<![CDATA[LEE HANSON

<![CDATA[LEE HANSON - Blog ]]>Thu, 20 Apr 2023 21:58:27 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[My confession...]]>Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:38:09 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/my-confession

Oh, dear, where to start?
I love writing for you! I've lost track of how many thousands of you have downloaded Castle Cay, my free gift. And every year since they've been published, you've supported me by downloading the three Julie O'Hara Mysteries that follow. It's a blessing, especially since I lost my husband. But...
I just can't hide it, dear Reader. I'm obsessed with an old flame... Painting.
I may write again, but I must confess I'm only capable of one artistic passion at a time. I hope you will continue to read my four romantic suspense novels and recommend them. As a way to thank you, I promise to post my paintings for you on Facebook @ Karen Lee Hanson, Artist and Author.
I hope you'll follow me there, because you really DO mean the world to me. Without your support for my books, I would never be able to follow this new passion!
See you there, dear Reader...
Lee

]]><![CDATA[Am I Wonder Woman? Uh, no...]]>Tue, 02 Oct 2018 12:36:49 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/to-my-readers

   TOPAZ' TRAP, a murder mystery that will (to quote a happy reviewer) "magically transport you from the vibrant streets of Orlando to the dark and mysterious cemeteries of New Orleans," is finally available! There's a link at the bottom here. But first, I'd like to tell you a little story and thank the hundreds of fans who wrote to me and waited so patiently...

   Several years ago, Julie O’Hara, my fictional body language       reader and insistent alter-ego, nudged me into writing Castle Cay. It was my first murder mystery and an exquisite sort of hell. I felt like a tadpole swimming the English Channel in terrible weather but damned if I'd quit before I got to the other side. When it was finished, I told Julie, “Forget it. I’m not writing another novel!” But readers loved Castle Cay, so I dove into #2, Swan Song, all the while hating myself for listening to her and plunging into that turbulent water a second time. To my surprise, you gave Swan Song even better reviews!

   I was developing a smooth stroke and enjoying myself with #3, Mystral Murder when my husband's health deteriorated. By then, I was addicted to swimming and felt like Wonder Woman. So, to Julie’s delight, I dove into #4, TOPAZ' TRAP... but I wasn't Wonder Woman. Despite Julie’s nagging to keep going, I had to turn around midway and come back to care for my husband. There was no time for swimming, and TOPAZ' TRAP remained an unfinished tale.

     That was five years ago, and now my beloved husband is a resident of a nursing home. During those caregiving years, my awesome readers kept buying books 2 & 3 and supporting us. I had decided back in 2013 to make book #1, Castle Cay, permanently free, and more than a half-million readers have downloaded it since then. Many of you took the time to rate my books and write lovely reviews about Julie and her handsome investigator/lover, Joe Garrett, keeping the three books always between 4 and 5 stars on Amazon and other outlets.

     No, I'm not Wonder Woman... just a grateful author who wants to give you, my wonderful readers, the book I promised a few years back, #4 Topaz Trap. Thank you all, so much. Please click on the link below for a peek at this intriguing story. Like the other Julie O’Hara Murder Mysteries... I bet you won't figure out whodunit!

     Lee Hanson

www.amazon.com/Topaz-Trap-Julie-OHara-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07HNQNWPN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538410205&sr=8-1&keywords=Topaz%27+Trap

]]><![CDATA[The Billionaire and the Politician]]>Mon, 17 Oct 2016 18:12:57 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/the-billionaire-and-the-politician

Hi! Julie O’Hara here, subbing for Lee Hanson. She has me ‘on hold’ while she cares for “the love of her life”… a fond alias for her husband who isn’t well.

I’ve tried mightily, my friends, to stay on the sidelines, but I’m a body language expert, and there’s so much LYING going on lately in Lee Hanson’s world! I mean, everybody lies, but this is an unusually important situation that can impact Lee and everyone in her world. There are two political candidates that she’s trying to assess, so I thought I’d give her (and you) some helpful tips.

First, I have to say that these two candidates are so extreme that they belong in my fictional world more than Lee Hanson’s real world! They have something that all fictional characters need, whether they’re heroes or heavies… flaws.

And, my, oh, my… do these two have flaws.

