Very Mysterious!

Dear actual or wannabe mystery-book-loving Readers, I just discovered and joined a mystery book blog! (Though figuring out how to navigate it is still a mystery.) The site contains comprehensive lists and commentary about cozy (non-gory) mystery books and series for all ages and allows input from readers. I certainly hope to see Nutmeg Street:…

Tasting Words

Can you taste words? Rani Kumar, one of my Botanic Hill detectives, and I can! We share an extra sensory ability called synesthesia. No, it isn’t fatal! It’s actually fun. Synesthesia is a mixing of the senses in the brain where one type of brain stimulation–such as hearing a word or name–makes you experience something else.…

What’s Jean-Francois Champollion Doing Here?

Dear Readers and future Egyptologists, Recently, I was looking for appropriate images for my book cover for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. Hieroglyphics came to mind, the picture script of the ancient Egyptians that decorated the temples, tombs, and sarcophagi of their kings and queens. That’s when I discovered Jean-Francois Champollion! Champollion was born in France and…

Why I Write

Dear Readers and Writers, In 2013, when I retired from a long career in teaching, I missed kids–especially interacting with them daily. Their creative questions and insights taught me much about them and more about myself. Their ability to fix my tech tools on the spot showed me that I didn’t know everything. They kept me…