A Shiver, a Shudder, and a Creepy Feeling

A Shiver, a Shudder, and a Creepy Feeling

Someone once told me she wasn’t sure my books were cozies. Surprising. I thought they were. Then, I realized she meant that sometimes they lost their coziness and became downright scary. I agree they aren’t exactly bedtime stories. Here are some random excerpts, taken from Moonlight Can Be Murder: Ulysses stood, white fangs bared. Why didn’t Vermouth […]

Overcoming Tragedy

Overcoming Tragedy

Yesterday was the 96-year anniversary of the tornado that destroyed Peggs, Oklahoma. I wrote about that sad event when I was writing feature stories for The Tahlequah Daily Press, in the 1980s. The newspaper story was my blog post here on this site on May 2, three years ago. Yesterday, I put a link to that […]

That Busy Little May Bee

That Busy Little May Bee

Yesterday, the first day of May, came in just as it should with lots of sun, cool temperatures and a feeling of optimism, of looking forward to what the spring will bring. Long ago, children wound brightly colored ribbons around a Maypole on the first day of May. My mother told me that she and […]

Dish Washin’ Ballad

Dish Washin’ Ballad

When I’m feeling down and blue, can’t find a sunbeam peeking through, And naught I see but gray and gloom, my thoughts return to a sunny room. My mother’s kitchen is where I go to relive times I used to know, When lots of loved ones gathered in; friends and family, kith and kin. Mom’s kitchen was […]

If Walls Could Talk

If Walls Could Talk

I subscribe to a fascinating newsletter about old houses. Some are ornate; some are falling down; some have been miserably treated and some have been lovingly cared for. These houses have one thing in common: they have a place in history. Each family who lived in them contributed in some way to the community; it was […]

Is It Really Morning?

Is It Really Morning?

What a great morning for a cozy mystery! The morning is as dark as twilight; thunder grumbles through the heavens and the whole scene is punctuated with flashes of lightning. I love mornings like this! My neighbor’s car hurries down the hill, a dark shape with headlights shimmering on the wet street. Nemo hears the […]