Dear Readers, Perhaps 2020 can best be described as dichotomous. We can all enumerate the sacrifices we’ve made, but we are also invited to reflect on our many blessings. Despite what has happened to us and our loved ones this year, we are still here, with books to read, food to eat, and a healthier…
Dear Readers, Since it’s December, I’m figuring that about 75% of us have already experienced a “Pandemic Birthday”–a very different kind of birthday since last March when the lockdowns began, and our friends and favorite restaurants were closed to us. My birthday just occurred on December 7, and for many months prior to it, I’d…
Dear Kids and All Readers, On the first of each month, I find a treat in my email inbox. It’s the monthly “Now Playing” program guide from Turner Classic Movies (TCM). I have been a movie buff of Hollywood’s Golden Age films (uh, kids, that’s from the 1930s and ’40s) since I was a…
Dear Readers, A few weeks into the pandemic, there arose an opportunity–blessing, actually–for me to tune in via Zoom to “Friday Reflections” sponsored by San Diego Oasis, an organization that offers classes to those 50 and better for enrichment and lifelong learning. “Friday Reflections” are just that–reflections by the incomparable Peter Bolland, professor of Philosophy…
Hello, All Readers, I recently learned that with 175 million active members on Pinterest, including many teachers, author such as myself should jump on it! I already have a personal page, but watch for a link to my author page soon. The list of pin-worthy topics I’m considering are as follows: The Botanic Hill Detectives…
Hi, Kids and All Readers, I am so honored to announce that I have been accepted as a member of Blackbird Writers! This is a group of nineteen writers of mystery, crime, cozies, thrillers, and suspense for adults and children. It was founded during the COVID quarantine by author Tracey S. Phillips. In her words,…
Dear Kids and Other Readers, Now that my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries Books 1 and 2 are published, the question I’m now being asked is, when is Book 3 coming out, and what’s it about? Thanks for asking! Book 3 is Walnut Street: Phantom Rider, and it’s ready for a turn in the publication line.…
Dear Readers, Bad news: My books are in prison! Good news: Their time in the slammer is temporary. What crime got them “booked” and incarcerated? None! It’s all my fault. I’m having a beautiful new bookcase built. It won’t be ready for installation until New Years, so my sweet book friends are doing time in twenty-three…
Dear Readers, I hope you have enjoyed weeks of excerpts from Book 2 of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse. So happy to announce that now, you can read the entire story. Eucalyptus Street released on October 20, 2020. Hurray! Just in time for Halloween. That will make sense when you read the…
Hello, Readers! At last we find ourselves five days from the release of Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse. Hoo-ray! And just in time for Halloween. Here is your final excerpt, from the last chapter, and the tool the detectives must decipher to search successfully for the Green Curse, namely, The Puzzle Poem. I hope you enjoy…
