This is believed to be the first ever children’s book about Boone, North Carolina, the picturesque town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Home to Appalachian State University, Boone is a popular tourist destination and ski haven.

Author Yogi Collins grew up in Boone and while she loves that the High Country is filled with interesting and quirky people, she is also fascinated by how people end up in this little slice of heaven. A television producer and writer by trade, Collins lives in Boone with her husband Dan and two incredible kids. This is her first book.

“I started working on this project several years ago,” explained Collins. “It’s been a dream of mine to produce children’s books and the idea of doing one about my home town was the perfect place to start.”

Published last fall, “Goodnight, Boone” is also available in print from the publisher All Star Press or on major retail sites such as  BN.com and Amazon.com, where it is rated 100% five stars.

Click here to download the ebook

About Boone, North Carolina

Boone acquired its name from the famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone, who is believed to have camped at a site within the present city limits on several occasions.

Incorporated in 1872, Boone has the highest elevation (3,300 feet) of any town of its size (over 10,000 population) east of the Mississippi River.

Located off the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, Boone offers visitors a four-season playground for sports and outdoor activities. Boone is recognized by travel journalists as an “ultimate outdoor adventure destination” in the Southeast. It is also home to the Appalachian Regional Medical Center, scores of large and small businesses, as well as numerous nearby tourist attractions such as Grandfather Mountain which is prominently featured in “Goodnight, Boone.”

Click here to download the Derby guide

In this PDF ebook you will receive expert handicapper Rich Nilsen’s analysis of each of the starters in Kentucky Derby 139. Each horse is rated as a contender, borderline exotic use, or a throwout. Nilsen includes wagering strategies (including exactas and trifectas) for three different budgets. Published post draw on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Bonus: Picks for the all 13 races at Churchill Downs on Saturday!

In this Derby guide, you get:

• Top Selections for the entire 13-race card!
• The 2 Longshots to Key Wagers around in the Kentucky derby!
• Pace Scenario, Comments on all 19 starters
• Analysis for every KY Derby starter entered May 4, 2013
• Wagering Strategies – for 3 different budgets

Download the 2013 Kentucky Derby book now for only $6.97

About the Author

Rich Nilsen caught the horse racing bug at a young age when his father took him to the racetracks in New York. He eventually attended the University of Louisville Equine Business Program with the goal of making a career in the horse racing industry.

Nilsen has worked the past 19 years in the equine industry, serving most of those years as the Marketing Director for Brisnet.com and TwinSpires.com, the Official Wagering Site of the Kentucky Derby. During his long tenure at the Churchill Downs-owned properties, Nilsen managed the successful Players’ Pool syndicate, which pooled funds from the account wagering members to go after large Pick-6 carryovers. The Players’ Pool produced a significant profit for the members over several years. One of the best hits was when the Players’ Pool took down half of the Pick-6 pool on Kentucky Derby Day 2007, with a gross return of over $500,000.

The $2 Million National Handicapping Championship (NHC) is the premier horse racing tournament in the nation. It is basically horse racing’s version of the World Series of Poker, with the main difference being that players cannot buy their way into the NHC. Players can only win their way in via tournaments held throughout the country. Nilsen is one of the top participants in the history of the event, having qualified 10 times. He was the first player, and one of only two, to finish in the top 10 at the NHC twice.

Click here to download

A new horse racing guide “Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns – 2013 spring meet edition,” which profiles the most successful horsemen that race in Kentucky, is now available in all e-book formats , including for the popular Kindle eReader. It is the most recent publication of publishing house All Star Press.

Written by author and handicapper Art Parker, “Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns” evaluates the tendencies of successful trainers at the prestigious horse racing meet in Lexington, KY which begins Friday, April 5th. In all Parker dissects the 103 horse trainers who have saddled two or more winners at Keeneland Racecourse over the past six race meets.

