When Detectives Hang Up Their Magnifying Glasses

Hello, Kids and All Readers,

It’s late May. In the Northern Hemisphere, that means–HERE COMES SUMMER! How will you spend it this year?

After months of cracking codes, sneaking through shadows, and outsmarting adults who really should know better, our four young Botanic Hill detectives have declared a summer moratorium on mysteries. (Or so they say.)

What have they planned for their big escape? And will they really be able to avoid a good mystery if one comes their way? (My guess? No! Your prediction?)

Lanny, Lexi, Moki, and Rani are temporarily going in separate directions to explore personal passions—some creative, some charitable, some surprising, and maybe some (You fill in the blank!). I’m wondering if any of their summer adventures will lead them back into a mystery! Hmm . . . . Only time will tell.

One thing is certain: They can’t be apart for long! So, they’ve built in time together at Mango Beach each weekend to hug and share how their passions are progressing.

Dedicated readers know that Lanny idolizes Sherlock Holmes. The boy discovered that the Las Palmitas Junior Theater is presenting “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” his favorite Holmes-and-Watson adventure. He’s determined to capture the leading role of the Master Detective himself! Will he succeed? Or will he end up playing the Hound? Maybe a criminal? (Hey, Lanny! It might be instructive to be the crook to learn how “the other side” thinks. Or would that destroy your escape?)

As readers are also aware, our emotional Lexi loves music, especially classic Rock ‘n’ Roll. But she’s been so busy solving mysteries that she knows how to play records and music videos but not musical instruments. To remedy that, she’s signed up for guitar lessons! Will she like the guitar? How far will she get this summer? Will she discover some new-to-her musicians and their tunes?

Moki thought about taking a cooking class to appease his stomach. He chose to do something to benefit the community instead. After a bit of thought, he volunteered to teach little kids how to surf! The athletic instructors at Mango Beach had been after the Hawaiian surfing champion for years to join them. This summer, watch out waves. Here comes Moki the Master!

And our Rani wants to learn more about Grecian art. What better place than at the Antiquities Research Collective (the ARC) in the heart of Cortez Park! The detectives know the ARC well: Lanny and Lexi’s parents work there. And the sleuths have often picked the brains of Dr. Leland Abbott, the director, while solving their cases. The ARC is hosting a teens’ summer internship program as it prepares for a very special ancient Grecian art exhibit. Rani’s application is in. She intends to be a part of the team!

Will our savvy sleuths’ summer plans stay on track or derail? Escape–or mystery? Trouble has a way of finding the four, even when they’re armed only with sunscreen and slushies. No matter how their summer plans turn out, the Botanic Hill detectives have pledged to give their full reports in the August 31 Newsletter–so stay tuned!

For now, get a clue, dear Readers! Do you think our sleuths will succeed at taking a break? Or will an irresistible mystery cross their paths? So, what are your plans this summer? Whatever you do, and wherever the season takes you, the detectives and I hope this summer exceeds all your expectations.

 

Teetering on the Brink

Hello, Kids and All Readers,

Are you familiar with this quote?

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ~Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time Quintet

My interpretation of this famous quote is that children are better readers of truth than adults. In my opinion and experience, kids accept mystery, possibility, and emotional honesty better than adults. So, we writers of children’s literature should tackle big themes (love, courage, loss, good versus evil, etc.) without trepidation. These are too important to be constrained by adult expectations. We can explore them more freely since children do not avoid difficult truths or analyze them to death; they meet them with curiosity. Having taught kids for decades, I know that is true. So, I never underestimate children. Neither did Madeleine L’Engle. And she believed that the most profound truths are best communicated simply, clearly, and imaginatively.

As a children’s mystery author, I embrace L’Engle’s style. But here is the problem: I’m an adult. I have been complicating important themes for years now! So, the big question that stalks me with every word I write is, “How do I let go of my adultness and let the child within surface to craft a children’s book with simplicity, clarity, and imagination?” In other words, how do I uncomplicate the complicated? Well . . .

Here, to date, is “The Joseph System” for doing that:

First, I remember what I learned as a teacher and from L’Engle: Adults often underestimate children. Kids are honest–often painfully so! They lack the self-consciousness that constrains adults. Kids have free-flowing imaginations that, sadly, too often disappear with adulthood. So, childhood is the perfect time to explore bold ideas! Kids like learning topics that their high school siblings are studying because it is cool. They’ve told me so. Or you can just read their happy facial expressions. And it bears repeating: I don’t underestimate children, ever. I also never talk down to them.

