Writers are important but so are readers. Readers and writers need each other. Writers provide their audiences with news, valuable information as well as entertainment.
Beautiful Ugly is the first book that I have read written by author Alice Feeney. But it probably won’t be the last book of hers that I read.
Beautiful Ugly is quite an interesting story of a man whose wife has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Or she has just up and walked away from their marriage. This is the theme of the book and it’s told from Grady Green’s view for most of the book. But then it switches to Abby’s side of the story. It keeps you guessing the entire length of the book.
Abby was an investigative reporter who sometimes received death threats about her stories. Her husband Grady is a New York Times bestselling author. But Grady can’t seem to write a new book. He seems to be to be struggling after he lost his wife a year ago. His finances are in a bad place and he is about to become homeless. Grady is really a loner who wants to spend his time isolated but writing or with Abby before she disappeared.
And then his agent suggests a new direction that helps Grady recover and write another bestseller. She offers him a rent free cabin on an island that has only a few residents. On this island he can concentrate on writing a new book.
Grady agrees and moves temporarily to this island. Here he meets some strange residents and experiences strange happenings. Sometimes he feels like he’s losing his mind. But he can start a new manuscript. Grady has trouble sleeping and thinks he has seen his absent wife on the island. Is he cracking up or is Abby really there on the island?
The characters are very realistic and believable. Especially poor heartbroken, beaten down Grady Green whose only love is his dog since Abby is gone.
Abby is not quite as well portrayed. Her character though a main character is much of the time only Grady’s memories. But there are times we hear her story. Her story is also told in a lot of her memories of Grady and their marriage. Was she happy or unhappy with her marriage. Were there problems that Grady was unaware or chose to ignore?
There’s other characters of residents on the island that Grady encounters. Most of these characters though are minor characters. But each one adds to the story and the mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until close to the very end. And it has quite a surprise ending. I couldn’t have guessed what that ending was going to be. I love a good book with a very different ending than you would suspect.
First I love Sandra Brown books. Blood Moon is one of her newest books published this year 2025.
Blood Moon is a novel about Detective John Bowie who is just trying to keep his job. But he has a case that the police department arrested a suspect, prosecuted him and convicted him. But Detective Bowie has always questioned whether the right man was convicted.
Beth Collins is a producer of a true crime television show. Her boss is airing a show about the Crissy Mellin case. She feels that something wasn’t quite right about the Crissy Mellin case. Beth believes the real killer is still out there and is going to strike again when there’s another blood moon in just a few days. She convinces Detective Bowie to at least take a second look at the case.
Blood Moon
Bowie doesn’t want to get involved. However, his doubts about the case force him to get involved. Bowie also has an ex wife and doesn’t want to have another relationship. But Beth might just change his mind as they spend time together going over the case.
I always enjoy a Sandra Brown book. But for me this book wasn’t one of her best. But that’s just me. I didn’t enjoy or understand a lot of the scientific details about blood moons. I never did like science. For those, into science and the solar system, they will understand it better.
The characters were good. I liked all the characters. I was particularly fond of John’s teenage daughter. She was dealing with the usual teenage issues, as well as coping with her parents’ divorce. Beth was very believable as the girl who left the area and held a fast paced television producer position. John was the good cop dealing with an unreasonable boss and corruption in the police department.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite Sandra Brown novel, I would recommend reading it. The suspense is good and it keeps you guessing about who really is the killer.
Catherine of Valois was born a princess of France on October 27, 1401. Catherine was the daughter of King Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria. She spent her life as a neglected child of this royal couple.
King Charles often suffered from bouts of madness. and was often referred to as “Charles the Mad” or sometimes the Mad King. Meanwhile, her mother, Isabeau of Bavaria, would act as Regent for France in her husband’s place during his spells of madness. Rumors spread that she was much more interested in her young lovers than her children.
Brothers and Sisters
Although King Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria had a total of twelve children only a handful of them lived to become adults. Some that did survive died early deaths. Three were given the name Charles and two were named Jeanne after babies that had not lived very long.
Jeanne of Valois (two were named Jeanne)
Charles (three were named Charles)
John
Philip
Marie of Valois
Michelle of Valois
Dauphin Louis (brother)
Isabelle of Valois (Catherine’s older sister)
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Catherine being the youngest child was probably the most neglected. She faced many challenges due to her father’s madness. Her mother’s lack of interest also affected her life, so she certainly did not live the life of a pampered fairy tale princess. Catherine did spend some of her young life growing up at Poissy Convent which was the basis for her religious education. Catherine was raised understanding that she would be merely a pawn when it came who her future husband would be. There had been negotiations since she was fairly young regarding a possible marriage to the future king of England, Henry V.
