by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Part One? From A First Date with Death Chapter One Continued… The crew was urging us toward the edge of the bridge. We didn’t have time to dillydally, as the show had been granted special access for the shoot. Bungee jumping was not ordinarily allowed off the Golden Gate Bridge due to boat traffic, but the producers had been able to close down the shipping lanes for one hour. Everything is for sale in San Francisco. Car traffic, on the other hand, was still open on the bridge. Every‐ thing may be for sale, but even Hollywood has a budget. It was nerve-wracking and noisy to have the cars whizzing by. “If you’re nervous, maybe someone else can go first,” Ty offered. Cheryl said, “Someone needs to go, for God’s sake. We need to get the show on the road. Aaron, want to go?” Aaron looked surprised and Ty seemed relieved. “Uh, yeah, certainly. Love to,” Aaron said, although he looked unsure. Cheryl turned to me and shouted, “You, get over here and watch him jump. We need the shot.” I don’t know what I’d imagined when I thought about possibly finding love on this show, but it certainly hadn’t included this six-foot-tall blond woman yelling at me constantly. In fact, she’d never even entered my mind and now she seemed never to leave. Aaron took his place near the edge of the bridge and I stood next to him. The crew maneuvered around us, although one camera remained trained on my face, my every expression being recorded for posterity. I hoped I didn’t look...
by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From A First Date with Death Chapter One The bungee-jumping harness bit into my shoulders and legs as I looked over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge. To say the water looked frigid was an understatement. The whitecaps of the bay screamed out glacier and hypothermia. “You’re not in position,” Cheryl, the producer, yelled. I felt the camera zoom in on me. They needed an extreme close-up of my every facial expression so they could broadcast my terror to the world. Magnify my embarrassment and mortification. One of the techs said something to Cheryl and she shouted, “Cut!” The cameraman lost interest in me. “Why am I doing this?” I asked Becca, my best friend and the assistant producer on this godawful reality TV show, Love or Money. “To find your dream man,” Becca answered. “I found him already, remember? Then he left me at the altar.” A makeup artist appeared at my elbow and applied powder to my nose. “Dream men do not leave their brides at the altar,” Becca said. “Clearly, he was not the one.” I studied the woman brushing powder on my face. She had beautiful chocolate-colored skin, a straight nose, and eyes so dark and intense they looked like pools of india ink. She looked familiar, but before I could place her, she turned and walked away. “I thought you always liked Paul,” I said to Becca. “I did until he left me at the altar,” Becca replied. “He left me.” “Me, too. I was standing right next to you in a stupid tulle and taffeta dress. Anyway, enough about your horrible...
by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter 1? Did you miss Chapter 2? Did you miss part one of Chapter 3? From Murder as Sticky as Jam Chapter Three Part Two “Are you ready to begin?” asked Leo. “I’m, ready when you are,” Mona said as she thought about Lacey and the circumstances surrounding Collin’s death. Was it a coincidence that Collin dies only a few weeks after Leo returns to town?” “Mona, did you hear the question?” Leo asked. “Can you repeat it?” Mona asked. “You told me that Lacey called you just before the fire, is, that right?” “It is, it should be on my cell phone, in the history.” “Good, I may need to see that at some point in the future, so don’t erase it.” “Fine. I have it right here,” answered Mona. “About the warehouse, you and Vicki both said you never used it, tell me about it,” prompted Leo. “The warehouse was part of the shop, but it wasn’t renovated, and the roof leaked. It needed some serious repairs and a good cleaning. I had high hopes that it would be stocked full of jams, jellies, and your sister’s honey products, but it doesn’t look like that is ever going to happen now,” Mona said; her throat constricted, and her voice cracked. Leo looked alarmed, and Mona regretted becoming emotional in front of him. She reached for a napkin to dab her eyes, but Leo pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Here,” he said, handing her the soft cloth. Their knuckles bumped, sending an electric jolt through Mona making her cheeks flush. She cleared...