Second, I embrace higher-level vocabulary in my Middle Grade books (for kids ages 9 to 109). As a teacher, I “taught to the high,” then differentiated the curriculum to pull the others up. I apply this same technique when I write by building in supports for advanced vocabulary learning. Some of these supports include surrounding a word with context clues, following a “big word” with a bracketed [synonym of simple definition], and having our chief detective, Lanny the Lexicon, provide a vocabulary lesson. This isn’t as easy for me as it may seem, however. I must determine what words and ideas need support and when to back off and let the kids be conquering heroes.

Third, I try to make history come alive for children by showing them how it still influences what we do today: The Golden Age of Hollywood’s experimentation with color film and special effects over one hundred years ago; the glory of ancient Egypt and its culture; the many sides of Edgar Allan Poe; the amazing but underrated actor Boris Karloff; the teenage writer Mary Shelley, whose Frankenstein monster from 1816 is still undergoing iterations in the arts; Bass Reeves, one of the earliest and most innovative Black deputy U.S. marshals; the allure and truth about pirates; the wonders of geology; the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the horrific Japanese Internment Camps; and the Wild West days of Old California. Why not teach history through literature in a fun, relevant way while kids are still fascinated by it? Hence, my “mysteries with a twist of history”!

Fourth, I try my best to follow the Rules for writing Middle Grade literature, mainly to protect kids. I must avoid foul language, sex (innocent crushes are okay), drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll–okay, not the last one! And we must never place children in danger that can leave permanent physical or emotional scars. This is challenging in my mystery books since our four mature detective heroes are solving serious crimes. often in scary places. So, my strategies include using danger to teach when and how to take risks safely, showing respect for parents’ constraints, knowing when to push back for more freedoms, the detectives caring to be consistently trustworthy, and most characters learning from their mistakes. Watch how I really push danger to the limit in my Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, being released this September. (“Look out, Moki and Lexi!”)

Fifth, I accept that as a children’s literature writer, I must navigate the constant tension of teetering on the brink with my characters, plot points, word and theme choices, and settings if I am to successfully turn what could be difficult for kids to understand into something understandable–but never watered down.

So, get a clue, Kids and All Readers. Children’s literature is neither for “babies” nor is it “cute.” This wonderfully powerful genre can provide magical entertainment and inspirational learning. But it is not for faint-of-heart writers, because they must release that imaginative, honest child within while simultaneously tempering the doubting, resistant adult without. Kids rock! Become one if you write for them. (Or even if you don’t!) It will make you a better person and a more authentic author.

(Photo by Guillermo Berlin on pexels.com)

The Ides of March: Symbol of Tragedy?

Hello, Adult Readers,

Are you aware that today, March 15, is called “The Ides of March“?

So, what are “ides,” and who really cares? Well, I do, having an inquiring mind for interesting historical tidbits that my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries might embrace!

Turns out that “ides” refers to the first full moon in a given month. This dates back to the early Roman calendar, which was based on lunar cycles. Then, the full moon usually fell between the 13th and 15th of March, May, July, and October, thus fixing those days as “The Ides.” It didn’t take many years, however, for the lunar calendar to get out of sync with the Julian calendar, the one we still use today. But “The Ides” label stuck—at least for March 15. Why only for one day of one month?

A little more background: March 15 used to be the Roman New Year’s celebration, a day of joy, religious events, settling of debts, and feasting. But two years before he was murdered, Julius Caesar uprooted the celebration and moved it to January. Hold onto that piece of ironic date information . . .

Because as many of you may know, the same Julius Caesar, who tinkered with his Julian calendar and the festival date, was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE—The Ides of March—when twenty-three members of the Roman Senate stabbed him to death with knives and swords inside the Senate chamber. A day that used to be joyous turned tragic, at least for Caesar and those loyal to him.

And The Ides of March is to this day widely seen as an omen of danger and betrayal, a symbol of misfortune and tragedy, primarily because of that horrendous ancient event. On this day, we often hear the command, “Beware the Ides of March!” But what has given that staying power since ancient times?

First Literary Tie-In: In William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar is the famous line uttered by a soothsayer to Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March!” And another famous line was sputtered by Caesar to Brutus, “Et tu, Brute?” who supposedly inflicted the first knife wound. For those not put off by graphic material, viewer discretion advised, and who want to know, “Could Caesar have lived long enough to (sp)utter his famous line to Brutus? click on the link, then scroll down to the video in the article from The History Channel, “Beware the Ides of March, but Why?” with forensic medical investigator Shiya Ribowsky discussing just how many of those knife wounds actually killed Julius Caesar. But what did an ancient physician have to say? You might be surprised!