This new handicapping and horse racing e-book has been released just in time for the upcoming Keeneland spring meet, which opens Friday April 5. The handicapping guide has been expanded to cover more trainers than ever before. It also includes alphabetical and numerical lists of every winning trainer over the past six meets dating back to the spring of 2010.

“We published this informational book in a user-friendly format that could be read on any eReader, smart phone or Tablet device,” explained Rich Nilsen, President of All Star Press and founder of the educational horse racing site, AGameofSkill.com. “That way, any horse racing fan can have this book’s information right at their fingertips through the mobile device of their choice. If you are at Keeneland or your local track/OTB, and you are handicapping the Keeneland races, you can easily look up any trainer. You can see how they’ve won in the past, and if the horse they are running today fits a similar profile.”

Utilizing his personal handicapping database, author Art Parker analyzed the winning trainers at the Keeneland meets over the past three years to uncover familiar winning patterns. The belief, which is held by many successful horse racing handicappers, is that trainers follow similar patterns when winning.

“Only 47 trainers have accounted for nearly 70 percent of the winners since 2010,” explained Nilsen. “Knowing how these trainers win is critical to selecting winners at Keeneland.”

“Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns” includes several bonus handicapping articles: “You Learn More When You Lose than When You Win,” “What’s Your Handicapping Routine?” “The Key Factor that handicappers need to know about the All-weather Surface” and an analysis of the “Turf to Synthetic surface switch.”

“Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns – 2013 spring meet edition” has just become available in all e-book formats, including PDF, and is available through retailers such as Amazon.com for the Kindle eReader and Kindle Fire. It is the only handicapping book specifically about Keeneland that is available to Kindle users.

To learn more about “Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns” interested horse racing fans can visit www.agameofskill.com. Click here to download the book instantly to any PC or mobile device.

King County Public Library

Writer Mary Ann Gwinn found some interesting tidbits about reader preferences:

For 2012, here were the top five e-books: “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, “The Litigators” by John Grisham, “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson and“Explosive Eighteen” by Janet Evanovich.

Read the full article and learn how print books checkouts were entirely different.

Handicapper and author Art Parker has put trainers, Keeneland, and the past six meetings together (3 years) to try and have the best results possible for the upcoming spring meet at the Kentucky track that opens in early April. The book’s focus is on the trainers that do more than show up and win a race. Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns details the individuals from the last six meetings that were multiple winning trainers. In other words, a trainer had to collect at least two victories to be recognized.

Just how good were the multiple winning trainers? Here are a few facts that validate the importance of these successful trainers.

 Keeneland held 912 thoroughbred races collectively in the Spring and Fall meetings of 2010, the Spring and Fall meetings of 2011, and the Spring and Fall meetings of 2012.

Trainers winning at least 2 races totaled 103.

The 103 multiple winners won a total of 817 races collectively or 89.5% of all races.

Of the 103 multiple winners, 47 trainers won at least 5 races.

Those 47 trainers collected a total of 625 wins or 68.5% of all races.

The details of all 103 trainers and their corresponding victories over the past 6 seasons at Keeneland are presented to handicappers in this book, Keeneland Winning Trainer Patterns. A one-of-a-kind publication.

Only $9.97. Instant download now through PayPal. Put it on any PC or Mobile Device!

Attention KINDLE users – the book will be available on Amazon in that format early next week.

In “The Road to Recovery” you learn that you come to a crossroads in life when you lose someone very dear to you. To help you choose the right path, it is vital to read the work of someone who knows full well the deep sorrow you feel and can provide both comfort and practical advice that works. The author lost his college sweetheart and wife of four and a half years in a commercial airline crash in 1997. She was only 27 years old. He wrote this book to help other through the grieving process.

What Others are Saying about “The Road to Recovery: Overcoming & Moving Beyond Your Grief.”

“The contents are amazing and profound. Your words rang loud and true when I read them. Wish I had found this book earlier.” – Terry Welch, sister to Michael Ryan lost on Comair flight 5196, Aug. 27, 2006.

