“Red, White, and a Blue Sedan”

Dear Kids and Other Readers, Given that I’m posting this blog on my website on the Fourth of July, it seems timely that I finally share some excerpts from Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. In Chapter 14, entitled, “Red, White, and a Blue Sedan,” the USA’s Independence Day is discussed. Well, mentioned. Okay, I’m stretching it,…

Spotlight on Brightly

Dear Kids, Family Members, and Teachers, Please check out this terrific website for kids’ books called Read Brightly. Log on at https://www.readbrightly.com. So get a clue, Readers, and investigate these tabs on the site: The first is “Ages and Stages” where you can peruse reading lists for ages 0-13+. The second is “Popular Topics,” such…

Suspenseful Cover-up

Dear Readers of All Ages,

Drum roll, please–Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets now officially has a front cover! It’s stunning…but I can’t release it yet. Awww, shucks!

So get a clue, Readers, and watch on November 1st for the great Cover Reveal. Then, please weigh in with your comments.

Summer is Simmering–Finally!

Dear Readers, San Diego gets socked in each spring with a thick Pacific marine layer, a.k.a., “May Gray” and “June Gloom.” But, yay! It’s finally burning off. Off came the patio furniture covers and winter blankets; away went the black walking coat; out came sundresses and sandals. So get a clue, adults. Join your kids…

Get Your Lion On

Dear Readers, Is it time in your personal or professional life to let risk-taking become part of your “living on the growing edge”? Want to stop limiting yourself? Stop comparing yourself to others? Flee your fences? Own your expertise? Roar like a lion? These were the questions posed by Marni Freedman as she discussed her book,…

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…