The Shivers

“Let’s tell scary stories,” I said. “OK,” both Sara and Nathan agreed. So I went first. I thought I was doing pretty well, building up to the exciting and shivery climax. “Mem, that’s not scary,” one of them said. “Wait, wait!” I protested. “I haven’t gotten to the really good part yet.” Then when my […]

An Open and Shut Case

An Open and Shut Case

To the authors who read my blog: As you write your new book, do you find that you have some chapters you prefer to other chapters? To the readers who read my blog: As you read a cozy mystery, are there chapters that stand out to you? And then, of course, there are favorite parts within each chapter. […]

November Wind

Ned McNeil usually didn’t mind living alone in the Victorian house she had inherited from her uncle. Alone, that is, except for a small gray cat called Penny. But, there was no denying that the old home place in which she lived, the place called Granger Mansion, held some secrets of its own. After all, […]

The Comfort of a Well-Loved Friend

The Comfort of a Well-Loved Friend

Comfort–it’s something we long for, work for, search for, and when we find it, we wrap it around ourselves like a warm blanket on a chilly night and feel that all is right with the world. It’s strange that many, many dollars are spent, many miles are traveled, and many hardships are endured so that […]

Scary Things With No Explanation

Scary Things With No Explanation

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 […]

A Loopy Little Fall Poetry

A Loopy Little Fall Poetry

Yesterday’s perfect weather was too beautiful for  me to stay indoors so I grabbed my trusty camera and sallied forth. First stop: the middle of the street, looking upward. An added bonus: while I was snapping, a neighbor came by walking her dog. We had a good chat about churches, dogs, and autumn. As I […]