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‘Final Audition: A Marshall James Thriller’ Now Available on Amazon
It’s been a long journey for Marshall James. Beginning with ‘Murder at the Paisley Parrot,’ through ‘Beautiful Corpse,’ and now ‘Final Audition,‘ the conclusion of the series. Time marches on for everyone, as it clearly has for Marshall. He’s come full circle, and in this final story he’s given the opportunity to have the ending he’d been denied so many years ago. Will the conclusion of the story bring joy, sorrow, or something else entirely? Find out as Marshall takes us back to a 1980s Los Angeles forgotten by most, a New York City as current as the squeal of subway tracks at dawn, and a bridge he had to cross between them one last time. Now available on Amazon.
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New Cover for ‘A House in the Woods’ by … M.A. McNease
One of my main projects next year is a sequel to ‘A House in the Woods.‘ It’s called ‘A House in Woods 2: The Devil’s Due,’ and it reunites us with Laurel and Jeremy Calloway two years after the first book. This time Laurel knows the stakes could not be higher, and this time she’s determined to win. But will she? Will the strange townspeople of Strickland, New Jersey, get what they want, or will Laurel destroy them all to prevent it?
With the exception of the third Marshall James Thriller, ‘Final Audition‘ (which Frank is reading now and LOVES!), I intend to do a lot of writing under the name M.A. McNease. I just like it, and I need to refresh my creative life a little. Those are my initials. The books are all listed under both names. My Kindle Vella serial, ‘I, Warlock,‘ is coming out under that name, and I have lots more in mind over the next couple years. So … here’s the cover for the Kindle edition.
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New Cover for ‘A House in the Woods’ by … M.A. McNease
One of my main projects next year is a sequel to ‘A House in the Woods.‘ It’s called ‘A House in Woods 2: The Devil’s Due,’ and it reunites us with Laurel and Jeremy Calloway two years after the first book. This time Laurel knows the stakes could not be higher, and this time she’s determined to win. But will she? Will the strange townspeople of Strickland, New Jersey, get what they want, or will Laurel destroy them all to prevent it?
With the exception of the third Marshall James Thriller, ‘Final Audition‘ (which Frank is reading now and LOVES!), I intend to do a lot of writing under the name M.A. McNease. I just like it, and I need to refresh my creative life a little. Those are my initials. The books are all listed under both names. My Kindle Vella serial, ‘I, Warlock,‘ is coming out under that name, and I have lots more in mind over the next couple years. So … here’s the cover for the Kindle edition.
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Savvy Senior: What You’ll Pay for Medicare in 2023
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve read that retirees will be getting a nice cost-of-living increase in our Social Security benefits next year but what about Medicare? What will our Medicare Part B monthly premiums and other Medicare costs be in 2023?
Planning Ahead
Dear Planning,
From an entitlement program standpoint, 2023 is going to be a very good year for retirees! Not only will you receive a nice 8.7 percent cost-of-living increase in your Social Security retirement benefits – the largest since 1981 – the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also recently announced that your Medicare Part B standard monthly premium will be lowered 3 percent ($5.20) from the current rate of $170.10 per month, to $164.90/month in 2023.
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The Twist Podcast #203: The Twist Halloween Spooktacular Listen If You Dare Episode
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we compare costumes, run down this week’s outrages, and offer our favorite pumpkin poisons. Plus a heaping helping of horrifying headlines. This one’s a scream!
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The Twist Podcast #203: The Twist Halloween Spooktacular Listen If You Dare Episode
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we compare costumes, run down this week’s outrages, and offer our favorite pumpkin poisons. Plus a heaping helping of horrifying headlines. This one’s a scream!
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Savvy Senior: How to Find an Old 401(k)
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
How do I go about looking for an old former company 401(k) plan that I think I contributed money to many years ago, but forgot about until recently?
Retired in Rochester
Dear Retired,
If you think you may have lost track of an old 401(k) retirement account, you aren’t alone. As Americans move from job to job, many leave scraps of their company sponsored 401(k) plans behind, believing they’ll deal with it later, but never do.
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Book Review: Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden history of America’s Cemeteries, by Greg Melville
You’ve moved – how many times already?
A couple times as a child, a few times in college and a lot more boxes, once or twice in truckloads since then, the average American moves more than 11 times in a lifetime. And then one day, you won’t. As you’ll see in “Over My Dead Body” by Greg Melville, then you’ll have your real, true Forever Home.
