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 Kids and all Writers, Need inspiration for writing? Check out this true story . . . As I was decorating my home for the holidays recently, my mind transported me back to the late 1990s. My daughter was in high school then. Despite it being a weekend that December day and so close to…
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, 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 Readers, Writers, and Grammar Police Officers, I have spent the last week poring over my formatted copy of Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets for the second time. (This doesn’t count the 100 times before formatting.) My goal is to catch every error I can so the public doesn’t have to. To my horror, I have found…
Dear Readers, It’s September–that time of year when my mind naturally wanders to BB&B. No, not “Bed, Bath, & Beyond”! And also not “Better Bed and Breakfast.” I’m talking, of course, about Bulletin Boards and Books. Regarding the first two Bs: Every September since I retired from teaching in 2013, I reflect on how as…
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 Cover Browsers, Most of my writing time this May has been spent working with the publisher and designer on the cover for Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. The process hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it. You’ve probably heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But the truth is most…
Dear Readers and Writers, In 2013, when I retired from a long career in teaching, I missed kids–especially interacting with them daily. Their creative questions and insights taught me much about them and more about myself. Their ability to fix my tech tools on the spot showed me that I didn’t know everything. They kept me…
