A Writer’s Resolutions

I firmly resolve and forswear to work hard at sharpening my writing skills by never, ever writing run-on sentences unless they are called for by content of the story or one of the characters steps up and says he is going to say thus and so causing the sentence to become first a paragraph, then […]

Perk Up The Day

Perk Up The Day

The other night, I dreamed that a dear friend had begun writing cozy mysteries. They were interesting! They were selling like hotcakes. The dream was quite clear. This morning, I’ll share that bit of news with her. How about you? Do you have some ideas that would sound great in a book? Remember that today […]

The Memory of a Snowy Afternoon

The Memory of a Snowy Afternoon

It’s nearly Christmas and no snow! Isn’t Christmas supposed to be white with snowflakes? Where does one go to find the coziness of being snowed in with friends and plenty of good, hot coffee? Why, to a cozy mystery, of course–namely, the Ned McNeil Moonlight series. Moonlight Can Be Murder is, believe it or not, […]

Winter Wildscape

Winter Wildscape

Backyard bushes, green and flowering in warm weather, become gray, drab sprigs in the winter. The birds don’t mind. When moonlight silvers the yard, they crowd deep into the thick twigs, twittering and chirping, discussing the day’s happenings, content to be hidden by darkness and their stubbly cover. A few wild, forest creatures slip into […]

December Snow

December Snow

Ned wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with her Uncle Javin Granger, her last living relative. It had been forty years since she and her family left her hometown of Ednalee, Oklahoma; now, she was back, hiding from a threat in Atlanta and needing the peace and quiet of the old Victorian house her […]

The Earth Shook

The Earth Shook

Our planet did some shaking last night that was pretty near to home. This one was in Missouri, felt over in Arkansas. Thousands report feeling 4.0 earthquake near Williamsville, Mo.   Another was in Wagoner, Oklahoma, Quake info: Moderate mag. 4.0 earthquake  Since they were 4.0 and happened on the same night, is there a […]