Laboring Away

A lovely Labor Day dawns in Arkansas. Wherever you are, I hope your day is lovely too. As we rest from our work, let’s be thankful for jobs, for the good health to do them, for families, for freedom, for so many things. You have your own personal list as I have mine.  Each Labor […]

A Listening Ear and Good Advice

Clues: a partial message on a scrap of wallpaper, a ghostly figure on the stairs, a book of curious poems, a murderer who had done a disappearing act. Sleep was hard to come by that night. My dreams were riddled with ghosts and scraps of paper which kept floating just beyond my grasp. When a […]

More Flowers

Saturday, I went flower shopping. And, sure enough, my favorite outdoor shop had a new shipment of chrysanthemums. Hard to resist those bright, beautiful flowers, so I didn’t. I bought two smallish pots to brighten the front flower bed. Then, I noticed honeybees were really buzzing around the cone flowers or echinacea. Since I have […]

With Death in Pursuit

A drop of blood dripped from my nose and I flicked it away. I felt terrible and couldn’t imagine how I looked. If our lifeless bodies were ever found, would anybody recognize me?  “I’m in no condition to die,” I told Mom. “Just look at my hair. If Minda Stilley could see me now.” I […]

No Such Thing

No Such Thing

In a book, there is no such thing as unimportant characters. They are all important and crafting them is a meticulous, fun job. In the Ned McNeil cozy mystery series, Ned, of course, is the protagonist. Then, there’s Cade, Pat, and Jackie. Another person in this series who insisted that I take care to describe […]

How It Began

How It Began

I had a feeling there was no use in responding to Miss Evangeline, because she was what my father used to call, “wound up.” She wanted me to listen, so that’s what I did. Without warning, she grabbed my arm. I jumped. She whispered, “Shh. What was that? Did you hear anything, Nettie?” Her grip […]