I believe that like most young princesses of Europe, she hoped for love and a family with her husband. Yet, her marriage would be to whichever member of European royalty was most beneficial to France.
Signing the Treaty for Catherine and Henry’s Marriage—Isabeau of Bavaria and Charles VI at the Treaty of Troyes | Source
Peace Through Marriage
King Charles VI reign was filled with war (known as The Hundred Year Wars). One effort at achieving peace was through marriage. Isabelle, Catherine’s older sister was married to England’s King Richard at a mere six years of age. The marriage was never consummated due to her young age and the early death of King Richard in 1400. She was held in England for some time after Richard’s death before she was allowed to return to France.
King Henry V
King Henry was a young man when he was crowned the king of England. For much of his father’s reign, the royal English family fought with France. This conflict came to be known as the “One Hundred Years War”. King Henry V signed a treaty with France on May 21, 1420. In the treaty, he demanded the return of lands that had once belonged to England. This was the Treaty of Troyes which also included Henry’s marriage to the young eighteen-year-old Catherine of Valois. A large dowry was also included in the marriage contracts.
Wedding of King Henvy V and Catherine of Valois
King Henry V and Catherine of Valois were married on June 2, 1420, and Catherine was crowned queen of England in February 1421. The royal couple soon welcomed their only son Henry VI heir to both the English and France thrones. Their marriage proved to be a brief marriage. Henry V died on a battlefield in 1422 leaving a twenty-one-year-old widow and an infant son. Henry VI was only an infant when his father died. His two uncles, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Bedford, controlled the government.
Queen Catherine was sent off to live quietly, at Baynard’s Castle, with only a small household staff. Her brothers-in-laws who were controlling England were concerned that if Catherine were to remarry, any new husband might influence the infant king and they would lose their power over the boy and England.
Forbidden to Love Again
The two dukes and the English parliament had specific ideas on how this young widow should conduct herself. She was also the mother of the boy king Thus they decided how she should be allowed to live her life. Therefore, parliament passed a law that forbade Catherine from establishing romantic relationships and she was forbidden to marry again without parliament’s or her young son’s approval. Any man with a title or lands would lose both his title and his land if he were to marry King Henry V’s widow. No man was willing to take the risk of angering parliament or losing their lands or titles. As her son was only a year old and would not be able to give his consent for years, Catherine’s fate had just been sealed. She would never be allowed to return to France, love again, or have more children to love.
The Queen’s Secret Love
But Catherine was lonely and a very young widow. Catherine was only in her early twenties and wanted to love and marry again. She wanted more children also. However, she was shut away from society in a huge castle with little company other than those who were her servants. She was even deprived of her young son, the future king. Henry had nurses and governesses and was allowed little time with Catherine.
At some time, Catherine met and became involved with a young handsome Welsh gentleman who was in charge of the royal wardrobes. Owen Tudor was in reality a high-ranking Welshman. Thus, the two of them began a secret love affair. Although there seems to be no record of their marriage, and though it was forbidden, Catherine and Owen were secretly married. A marriage that would produce more children for Catherine to love but would also have tragic endings for both Catherine and Owen. When the marriage caught the attention of Parliament, Catherine entered a nunnery and died a short time later. Owen would be captured and imprisoned. Owen eventually escaped prison and served with Catherine’s oldest son King Henry VI but was later captured by the enemies of Henry VI and was beheaded in Hereford marketplace. He was buried in Hereford.
Children of Owen Tudor and Queen Catherine
Owen Tudor an Catherine had several children together but two would play a huge part of English royalty history. Catherine’s oldest son King Henry VI would later make his half brothers and sisters legitimate and bestow them royal titles.
Edmund Tudor 1st Earl of Richmond and father of the future king Henry VII.
Jasper Owen Earl of Pembroke who would help to bring Henry VII the crown of England.
There may have been two daughters and another son named Edward but this is unknown for certain.
Catherine’s grandson would later become king making Catherine the wife of a king, the mother of another king, and the grandmother of the first Tudor king.
References
Griffiths, Ralph A., and Roger S. Thomas. The Making of the Tudor Dynasty. NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1985.
I am a Sandra Brown fan. I have read several of her books and I enjoyed most of them. I think her early books were more romance than her newer books. I didn’t care a lot for those and ended up putting those aside. I may read those at a later date.
Some of Sandra Brown books that I have read include: Unspeakable, The Alibi, French Silk and Mean Streak. The first year I joined my book club, I choose her book “Overkill”. I have been a fan since then. I loved all of those books and I had a hard time putting those books down.