“This book contains so many insightful, appropriate and helpful ideas and suggestions. God bless you.” – Kelly Markillie, pastoral counselor at The Cathedral of Christ The King, Atlanta, GA.

“I lost my son in the World Trade Center [911] and I found your book so comforting.” – Patricia Noah, mother of Leonard M. Castrianno, Cantor Fitzgerald, 105th floor WTC. 

Excerpt from this grief support guide:

If grief can be summed up in a nutshell, it is how we feel now that an important person is no longer in our life. In essence, we hurt and feel sorry for ourselves. Our focus is usually on what WE lost. Grief, of course, is a normal reaction to the loss of someone or something. Each of us will handle these feelings in our own way and in our own time. There is no blueprint to the process and no timetable to how long you will hurt.

Author J. William Worden describes four facets of mourning:

1 – Accepting the reality of the loss

2 – Experiencing the pain of grief

3 – Adjusting to an environment without the lost loved one

4 – Reinvesting emotional energy in life

Having been through the complete grief process, I can relate to each of these “steps.” Accepting the loss almost immediately helped me move on with my mourning quicker, although it didn’t make anything easier.

I cannot help you acknowledge the reality of your loss. Only you can do that, and hopefully you are well past that stage by the time you receive this book.

Sometimes, intense feelings of grief will catch us by surprise. It may startle you when you fall “into the pits” several months after the tragedy. It is at this time that many people will be expecting you to be over your loss. Don’t believe them. It is only normal for this to happen. Just remember your grief is unique. No one else is just like you. No one else had the same relationship with the person who died.

Understand that a main purpose of grief is to help you reach the point in your life when you can remember without the pain.

What I present in this book are several steps to help you get through the grieving process in a positive way.

“The Road to Recovery: Overcoming & Moving Beyond Your Grief” has now been reduced to only $2.99. Available in instant downloadable PDF format:

“Grief only comes in one size, extra large.” – Dennis Manning

In an interview with authors William Doyle and William Perkins, a successful partner in a management consulting firm credits attention to detail for her success.

She says, “I believe that battles are won and lost in the last five percent of detail.  Everybody gets the first 80%.  Most people get the first 95%.  What makes the difference is the people who get the last five percent.”

I can relate.  One day, a colleague of mine and I were partnering up to pitch a major training program to the General Manager of one of the largest hotels in the Southeast.  With over 900 employees, this was a big deal … for the GM and for us.

We put together our cost estimates, mapped out the series of classes we would offer, and projected the hotel’s return on the investment.

On a sunny summer day, my colleague and I walked into the GM’s office to make our presentation.   The GM was a surly, ‘numbers kind of guy,’ focused keenly on our ROI projections and the metrics we would use to measure project success.  With a furrowed brow, he put his hand on his chin and said, “There’s a lot of soft stuff in your proposal about training managers how to coach their staff and teaching staff to work as a team … what if we cut that out and focused on work flow, process streamlining, and maximizing efficiency?”

My brain started thinking about the edits we would need to make and how cutting out the content would reduce our time and therefore save on project cost.  After all, he’s the customer, right?  We need to deliver what he wants, right?  Before I could open my mouth to ask specific questions about the modifications, my colleague said, “No, that’s not an option.  This company was built as a family.  The founder made it feel that way.  He had a 5 star hotel that he was proud of and that was a place of dignity for the employees.  I looked you all up and you are not a 5 star hotel anymore.  You’re 3 stars.  3.5 at best.  Your performance has steadily slipped since the founder passed, and it is because of the degrading trust within this organization.   I ate at your restaurant last night and you could feel it in how the staff interacted.  Efficiency, work flow and process streamlining are the byproduct of an environment where managers coach well and people work together towards a common goal.  We cannot maximize the results of our training without the soft skills.  If you take that out, we are not the people to deliver the program.  We can’t be part of a company that doesn’t believe in teamwork and trust … that’s not how this empire was created.  It would be disrespectful to the founder and to the legacy he created.”

