Do the first lines of a new book tell you whether you want to read the whole thing? First lines are important. So are final lines, but how about the middle? The middle of a mystery is important too. These are middle lines from my seven cozy mysteries. Can you identify the book each is […]
Aug 18, 2020
Stop While You’re Ahead
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Stop while you’re ahead. I used to hear this phrase a lot; not so much nowadays. It means to cut it out, stop doing or saying whatever. It’s useful in a lot of circumstances, but certainly in speaking or writing. One of the hardest things a writer has to do is delete those unnecessary words […]
Aug 16, 2020
When There’s Nothing Else To Do
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Reaching across the table, I squeezed her hand. “Oh, Mom, think of it! Think of the people we’ve always looked up to, so respectable and virtuous, so God-fearing and honest. How’d they get that way? Maybe it’s because they came through some tough times. Maybe it’s because they strayed from the Lord and He brought […]
Aug 15, 2020
A Day in the Life of
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Somehow, we missed the rain that parts of Oklahoma got yesterday. In places, six to eight inches fell, but here? We got a lot of boastful thunder, booming around the heavens and scaring small dogs, but it was all a lot of noise. No rain. All in all, it was a beautiful day, made even […]
Aug 14, 2020
A Light in the Lighthouse
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Lighthouses have always fascinated me. I’ve never viewed one up close but some day, I’d like to. It would be interesting to purposely set out to tour American lighthouses, especially those on the east coast. You won’t find lighthouses in calm waters or tucked securely away from the danger of storms. Lighthouses stand in precarious, […]
Aug 13, 2020
Sort of Eerie
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This is sort of an eerie morning. The sunrise was yellow, then clouds obscured it and rain began. Not a leaf is stirring. The nighttime cat headed across my lawn toward home a bit ago. The sky is dark now and I suspect rain is still falling softly. My furry little four-legged barometer is sticking […]
