Sometimes scary things happen, things for which there’s no explanation. We’ve all heard stories sitting around the campfire or when we were snug and safe in our own living rooms. They gave us a case of the mild shivers…nothing really terrifying, just kind of spooky and cozy at the same time. My son and I […]

Owl Have a Cup of Ritual, Please
This morning I am beginning the day with my ritual of drinking coffee but one thing is different–an owl mug, a gift from Dayla’s girls. That owl holds a lot of coffee and I rather think he is pleased to be useful. Rituals! Isn’t it funny the way we establish them without even meaning to? […]

It Opens With a Nightmare
Ned McNeil is haunted by a nightmare that wakes her in the middle of the night, leaving her gasping for breath. A dog—or is it a wolf?—howling in her yard under the brilliant autumn moon sends chills down her spine. Get ready for a page turner; a cozy mystery with an extra shiver that just […]

Chilly Morning, Hot Coffee and Into the Day
The morning is chilly, almost cold. Is it really June? Sunlight tips the treetops and the day opens before me. What will I do with the gift of another perfect day? Thoughts of yet a third Ned McNeil cozy mystery keep running through my head. What can I do with these imaginary plots and characters except […]

That Frightful Old Silvery Moon Up in the Sky
What is so scary about an old, silvery moon? Is it the eerie shadows it casts? Is it spooky because it’s so far away and yet regulates tides with its force? Is it true that frightening things happen when the moon is a great, silver, ghostly orb? That’s the question Ned McNeil asks as she […]


