One of the most fun things about writing cozy mysteries is creating characters and developing those characters into becoming. Becoming what, you may ask. Becoming real in the mind of the writer and reader. Oh, I enjoy manufacturing a plot with plenty of chills and setting the whole thing down in a place that may […]

Coffee and a Brand New Mystery
Rain tiptoed in some time this morning. I wouldn’t have known, but it left its footprints on my deck. Just a trace, a smattering, but the sky is still dark, so maybe there’s more to come. A portent of a wet Thursday? As I was writing the Ned book, you know, the one about that […]

Over the Back Yard Fence
Feelings are aired and problems are shared over the back yard fence. Do we need fewer privacy fences and more of the picket and chain link variety? Just a thought. Privacy fences are good for–well–privacy. The other kind is good for getting to know your neighbor. Yesterday, Peg and I happened to be in our […]

Not a Malady, But Maybe a Syndrome
I looked up the word syndrome in the thesaurus and it doesn’t sound like a good thing to have, sort of like the flu. I beg to differ with its definition of malady. Rather, I think the word syndrome means a symptom or a defining characteristic. That description sounds much better to me. So, let me tell […]
Trash Bag Inspiration
As I re-read this post from last year, I thought about this picture torn from a magazine that is still on my refrigerator. She has been there a long time and she never ceases to inspire me–trash bag inspiration! This picture is on the wall of my refrigerator. It is an inspiration. I mean, just […]

A Mysterious Stranger
Chapter Sixteen The Carnegie Library, a single story, red brick structure with white trim stood proudly at attention commanding a view of the old courthouse just as I remembered. As I went up the wide, stone steps, a light snow began to fall. Shivering, I tucked my jacket closer around me. Heavy, double doors […]

