Flavorful Cozies

What flavor do you like in a cozy mystery? One of my fellow writers mentioned the other day, that there’s a wide range of topics and writing styles under the broad heading of Cozy Mysteries. They all have similarities, certainly, else they wouldn’t be cozy. Some of them, however, have a bit of supernatural and […]

What Is Family?

What Is Family?

I want my readers to feel a sense of belonging, a part of the world of Darcy and Flora or Ned. As these intrepid sleuths sit down for coffee or watch the flames dance in the fireplace, or face danger and dreaded possibilities,  I hope that sense of family, friendship, and sharing reaches out from […]

Spoken Thoughts

Spoken Thoughts

It’s such an extraordinary thing to hear my own thoughts spoken aloud by someone else! How’d that happen, you may ask? It’s all because of audible books. I love them. My publisher is having the Ned McNeil books put into audible form. All of the four Darcy and Flora books are already available as audibles. […]

Menace on Four Legs

Menace on Four Legs

I got out of my car. The place looked deserted but as I approached the nearer house, a tall, bony dog appeared around the corner. It growled. I stopped. The animal didn’t look in the least friendly. It bared its teeth, snarled and started toward me.      Everything I had ever read about unfriendly dogs […]

The Menace in the Middle

The Menace in the Middle

Do the first lines of a new book tell you whether you want to read the whole thing? First lines are important. So are final lines, but how about the middle? The middle of a mystery is important too. These are middle lines from my seven cozy mysteries.  Can you identify the book each is […]

When There’s Nothing Else To Do

When There’s Nothing Else To Do

Reaching across the table, I squeezed her hand. “Oh, Mom, think of it! Think of the people we’ve always looked up to, so respectable and virtuous, so God-fearing and honest. How’d they get that way? Maybe it’s because they came through some tough times. Maybe it’s because they strayed from the Lord and He brought […]