I just finished the Sandra Brown book “The Witness” and I recommend reading it. It’s full of intrigue, danger and love and romance.
At the moment, I have just started her new book “Blood Moon”. This is my book club choice for this year. It sounds very interesting but I have only read the first chapter yet. It will probably be another page turner. I am sure I won’t be disappointed and will be unable to put it down.
I never knew my actual grandparents. I saw my grandmother on my mother’s side a few times but never really knew her. It’s sad that I never really had grandparents in my life.
I made Madeline my adopted grandmother when I went to work for her as her caregiver. We sat and talked for hours when I had everything that was needed done. She told me some wonderful stories of her life. Madeline had grown up during the depression era and World War II. She had been a teacher and she told me about her college adventures and romances. She shared with me stories of the other man she almost married. Madeline lived away at college and came home on weekends by train. Madeline had a talent for music and she became a music teacher. Although her family couldn’t afford for her to go to college her church stepped in with a scholarship.
When Madeline came home as a teacher, one of the first things she did was form a school band. I remember her story of how she had friends, neighbors and other community members searching through attics for instruments for her students. And she managed to construct the first band for that high school.
Madeline married and had two children but continued teaching. But her family always came first and she raised two great children. She was loved by her students who still dropped in to visit with her when her health declined. Madeline was very active in church and community activities. At one of the town’s parades, Madeline was the Grand Marshall of the parade.
Madeline also did a lot of traveling after her retirement. When her sight failed, I would sit and read her the notes she had written about her travels. One evening we got out boxes of valentines from her grade school days. It was amazing to see old valentines with movable arms and legs. They don’t make valentines like that anymore.
I spent many hours with Madeline and I enjoyed every minute. She was a beautiful, unique woman who gave her time and love to so many others. I will never forget some of the lessons I learned from her. I always remember her kindness to everyone. I learned to be more tolerant of people. I offer find myself repeating something she would say. When asked if she liked a new food, she would either say she did like it. Or she would say “I wouldn’t walk around the block for it”.
Madeline died when she was 102. Her last unselfish act was to donate her body to science. She hoped that doctors would find cures for some of the problems that she had suffered.
When I think of a successful person, the first person I think of is the late Charlie Kirk. I was stunned when I heard about his assassination. It happened during one of his events at Utah Valley University on September 10 of this year.
Charlie Kirk was a month away from his thirty second birthday when he was gunned down. Although he was very young he accomplished more in his short life than many of us, including me, will ever achieve.
Some of Charlie’s greatest accomplishments:
Started a non-profit organization named Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was only 18 years old
Was the author of a book “The College Scam”
Was the host of his own radio show
Was the speaker at the Republican National Convention 2020 and 2024
Was a proud follower of Jesus and talked with many young people regarding faith and family
Met with many world leaders
Those are just a few of the reasons I think that Charlie Kirk was an extremely successful person. It was Charlie’s faith that I most admired. His commitment to his faith, family and our country were a joy to hear. He traveled around the USA promoting freedom of speech, Christian values, and conservative values. He chose to debate and listen to other points of view. I have watched many of his videos of him challenging college students. He was always kind and showed so much common sense, which is so rare today.
I think Charlie was so successful in his life due mainly to his unfaltering faith in Christ. He was also very successful in his relationships. He had a beautiful, loving wife and two children.
I saw people mourning this young man all over the USA and countries overseas. You had to know this was a very special man who had touched millions of lives including mine even though I never met him. Charlie has been called to heaven, but now it’s up to us to carry on his faith and values.
Daily writing prompt
When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the first person that comes to mind and why?
I have so many hobbies I enjoy that it’s hard to choose.
I enjoy reading, writing, playing cards, quilting and puzzles. So which one do I choose as my favorite.
I spend more time reading than any of the others. So, I will say reading is my favorite pastime. When the weather is nice, not too hot or cold, I will be sitting on my porch with a good book and a cool glass of lemonade. When winter comes I will be sitting on my sofa all bundled up with a good book. Television programming is rather lousy these days. So thank goodness for authors and great books.
Some of my favorite authors include:
John Grishman
Mary Higgins Clark Never pass one of those up
Tami Hoag Just finished her latest one
Johanna Lindsey
Jude Deveraux
Nora Roberts
Sandra Brown
Linda Castillo
That’s just a short list. I keep adding other authors I like to the list.
Thank goodness for the library and it’s book sales. I can get as many books as I can fit into a bag for a small fee. They keep my shelves full so I always have a book handy.