But I’m not here to discuss all that. That’s Lee’s specialty. I only inform her about who’s lying, who isn’t and why. Sometimes, she gets so caught up in the story that it’s hard for her to see what’s right in front of her. And that’s human nature because of these factors:

Sometimes, we don’t want to know the truth. In this case, one of the candidates is a woman. Lee would love to have a woman president and has admired this woman in the past, so that takes away some of her usual objectivity toward that candidate.
There’s a lot of misdirection going on, so everyone, including Lee (who should know better), is looking at ‘shiny objects’ (salacious sex allegations, aimed both ways) instead of true deception in the candidates themselves.
Some people are prone to exaggeration lies and outright lies, through sheer personality or practice. For the male candidate, exaggeration is a personality trait. In the female candidate, it’s both.

Okay, so let’s examine these two candidates. As I said before, everybody lies and some people are really good at it, so we need a ‘baseline’ for each of them. The first way to tell if someone is lying is when they deviate from their normal reaction. We have behavior history on both of these people, so let’s look at anger:

We know that the woman, in private, has a temper. Books and articles written by those closest to her, recount her using the expletive “f**k” quite often and throwing things: a lamp at her husband, a Bible in her limousine. Yet, in a debate, her anger is hidden in a steely stare, a fixed smile and frozen posture. This is pure deception, incongruent with her true feelings.

We know that the man has a bombastic nature and a “thin skin”. When accused of alleged sexual misbehavior, his anger is obvious, defensive and immediate. This is a genuine reaction for anyone who is falsely accused. A guilty person knows exactly what they’ve done. They stay calm and have practiced lies at the ready. This man’s vehement denial is reflexive. He’s telling the truth.

In addition, we have further congruent behavior on this subject. This man was caught on a hot mic, an older man on a bus, crudely bragging to a younger man about taking sexual liberties with attractive women.

(I say “bragging,” because it’s classic behavior. Some older men will challenge a younger man to a race to prove their prowess, or make bets on seducing a woman at a bar. Another clue is the way the older man ultimately greeted a beautiful woman as they exited the bus. He didn’t “immediately grab her and kiss her,” as he bragged on the bus. Instead, he politely shook her hand. The younger man then goaded the woman to give the older man “a hug for coming all this way.” The older man chastely and awkwardly returned the woman’s hug, and immediately mentioned his wife by name, saying, “I guess she won’t mind a hug.”)

At the debate, this male candidate apologized about the decade-old recording. He was “embarrassed by his crude comments.” He unconsciously hung his head, not wanting to look at anyone as he said this, showing acute humiliation and embarrassment. When asked if he actually took unwanted liberties with women, his demeanor changed and he angrily denied it. Complete congruence. In my considered opinion, this man was telling the truth. He is a seducer, not an abuser.

The female candidate, in contrast to her male opponent, is a practiced politician, which is to say, a practiced liar. Her opponent, frankly, is a terrible liar. I don’t doubt that he is a good negotiator, experienced and surrounded by attorneys. But, alone, he would lose at poker. And that IS funny, since he took his greatest financial loss with casinos!

There is so much more I could go into on the female candidate, but I’ll leave that up to Lee (and you) to figure out. With so much information uncovered about that candidate's mishandling of classified material, involvement in rigging her own primary race, an alleged ‘pay-for-play’ connection between her top position in the State Department and her family foundation… well, it’s easy to see that lies connected to possible personal corruption fall into the ‘self-protective’ variety.

As a body language expert, it’s easy for me to spot who is the shrouded villain and who is the unlikely hero in this political drama. What I’m anxious to find out is this: Is Lee Hanson’s real world about to become ever more depressed, divided and dangerous? Or will it head in a new, more hopeful, prosperous and safe direction?

(Just between us, I don’t think Lee knows, either.)
Julie

]]><![CDATA[Famous Fibbers...]]>Wed, 03 Aug 2016 02:12:14 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/famous-fibbers

If you've read my Julie O'Hara Mystery novels, you know that I'm a student of body language, especially when it comes to lying. Some people are extremely skilled liars, although they don't think of themselves that way, nor do their listeners. Here's why:

The first time we recount an event, it's close to what happened, viewed through our lens. If it's an emotional event, we may repeat it many times and every time we tell the story, we tend to embellish it. Each time, we aren't recalling the actual event, just the last version we shared of it. Many people do this to increase their importance, their role in the event. Others may be so traumatized or horrified by an event that they magnify it with each telling.