Then, there was the dramatic pause.  My mouth dropped open as I stared at my colleague.   I could have killed him.  This was too big of a project to be that forceful.  Sure, I was impressed with the boldness he had shown, but a major contract was on the line.

The meeting didn’t last long after that.

Then, in the elevator on the way down, my colleague told me about some research he had done.  He told me that  the hotel is family owned.  It was constructed by the father of the current owners.  He built the hotel floor by floor on a cash-flow system, building a new floor only when he had the funds to pay cash for the work.  An amazing man.  In addition to showing wise restrain in his money management, he had quite a reputation in the community because of the commitment to his church, his generosity to local charities, and his way of treating employees like they were family.  When my colleague ate in the restaurant the night before, his waitress talked about how this man gave her a chance when others wouldn’t because of her low education and her race.

We ended up getting the project, and the GM told us that the deciding factor was my colleague’s boldness … and because he had gone the extra mile in researching the history of the company.  He new the importance of the family legacy, and that made all the difference.

That’s what I mean about that last five percent:  attention to detail made a difference in the overall impression we left with that client.

Was it worth it?  I think so.   It’s that last five percent that separates the marginally successful people from those that will rise even higher.

When making an impression, go the extra mile by attending to the last 5%.

The Today Show on NBC recently featured some helpful tips on not only setting but also keeping your New Year’s resolutions far beyond January. Most people tend to quit after the first month of the year. Let that not be us!

1) Be Honest with yourself – know what you need to change and admit it.

2) Write down your goals – putting specific goals to paper is required for reaching them.

3) Start a journal to track your progress, including why you may not have stuck to your goals in the past.

4) Establish positive feedback. Set up a dangling carrot; in other words, a prize or reward for accomplishments.

5) Be present in the moment. Appreciate today’s good moments.

6) Establish stress reduction. This could be Yoga, meditation, quiet time, or whatever helps you cut down on the stress levels in your life.

7) Gratitude makes you happy, so acknowledge all of the blessings in your life.

Keeping your New Year’s resolutions is not easy, but these seven steps should be very helpful to anyone looking to make life improvements in 2013.

Best of luck!

Bond felt very conspicuous and ashamed as he sat in the orange leather chair.  Although he was not directly responsible for the slew of slayings, they probably would not have occurred had he not taken this much needed holiday. Even if they did, he would do nothing more than read about the sadistic headlines with passing interest. Surely, he would not be burdened with the guilt ravaging his mind.

The court was called to order.  ”Everyone rise.” With these words Captain Haverford, elegantly attired in his finest uniform, entered the room. When he reached his chair, he sat down and gestured for all in attendance in the crowded “courtroom” to sit so the trial could begin.

British agent 007′s life hung in the balance as the twelve jurors fidgeted nervously, averting the icy glaze of the defendant. Bond felt more helpless than he had ever felt in his life. Usually, his shrewdness and ingenuity would see him through every danger imaginable. How often he had fended off assassin’s bullets, knives, poisons, or other weapons of his destruction, but on the S. S. Santa Paula the death blows aimed at him were words. The uncertainty and intangibility of the situation were what depressed him.

The proceedings began with a vivid and gory recounting of each murder by the captain. No details were omitted as the persuasive judge continued. Only one exhibit was entered into evidence: Fifi LaChance’s head wrapped in clear plastic.  If this did not demand a quick and unanimous guilty verdict from the jury, nothing would.

The first witness called to the stand was an elderly woman who recalled seeing Bond enter Miss LaChance’s cabin shortly after the ship departed from New York. This firmly placed the defendant at the scene of the murder.  Then, what was purportedly testimony from the deceased room steward Wong was read into evidence, testifying that he saw the Englishman shortly after casting off with blood on his hands.  The case against the super sleuth appeared airtight.

