Hi, Kids and All Readers, As most of you know, today, June 19, is “Juneteenth”! Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, so some have the day off. The African-American community has been celebrating Juneteenth for generations. I hope you celebrate Juneteenth as the United States’ other Independence Day! So, what is Juneteenth? On June 19,…
Hello, Kids, Parents/Caregivers, Teachers, Librarians, and All Readers! Let’s face it. AI–Artificial Intelligence is here, and it intends to stay! That can be exciting, scary, or both depending on your perspective! Recently, while researching the ramifications of AI for authors, employees, students, and others, I encountered an aspect of AI called ChatGPT. Have you heard of it?…
Hello, Readers, On the eve of Mother’s Day, I want to say, “Let’s hear it for moms everywhere–those with us and those departed. Traditional moms and untraditional moms.” I’ve been a mom since 1981. My daughter’s birth was the happiest day of my life. She left home in 1999 to attend college on the U.S.…
Hello to all my Readers, Today, I present a timely guest blog from my fellow Blackbird Writer, Joy Ann Ribar, author of The Deep Lakes Cozy Mysteries series. She entitled her blog, “The Party in Your Brain.” I hope you find the following information as exciting as I do: Did you know that April 17-23 is…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I am a member of Blackbird Writers, a group of mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime fiction authors scattered across the U.S. Our motto is “We flock together to bring mystery and mayhem to the world.” Each member is tasked about once every five months on a rotating basis with writing…
Dear Kids and All Readers, Did you know that there are almost 600,000 people worldwide who are at least 100 years old? And the numbers are expected to climb in the coming decades. How did the longest lived reach this incredible goal? Is that your goal, too? It is mine, so I’ve been doing some…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, You might say I’ve gone “raven mad” lately. I refer to the bird, not my mental state! Research for my Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, has taken me to many sites about Edgar Allan Poe and ravens. I can’t seem to get enough of either topic. But for today,…
Dear Kids and All Readers, What’s the number one factor leading to lasting Happiness? Check out psychologist Jill Suttie’s article, “What the Longest Happiness Study Reveals About Finding Fulfillment.” Dr. Suttie, with the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, presents the findings from a Harvard study involving a diverse group of people that began in the…
Dear Readers, During my research for Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, which involves a mystery wrapped around the nineteenth-century American writer Edgar Allan Poe, I uncovered a fascinating, real-life mystery. If you’re a fan of Poe, you probably know that he died in 1849 at the age of 40. His cause of death is unknown,…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I set a goal for January 2023: On New Year’s Day, I would begin writing Book 5 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series. The day came and went. For various reasons–still in a holiday mood; more research needed; hot chocolate is ready?–I had not written one word of Chapter…
