I got out of my car. The place looked deserted but as I approached the nearer house, a tall, bony dog appeared around the corner. It growled. I stopped. The animal didn’t look in the least friendly. It bared its teeth, snarled and started toward me. Everything I had ever read about unfriendly dogs […]
Aug 24, 2020
Good Days, Bad Days
By · Leave a Comment
This is the first day of school for many Arkansas children. Once again, I see them trudging up the hill, or hurrying along, backpacks in place, to catch the bus. It has been a long vacation, an enforced vacation, and it wasn’t all that great. I hope it is a good day for them and […]
Aug 20, 2020
Signs
By · 2 Comments
This morning, I stooped down to pick up a something on the floor. It jumped! So did I. The “something” was actually a small, black cricket. This is cricket weather–one of the signs that fall is approaching and summer is winding down. There are other clues that autumn is waiting in the wings, ready to […]
Aug 19, 2020
The Menace in the Middle
By · Leave a Comment
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
By · Leave a Comment
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
By · Leave a Comment
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 […]
