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,…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I set a goal for January 2023: On New Year’s Day, I would begin writing Book 5 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series. The day came and went. For various reasons–still in a holiday mood; more research needed; hot chocolate is ready?–I had not written one word of Chapter…
Hello, Readers! Perhaps like me, you ran across this engaging op-ed by Ellen Jovin on page A11 in the Friday, August 12, 2022, edition of The L.A. Times. It’s available digitally and in print. Entitled “How Fighting Over Grammar Can Help Fix a Divided America,” it details Ms. Jovin’s goals to set up and run…
Dear KIds, Authors, and All Readers, Today, I’d like to share a tidbit from my upcoming Book 4, Saffron Street: Island Danger. It releases this fall. We authors often borrow from our own real-life experiences to bolster our storytelling. I am no exception. Here is the backstory behind the story: First, the story: In Book 4, Botanic Hill…
Dear Readers, My research for Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, continues as I seek “the real” Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). I plan to spin a mystery around some aspect of Poe’s life, but the story will be set in present day California. What I have discovered to date is that Poe used his writing…
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, Readers, It’s been a long day. I had to rush my precious poodle-bichon, Jimmy Lambchop, to the emergency animal hospital this morning after first taking him to his primary vet. Jimmy’s in a life-threatening situation with a clogged gallbladder and tumor on his spleen, so out those offending organs must come. Driving home, knowing…
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…
