Read Fat Old Woman in Las Vegas: Gambling, Dieting and Wicked Fun Online
Authors: Pat Dennis
Fat Old Woman in Las Vegas: Gambling, Dieting and Wicked Fun (16 page)
My actual amount of time spent gambling probably averaged four or five hours a day. The rest of the time was spent getting to and from slowly, or recuperating from the effort. Every evening I was in my room by 6:00 p.m. If there is a sin connected to my trip, it certainly was that one.
Who goes to their room at 6:00 p.m. in Vegas? And spends the evening alone?
Old, tired, sick and broke people, a pathetic trifecta in which I was a member.
But, still, as I sat in my room at night, I could look out and see a million lights glitter, watch pedestrians on the street still filled with excitement at living. I’d reached the age where I was living a shadow life—barely noticeable by those who still danced in the sun.
It was obvious I was too old, too ill, and too disabled to be in Las Vegas anymore. It was time to go home, this time for good.
Goodbye, Sin City.
Unless, of course, I somehow managed to beat the odds and stopped my health, disabilities, and finances from declining at a rapid speed.
I am a gambler after all.
And, I have to believe in something. Most people do. A stroke of luck seems as likely as anything. There was a miniscule chance I would be able to come back to Vegas, one day.
I believe in chances, even the second or the one-hundredth one. If I didn’t believe, then why have I ended up standing in front of an airport slot with my last five dollars in hand, hoping, praying, that at the last minute before boarding the Amtrak shuttle I will finally, miraculously, and against all odds…
END
Pat Dennis is the award-winning author o
f
Hotdish To Die Fo
r
, a collection of six mystery short stories where the weapon of choice is hotdish, deadly recipes included. Readers demanding more were rewarded wit
h
Hotdish Haik
u
, featuring 50 haiku and recipes from her and other writers
.
Murder by Chanc
e
is the first of her Betty Chance Mysteries series. The second,
Killed by Chance
. The third Betty Chance Mystery book is planned to follow soon after.
Pat’s short stories and humor appear in many anthologies, including Anne Frasier’s
Deadly Treats; Who Died in Here?; The Silence of the Loons: Resort to Murder; Fifteen tales of Murder, Mayhem
an
d
Malice From the Land of Minnesota Nic
e
;
Once Upon a Crime Antholog
y
;
Writes of Spring
; an
d
Mood Chang
e
. She is the author of the novel
Stand-Up and Die. The Witches of Dorkdom
, a middle school fantasy and mystery novel was published under her pseudonym, Nora England. Pat performed as a stand-up comedian with over 1,000 performances at comedy clubs, Fortune 500 companies, Women’s Expos, and special events. She has appeared on the same venue as Lewis Black, Phyllis Diller, and David Brenner. Visit her at www.patdennis.com. For recipes, contests and restaurant reviews visit Pat and her alter ego “Betty Chance” at
www.buffetbetty.com
.
Fat Old Woman in Las Vegas:
Gambling, Dieting & Wicked Fun
BOOKS WRITTEN AS NORA ENGLAND
ANTHOLOGIES / PAT DENNIS
The Silence of the Loons
Resort to Murder
Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem and Malice
Once Upon A Crime Anthology
Writes of Spring
Cooked To Death
(Spring 2016)
Thank you to Marilyn Victor, my exceptional editor and good friend. A shout out to Rhonda Gilliand, my favorite beta reader and bud. To Donna Seline, owner of Typesetting a la Macque, who so far has been the only woman brave enough to not only travel to Las Vegas with me, but is kind enough to allow me to use the photo she took of me winning a jackpot. My continued gratitude to Theresa Weir (AKA Anne Frasier) for your support and believing in this project. No one could ask for better friends than I have. And to the online writers group that welcomes me as a member. I only finished this book because I told you I would.
by
Pat Dennis
"HILARIOUS, FUN-FILLED, AND HIGHLY ENTERTAINING!"
By Author/Reviewer Geri Ahearn
AMAZON TOP 500 REVIEWER
Can three scrappy, single women of varied ages find happiness in a new travel business specializing in casino junkets? All bets are off when Betty Chance finds a body when the tour bus arrives at the casino hotel. At fifty, Betty is unemployed, divorced and penniless after her husband left her for a fatter, older woman. But with her stunningly beautiful niece Lori, she opens Take A Chance Tours, a Chicago-based company specializing in gaming destinations. Betty quickly becomes close friends with Tillie, the perky, effervescent bus driver who happens to be an ex-con. With Tillie and Lori's help, Betty puts her amateur sleuth ability to work and searches for the killer.
A Betty Chance mystery
(A Betty Chance mystery)
By
Pat Dennis
“Pat Dennis taps into casino culture with the eye of an insider. A funny, rollicking ride!”—
Anne Frasier
,
NY Times
best selling author of the Elise Sandburg series.
Take a Chance Tours is on the road again – this time to the casinos and mouth-watering buffets of Biloxi, Mississippi. Betty Chance hosts the tour, along with perky effervescent bus driver Tillie McFinn. Riding along are the original fan club members for Bradford and the Beekeepers, a popular rock and roll group of the 50s and 60s. The chance to see their idol perform live once again in concert is priceless to Bradford’s ardent followers. Only problem is, the itinerary includes a bit of kidnapping, murder, and alligators. Betty puts her amateur sleuth ability to work and, with the help of Tillie and her niece Lori, they search for the killer.
A Betty Chance mystery.
By
Pat Dennis
"Always funny and often poignant
, Hotdish To Die For
serves up a healthy helping of stories that are truly Minnesotan in their details and wonderfully universal in their appeal. This is a book to savor. I not only enjoyed it, I’ve given it as a gift." William Kent Krueger,
New York Times
best-selling author of the Cork O’Connor mystery series.
A collection of culinary mystery short stories that prove it's a crime to serve hotdish (heartland term for casserole). Story titles include "Death by Idaho", "Cabin Fever", "The Elder Hostile", "Hotdish To Die For", "The Lutheran Who Lusted" and "The Maltese Tater Tot". 18 hotdish recipes included.