Everybody, they say, needs a hobby and Greg Melville’s just happens to be visiting cemeteries. His family knows that every vacation will be wrapped around gravesites, every chance for a run happens to circle around tombstones. While the family complains, Melville studies the grounds upon which so many rest and he thinks about those who are interred.
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I, Warlock: Cover Reveal for My Upcoming Kindle Vella Exclusive
Stay tuned for links, details and info: I’ll be writing my first Kindle Vella serial, coming very soon. AND it’s under my “other” name, MA McNease. It’s my party, I’ll try if I want to.
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Double Trouble: A Frightfully Good Halloween Giveaway (October 27 – 31)
For 5 days only! From October 27 – 31 you can download A House in the Woods, and Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery, free on Kindle. Treat yourself to a supernatural chiller where fear has a home in the woods, and the first book in the Maggie Dahl mystery series. They’ll keep you up reading till the witching hour.
(The second Maggie Dahl book, Open Secrets, is available now on Amazon, and the upcoming A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due will be out in 2023!)
“Country living is Hell.”
Laurel and Jeremy Calloway have longed for a new life away from the chaos and confusion of New York City. Driving along a country road in New Jersey with a young real estate agent in the back seat, they almost miss it: a small house in the woods for sale. Laurel immediately thinks this could be the house for them, the house of their dreams, where a simpler life awaits. Laurel can finish her debut novel. Jeremy can look for a job in Philadelphia just an hour away. Stopping to take a look at the property, they meet the house’s caretaker, Eileen, and within a few weeks they find themselves the very lucky owners of their ideal home. But who are the mysterious old couple who’d put the house up for sale, having moved out months ago? Is Eileen more than a friendly neighbor? Who are the townspeople they meet, who all seem aware of the young couple now living in the house in the woods? And is it the house of their dreams, or of their nightmares?
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Double Trouble: A Frightfully Good Halloween Giveaway (October 27 – 31)
For 5 days only! From October 27 – 31 you can download A House in the Woods, and Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery, free on Kindle. Treat yourself to a supernatural chiller where fear has a home in the woods, and the first book in the Maggie Dahl mystery series. They’ll keep you up reading till the witching hour.
(The second Maggie Dahl book, Open Secrets, is available now on Amazon, and the upcoming A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due will be out in 2023!)
“Country living is Hell.”
Laurel and Jeremy Calloway have longed for a new life away from the chaos and confusion of New York City. Driving along a country road in New Jersey with a young real estate agent in the back seat, they almost miss it: a small house in the woods for sale. Laurel immediately thinks this could be the house for them, the house of their dreams, where a simpler life awaits. Laurel can finish her debut novel. Jeremy can look for a job in Philadelphia just an hour away. Stopping to take a look at the property, they meet the house’s caretaker, Eileen, and within a few weeks they find themselves the very lucky owners of their ideal home. But who are the mysterious old couple who’d put the house up for sale, having moved out months ago? Is Eileen more than a friendly neighbor? Who are the townspeople they meet, who all seem aware of the young couple now living in the house in the woods? And is it the house of their dreams, or of their nightmares?
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Book Review: Halloween Books for Kids and Adults
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezHalloween Books for Kids and Adults
c.2022, various publishers $16.95-$29.99
various page counts
The leaves are crunchy beneath your feet.
There’s a chill in the air, too, and darkness creeps into the day earlier and earlier. It’s the perfect time to get terrified, isn’t it? These three books will do it to you…
Let’s start with something for everybody over the age of 8 in your haunted house: “Tales to Keep You Up at Night” by Dan Poblocki (Penguin Workshop, $17.99). In it, young Amelia’s grandma has disappeared and it’s natural that Amelia would look for her, right? But grandma’s not in the attic. What is there is a book, one that sure looks like a library book but the library says it’s not. Nope, it’s a book of stories and as Amelia begins to read them, they start to look a lot like real-life, making her wonder exactly what’s merely story and what’s not.
This book is written in chapters that are the perfect length for reading aloud every evening. Start a tradition: turn off the lights, bring a spooky candle, but do it well before bedtime.
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Savvy Senior: Home Sharing: A Growing Trend Among Baby Boomers
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I saw a news segment on television a few months ago about home sharing programs for seniors and would like to learn more. I’m 68, divorced, and am interested in renting out a room in my house to help make ends meet. What can you tell me?
Interested Boomer
Dear Boomer,
Because of inflation and rising housing costs a growing number of baby boomers are opting to rent out a spare room in their house as a way to generate some extra income, and for some, increase companionship. To find a good fit, older homeowners often turn to “home sharing programs” that will match an empty nester with someone needing affordable housing.