Author Shelley Dayton
Mystery. Adventure. Monkeys.
Mystery. Adventure. Monkeys.
What's new!
* Cranky Bones, a short story to be told in thirds at the Writings page. Part two is up today!
* Two new quick reviews at the Beautiful Books page.
* Congratulations to Roxanne from Michigan, our March winner! She will receive a box of chocolates from Newman's Own Organics and a signed copy of Why Rita Hates Monkeys!
Scroll down for a tidbit!
* Cranky Bones, a short story to be told in thirds at the Writings page. Part two is up today!
* Two new quick reviews at the Beautiful Books page.
* Congratulations to Roxanne from Michigan, our March winner! She will receive a box of chocolates from Newman's Own Organics and a signed copy of Why Rita Hates Monkeys!
Scroll down for a tidbit!
* * *
What a tangled web we weave when we drink a cup of tea.
Tea is one of those foods that we use heavily but, doggone it, it loves to grow in rainforest regions.
Negative impacts include deforestation and the dumping of pesticides and fertilizers into the water.
Solutions include buying tea that wears the little green frog of Rainforest Alliance. Such products have to prove they adhere to practices that protect the environment and the people.
So here's some good news: Tetley's gotten certified!
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/news.cfm?id=tetley_tea
* * *
Beautiful photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com
Photos courtesy of www.stockvault.net.
Now available at Amazon and Eternal Press!
Praise for Why Rita Hates Monkeys:
"What is there not to like about Shelley Dayton's Why Rita Hates Monkeys?! There is comedy to die for, adventure to be sought, and of course tons of intrigue and mystery! A funny story to read and enjoy for everyone."
--The Pen and Muse
"What is there not to like about Shelley Dayton's Why Rita Hates Monkeys?! There is comedy to die for, adventure to be sought, and of course tons of intrigue and mystery! A funny story to read and enjoy for everyone."
--The Pen and Muse
Excerpt:
The covered porch popped into sight. It was Rita this time who tripped and fell, her leg entwined in…well, twine.
“Leave her! We’ll go back for her corpse later! Hahahaha!” screamed Lynette, a far better loser than winner. She sped by me and pounded to a stop on the covered porch. Elsa was there too, hunched over and pinching her side.
Several feet behind us, Rita sat up in a clearing and pulled at the thick vine. A troop of a dozen black-and-white monkeys swarmed to the front of the trees, lobbing with accuracy and enthusiasm. Rita wore a complete cap of rotten, yellow fruit, and her denim shirt was drenched in juice. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.
Just as she got her foot loose and leapt to her feet, the troop disappeared back into the trees, apparently out of ammo. Just like that, the trees were quiet, except for the soft crick-crick of insects and the constant patter of rain.
One monkey remained, though. He had a white stripe between his eyes, a wide, wiry moustache, and a shiny black body. He grinned, and appeared to be missing his canine teeth. He raised an arm like a trebuchet and shot something at the back of Rita’s head.
Sensing her advantage, Rita turned and searched the lumpy, fruity ground for whatever he had thrown. She lunged courageously for the brown object, and leaned back to throw it.
“Turnabout’s fair play, you little piece of…aaagh!”
She dropped the thing, turned, and fled to the porch. We backed away, and not just from her expression. We smelled like the early stages of wine-making. She stank like a molding compost heap.
“It was a glove!”
Elsa stepped forward an inch and stretched to pat her sticky shoulder. “Yes, dear, sometimes the workers lose things…”
“No!” Rita shouted. She flailed at her hair and picked out a small, white, pinky-looking bone. She flung it on the porch. It clattered to a stop and gleamed in a tiny patch of sunlight.
“The hand was still in it!”
The covered porch popped into sight. It was Rita this time who tripped and fell, her leg entwined in…well, twine.
“Leave her! We’ll go back for her corpse later! Hahahaha!” screamed Lynette, a far better loser than winner. She sped by me and pounded to a stop on the covered porch. Elsa was there too, hunched over and pinching her side.
Several feet behind us, Rita sat up in a clearing and pulled at the thick vine. A troop of a dozen black-and-white monkeys swarmed to the front of the trees, lobbing with accuracy and enthusiasm. Rita wore a complete cap of rotten, yellow fruit, and her denim shirt was drenched in juice. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.
Just as she got her foot loose and leapt to her feet, the troop disappeared back into the trees, apparently out of ammo. Just like that, the trees were quiet, except for the soft crick-crick of insects and the constant patter of rain.
One monkey remained, though. He had a white stripe between his eyes, a wide, wiry moustache, and a shiny black body. He grinned, and appeared to be missing his canine teeth. He raised an arm like a trebuchet and shot something at the back of Rita’s head.
Sensing her advantage, Rita turned and searched the lumpy, fruity ground for whatever he had thrown. She lunged courageously for the brown object, and leaned back to throw it.
“Turnabout’s fair play, you little piece of…aaagh!”
She dropped the thing, turned, and fled to the porch. We backed away, and not just from her expression. We smelled like the early stages of wine-making. She stank like a molding compost heap.
“It was a glove!”
Elsa stepped forward an inch and stretched to pat her sticky shoulder. “Yes, dear, sometimes the workers lose things…”
“No!” Rita shouted. She flailed at her hair and picked out a small, white, pinky-looking bone. She flung it on the porch. It clattered to a stop and gleamed in a tiny patch of sunlight.
“The hand was still in it!”
* * *
Thank you for visiting!
I write mysteries.
Some have corpses, some don't. If there's no body, there's usually a piece of one.
My stories have chase scenes. Screaming. Danger. Licorice.
Why Rita Hates Monkeys is my first published book, and it's a wild romp through the rainforest with some great (and weird) friends.
While you're here, hop on over to the Rainforest Report page. It fills your brain with interesting info about the jungle. I've interviewed experts and done product reviews, and I will post new pieces every Friday.
The Writings page posts fun pieces about animals, insects, or whatever is new in my world.
My goal is to keep my writing fascinating, fast, and fun.
Enjoy!
Shelley Dayton
Thank you for visiting!
I write mysteries.
Some have corpses, some don't. If there's no body, there's usually a piece of one.
My stories have chase scenes. Screaming. Danger. Licorice.
Why Rita Hates Monkeys is my first published book, and it's a wild romp through the rainforest with some great (and weird) friends.
While you're here, hop on over to the Rainforest Report page. It fills your brain with interesting info about the jungle. I've interviewed experts and done product reviews, and I will post new pieces every Friday.
The Writings page posts fun pieces about animals, insects, or whatever is new in my world.
My goal is to keep my writing fascinating, fast, and fun.
Enjoy!
Shelley Dayton
Content copyright Shelley Dayton. All rights reserved.
