Dear Readers and Other Heartthrobs, As I write this, it’s November 11th, the 25th Anniversary of my successful open-heart surgery! It was a six-hour, critical operation that repaired a too-long-undiagnosed congenital birth abnormality called “atrial septal defect.” You might know this as “a hole in the heart.” Basically, all those years, my heart had no…
Dear Kids, Families, Teachers, Librarians, and Other Readers, This has been an eventful week for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets and for me. On Friday, November 1, the Cover Reveal for my book took place. In case you missed it, please check out the image to the right. I hope you like it. I am very…
Dear Readers and Fans of Lycanthropy, Last time, I asked the question, “To which character from classic horror films did Maleva, the old ‘Gypsy’ fortuneteller, speak these words: ‘Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a ??? when the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is…
Dear Readers and Vampire Fanatics, “The mouth . . . was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth. . . . The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point . . .” This description from Bram Stoker’s book Dracula is of one of the most famous vampires of all…
Dear Readers and Gothic Horror Fiction/Film Lovers, Many writers, especially in their earliest works, will create one or more characters like themselves. Admittedly, all four of my detectives have at least one of my traits. Here are some my head detective, Lanyon “Lanny” Wyatt, and I share; and, yes, there is a Gothic horror tie…
Dear Readers and Pumpkin Lovers, Right about this time each year, my mind starts thinking PUMPKINS. They’re everywhere! In large cardboard bins in front of grocery stores. On greeting cards that were on display before August ended. In candy form at CVS and See’s Candies. Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. You get the idea. My…
Dear Readers, Gardeners, and Botanists, The other day, I was staring up at an impending, annual avalanche. Thousands of leaves! The deciduous devil in my neighbors’ yard is a liquid amber tree. Its thickest foliage overhangs my back fence and soars high above my rooftop. As usual, I gave a sigh and had my rake…
Dear Kids and Grown-up Readers, Since Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets is the first of the Botanic Hill detectives mysteries, I thought it was time to reveal the origin of the “Botanic” part of the series name. I was further inspired when I recently hired a graphic artist to make a cool map of Botanic Hill.…
Dear Readers and Animal Lovers, Recently, my sweet dog, Jimmy Lambchop, got a predawn dash to the animal emergency hospital. He’s home now and doing well, mostly recovered from an allergic reaction to some flea prevention meds. His seizures caused me to pack him into my car in the wee hours that scary morning. While Jimmy…
Hello, Readers, I’ve been very busy since summer began hiring book promoters, making final revisions to Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets so the manuscript can go to the formatter, and having an official author photo taken. (I’m not really complaining. I’m lucky!) Sometimes, when I get too caught up in the have-to-do’s, or if I’ve hit a…
