Off the Grid
My husband and I have a dear retired friend who is essentially off the grid. You can’t reach her by email, nor does she own a cell phone. What she does have is a library card, and she’s a voracious reader. She’s also a caring friend to a handful of elderly women who otherwise would…
Read MoreMemories
My mom’s memorial service is happening two weeks from today. We’ve delayed celebrating her life for more than two years due to Covid. But she is never far from my mind or my heart, especially now as I help plan the service. After a dozen years of working closely with my dad as his executive…
Read MoreStill Missing My Mom on Mother’s Day
Lately, I’ve been thinking about whether you ever stop missing your mom after she’s died. My mom passed away in December of 2019, and I still miss her terribly. Even after dementia had robbed her of so much of who she was, I always wanted to call her, hear her voice, and tell her things…
Read MoreIt’s That Time! Asking for Blurbs
With Deadly Setup coming out on July 5, it’s that time to redo my website featuring the new novel. Part of that is soliciting blurbs from authors willing to read my work and if they like it, to write a short blurb endorsing the novel. I admit it. I would make a terrible salesperson! I…
Read MoreSharing Our Work
This morning in the mail, I received a lovely “Phoenix Rising” Notebook from the Florida West Coast Writers to celebrate my placing first in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category of their contest for unpublished work. I’d submitted the first 4500 words of my novel for adults, Missed Cue, and was thrilled the judges liked it. Sharing our…
Read MoreMoving to a New Mystery Series by Guest Author Susan Van Kirk
What a pleasure it is to welcome cozy mystery writer Susan Van Kirk as she shares what it’s like to begin a new mystery series and create a whole new world of characters. Susan is also president of the online Guppy chapter of Sisters in Crime, a wonderful writing community that brings pre-published and multi-published…
Read MoreThinking about DEADLY SETUP
On July 5, I send another novel, Deadly Setup, into the universe. I’m getting ready for the two questions writers get asked most frequently: What’s your story about? And what inspired it? In answer to the first question, Deadly Setup is about seventeen-year-old Samantha (Sam) Hunter, the daughter of a New England heiress, who goes…
Read MoreTemporarily M-I-A
As some of you know, I had some pretty major spinal surgery in late February. The surgeon had warned me that I might have some trouble walking initially because of his entering through the psoas muscle. Well, yes! My right leg and foot are totally non-functional, and I am doped up on pain meds. This…
Read MoreThe Ups and Downs of the Writing Life
I’d submitted the first ten pages of my middle grade novel for a paid critique at an upcoming Mid-South SCBWI Writers Conference. I had high hopes for these pages and felt I’d really nailed the voice of my protagonist. Cue the violin music, because this does not have a happy ending! The critiquer shredded my…
Read MorePatient in Room 244
As some of you know, I recently had major spinal surgery and spent four days in the hospital. The nurses and other staff members were friendly and competent. Theoretically, I could choose to leave “against medical advice” at any time. And yet, it strikes me that hospital and prison stays have a lot in common.…
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