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…
Dear Readers, Most people familiar with the Modern English alphabet would likely say that it contains twenty-six letters, beginning with A and ending with Z. And they would be correct. But did you know that until the early 1800s, there was a twenty-seventh letter in that alphabet? The “letter” followed Z. Can you guess what…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, I have some family news to share! I became a grandmother for the fourth time on July 12. I have two grandchildren, a granddog, and now the newest addition–a grandcat! Agnes is an all-black cat with enormous amber-orange eyes. Perfect for Halloween, right? (But will she grow into them???) My…
Dear Kids and All Readers, Who hasn’t sought those delicious chocolate-covered, candy-speckled, and rainbow-dyed eggs left by the E.B. in pretty baskets and springtime flowerbeds? For now, however, please try not to think about chocolate as we shift to the nonedible, nondenominational types of Easter eggs—those scattered in literature and movies. The formal name for…
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…
Hello, Kids and All Readers! I hope each of you had a meaningful and joyous holiday season. Mine was wonderful! I drove a short distance across town to my cousins’ lovely vintage home that was aglow with scented candles in every room, a to-the-ceiling Christmas tree, a fireplace ablaze, and much good cheer. Eight of…
Hello, Adult Readers, You’ve probably noticed that in Hollywood, CA, many members of the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA are on strike, bringing focus to the emerging use (and abuse) of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the movie, television, and radio industries. Perhaps you aren’t aware that fiction and nonfiction authors are also demanding intellectual property rights and…
Hello, Kids, Parents/Caregivers, Teachers, Librarians, and All Readers! Let’s face it. AI–Artificial Intelligence is here, and it intends to stay! That can be exciting, scary, or both depending on your perspective! Recently, while researching the ramifications of AI for authors, employees, students, and others, I encountered an aspect of AI called ChatGPT. Have you heard of it?…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I am a member of Blackbird Writers, a group of mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime fiction authors scattered across the U.S. Our motto is “We flock together to bring mystery and mayhem to the world.” Each member is tasked about once every five months on a rotating basis with writing…
Dear Readers, During my research for Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, which involves a mystery wrapped around the nineteenth-century American writer Edgar Allan Poe, I uncovered a fascinating, real-life mystery. If you’re a fan of Poe, you probably know that he died in 1849 at the age of 40. His cause of death is unknown,…
