A Pocket Full of Mysteries

A Pocket Full of Mysteries

Where do they come from, those words that mystery writers spin into stories? Do we catch them like butterflies netted as they fly through the air? Do we snatch them from conversations of friends or winnow them from long ago memories? And then, with a pocket full of words, how can they be spun into […]

A Valentine’s Gift for You

A Valentine’s Gift for You

  Change is the spice of life, isn’t it? Sometimes, it’s nice to do things a little differently–take critiques, for instance. Instead of our usual meeting place, which is my house, Nancy, Peg, Jane, and I met at our favorite restaurant. We missed Carolyn who couldn’t make it. In between devouring bites of cheeseburgers and […]

The Important Past of an Ill-Fated Character

The Important Past of an Ill-Fated Character

  Characters–the people within the pages of a story. They move the storyline along–the good ones, the bad ones, and those we never see. What? Those we never see? Yes. Take, for instance, Ben Ventris in The Cemetery Club. Without Ben, there would have been no story, no mystery, no reason for the book. But, […]

A Dog Blog

A Dog Blog

  Good morning. My name is Murphy and I’m a dog. I used to live with Ben Ventris but for unforseen and gruesome reasons, I now live with Pat and Jasper Harris. Dogs don’t get credit for being the world’s smartest creatures. They should. Poor ol’ Jasper, the boy I’ve adopted, really needs me. He thinks owls […]

Courage Comes in Many Forms

Courage Comes in Many Forms

  Among the shadows of early morning, a small, darker shadow moved, sometimes crouching close to the ground as a shell burst overhead. A cold, mizzling rain matted his fur, dribbled into his eyes. He shook his head and kept going. A little further and he’d be at the general’s tent. He knew which tent […]

The Furtive, Mysterious, Weird Life of a Mystery Author

The Furtive, Mysterious, Weird Life of a Mystery Author

Many of you will remember seeing old western movies with store buildings that had false fronts, making them appear much larger than they were. Let me tell you that people have false fronts too, sometimes without even being aware that they have them. For example, how many of you may be a secret cozy mystery […]