Dear Readers, As I mentioned in my April 14th blog, my research for Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, has begun. It will be mystery spun from some aspect of American writer Edgar Allan Poe’s life but set in present day California. He is arguably best known for his poem “The Raven” (1845). I hope…
Dear Readers, As of today, April 14, my Book 4, Saffron Street: Island Danger, is off to the editor! That means many things, but for this moment, it allows me to start thinking about Book 5. My next Botanic Hill Detectives mystery will have a problem wrapped around a long-deceased woman and the American poet,…
Hello, Adult Readers, Standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, I’d like to introduce–or reintroduce–you to a female Ukrainian poet named Lyuba Yakimchuk. She was born in 1985 in Pervomaisk, Luhansk, in what was Ukraine’s industrial east. She and her family lost their home and fled as refugees in 2014 when Russian-backed militants occupied…
Hello, All Readers and Stargazers, This July marks thirty years since my trip to beautiful, ivy-covered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. My then eleven-year-old daughter and I had the honor of attending a three-week science symposium there in the summer of 1992. I was part of the San Diego educators’ team. One of many…
Dear Teachers, Parents, and Readers, Recently, I shared to my personal Facebook page a friend’s thought-provoking post. It was from a public group on Facebook called “Compass Group,” which I have joined. It has 219K followers. In addition to some stunning nature photos from around the world, there was an article about the four types…
Dear Kids, Teachers, Librarians, and Parents, I have spent part of yesterday and today preparing for one of my favorite activities as a children’s author: a school author visit! Tomorrow, February 11, for forty-five glorious minutes, I will have the privilege of joining virtually fifty-two fifth graders and their two teachers in Pennsylvania. I’ve smiled…
Dear Kids, Educators, Families, and All Readers, Do you remember John Hancock? He was a wealthy Massachusetts businessman and one of the earliest and most outspoken American patriots calling for independence from Britain in the 1770s. He was public enemy number one to General Thomas Gage, commander of British forces in the colonies, so his life…
Hello, All Readers, Tuesday, December 7, 2021, was the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. You might be wondering why I, a children’s author, am blogging about this. Here’s part of the backstory: Since December 7th is also my birthday (but not the same year as the attack!), I was called “a Pearl Harbor…
Hello, All Readers, I have been invited to present at the San Diego Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (SCBWI) chapter meeting on December 11. The topic is what I learned as a result of hybrid publishing with Acorn Publishing. Whew! Sooo much. I made of list of all the topics and tasks I was…
Hello, Movie Lovers! One of my favorite pastimes is watching movies from and studying the history and bios of The Golden Age of Hollywood. As you might guess, I have a book collection to nurture my hobby. There is something timeless and enchanting for me about Hollywood movies from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. Many…
