Several years ago, when my critique group, the Cozy Critters, was meeting at my house, those gentle pointers helped me a great deal in writing the Darcy and Flora and Ned mysteries. They were a fun group and I’ll never fail to be amazed at how we all found each other and the great rapport […]
Mar 15, 2024
What is the Ides of March?
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To the ancient Romans, the Ides of March was a time for settling debts. For Julius Caesar, it was a time of betrayal and death; but, for us, it simply marks the middle of March and a week before the official start of spring. This ides dawns with gloomy skies and damp ground. A storm […]
Mar 9, 2024
Character Conversation
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I talk to the characters in my books. They have personalities and minds of their own. Sometimes, it’s a struggle to decide which would fit best in the story I’m writing–my thoughts or my character’s. Usually, my character is right. Me: Ned, I don’t believe you would go off hunting for an Indian message tree […]
Feb 29, 2024
A Body Under the Bridge
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Hey, Cozy Mystery fans! Here’s a continuing excerpt from my current work in progress. Heroine is Miss Tootsie. Time is 1920s. Place: small town. Chapter Five The sun shone warm against Miss Tootsie’s face as she trudged down the hill toward the bakery on Monday morning. Cocoa wasn’t with her. The little dog had […]
Feb 20, 2024
A Fearful Feeling
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What little sleep I got the rest of that fractured night came in snatches, punctuated by dreams of being chased by faceless intruders. By 5 a.m. I could no longer stand the nightmares. Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped into my jeans and a red T-shirt and staggered downstairs to plug in the old, […]
Feb 18, 2024
Danger from Behind Us
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The Cemetery Club was my first book in the Darcy and Flora, mother and daughter series. One of their most frightening episodes was when they took the fast way down Deertrack Hill. Darcy and Flora were driving east toward Fayetteville during a rainstorm. The highway was deserted, or so they thought. As we crossed the […]
