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Alan Cook
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id4ojzh755Y
My mother and grandmother wrote articles and poetry, so it's no surprise that I took after them. My preferred area for fiction is the mystery, since I am an avid puzzle solver, but I have also done a number of long walks (the coast of California, and from Los Angeles to Denver) and write on walking as well. I live on a hilltop in Southern California with my wife.
Birth Place: Buffalo, NY
Accomplishments: Alan's mystery, "Honeymoon for Three," has won 2 awards. It has received a Silver Quill Award from the American Authors Association and been named Best Mountain West Book by Reader Views. Alan's book, "Walking the World: Memories and Adventures," has been named "One of the Top 10 Walking Memoirs and Tales of Long Walks" by walking.about.com. His short story, "Hot Days, Cold Nights," appears in the Jeffery Deaver edited anthology, "A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime."
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Books
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 | Honeymoon for Three by Alan Cook
Winner Silver Quill award from American Author's Association and Best Mountain West book from Readers Views. It is 1964, 10 years after Gary Blanchard’s high school adventures in The Hayloft. He and his love, Penny, are going on the trip of their lives, and, oh yes, they’re getting married along the way. What they don’t know is that they’re being stalked by Alfred, a high school classmate of Penny...
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble.com
AuthorHouse
Amazon Kindle
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 | The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery by Alan Cook
Bobby sox, slow dancing, bomb shelters—and murder. Within two weeks after starting his senior year of high school in the 1950s, Gary Blanchard finds himself kicked out of one school and attending another—the school where his cousin, Ralph, mysteriously died six months before. Ralph’s death was labeled an accident, but when Gary talks to people about it, he gets suspicious. Did Ralph fall from the...
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble.com
AuthorHouse
Amazon Kindle
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 | Hotline to Murder by Alan Cook
“I like the characters…as well as the Hotline for the setting. This is a great mystery.”
Tony Schmidt joins the Central Hotline in sunny Bonita Beach, California to improve his listening skills. Shahla Lawton joins the Hotline to fulfill a volunteering requirement for her high school. Neither one expects to get mixed up in a murder investigation.
But that is before Sh...
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble.com
AuthorHouse
Amazon Kindle
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 | Aces and Knaves by Alan Cook
Karl Patterson is surprised when his father, founder of a successful software company comes to him for help, and he doesn't realize what he's getting into....
Amazon Kindle
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Short Stories
Little Willie Chews the Scenery by Alan Cook
Little Willie poems were written long ago and tell about gruesome happenings. Does life imitate art here?...
Freedom Sneezes--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
What kinds of freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights? See quotations in my book, "Freedom's Light: Quotations from History's Champions of Freedom."...
Hollywood's Burning by Alan Cook
It's 1961 Los Angeles and people are dying by the ocean--and then there are the photographs and the fire. Although this is a work of fiction, the fire was real....
Good Woman, A by Alan Cook
John Webster doesn't think he's a stalker. He's just in love. But after he appears in court, strange things start to happen....
Human Touch, A by Alan Cook
Let's hope the future isn't like this....
Dam, The--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery #3. When Mason's friend who has cerebral palsy disappears, Mason thinks he may have an idea as to what happened to her....
Case of the Missing Presidents, The--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery No. 1. When money disappears from the school cafeteria cash register, Mason discovers a clue and gets help from Matthew to solve the case....
Chemist and the Farmgirl, The by Alan Cook
Two struggling graduate students meet at the University of Michigan during the depression.
For more on Gerhard and Lura, see "How My Parents Got Rich--And How You Can Too" in Articles....
Glow of Christmas--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
What if the glow of Christmas comes from your neighbor's house that's on fire?...
Murder in Lingerie by Alan Cook
Aura isn't expecting any excitement during her shift working at an upscale department store, but......
Secret of Nim--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery No. 5. When Mason sees Sue Ellen disappear from the school yard, he and Matthew are off on the adventure of their lives, with a mathematical twist. (Appendix on winning at Nim at the end.)...
