On the Trail

On the Trail

  Nemo’s wonderful nose tells him many things. When, on his leash, he and I make a trip to the mailbox, the first thing he does is put his nose to the ground. He is like a metal detector, going here and there, sniffing. All those scents tell him who has been in the yard […]

Moods

Moods

  “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” – Edgar Allan Poe.  Poe published this unforgettable poem in 1845. Using words […]

Shadowy, Significant Clues

Shadowy, Significant Clues

We all like to find them, don’t we? It’s sort of an aha! moment to run across something significant when reading a mystery. But, beware. Sometimes what looks like a clue isn’t a clue. It’s merely a red herring that a sly and devious author has dragged across the path, to turn you in another […]

Introducing Ulysses

Introducing Ulysses

Chapter 5 As the sun sank below the trees, I decided to make this a short day and go to bed early. Last night, I had been so wrought up from my hair-raising experience, I slept only a little. Tonight, I’d drink a cup of chamomile tea and, hopefully, sleep at least until sunrise. Glancing […]

Just Supposin’

Just Supposin’

Writing a mystery is doing a lot of just supposin’. Come with me a moment into the mysterious realms of the fourth Ned McNeil mystery. Just suppose that it was part of Ned’s job to take a picture of an old farmhouse for her boss, Daisy. But, suppose that when Ned goes inside the dark […]

A Close Encounter of the Scary Kind

A Close Encounter of the Scary Kind

In case you’ve forgotten The Cemetery Club, here’s part of an exciting chapter. We find Darcy and her mother Flora driving east toward Fayetteville during a rainstorm. The highway is deserted…or so they think. As we crossed the Ventris River Bridge, rain came down harder. Switching my wiper speed to “fast,” I made sure the […]