Next, Randolph Michaels raised his right hand and was sworn in “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” He recounted having observed Bond awkwardly climbing from the porthole of Miss Everheart’s cabin; then explained how his amusement turned to horror when he, Bond, and the captain opened the door and found her limp body spread-eagled lifelessly on the bed.

“Mr. Bond seemed unperturbed by the wretched occurrence. He undoubtedly has ice water running through his veins,” intoned the witness.

As the case for the prosecution mounted against him, Bond stared vacantly into space. The name Ivan kept flashing through his still nimble mind. He thought back to a meeting he had with M at Universal Exports home office in London. 007 leaned against Miss Moneypenny’s dark mahogany desk as he flirted playfully with this attractive challenge to his ego. The blinking red light above M’s door interrupted their familiar parrying.

“James,” the tower of strength commander said in his emotionless voice.

At once Bond knew this was to be an informal chat with the paragon of decorum, otherwise he would have been addressed by his double zero identity.

“I have received some rather alarming reports of late concerning a top Russian agent. His name is Ivan Trellisboskin, and he was sent to America recently on a highly secret mission.”

The steel gray eyes gazed directly into Bond’s pale blue counterparts, penetrating his inner soul. Although you are going on a well-deserved holiday shortly after your brief visit to that country, I would appreciate your keeping your eyes and ears open for any information which may filter your way…”

Thankful that his proposed holiday need not be postponed, James assured his impeccable leader that he would remain alert to any such data that came his way.  At present all that was known besides the Communist’s name were his nickname, Ivan the Terrible; his specialty, being a man of many identities and disguises; and that he was once a wrestler and now one of the Soviet Union’s venerable assassins.

“How stupid can I be?” mused Bond. “Those brass knuckles belonged to Trelliboskin. He is on board ship and could very well be responsible for this series of murders.”

But how could 007 locate a man he had never even seen? Undoubtedly, he was traveling under an assumed name. What did he look like? Most importantly, when would there be an opportunity to search for him?

The pounding gavel put an end to Bond’s reminiscing. An hour recess was announced. Perhaps these sixty minutes would be his saving grace. Court was adjourned, and a burly member of the crew escorted the prime suspect back to confinement.

“I say there, my good man, do you want to see justice done?” Bond queried.

“You bet I do. I read law books every chance I get and never miss the Perry Mason Show. Are you a fan?”

“No, but I’m quite glad that is your posture. With those words, Bond’s clenched right fist exploded onto the guard’s chin and felled him like a teetering oak.

Rubbing his painful knuckles, 007 apologized, “Sorry, chap, but it is in the name of justice.”

Once again he headed for the captain’s quarters. This time, however, it would not be so easy to move about unnoticed, as all on board knew his identity. With this in mind, he returned to where the aspiring legal eagle lay. Pulling him into an open room, Bond closed the door and stripped the uniform off the still unconscious sailor. Quickly removing his own shirt and trousers, Bond transformed into a crew member of the S.S. Santa Paula. Feeling much less conspicuous, he made his way to Captain Haverford’s cabin.

By trial and error, he quickly found the appropriate key on the pilfered key ring and unlocked the door and entered quietly. Apparently, no one was there. The revolving bar caused him to think if alcohol did not serve the purpose of making the imbiber dizzy, then the bar itself certainly would.

Bond heard noise at the door and leaped behind the nearby couch as a shrill ring broke the silence. To 007′s dismay the telephone set atop a black teakwood table only a foot away from where he hid. He edged his way closer to the base of the davenport as the captain hastily walked across the room.

Failing to notice he had company, the captain answered, “Haverford here…”

“Sir, this is Jenkins, assigned to the detail of guarding the prisoner,” came the rather high-pitched, nervous voice on the other end of the receiver.

“Yes, Jenkins, is anything wrong?”

