Hey, Kids, and All Readers of our Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, “This is Moki, the funny, foodie detective. We’re on a new case. At least, we were. It seems our creator, the author, has gone missing!” “I’m Lexi, the arm-squeezing detective, and Moki’s right. We haven’t seen her in a couple weeks. Usually, she drops…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I hope all of you are as lucky as I am to be surrounded by kind, cheerful neighbors! In my neighborhood, about thirty of us of all ages gather on the First Friday of each month for a potluck dinner and good conversation. One family hosts per month. Usually, it’s…
Dear Readers, As I write this blog, many of you are probably sinking in snowdrifts and sorry the groundhog has announced six more weeks of winter. How about an escape? –at least as an armchair traveler, for now! But first, I feel compelled to introduce to you the Italian word bramasole. It means “yearning for…
Dear Readers, Today, I want to share with you how I came up with the primary settings in Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. My story takes place in the Pacific coastal resort town of Las Palmitas (“the little palm trees”). It is a quainter, much less populated version of palm-filled San Diego, California, USA, where I grew…
Dear Readers and Loyal Newsletter Subscribers, Drum roll, please! . . . We are on the brink of the release on FEBRUARY 1 of Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets, Book 1 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series! At this time, I would like to share with you what motivated me way back in 2013–and still motivates me–to…
Dear Readers of All Ages, You’ve probably heard the term or maybe even the song, “Pennies from Heaven.” The pennies represent unexpected good fortune or a windfall. Yesterday, I received dollars from Heaven. Emphasis on “Heaven.” I was at the check-out counter in a grocery store where I seldom shop. I had never signed up for…
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.…
