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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 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 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 MoreChallenging the Stigma of Mental Illness: Meet Mystery Novelist Martha Crites
I’m so delighted to welcome Martha Crites as a guest author. Her extensive background in community and inpatient mental health has enabled her to write fully developed characters dealing with a variety of mental health issues. Her richly layered novels offer a much needed corrective to popular stereotypes of mental illness. Below are Martha’s responses…
Read MoreA Near Death Experience Brings New Perspective and Sensitivity to Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author Stephanie Hansen
I’m so delighted to feature Stephanie Hansen on my blog today. Not only do we share the same publisher, Fire and Ice/Melange Books, but we also have a fascination with the creation of intentional family as part of the journey to adulthood. Below are Stephanie’s responses to my questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy…
Read MoreThe Book Signing That Wasn’t: Meet Lisa Haneberg
As some of you know, I serve as president of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. One of our newest members is the delightful, motorcycle-riding veteran author Lisa Haneberg. Below is her account of one of those book signing events that didn’t quite go as planned, followed by…
Read MoreCombining “History, Mystery, and Romance”: Meet Author Dianne Ascroft
I’m so delighted to welcome Dianne Ascroft as a guest author on my blog. A Canadian writer who’s lived in Northern Ireland for many years, Dianne has a unique, international background for storytelling. Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy links. I loved your description of your books…
Read MoreMeet Award-Winning Author Ellen Birkett Morris
I’m so delighted to host Ellen Birkett Morris. I first met Ellen when a dear writer friend invited me to her writer’s group. “These women are serious writers,” she told me, “and they’re really good.” That turned out to be an understatement! Ellen was the group’s unofficial leader, and it didn’t take me long to…
Read MoreMeet Cozy Mystery Author V.M. Burns
I first met V.M. (Valerie) Burns in a workshop at Seton Hill when we were working on our MFAs in Writing Popular Fiction. Valerie workshopped a story about a feisty amateur sleuth busily solving mysteries in her retirement community. I absolutely loved it and sensed that she was on her way to a successful writing…
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