Homerun--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery No. 2. Matthew helps Tank Thompson get the baseball with which he set a homerun record, so when it disappears, Matthew feels obligated to help find it....
Over the Cliff--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery #4. Matthew discovers a boy clinging to the side of a cliff and learns that he was pushed....
Cashbox--Avid Reader Mystery by Alan Cook
M&M Mystery No. 6. What would you do if you found a box full of money?...
First Kiss by Alan Cook
When you're a junior in high school, everybody assumes that you've kissed a girl--even in the fifties....
Schedule C by Alan Cook
An IRS mystery....
Compute This by Alan Cook
Return with us now to those days of big computers in icy rooms with raised floors. But wait--something is terribly wrong......
Sure Bet by Alan Cook
Peavy has always been a cautious man, that is until he finds a gambling strategy that is foolproof....
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Poetry
Echo and Narcissus by Alan Cook
The Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus...
Berlin Wall (1961-1989) by Alan Cook
Freedom's Call...
Keep on Truckin' by Alan Cook
Written before "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, but I think it expresses one of his themes quite nicely....
Global Warming by Alan Cook
The Olympians by Alan Cook
A salute to the athletes who particpate in the Olympic Games...
Topless Lass by Alan Cook
Well, what would you do?...
Saga of Bill the Hermit, The by Alan Cook
Bill is tired of the single life, but his quest for a bride is fraught with peril....
Minotaur, The by Alan Cook
The myth of the Minotaur...
32 Years by Alan Cook
When you're married this long it deserves a poem....
War by Alan Cook
Love Thy Neighbor by Alan Cook
Of course we all love our neighbors......
Love Through the Ages by Alan Cook
I've always loved you......
Go for It by Alan Cook
Sweater Girl by Alan Cook
Remember the sweater girls of yesteryear?...
Mystery Limericks by Alan Cook
Limericks about your favorite mystery authors--and a few legends....
Mountains by Alan Cook
Ray Bradbury by Alan Cook
Tribute to Ray Bradbury. Also see my article about Ray....
Ace by Alan Cook
Leave 'em standing there...
Majorette by Alan Cook
By law I have to write 4 poems a year for my wife. This is one of the hundred or so I have written for her....
Ode to Dr. Seuss by Alan Cook
Dr. Seuss was born over 100 years ago, but he lives on in our hearts--and bookshelves....
Spaghetti Straps by Alan Cook
What if...?...
Thank You, Mary Quant (for miniskirts) by Alan Cook
Everything you always wanted to know about miniskirts...
L.A. Lifeguard by Alan Cook
She's good looking, but she can also save you....
Screen Door by Alan Cook
Lost youth....
Atlantis by Alan Cook
Was the Greek island of Santorini once Atlantis? Ask the spirit of Santorini....
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Articles
Walking Saved My Life by Alan Cook
Walking improves your health, physical and mental. Many more walking stories in my book, "Walking the World: Memories and Adventures"...
Mysteries Set in the South by Alan Cook
Originally published in Mystery Readers Journal...
How My Parents Got Rich--and How You Can Too by Alan Cook
We can all learn from how the people who lived through the depression managed their money.
For more on Gerhard and Lura, read "The Chemist and the Farmgirl," in Stories....
Academic Mysteries by Alan Cook
My academic mystery, "The Hayloft," takes place in a high school in the fifties, B.E. (before everything. This article originally published in Mystery Readers Journal....
Crisis Hotline Listeners Help People by Alan Cook
Working on a crisis telephone hotline can be fulfilling--but don't take it home with you. (See also "Listening on a Crisis Hotline.")...
Listening on a Crisis Hotline by Alan Cook
Before you can be a listener on a crisis hotline you have to take a couse in listening, but that doesn't completely prepare you for the calls you get. But it did help me write my mystery/suspense nov...
Falling is Bad For Your Health by Alan Cook
If you want to live a long and healthy life, don't fall....
