Dear Santa/Sparkly, Magical Unicorn,

Here's my Christmas list:

1)  Cake. This should be a given if you really know me. No matter what the question, cake is always the answer.

2)  A dozen Pug puppies to play with. I don't have to keep them. If I could just spend an hour wi...

I began writing this when we first relocated to rural Florida for our winter months. Since the end of another year is upon us, I thought I might take a look back over the past decade and share some of my thoughts.

A dead body on the sand under a palm tree blowing in the...

        Last Christmas, I found the perfect gift for a horse-crazy nine-year old girl; a collection of detailed, miniature toy horses.  When I went to cash out my find, the clerk looked at my purchase, smiled, and said, “This is going to make...

If you’re wondering what this is about, here’s a definition. An epigraph—not to be confused with an epitaph, which goes on a tombstone, or an epigram, a wise, witty saying —is a quote that appears at the opening of a book to suggest its theme. The epigraph lovers of th...

I have jokingly said I have two literary muses. One is the ghost that inhabits our 1874 cottage. His name is Fred. I’ve heard little from him this summer because I’m convinced he left the cottage for a quieter place. We redid our bedroom, and our assumedly one month re...

            One of the most confusing words of wisdom writers are given is to show, don’t tell.   I would change that to show and tell, because sometimes we do need to tell the reader something rather than sh...

You can tell a lot about people by the books they read. Or don’t. The same is true of fictional characters. Putting books on your characters’ shelves can illuminate aspects of their personalities. It can also enhance your mystery novel in other ways. Here are some exam...

Tombstones are just made of rocks.

Unable of course to wear hats or socks.

 Some can be very tall

 While some are very, very small.

 Some tombstones are very grand

Just as their inflated egos planned.

 Some folks are buried together as one,

 Because being apart is never much...

Note to my reader: I wrote this several years ago, but in honor of Halloween and to placate Fred, whom I have ignored all summer, I thought it was worth sharing now.

Some of you may have met my resident ghost and literary muse Fred.  Glenn and I were told when we moved...

I stand in awe of those super prolific writers who seem to release a new book every month, well-written novels in multiple genres.  Are they naturally blessed with rich, inexhaustible imaginations that allow them to pluck ideas out of thin air?  Maybe.  But a more reas...