I belong to a local book club in my area. We each buy one book and in two weeks we pass the book on to the next member. This is a very old book club. It was started before cars and libraries existed. The members of the first book club actually took out loans to buy a book. We have come a long ways from that first book club.
I picked reading as my favorite pastime but I enjoy all my hobbies. I am so glad to have hobbies so that I am never complaining about being bored.
How quickly our world has become accustomed to using computers in our daily lives. They have changed communication, shopping, reading, games and so much else since computers early days.
Without my computer, it would be much harder to get information. I am constantly telling people, “just let me look it up on the computer”. A computer has become what a set of encyclopedia used to be a generation or so ago. We can even use our voices to ask questions and get an answers.
Using the computer has changed my shopping habits. I do a lot of my shopping online now. Now most brick and mortar stores also have an online store. At the moment I am waiting for my latest order from Amazon. I also buy pet food online. It’s delivered right to my porch without me having to go to the store then drag it home. Without the use of a computer, I would be spending more time shopping. I don’t do all my shopping online. It’s hard to find clothes that fit without going into a store. Groceries can now be ordered online and delivered. I prefer doing my own grocery shopping and picking out what I want myself.
I would be using a typewriter or even a pencil and paper if I didn’t have a computer to do my writing. I would be spending a lot of time sitting in a library doing research. Letters and cards would still have to be handwritten and mailed through the unreliable post office. Now with a computer, I can send an email and get a reply within minutes.
Using my computer, I communicate with people all over the world. Social media helps to keep us in touch with near and faraway friends and family. I get a lot of news and information from those social media sites.
With the use of my computer games, music and movies all entertain me. Not that I do much of those but they are a nice diversion at times. Computers can do so many things in our lives today.
So what would my world look like without a computer? Honestly, my world would look a lot like the simple life I grew up with. Reading would require trips to the library. Writing would be done on typewriters. Information would come from books and other sources. Letters would be handwritten and sent through snail mail. I would be getting together with friends and family more often. I would be using a house type of telephone instead of a smart phone. And I would still be lugging home big bags of pet food and cat litter from the store.
The Horseshoe Curve located near Altoona, Pennsylvania was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The Horseshoe Curve draws thousands of visitors daily to view the engineering achievement of John Edgar Thomson. It’s history as well as it’s breath taking scenery, makes it a popular tourist attraction. It is especially beautiful in the fall. That’s when the mountains are showing off their trees with leaves of colorful red and gold.
In the mid 19th century, railroads were beginning to provide easy fast transportation. The railroads were becoming valuable to business and industry as a way to move people and products. Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Railroad were looking for a way to ship those products and supplies west. However, the Allegheny Mountains stood tall and was impassable for trains.
On February 15, 1854, the Horseshoe Curve opened for travel. It solved the problem of the Allegheny Mountains. It allowed passage from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh in both directions. This allowed passengers and goods faster transportation. From 1854, the Horseshoe Curve was a bustling, busy place. Freight and passengers could now travel quickly to the west or the east coast.
In fact, the HorseShoe Curve became a major, important railway system for supplying troops in World War II. it carried supplies, heavy equipment and troops to the east coast. From there, the supplies and troops were sent to Europe on ships. The Horseshoe Curve gained Hitler’s attention and he planned to sabotage several vital areas in the United States. Destroying this major transportation hub would help to cripple the flow of troops and supplies to Europe. The Horseshoe Curve was just one of Hitler’s targets.
Hitler gave orders to recruit young men who spoke English and were possibly familiar with areas of the United States. These young men were sent to a training camp near Berlin on an estate named Quentz Lake. They were taught various sabotage tactics, shooting, fighting, explosives and throwing hand grenades.
On Saturday, June 13. 1942 a submarine coasted underwater and landed just a hundred miles from New York. George John Dasch and three other men left the submarine on a beach with instructions on specific targets to sabotage. Horseshoe Curve was on the list of targets. The plan was to make it to New York where the Hell Gate Bridge was also a target. The list of targets also included the New York Water Supply and Newark Penn Station.
George John Dasch
Unfortunately, for Dasch they landed near a United States Coast Guard station. Although they were not apprehended at that time, the coast guard was suspicious and started a search of the beach. They quickly came across tracks that led them to where the Nazis had buried their supplies in the sand. Those supplies included explosives and other sabotage related materials. They promptly notified the FBI and other authorities.
