Do you ever feel like a tiny Who in Dr. Seuss’ beloved book, Horton Hears a Who? Don’t let anyone ever make you think that you’re unimportant. You have infinite worth and value. So, hold your head up, put on a determined grin and move forward with life. Whether you are on the west or […]

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
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, […]

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
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 […]

My Backyard in Winter
My backyard in winter is not at all the same as it is in spring or summer, but it is far from being a barren, empty place. First, there are the winter birds. They know when sunflower seeds are in the feeder and they flock to snatch some of the oil-rich food before it is […]