What has given the Ides of March a long, tragic afterlife? Pop Culture has had many hands, no pun intended, in that! You can google examples. Here are two references beyond Shakespeare: Second Literary Tie-In: Thornton Wilder’s 1948 historical fiction book, The Ides of March, in which the author skillfully weaves fictional letters, diary entries, and personal reflections from Caesar, Cleopatra, Brutus, and others to re-create the final months of the emperor’s life, has kept the momentum going. And check out the 2011 movie The Ides of March from Columbia Pictures starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney about figurative backstabbing in a political setting.

So, Readers, get a clue. The Ides of March as a symbol and omen of tragic events and superstition has its origins in the lunar Julian calendar where the Ides marked the middle of certain months; from March 15 as a Roman religious holiday; and from Julius Caesar’s bloody assassination, which began the collapse of the Roman Republic and years of civil war. The date endures today because it sits at the nexus of a tragic historical event, Shakespeare’s and other artists’ works, and Pop Culture echoing its themes in many artistic genres. 

But for me, the Ides of March will forever be joyful. A few decades ago on this day, my daughter was born. And that has been fortunate for many!

 

Migration: Characters on the Move

Dear Kids and All Readers,

Here comes March! It is a month in motion.

Birds take flight on long journeys, chasing the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, nests are built. Animals emerge from winter slumber. Even the weather seems to migrate—drifting from cold to warm and back again in a single afternoon. (Though here in Southern California, it’s not as noticeable!) But wherever life exists on Earth, March brings a season of shifting, stretching, and stepping into new beginnings.

As an author, I can’t help noticing how much this mirrors the way characters move through stories. Whether you’re nine or ninety, every great story begins with someone who decides—willingly or not—to go somewhere new. And this is certainly true in my mystery books as each case immerses the detectives in new clues, risks, and rewards. As the plot progresses, the characters must change as they face challenges and, hopefully, learn from them. My detectives will not be the same when the case wraps as they were when it started. Few memorable characters are. So, . . .

Migration isn’t just about travel. It’s about transformation. It can make stories and characters reveal their humanity, come alive, blossom, and thrive!

  • A character leaves home and discovers who they really are.
  • A creature follows an ancient path and finds unexpected challenges.
  • A hero takes one brave step and ends up somewhere they never imagined.
  • A character learns valuable lessons about the importance of truth and trust.

I chose to shine a brighter spotlight on character migration (travel and growth) in Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, Book 8 in The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, releasing in September 2026. My goals were, first, travel: to bring my detectives back home to California after solving their last five cases out of town! Second, transformation: to show young readers the importance of rising above discouraging times, staying sharp and positive, despite clues fizzling or someone disappointing us in our life migrations. To achieve this, I lobbed many serious roadblocks and curveballs at my sleuths. Did they rise to each challenge, or collapse in frustration? Or both? Did they grow or remain the same? What triggered any transformations?

Kids instinctively understand personal migration, I believe, because they’re in their growing years. Adults sometimes forget it. But we’re all migrating in our own ways—growing, learning, and shifting into new seasons of life.

So, get a clue, Readers. Here’s a peek into my Writing Nest: I often find my detectives itching to move. Faithful readers might recall that each of my mysteries ends with the detectives yearning for a new case because they crave adventure. They must be on the move!

Movement gives them purpose. It gives me purpose, too. When a character starts migrating—emotionally or literally—I know the story is about to take flight.

Call to Action!

I’d love to hear from you this month. Tell me:

  • What kind of migration is your favorite character experiencing?
  • What kind of migration story would you like to read?
  • What migration are you going through?

Hit reply and let me know. March is a season of movement, and I’d be honored to walk—or fly, or swim, or gallop—through it with you!

 

To my Fiery Muse: Ole!

Hello, Kids, and All Readers,

As I write this, I’m finishing a bowl of my neighbor’s delicious vegetarian pozole rojo, garnished with avocado and crispy corn tortilla strips, while listening to Andres Segovia play Joaquin Rodrigo‘s Concierto de Arnajuez. It’s arguably the most famous guitar concerto ever composed. For me, the piece is a gorgeous Spanish landscape, evoking Moorish images and Flamenco rhythms.

This isn’t the first Spanish classical guitar music I’ve heard lately. In fact, I’ve been vibing to all things Latin, like the paintings of  Goya and Velazquez, Francisco Tarrega’s and Angel Romero‘s virtuoso guitar music, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (can’t get enough of  “The Lonely Bull”), Ernesto Lecuona‘s peppery piano piece Malaguena, movies with pianist Jose Iturbi (Holiday in Mexico), Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro), Ricardo Montalban (Latin Lovers), and TV with Henry Darrow as Manolito Montoya in The High Chaparral.

