

Raining Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...
It's been a rainy winter/start of spring here in the midwest. I don't feel my best in the wet weather, so I've been tired and grumpy. And next week is predicted to be the same. So this come in like a lion and go out like a lamb reputation, isn't working out for March here. I'm visiting Indianapolis for the Popular Culture Association's National Conference. I'm on a mystery panel on Friday. Looking forward to a quick trip to Indy and meeting some scholars in the field. Book


Back to School
I signed up for Murder and Mayhem in Chicago with the understanding if I didn't get on a panel, I wouldn't go. Well, I didn't get on a panel, but the planners were sneaky. :) They added on another workshop for the weekend with Jeffrey Deaver. So off to Chicago I went... It was St. Patrick's Day weekend, which in Chicago is huge. I never have seen so many people in green in my life. I was at the conference when the parade occured, but I got my share of people watching during


Goodbye 2017
As the night falls here in Illinois, I'm thinking about what this year brought to me and the lessons I learned. Lesson 1- You gotta have friends... (Yep, you're singing along with me now, aren't you?) I've had the joy of reconnecting with old friends this year along with keeping connected with friends who are no longer in my daily universe. I have several local writer friends I make sure I spend time with frequently, typically over a meal. I've learned a lot from these connec


Ending 2017 with a bang
As I review my 2017 posts, I see I talked a lot about work life balance and being so busy I wanted to take off by myself in the desert. Not good. So next year, I'm going to change some of that. I'm still on a writing schedule that should be a full time job but I'm also still at the day job. I have contracts to fulfill. But I also want to be able to breath. I'm cutting down my travel schedule for a year. I'll be going to fewer conferences and more reader events. And I'm going


Release week - OF MURDER AND MEN
Yes, its time for the third installment in the Cat Latimer series, OF MURDER AND MEN. Want a taste? Here's an excerpt. Buy a copy at your favorite digital and physical book store. Check out more here. Trust. It was a hard word to put into practice. Especially when you applied it to humans, who—with the little thing called free will—didn’t seem to worry about breaking promises. Cat Latimer sank into the leather chair her ex-husband—well, now deceased ex-husband—Michael had p


Labor Day check in
When does summer end for you? Back home, it was after Labor Day. Schools started that first Tuesday in September, I had registered for school and got the classes I wanted. Of course, I was a bit of a Hermione as I wanted to take all the classes. I still have trouble with that concept. Maybe it's the writer in me that wants to explore every opportunity. I've found some things are not in my wheelhouse. Like watching a machine make plastic milk bottles and putting labels on the


The other part of a writer's life...
I'm a planner. I celebrate my birthday for the entire month. And I tend to do the same thing for my book birthdays, or release days. March was no exception. Fatality by Firelight released February 28th and I did my last March event (an online book club) on Tuesday. It's been a busy month with library events and a trip to Scottsdale and Tucson. I've had an amazing time with readers including one Missouri couple who were visiting and came to see me at the Arizona signing. I al


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Or replace your favorite holiday. I went to all the local bookstores yesterday to touch base and sign any stock they had for A Story to Kill. I really enjoyed meeting with the local managers and talking about my book. But wow, the traffic, parking, and crowds reminded me what time of year it is, even if it's raining outside my window instead of snowing. For my crafty holiday, I made Lighted Garland. The instruction video is here - I hope you check it out and enjoy the days b