“Well, sir, it seems as though Bond never made it back here to the brig and has escaped with Dennison’s uniform and keys.”

Restraining his anger, Haverford said, “He cannot go far. Tell Michaels to set up a search party and begin on La Playa Deck.”

Bond wondered why the captain stipulated that the search begin so far removed from the proximity of the escape. Before his question could be answered, the distinguished looking captain had vanished and in his place stood a considerably older, mustachioed man, leaning on an ornate cane. He exited the cabin before Bond recovered from the shock of the Haverford’s disappearance. At last everything began to add up. Haverford was none other than Trelliboskin, posing as the ship’s captain as just another persona in his repertoire of identities. But why go into disguise now?

Joan and Alan Marshall were cozily snuggled in bed when they heard a light tapping on the cabin door. Being newlyweds and very much in love, they each volunteered to answer. The husband insisted, and she reluctantly released him from her firm embrace. He opened the door and saw a slightly bent over, old man with highly polished walking stick in hand.

“Yes, sir, may I help you?”

In a gruff voice, the man asked, “Aren’t you one of the honeymooners who rescued the killer from the swimming pool?”

Well, we found Mr. Bond there, but weren’t so sure he was the killer.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“There was this other man by the barbeque…”

Before another word left the young man’s lips, the end of the cane was placed against his throat and the button pushed by the old man released a razor sharp blade into the defenseless youth’s jugular vein. He immediately dropped to the carpeted cabin floor.

“Alan…what did you do to Alan!” the young bride shrieked, pulling the brightly colored spread to her neck.

The door slammed shut and the old man was no longer old as he approached his quaking prey on the conjugal bed of Alan and Joan Marshall. She was too terrified to move as the covers were ripped away from her young body. Fighting and clawing with all the strength she could muster, Joan realized it was fruitless. She submitted to the animal’s brute strength, as he ravaged her young body to satiate his sadistic desires. Afterwards, Joan lay in pain, sobbing, as the man picked up his deadly weapon and walked towards her once again. Realizing Alan was dead, she had no resistance remaining in her frail, battered and bruised body. The exposed blade, still dripping with Alan’s blood was placed against her exposed breast. Coldly and maliciously the killer thrust it deep into her young heart as all life ebbed from her body.

What only moments ago had been a room filled with love and enchantment had become a death chamber for the handsome honeymoon couple, who just happened to witness too much and posed a threat to the warped mind of Ivan the Terrible.

 To be continued on the All Star Press Authors’ Blogs

Bond became uneasy in his confinement. He had counted on having a fair trial once the Santa Paula reached shore, assured that M would be a valuable character witness, as would the elusive Miss Moneypenny. But, here, out at sea, all bets were off. No one knew his background. No one was there to vouch for him. Anything could happen. The sole arbiter determining the “facts” in the case and the authenticity of a court hearing would be that prejudging captain.

Typically, not one to second guess himself, or others for that matter, Bond lamented his dearth of interaction with other passengers since boarding the vessel. How comforting it would be to have at least one witness espouse his virtues and counteract what he was certain would be a diatribe of accusations levied against him.

The sound of a key in the door lock interrupted Bond’s train of thought. An immaculately attired, youthful waiter in starched white entered the spartanly furnished cell, breakfast tray in hand. Without a word being spoken, he placed it on the desk top and exited. Because of the previous evening’s contretemps, this would be the first meal since the spectacular late morning brunch James enjoyed at the Plaza Hotel before boarding the ship. The food presented hardly pleased him — room temperature orange juice, obviously from concentrate, not his preferred fresh, icy cold with ample pulp; soft buttered white toast (What good is toast if not whole wheat, crispy, slightly burned around the edges, and well covered in fresh boysenberry preserves?); flaccid bacon and loose scrambled eggs (How plebian, he thought, vis a vis the English kippers, sautéed onions, and egg soufflé ingested at the renowned New York hotel); and institutionalized, lukewarm coffee (to his discerning taste buds, “liquid fertilizer,” unless brewed to exact proportions and served piping hot). He ate, if only to fortify himself, for what he anticipated would be a difficult, trying day.