by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Murder as Sticky as Jam Chapter Three Mona turned to Vicki and mouthed, “Murder?” Vicki was far less subtle, “Leo, that’s not possible!” she shouted. “There wasn’t anyone there today but Mona.” “The firemen discovered a body in the shop’s warehouse,” Leo said. “A body?” Mona repeated, still in shock. Leo nodded slowly. Mona frowned. “That can’t be right. The warehouse is all boarded up. We haven’t even had a chance to clean it …” She shook her head, trying to process her thoughts. How could someone have been in the warehouse? Vicki jumped in to say, “We weren’t using the warehouse. It was badly in need of repair.” “It was just me in the shop today, I swear.” Mona said. “There wasn’t anyone with me.” “You may not have been using your warehouse, but someone was there today,” Leo said. Vicki shook her head and said, “No, Leo. You must have it wrong, we would’ve known if someone was there.” Mona thought about her morning at the shop and quietly admit‐ ted, “Wait Vicki, it might be true, I mean I did have the music on while I was pricing stock in the front of the store. Someone could have been in the warehouse, and I may not have heard them. I just can’t imagine who would have been back there, it was a mess.” Leo provided the answer, “We were able to identify the remains as belonging to Collin MacInroy.” Vicki gasped, and Mona stared at Leo, “Collin was in our ware‐ house? What in...
by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part 1 of Chapter 2? From Murder as Sticky as Jam Chapter Two Part Two The ride home was a blur for Mona, the details hazy as Vicki drove and parked her car in Mona’s driveway. Somewhere on the ride home, the deep pain changed and became a numbness that made the events feel unreal. Turning the key in the lock, she pushed open the front door. Her purse fell from her hand onto the kitchen table, the keys left in the lock and Mona collapsed on the couch. Vicki grabbed the keys out of the lock and followed her inside. Mona stared up at the ceiling. It was the same as it had been that morning when she left home, the same plain white paint and antique ceiling fan that spun endlessly in circles during the warm months. But so much had changed since the morning she felt somehow offended that the ceiling had the nerve to stay the same. Mona lay on the couch, unmoving, until Vicki peered over her, blocking Mona’s view of the ceiling fan “Mona!!! Mona, are you in there?” Vicki asked. “Yup,” Mona heard herself answer, but her own voice sounded far away. “You are seriously as pale as a ghost. Should I take you to the emergency room?” “I’m fine,” Mona answered, quietly. Vicki kneeled down on the floor beside Mona and declared, “I’m going to make us a couple of stiff drinks. If you don’t look like part of the land of the living soon, I’m going to call an ambulance.”...
by Diana Orgain | May 10, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one? From Murder as Sticky as Jam Chapter One – Continued Leo Lawson, Vicki’s older brother, was tall, dark and handsome. He’d been the first boy Mona had a crush on back in school, and she’d never gotten over him. In high school, he’d broken her heart when he started dating, Lacey, the head cheerleader. But shortly after gradua‐ tion, he’d left Magnolia Falls, to join the military, and now he was back after eight long years. She knew he worked at the Magnolia Falls PD, but she hadn’t seen him, yet. Not properly anyway. She’d ducked out of the grocery store a few times, when she’d seen his patrol car pull into the parking lot. And there’d been the time, she snuck out of the back of the bookstore on Main Street, when she’d heard his voice asking the clerk for the latest police procedural. But she hadn’t spoken with him, yet. She’d been in the hospital with tonsillitis during his homecoming party, and she’d missed him twice at Vicki’s due to bad timing. As she waited for the water to boil, she printed out the inventory list and the pricing guide and headed back to the shop. With a pricing gun in her hand, she priced all the blackberry jam and then began working on the strawberry. Thoughts of Leo filled her mind and she daydreamed about seeing him at the grand opening. What am I going to wear? Mona thought in a panic. Looking around the shop, she wondered if she would have time to go shopping and pick out something...