Ayers Rock by Alan Cook
Ayers Rock (Uluru) is one of the highpoints of a trip to Australia. Also see my article on Australia....
Australia by Alan Cook
Interesting walks in Australia. Click on Download above to see the same article with pictures. Also see my article on Ayers Rock...
Ipanema Beach (Rio) by Alan Cook
Some of us still remember "The Girl from Ipanema."...
Egypt by Alan Cook
To read the same article with pictures included, click on Download above....
Iguazu Falls by Alan Cook
Bigger and more spectacular than Niagara, Iguazu Falls is a popular travel destination in South America....
My Career as a Football Player by Alan Cook
I wasn't big enough to be a football player, but to make up for it I was slow....
Ray Bradbury by Alan Cook
In May 2009, Ray Bradbury spoke to my writer's group, Southwest Manuscripters, for about the 60th time. This is a writeup from his 2003 talk....
Saying Goodbye to a Husband and Father by Alan Cook
Dementia rears its ugly head. Written in the early 1990s....
Running (and Walking) the California Coast by Alan Cook
The California coast offers a great route for runners and walkers....
So You Thought Doing Taxes was EZ by Alan Cook
I wrote this article years ago, but the concept still applies more than ever....
Footless Flyer by Alan Cook
A hummingbird with no feet? It really happened. First published several years ago....
Colorado Adventure by Alan Cook
Being lost in the Colorado wilderness led to an unexpected conclusion. Adapted from my book, "Walking the World: Memories and Adventures."...
My Father Takes Me to a Strip Club by Alan Cook
Originally Published in the South Bay Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA.
When my father came to California, I knew he liked to hike, but there was something else he wanted to do......
Can't We All Get Along? by Alan Cook
In today's world of DNA and instant communication we should realize that differences between people are small....
Avoiding the Financial Meltdown by Alan Cook
The financial geniuses who caused the loss of trillions of dollars worldwide in 2008 should have listened to my brother, Steve....
Travels With My Mother-in-Law by Alan Cook
After the death of her husband, my mother-in-law's chief support was my wife, even though they lived a continent apart. But that didn't stop us from going on over 20 trips together....
Fun and Frustration at the Erie County Fair by Alan Cook
A fool and his money are soon parted at the Erie County Fair...
Antarctica by Alan Cook
My wife and I flew to Antarctica for the day. We landed on a slush-covered gravel runway on King George Island and became chummy with a colony of Gentoo penguins....
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News
Article in Palos Verdes Peninsula News by Alan Cook
Newspaper Article...
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books by Alan Cook
I will be signing my books at the LA Times Festival of Books, April 25, 4-6 p.m., Sisters in Crime Booth #355 in front of Royce Hall....
Amazon Kindle Books on iPhone, iPod by Alan Cook
Amazon Kindle books are down downloadable to iPhone and iPod....
Run into Trouble published by Alan Cook
Run into Trouble, my new mystery/suspense novel has been published....
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Events
Men of Mystery 11/21/2009
50 mystery writers, including Michael Connelly and me, will be there....
Funny Poems and Limericks 10/19/2009
I will be reciting funny poems and limericks written by some of the world's great humorists....
Mystery Writers at Barnes and Noble 8/14/2009
A herd of mystery writers will be at Barnes and Noble, Rancho Cucamonga. See you there!...
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 4/25/2009
I will be signing my mystery novels at the Sisters in Crime Booth #355 in front of Royce Hall Saturday, April 25, 4-6 p.m....
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Links
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| Alan Cook, Mystery and Walking Writer
Information about my books, including reviews, sample chapters and where to purchase them.
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Mystery Lovers Corner
Information about mystery authors and their books.
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Additional information
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| Recent books: "Run into Trouble"; Gary Blanchard mysteries: "Honeymoon for Three" and "The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery." Also: "Hotline to Murder," a California mystery. Recent walking book: "Walking the World: Memories and Adventures," with walking stories and inspiration. Many of his books are available on Amazon Kindle. |
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Contact
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