Karen.
 
 

Yes Kathy.
 
 

Aren’t you forgetting something?
 
 

Oh, that’s right Kathy. Sorry about that. I forgot. It’s just that I get so excited every time I talk about your Murder Mystery. I wonder Whodunnit? Has everyone collected all the clues? Because we have a Murder to solve and that’s why Kathy is here.
 

So take it away Kathy!
 
 

Hi, everyone! We’ve finished the book tour now, and it was a blast! Thank you all for taking the tour with me, and I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting the fab writers and bloggers along the way.
 

Hasn’t Karen McFarland been a terrific Mistress of Ceremonies?
 
 

You’re making me blush Kathy!
 
 

Karen.
 
 

Okay, I’m going, I’m going.
 
 

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, yes. I’m so grateful to Karen for helping things along. I know I was originally planning to announce a winner of the Whodunnit puzzle contest and giveaway today, but I’ve decided to give folks more time to email me with their guesses. Remember, the winner will get a free ebook copy of my debut novel, Dangerous and Unseemly, and a $25 gift card of his/her choice to either Starbucks, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble! I’ll notify the winner by email, too.
 

If you missed any of the stops or trivia questions, no worries. I’ve compiled them all here!
 

But first, a recap of the puzzle:

You have received a partial telegram, stating that the murdered body of Sir Reginald “Good Riddance” Crenshaw, your long-lost third cousin (twice removed) has been found. However, the rest of the message has been lost, scattered and garbled along a trail of multiple telegrams to other people by a drunk clerk at the telegraph office.

Before you can make a claim upon dear Reggie’s ill-gotten wealth, you must establish the particulars of the murder. Where was he found? What was he killed with? And, most importantly, WHODUNNIT?

murderHOW TO SOLVE: Look at the mystery trivia questions below. Each correct answer will give you the alphabet letter you need. You want to solve 3 puzzle pieces: which ROOM, which WEAPON, and which SUSPECT.

 

“THE CLUES”:
 

ROOM CLUES (4 letters, unscrambled):
 

Question #1 – One of the following is NOT a rule of Golden Age detective fiction, as famously listed by literary critic Ronald Knox (in a preface to a 1929 collection of detective stories). Which is it?

A) No more than one secret room or passage is allowable

B) The butler should be the culprit

C) No Chinaman must figure in the story

D) Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we are duly prepared for them

 

Question #2 – What famous fiction private eye said: “The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter”?

I) Sam Spade

J) Phillip Marlowe

K) Mickey Spillane

L) Raymond Chandler
 
 

Question #3 – This detective said: ”Warning. Assholes are closer than they appear.”

I) Charlie Chan

J) Sam Spade

K) Miss Marple

L) Ace Ventura

 

Question #4 – What percent cocaine solution did Sherlock Holmes inject when bored between cases?

O) 20%

P) 75%

Q) 5%

R) 7%
 

So, was dear old Reggie killed in the…

 


 

Kitchen (KITC)?

Ballroom (BALL)?

Conservatory (CONS)?

Billiard Room (BILL)?

Library (LIBR)?

Study (STUD)?

Hall (HALL)?

Lounge (LOUN)?

… or Dining Room (DINE)?

 

Clever, aren’t you? Okay, so now you know where Sir Reggie was dispatched, but what was he killed with?

 

WEAPON CLUES (4 letters, unscrambled):

 

Question #1 – Nancy Drew had two friends (who were probably jealous of her cool red roadster!) who acted as her sidekicks and assisted in her investigations. They were:
 

D) Porgy and Bess

E) Bess and George

F) George and Ned

G) John and Yoko

 

Question #2 – Nate the Great, a “soft-boiled” kid detective from a popular children’s series, eats a favorite food when he needs to think out a case. What is it?

Q) hot dogs

R) pancakes

S) Doritos

T) broccoli

 

Question #3 – What trademark tune does Columbo whistle (beginning with the episode “Any Old Port in the Storm”) which the producers worked into the musical theme?

N) “I dreamed a dream”

O) “This Old Man”

P) “Star-Spangled Banner”

Q) “Hokey Pokey”

 

Question #4 – Agatha Christie’s detective, Hercule Poirot, favored this method of detection:

U) examining physical evidence, such as footprints and tobacco ash

V) using the little gray cells

W) beating a confession out of the murderer

X) relying on eyewitness testimony

 

*gasp* Oh no, was it really done with the —


(image via wikimedia commons)
 

Rope (ROPE)?

Wrench (WREN)?

Revolver (REVO)?

Knife (KNIF)?

Candlestick (CAND)?

Lead Pipe (PIPE)?

 

My oh my, you are a smart one! How about the biggest mystery of all…WHODUNNIT?

 

MURDERER CLUES (4 letters, unscrambled)

 

Question #1 – There was a mysterious incident in Agatha Christie’s life. In her early adulthood, she:

 

T) was accused of murdering her first husband

U) disappeared for 11 days and when she was found had no memory of the time

V) had charge of the hospital pharmaceutical dispensary, in which a large quantity of poison disappeared

W) was rumored to have an illegitimate child

 

Question #2 – Who were the smartest of the Scooby-Doo gang?

L) Scooby and Shaggy

M) Velma and Fred

N) Daphne and Fred

O) Batman and Robin

 

Question #3 – Sherlock Holmes is partly modeled after a person in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life. His name was:
 

O) Han Solo

P) Dr. Joseph Bell

Q) Dr. Joseph Whittingham

R) Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

Question #4 – Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer/amateur detective on the long-running Murder, She Wrote, lived in which town (whose per capita murder rate would have been the despair of local real estate agents)?
 

J) Ann Arbor, MI

K) Intercourse, PA

L) Cabot Cove, ME

M) Martha’s Vineyard, MA

 

Was it…
 

by K.B. Owen
(by K.B. Owen)
 

Colonel Mustard (MUST): did the upstanding retired army man do the dastardly deed?

Mr. Green (GREE): who is really behind that colorful exterior?

Professor Plum (PLUM): perhaps the professor is the passionate perpetrator.

Mrs. White (WHIT): would White wield the wicked weapon?

Miss Scarlet (SCAR): could the sexy Miss Scarlet be the secret sinner?

Mrs. Peacock (PEAC): who knows if poor old Reggie ruffled that lady’s feathers, and she committed murder most fowul?

 

Think you have the answer? Drop me a line! Send an email with your answers to kbowen (at) gmail (dot) com. Heck, email me even if you get lost and/or don’t have time to figure it out. This is all just for fun, after all. I’d love to hear from you, and I’ll put you in the drawing, too!
 

Thanks, and catch ya later,
 
Kathy
 
 

Okay, now can I pop in here Kathy?
 
 

Yes Karen, go right ahead. I’m finished.
 
 

Great job Kathy! Thank you so much for the re-cap! Is everyone as excited as I am?
 

Remember, the winner will get a free ebook copy of Kathy’s debut novel, “Dangerous and Unseemly”, and a $25 gift card of his/her choice to either Starbucks, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble!
 

So what do you think? Do you like a good Murder Mystery? Do you like to play Clue? Have you any ideas as to whodunnit? You may share your thoughts in the comment section below. But in order to recieve a FREE copy of Kathy’s new book, please send a brief email to kbowen@gmail.com.
 
 

Thanks everyone for stopping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen

 
 

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