Some have fake memories they have recounted and embellished so many times, they come to think they are actually true. So they tell them with complete confidence, displaying no signs of lying. And thus, they are believed. News anchor Brian Williams falsely claimed to be under fire while in a helicopter. Hillary Clinton falsely claimed to be under sniper attack when landing at a small airport in Bosnia where she was actually greeted with flowers. Donald Trump, while witnessing the horror of people jumping from the flaming, collapsing Twin Towers on 9/11, simultaneously saw a local TV newscast that showed dozens of Arabs in New Jersey cheering on a rooftop. He was understandably outraged, imagined more in the streets... and the revelers grew to "hundreds." Years later, he falsely remembered "thousands" of them celebrating. These are perfect examples.

People who weren't there with the fibber are fooled. They've heard the story so many times, they accept it as truth. ONLY SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE CAN REFUTE IT. I know someone from my childhood who unconsciously does this. This person is so convinced that what they are recalling is true, that they will even tell ME the embellished account, even though I WAS THERE and know the story to be wholly false. I just smile :) and agree...

Lee

]]><![CDATA[Julie O'Hara loves audio-books...]]>Sun, 14 Jun 2015 23:12:27 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/julie-ohara-loves-audio-books

My favorite body language reader, Julie O'Hara, is wired for sound these days. Every time she goes for a run around Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando where she lives, I get to hear this: "Lee, everybody's listening to audio-books. I even saw a woman your age jogging with this neat band on her arm holding her iPhone. I bet anything she was listening to a book just like me. I'm going to get one of those."

I decided to let the crack about my age pass. Apparently, Julie, the lead character in my books, doesn't realize that she gets to stay 38 forever... but writers don't. :)

"I've noticed that, too, Julie. I went to an art show a few weeks ago and met a lovely lady while waiting in line at a coffee shop. We became instant friends. Walking about later, I came upon her booth and realized my new friend, Jan, was an artist! I loved her unique paintings and picked a small unframed one. To my delight, she cut the price in half, and I wanted to thank her.

"I'm a writer, Jan," I said, handing her (and her husband) my business card. Let me go to my car and I'll get you one of my murder mysteries."

"Do you have audio-books that we can download? We listen to audio-books while we work in our studio. This book, Castle Cay, sounds really good!"

"Well, Julie, at that very moment, I decided to make your books available as audio-books. I hired a wonderful actress, Paula Slade, to narrate them, and I have a surprise! Castle Cay is already done!

http://amzn.to/1GmWxAi

"Lee. I'm a body language reader. Did you really think I didn't know what you were up to?"

Remind me not to plan a surprise party for her...

Lee

]]><![CDATA[Can America be like Denmark?]]>Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:38:17 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/can-america-be-like-denmark

During these troubling times, I can't help wishing for a happier America. I want a Renaissance for our children... a real shot at the things that make people happy. But how do we get there from here? Well, for a start, let's examine a truly 'happy' place...
Denmark is a tiny country, about the size of Massachusetts, rich in oil and gas from the North Sea. Its six million residents have one of the highest income tax rates in the world...
But they get their money's worth from the taxes they pay. Denmark has a truly transparent government that works for its people, sans all the waste, abuse and fraud. Corrupt politicians don't callously use a permanent, unemployed underclass for raising money and votes to stay in power. The Danish government doesn't pit one group against the other. Instead, it addresses their common good and protects it with a tight immigration policy. Hence, most of the people are native Danes. Although freedom of religion is guaranteed, most of the populace practice the same religion, too.

Admittedly, it's impossible to replicate this in our gigantic, sprawling country with 300 million legal citizens and another 12 million illegal residents. We have multiple races, cultures, religions, geography and interests. Still, there are lessons for us in Denmark. America is rich in natural resources, innovation and industry, but much of our wealth is siphoned off by an elite class of corrupt politicians, lobbyists and corporations. Unlike the Danes, the American middle class DOES NOT get its "money's worth" for all the taxes it pays to the Federal Beast in Washington, and the underclass it supports never breaks out of poverty. So, how do we get there from here?

For a start, for any chance at all, we need to give more power to the states. We need to keep government small and local, where the people can keep a close eye on it, and where it can serve the unique needs of that area and a manageable number of citizens. Will everything be free? Probably not, but each state can find a balance that works best for its people. Let's return to our roots. We can be that democratic republic that sends its representatives to Washington for limited terms and compensation, charged with performing the limited duties laid out for our Federal government in the Constitution.