Not to omit literature, I’ve read Johnston McCulley‘s Zorro adventures. A friend has recommended Isabel Allende‘s Zorro for a tidy culmination. And where is my college copy of Miguel de Cervantes‘s Don Quixote?

Throughout this artistic Latin immersion, I’ve been appreciating how our Latino immigrants have enriched my life, not the least of which is via their hard work and fabulous Mexican food. Both prevail here in San Diego, California! Do I smell chips and salsa??? Is that a mariachi band playing in Old Town’s Casa de Reyes Restaurante? Ole!

This Muse, the wonderful artistic and culinary celebrations, took hold shortly after I started writing my Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, set to launch in late September 2026. The historical aspect harks to the early Californio days (1769 – 1848) when Spain and later, Mexico, owned the land that I and nearly forty million other people of diverse ethnicities call home.

But my Muse also struck before I started writing! So, at this point, halfway through writing the book, I think it is fair to say that the book and the artistic celebrations are now equally inspiring each other. That’s the beauty of my Fiery Muse. Ole!

So, get a clue, readers. What inspires you to create? Does your Muse take over your life as mine has? Where has your Muse led you? For me, it’s a delightful journey. And I sense that Bad Bunny is next on my Spotify playlist. Ole!

 

(Image Credits: Portrait of Dona Isabel Cobos de Porcel (c. 1805) by Francisco de Goya; Mexican food plate. Both from commons.wikimedia.org; in the public domain. Classical guitar photo by Vladimir Petrovic on pexels.com)

 

 

Reindeer by Any Other Names . . .

Hello, Kids, and All Readers,

Can you name all eight of Santa’s reindeer–not counting Rudolph, who is the ninth?

Go ahead. I’ll wait. . . .

If you’re grinning because you remembered them, did you rely on the 1949 song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with the verses, “You know Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen; Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen …”? I always do!

Now, check your response against the famous 1823 poem that added the eight reindeer (no Rudolph yet) to Team Santa, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”–now more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas”: “Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Dunder and Blixem! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

Wait. Donner and Blitzen are missing! Or perhaps their names are misspelled?

Neither, really. Donner and Blitzen were originally Dunder and Blixem! Why, you ask? Ah, that’s our literary mystery!

According to snopes.com, the story of how the two reindeer names changed “is a complicated and confusing one [since much] mystery remains about the origins of the poem ‘A Visit from Saint Nicholas’ that named them.”

Clement Clarke Moore, a Bible professor at New York’s General Theological Seminary who knew German, was believed to have written it in 1823. An 1836 reprint of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” credited him. Moore included it in a volume of his own poetry, published in 1844. But rumors persist to this day that “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” was written by a New Yorker of Dutch descent named Henry Livingston. Can you put the following potential clues together to draw your own conclusion?

Whichever man wrote it in 1823, he “melded elements of Scandinavian mythology with the emerging Dutch-American version of Santa Claus as a jolly, pipe-smoking fellow and produced a vision of a sleigh pulled by eight flying reindeer. He assigned names to all eight, and he took two of them from a common Dutch exclamation of the time, ‘Dunder and Blixem!’–the Dutch words for thunder and lightning–as the names appeared in the original 1823 publication of ‘A Visit from Saint Nicholas.'”

In 1837, publisher Charles Fenno Hoffman printed a version of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” that included his changes of Blixem to Blixen (to make it rhyme with Vixen) and Dunder to Donder (perhaps to bring the spelling more in line with English pronunciation).

When Moore prepared to publish “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” in his own 1844 book of verse, he changed the Hoffman/corrupted-Dutch term Blixen to the German term Blitzen, but oddly retained Hoffman’s term Donder. Earlier generations of children learned Santa’s two reindeer as Donder and Blitzen due to Moore’s 1844 poem version.

Wait. Wait. So, when did Donder become Donner?

Donner and Blitzen are German words for “thunder” and “lightning.” So, if Moore were familiar with German, why would he have used Blitzen but not Donner, instead of the Dutch Dunder (in the 1823 version) or Donder (in the 1837 version)?

Precisely how and when Donder made the transition to Donner remains a mystery! The earliest mention of Donner, not Donder, occurred in The New York Times 1906 newspaper publication of the poem. In 1926, the same paper stated that “modern publishers rechristened two of the reindeer with the German names ‘Donner and Blitzen.'” But hold it! We know that Moore used Blitzen in 1844. As Charlie Brown would scream, “Aaugh!”

But now, dear Readers, “Dash away, dash away, dash away all!” and enjoy your holiday season. Our four Botanic Hill detectives and I wish each of you Happy Holidays!

(Photo Credit: Soc Nang Dong on pexels.com)