Hello, All Readers, especially Educators, Families, and Kids, Feel like you’ve been getting whacked over your head daily, maybe hourly, by the noise of social media, conflicting news about topsy-turvy world events, and burgeoning AI? Like me, does the resulting craziness leave you questioning if the truth is out there somewhere? What is true, false,…
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…
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…
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.…
Dear Adult Readers–Be Forewarned! This news blog post may be too scary for some children or inappropriate for anyone dealing with the death of a loved one. Otherwise, in my opinion, it is perfect for Halloween! Read at your own risk or pleasure, depending on your circumstances, and preferably by candlelight or the glow of…
Ahoy, Kids and All Readers! Yes, I’m still talking like a pirate. And for a good cause: The four detectives and I are busy writing the first draft of The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series Book 7, Macadamia Street: Hidden Skeleton. And we’re having a jolly good time of it, too! Prepare for tales of…
Hello, Kids and all Readers, You may be wondering why I’m writing about pirates. Perhaps you’re asking, “Who cares if pirates of yore could read and write?” I do! And I hope you will, too. Here’s why: As I write Book 7, Macadamia Street: Hidden Skeleton, in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, I find…
Happy Fourth Birthday, Blackbird Writers! Hello, Dear Readers! This is an invitation to join the celebration: My fellow “four and twenty” Birds and I are celebrating four years flying together to “bring mystery and mayhem to the world,” one book at a time. Our flock of supportive mystery writers took flight in May 2020, thanks…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, Seven days a week, I take a three-mile walk to enhance and extend my healthspan and lifespan. The five different routes I mapped out years ago take me over much of my historical neighborhood of North Park in San Diego, California, USA. North Park is where I grew up and still live, so I have…
Hello, Kids and All Readers! Do you dare to enter Dr. Frankenstein’s La-BOR-a-tor-y? That’s where you’ll be when you read Upas Street: Shocking Specter, Book 6 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, releasing in Fall 2024. I’m finally busily working on the first draft–yay!–which is due to my editor on March 10–yikes! As Detective…