So, can America be like Denmark? No. But Massachusetts can. And Ohio can. And Texas can. And Florida can.....

Lee

]]><![CDATA[Veterans: The canary in the mine? ]]>Sat, 24 May 2014 21:54:28 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/may-24th-2014

It's Memorial Day weekend, and I'm writing about someone near and dear to me. He’s one of the lucky veterans whose life is not in the hands of a bureaucratic, distant government...

My husband, 82, has Myasthenia and Parkinson’s, two neurological diseases. Because he has paid into Medicare and also pays a monthly insurance premium to cover what Medicare doesn’t, he only uses the VA to obtain lower-cost prescriptions. It works very well for that… that is, if you don’t count a whole year’s wait to get an appointment with a VA neurologist. And let’s not forget the new Orlando VA hospital, the build-out of which is more than two years overdue, thanks to our federal government’s inefficiency. No, I thank God we have private insurance so that my husband has an excellent neurologist nearby and easy access to Dr. Phillips Hospital, ten minutes from our house. I doubt an 82 year-old veteran in crisis would make it alive to a VA hospital two hours away in Tampa.

The shameful mismanagement we are seeing coast-to-coast in the Department of Veterans Affairs is a sad example of a healthcare system regulated by serial administrations in Washington, DC. Even now, the current administration is set to bailout private insurance companies with taxpayer dollars, yet another step toward universally mismanaged healthcare for all. It can only be exponentially worse than the VA system.

The reason is simple: Our population in this vast, diverse country is simply too great for everyone's healthcare to be managed by a cadre of politicians and bureaucrats hundreds or thousands of miles away in Washington, DC. A universal health system works best in small populations, such as a single state like Massachusetts, with 6.7 million, or countries like Norway and Denmark which have 3 to 5 million citizens. In small populations, the taxpayer/healthcare recipient is close enough to the seat of power to spot fraud, waste and patient abuse. We're not Canada, folks. California has more people than our northern neighbor.

We here in the United States are 317 million strong…
Young or old, I want us to stay that way.

Lee

]]><![CDATA[Body language #9, The Last Thief]]>Sun, 29 Sep 2013 02:04:37 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/body-language-9-the-last-thief

He’s left you. Not for another lover. Not even physically. He’s sitting right there across the breakfast table… but he’s gone. He’s ‘frozen’ looking out the window and doesn’t know you’re there. In a few minutes, your elderly husband will be ‘back’. He’ll turn to you and smile, and you’ll see in his eyes that he’s present again.

One night you’re watching a love story on television together. Suddenly he asks, “Where are they going? Are they going to crash?” At first, you wonder what he’s talking about. Then you realize that he doesn't know he’s looking at a commercial break, a Cadillac ad. He thinks the people in the story are in the car going somewhere, driving too fast.

He has mood swings. Sometimes he’s anxious and suspicious, other times he’s angry.

It’s Alzheimer’s, or “cognitive impairment” of some type. Say it hard or soft-pedal it, dementia is stealing your husband… and your happiness.

What can you do?

1. LOVE him. He can’t help what’s happening to him, and he loves you as much as ever. My Uncle Joe adored my Aunt Dot, his wife of fifty-six years. Sadly, he developed Alzheimer’s. I was there when he looked at her and said, “You’re a nice lady, but where’s Dot? I miss Dot!” You see, he still loved her… even when he didn’t recognize her anymore.

2. Although dementia is progressive, there are drugs that can slow his decline, calm his anxiety and quell his anger… so get him tested right away!

3. Be patient with him and don’t interrupt him. He may struggle, trying to remember words, to communicate with you. Look directly in his eyes and listen. Guess what he means, if you can. Do simple crossword puzzles with him, acting out the words. Charades is fun, and you’ll both end up laughing!

4. Don’t argue with him; it’s never helpful. Let him say whatever he wants without criticism. Try to look past his words and focus on his feelings. Frame the issue that’s upsetting him in a positive light… and HUG him. Soon he’ll smile… and so will you.

Time is a thief, so devote these days to simply being happy together. By all means, DO go gentle into his ‘goodnight’…

Lee

]]><![CDATA[In Good Hands...]]>Sat, 17 Aug 2013 06:37:58 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/in-good-hands

Hi, Julie O’Hara here, still subbing for my author, Lee Hanson. Did you happen to see this August 16th CASTLE CAY review? This Amazon reader gave my first murder mystery 5 stars out of 5. She titled her review quite simply...

