Dear Cover Browsers, Most of my writing time this May has been spent working with the publisher and designer on the cover for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. The process hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it. You’ve probably heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But the truth is most…
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:…
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.…
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…
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…
Well, I’m still stuck on the staircase! Here is a quote I like that involves staircases. It was written by a European writer named Franz Kafka, who lived from 1883-1924. Ponder this deeply: How does this quote apply to your life? “So if you find nothing in the corridors, open the doors, and if you…
Hey, Kids, If you read last week’s blog, you probably know by now that I LOVE staircases. It occurred to me that I should share my Staircase Pinterest board with you. Most of the photos are of staircases from the 1920s and ’30s. Maybe, I’ll use one of these ideas for my house. The style…
Hello, Kids and Other Readers, Today, I want to share with you a somewhat quirky, favorite thing of mine. Staircases. Yes, staircases! I have never lived in a two-story house. I hope to build a second story onto my home someday so that I can have the overdue pleasure. Of course, I will have to…
Hey, Kids, Has a teacher ever assigned you a HUGE writing project? Maybe it was a term paper or something you had to create alone or in a group. Perhaps the teacher then handed out page after page of project instructions that left your eyes crossed and your brain doing flip-flops. You might have said…
Dear Readers, I’m excited to announce that my photo, bio, and book blurb for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets appear in the Acorn Publishing March Newsletter! Such an honor. You can find the announcement at the link provided: https://www.acornpublishingllc.com/single-post/2019/03/29/NEW-AUTHOR—Sherrill-Sherrill Joseph (Once at the site, scroll down on the right. Click on NEW AUTHOR SHERRILL JOSEPH, March…