Where was that adventuresome, “never-say-die” spirit? Surely the inimitable 007 did not intend to sit benignly as the hours of his freedom, or very life, ticked away. The metal knife on the plastic tray glistened in his eyes. He picked it up and began working on the locked barrier which held him captive. The several hinges complied; and, moments later, freedom waited in the guise of an inviting, open hallway. But, what good would it do? Where was he to go? All the prisoner accomplished was to increase his sphere from one 12′ by 15′ room to a 500′ 15,000 ton ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bond made his way below, figuring that recreational activities would be taking place on the upper decks this time of day. He came upon a huge metal door, resembling a bank vault. It was unmistakably the ship’s refrigeration unit. Being on the high seas, the contents therein were worth more than demand deposits could be. He opened the heavy door and peered inside. There, he found the answer to one question he had pondered: Fifi’s beautiful headless body and those of the other three victims hung like sides of beef in the corner of the oversized freezer unit. The captain did not even have the decency to clothe the victims as they dangled, nude and lifelessly, in midair.

Fighting the urge to vomit, he exited quickly and made his way up the hall toward his erstwhile stateroom with no specific plan in mind. As he approached, Bond spotted an obese figure backing out the door.

“Hey, what are you doing there?”

Without turning, the interloper fled. Rather than give chase and risk recapture, Bond entered the room and found his neatly arranged dressing table in total disarray. In the corner of the top drawer he spotted the reason for the intrusion: a bloody scythe and blow gun were exposed in full view, incontrovertible evidence used in the murders of Miss LaChance and Wong Lee.

Several decks below an extremely unattractive, heavy set female entered a cabin and opened a wall safe hidden behind a particularly amateurish painting of a long-bearded, seaweed-covered King Neptune. Inside she placed a set of brass knuckles alongside a variety of weaponry: hand grenades, blades in all sizes, bottles of deadly poisons, and a hangman’s noose.

Bond knew time was running out before his escape was discovered. He opened the cabin door, saw no one in view, and headed in the general direction of the fleeing intruder. When he reached S deck he heard a door slam. Knocking repeatedly on each door in the vicinity of the sound, there was only one response. There, standing behind a partially opened doorway was a large female clad in putrid, sweat-soaked shades of brown, and panting heavily from some obvious physical activity. Bond mused if she had a paramour, equally exhausted from bedroom action, lurking inside the room, then abandoned the thought in view of her unappealing appearance.

“What in blazes do you want, mister?”

“Is your husband in, ma’am?”

“There’s no husband to be in; and if there was, it’s none of your business!”

It was then that 007 noticed the arms covered with black, matted-down hair. No female in his vast experience ever had such unappetizing arms. At the risk of further offending her, he grabbed one of the sweaty appendages in an attempt to render her helpless with a hammerlock. Much to Bond’s surprise, a wild right fist caught him flush on the chin and sent him reeling to the brightly tiled hallway floor. James grabbed hold of the aluminum rail on the wall by the cabin door in order to regain his footing.

By the time Bond regained his senses, the woman, who packed such a powerful wallop, was nowhere to be seen. He ventured inside and found the cabin void of any life, and, thankfully, any further death. He did find a set of brass knuckles inscribed, “To Ivan. This gift should provide you with years of pleasure.”

Slipping them in his pocket, Bond again tried piecing the puzzle together. Who was Ivan? Who was that burly woman, and why was she so belligerent? Where did she disappear to, and how, since his body blocked the doorway and denied egress to the hallway?

Before there was time for further deliberation, the door opened; and two men pointing guns at him requested his presence in court. The suspect offered no resistance and was led disconsolately to the Hall of Justice.

To be continued on the All Star Press Authors’ Blog