"Superb."

"Great action, character development and terrific play by play. Great characters supporting. Multiple issues going on with a wonderful weave. If you like thrillers you will be thrilled to meet this author. I'd love to dispute some of the bad reviews here but I won't. I think the inclusion of some characters that happened to be gay offended some folks. It was implied by a few that there was gay action going on in the book. No funny business. Anyway just a gripping book."

Lee and I had an interesting discussion about this insightful comment.

***

“I suspected as much, Julie. That’s why it runs a few points lower than my other books.”

“I don’t get it. I’m your main character, and I don’t even have a lot of sex scenes! Fact is, you spend all your time writing about murder.”

“Well, thank you. I do like a good plot. But I also write about love. You love Joe, he loves you… and I respect the both of you enough not to get graphic. There are three gay characters in Castle Cay who love each other, too, and I treat them with the same respect.

“I've actually given this gay issue a lot of thought, Julie. As you know, I’ve studied the Bible extensively and in context. At the creation in Genesis, God said to mankind, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number.’ Homosexuality would have been an impediment to God’s order throughout the Old Testament period when the Earth was sparsely populated with humans. There were a lot of other severe rules in the Old Testament, very harsh things that had nothing to do with sex. Many of them wouldn't make sense today; some would even be illegal. All were designed, in my humble opinion, to promote the overall cohesiveness, reproduction and safety of mankind’s original tribes.

“Fast-forward to NOW, Julie, when there’s no shortage of humans and we live twice as long. Same sex attraction is, according to geneticists, a ‘near universal phenomenon across all species’ on our populous planet. Could it be that a minority of non-reproducing members is a population control factor in many species? Do we mere mortals think that God has no control over our particular population explosion?"

"As for me, I think God loves us ALL and we're in good hands, Julie."
"Me, too."

***

It was late, so we left it at that and went to bed…

Julie

]]><![CDATA[Trap the Truth! Body language tip # 8]]>Sat, 06 Jul 2013 01:58:17 GMThttp://leehansonbooks.com/blog/trap-the-truth-body-language-tip-8

Hi all, Julie O’Hara here. As you know, my alter-ego, Lee Hanson, writes murder mysteries. I’m the first to admit that she can spin a pretty good tale, but sometimes she needs a little help with lie detection and body language. Fortunately, she’s got me to pick up the slack in that area! Just recently she was stuck trying to expose a killer in a short story, a debt-ridden businessman she suspected of icing his elderly aunt to inherit her estate. “Julie,” she asked, “suppose you had a chance to question this guy. How would you confirm your suspicion?”

In case any of you dabble in mystery writing, here’s what I told her…

1. Ask follow-up questions…

Liars anticipate obvious questions about an incident and they’re prepared. They look you “straight in the eye” and deliver the answers. But, you can easily agitate a suspect with a series of follow-up questions. Distracted by your face and your eyes, a liar will have a hard time concocting an answer. He will always look away, however briefly, before answering.

2. Then ask an oddball question.

Liars think they need to answer every question, no matter how unrelated or dumb, so ask one. “I know you were on the golf course and didn’t come home until four in the afternoon, Fred, but what, exactly, did you have for breakfast?” Watch the liar think-up an unnecessary answer: “Um, I had eggs. I need to eat a good breakfast when I play golf.” An honest man would say, “Huh? What the heck does that have to do with anything?”

3. Accuse him!

Innocent people are insulted when accused of something they didn’t do. They go on offense…

“Here’s the deal, Fred, I think you killed your Aunt Millie for her money.”
“What! Are you crazy?”

Conversely, a guilty person immediately goes on defense…
“I couldn’t have done that. I was at the golf course the whole time.”

4. Finally, trap him by inserting a bit of misinformation.

“Well, here’s what we know so far, Fred. The killer entered your Aunt Millie’s house around noon by cutting the rear screened door. He hit her on the head with a heavy lamp, robbed her and cleaned out her medicine cabinet (false info). It could possibly be a drug addict.”

“Her medicine cabinet? There have been a lot drug problems around here.”

This suspect didn’t say he had a key, and therefore, didn’t need to cut the screened door. He didn’t say that he loved his aunt and could never whack her with a lamp. He immediately seized on the convenient false info, which was the only part of the crime he didn't already know.

Is this guy guilty? I don’t know yet, but he moved up my short list…

Julie

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