Meet Da Crew a.k.a. Wicked Wino Sleuths

I had hoped to have all of the introductions done by the end of the day yesterday but alas that was not to be. It has taken us quite sometime to get set-up and settled in due to a few strange phenomenon (even by our standards), the arrival of our newest addition(s), and a nosy neighbor that kept wondering back and forth in front of the house. Fortunately things seem to have settled down a bit, our equipment is in place, the neighbor appears to have found somebody else's business to get into and we are getting used to the doors slamming on their own, the odd cold spots throughout the house and the gusts of cold wind threatening to freeze us to death. I for one am glad we have the exceptional crew we do because most people would have run for the hills by now after the day we had yesterday. Though I think it's possible that the copious amounts of Zorvino Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling that we plundered from Denise's under-counter wine cooler may have both slowed us down and calmed our nerves. (Well to be fair I am pretty sure I'm the one who drank most of the Zorvino Riesling. What can I say? It's one of my favorite types of wine.)

Let's get on with it shall we?

Heather a.k.a Hostess With the Mostest

I am Heather as you have probably already figured out if you are any sleuth worth your salt. I am an as-yet-to-be published author (unless you count poetry in Miami Herald may years ago) and the voice of the book blog Book Obsessed. I discovered at a very young age that I had both keen observation skills (much to the chagrin of most of the adults around me then) and that I am an Empath (much to my own chagrin until I learned to harness it). It is these two skills combined that have made me a natural at bringing people together and pulling off many near impossible stunts, performances and events. My day job for the better part of the past 14 years has been coordinating everything from weddings to corporate branding parties all over the world. That is how I became known as The Hostess. I am absolutely incapable of sitting still, completely obsessed with reading (well, maybe just obsessive overall), an insomniac and am curious to a fault. That curiosity kicks into overdrive when I switch on my Empathy and feel incongruent emotions from those around me. I often practice my Empathy skills on my husband and two teen-age daughters (more chagrin to be had there no doubt). One marathon 36 hour sleepless reading binge inspired me to utilize my talents and those of a few key people I had recently encounter to form the Wicked Wino Sleuths crew. Wicked is my favorite word. Wino is a nod to all of our reverence for well made wines. Sleuths is what we are.

Without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to my awesomely eclectic, increidably talented and often tipsy crew, know as the Wicked Wino Sleuths or WWS for short:

April a.k.a. Mild Mannered Genius

April was one of the first people I contacted when I began putting together the WWS crew her special talent being no small factor in that decision. She is not only the genius responsible for the mesmerizing book blog Cafe of Dreams but she is also a stay-at-home-mom of two rowdy little delights. When she is not crawling the ceiling or banging her head against a wall in a rare show of insanity, she is busy typing away at the computer. Little does her kids, husband, family and friends know of the real person lurking within. A secret life previously known to no one but her. Is she saint, sinner, savior or destroyer? Hmmm.....perhaps it just depends on the day. (I'll give you a hint: I didn't hack into this blog myself. I'm just sayin...) You can find her most often at her blog where she brings the joy of books to the world at large and perhaps while you are there, you can spots some clues as to who the real April truly is....

Jason a.k.a. Master of Mayhem

Jason blogs about writing and is an as-yet-to-be published author with six novel length completed manuscripts and a considerable number of short stories under his belt. On the surface Jason seems to be as laid back and easy as Sunday morning, but one look into his eyes and you will get a glimpse at what he is truly capable of. Thanks to my gift I was able to catch far more than a glimpse and what I saw a talent I could not pass up. He is a make things happen and let the chips fall where they may kinda guy and an indispensable member of the WWS crew. Wherever Jason goes mayhem is sure to follow! Nothing and I do mean nothing can stop him when the goal is in his sights. (I will admit that this has caused the need for some shall we say creative explanations in the aftermath before, but it is a small price to pay I assure you.) Some of the gifts he brings to the table are his ability to open any lock/safe/security system without any tools I have ever seen, an impressive knowledge of explosives, plus an expertise with both modern and archaic weaponry. Like I said indispensable. (Just one piece of advice don't make the mistake of asking him how he is able to 'open' things without tools, as others have. Lets just say he doesn't like to talk about it and leave it at that.)

Loretta a.k.a. Para-Fab Fearless 

Loretta, was asked to join WWS after I read an article about her in the newspaper and I am especially glad she agreed because for this investigation her expertise with the paranormal seems more essential by the minute. She is a certified parapsychologist who is contracted periodically to work alongside the police. She jokingly refers to herself as a New Age Ghostbuster who is very “spirited”. It has been said though that one trip around the block with her quickly dispels any doubts one might have as to her seriousness when working on a case. She has been known to offer more than a few hair-raising occurrences for those who have accompanied her in her line of investigations. Loretta lives in the southern part of the U.S. with her Australian husband and her cat Lil’ Dickens. In addition to her paranormal investigations Loretta is also an published author whose paranormal stories can be found in two anthologies, all the information on her current releases as well as upcoming ones can be found on her website.

Michelle a.k.a Insatiable Sneak

Michelle is the undercover reader from Down Under behind the magnificent blog, Torch Under the Blanket Books has traveled all the way here to help solve this mystery because she is the the truly insatiable sneak of the WWS crew. (Sometimes I swear we have to hold her back when she's onto something. Hope she doesn't see this...Shhhh.) She can smell a conspiracy at a hundred paces. Her extraordinary talent for sneakiness makes her a valuable and dangerous member of our crew. She loves nothing better than rummaging around, torch in hand, into every dark chapter of people’s private lives. Anything goes when there is a mystery to solve. She keeps in good sneaky shape by knowing everything that goes on in her own house. Just try and sneak an extra biscuit while she is in the house. (Seriously, don't do it. I've tried and it got ugly.) Her husband and son live in awe of her ‘spidey-senses’ as they call them. She lives in her own slice of paradise, a stone’s throw from the beach and appears on the surface to be your usual run’a’the’mill hippy chick flower child but don’t be fooled. Her obsession with books has put her on intimate terms with some of the best super-sleuths of all time.

Last but not least our newest addition to our illustrious crew...

KB a.k.a Truth Teller

KB is the mastermind behind the Katie Babbles About Books Blog and an as-yet-to-be published author. As someone who cannot stand to be bored for even a moment KB has completed five manuscripts and is currently working on two WIP's in the Urban Fantasy and YA genres.  She generously dropped everything to join our crew as soon as she discovered we were missing a key member. KB brings a skill set that is not only useful to this particular investigation but also quite hard to come by these days unless you know just where to look. (Luckily I do) As a the palm reader that she is in her spare time most people don't pay her to much mind or off as much respect as KB also has the rare gift of knowing when someone is lying just by touching them. Of course this has not made life easy for her, especially growing up but these days you will most often find her wearing beautifully decorated and very custom made gloves. KB even arrived this afternoon complete with her very own side-kick, King Mho Fho the Demon Sheep. We are all very excited to have KB join our crew! (I might even be able to sneak a few pictures of the uh...King Demon Sheep. Ya'll just have to promise not to tell KB about it. She doesn't like to feed his already huge ego by letting him to pose for pictures, as he's a bit of a camera hog. Shhhh...)

Your first mission should you choose to accept, my dear fellow sleuths is to figure out which aspects of our biographies are completely true and which might be exaggerations. Leave your answers in the comments section.