Dasch and his three other saboteurs, Ernest Peter Burger, Heinrich Heinch and Richard Quirin all made it to New York. Dasch was having cold feet and so was Burger. There equipment had been found and was of no use to them now. Just two days after landing in the United States, Dasch made a phone call to the New York FBI. He then went to Washington, DC where he was arrested and questioned. Dasch agreed to work with the FBI and supplied them with information about the others he had come ashore with. He also supplied information about another group of Nazis who had landed in Florida. On June 20th, the other seven saboteurs were arrested through the information he provided.
Trail of the eight men accused of sabotage CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 98
Military Trial
On July 2, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered a military tribunal. The court was to try all eight men who had planned sabotage against the United States. Attorney General Francis Biddle and Judge Advocate General Cramer presided over the trial. They were assisted by seven military officers.
August 3, 1942 all eight men were found guilty. Six were sentenced to death. Dasch and Berger were given life sentences due to their assistance with the FBI. The military insisted on using these six men as examples. They wanted to ensure that Hitler and his Germans would not be eager to try sabotage against the United States again.
August 8,1942 Six of the Nazi plotters were put to death in the electric chair. All were buried at Potters Field, Blue Plains, D.C. In 1948 George John Dasch and Ernest Peter Burger were released from prison and returned to Germany.
Thus the death of these six men ended Hitler’s plans of invading and blowing up critical manufacturing, transportation and water systems in the United States.
Annie and Josie Bassett were the daughters of Herbert and Elizabeth Basset. Herbert was an educated man who had been a teacher and then later served in the Union Army. During the gold rush years, his brother Samuel headed west. Herbert decided to move his family west because of his health. The family ended up settling in Brown’s Hole, Colorado. Brown’s Hole also had close borders to Utah and Wyoming. His wife, Elizabeth, renamed it “Brown’s Park” because of its natural beauty. The family settled down there and built a small cabin, started ranching, and their family grew to four children.
The Basset Family
Herbert tended to be quieter and calmer than his beautiful, wild wife. The Bassett family was very social and welcomed everyone into their home. Strangers, church-going neighbors, travelers, and many times even outlaws hiding from the law. Butch Cassidy was one of those famous outlaws. He was romantically involved with both Anne and Josie Bassett at different times. Members of the Butch Cassidy gang, the Wild Bunch, were welcome visitors.
Elizabeth Bassett, Anne, and Josie’s, mother was a beautiful woman. She could ride rope, shoot, and rustle cattle as well as the men who were devoted to the family. These men would do anything Elizabeth or her daughters asked them to do. Even if it meant breaking the law. Her two daughters took after her. After Elizabeth’s death when she was only 37, the sisters took over running the ranch. By this time, there was a feud starting between the small ranches and the big cattle barons. This feud was particularly between the Bassets and the Two Bars Ranch.
Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch
Anne Basset
Anne was involved with several of the outlaws that hung out at the ranch. But then she did become engaged to Matt Rash. Before they were married, though, the owner of the Two Bar Ranch brought in a hired gun. Tom Horn was hired to hunt down cattle rustlers, and Matt Rash was shot and died. After this, things escalated between the two families. Anne would drive many of the Two Bar Ranch cattle over a cliff in revenge. At one point, she stood trial for cattle rustling but was acquitted. Both Anne and her sister were admired and respected. The cowhands they worked with had a great respect for these two women. They admired them for their ability to run a ranch and work right along with the cowboys. Queen Anne, as she was often referred to was well-liked. On the other side the cattle rancher was so disliked that Queen Anne was given a parade in honor of her acquittal.
Josie Bassett’s cabin in Cub Creek
Josie Basset
While Anne was the more daredevil of the two girls, Josie was more domesticated. However, she could hold her own on the ranch, riding, roping, shooting, and rustling cattle. Josie was married five times. She divorced four of those husbands, and the fifth was rumored that he died of poisoning. Josie was charged with his murder but was acquitted. The fifth husband actually died from alcoholism. In her later years, she was asked if she poisoned her fifth husband. Her answer was a smile, and she just said that some husbands are harder to get rid of. Josie also stood trial for cattle rustling, but she also was acquitted. In her later years, close to forty years old she built a cabin in Cub Creek. During the years Prohibition Laws were in effect, Josie made her own whiskey, wine and brandy. Here at her cabin she lived off the land for the next fifty years. Josie died in May 1964. She had lived long enough to see automobiles, electricity, television and phones and two world wars.
Anne and Josie Bassett were an interesting pair of sisters. They grew up running wild and were friends with known outlaws. They were women who were before their time, women who took control of their own destinies. They were liked and respected for their independent natures. They did what women weren’t supposed to do. They became women legends of the old west.
History Lovers Corner 