There he was, stuck to the screen of my door. What was he doing? Thinking? Doubtful. I hear him, these summer nights; he and his family and friends tune up in the darkness, singing their summertime songs, filling the night with their grating sound. All my life, I called them jar flies, and it was […]
Aug 24, 2020
Good Days, Bad Days
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This is the first day of school for many Arkansas children. Once again, I see them trudging up the hill, or hurrying along, backpacks in place, to catch the bus. It has been a long vacation, an enforced vacation, and it wasn’t all that great. I hope it is a good day for them and […]
Aug 21, 2020
Remembering Dad
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Today is my dad’s birthday. I’ve written about him a lot, both here and in my books. Only, he wasn’t called by his name, Bob Day, rather, he showed up here and there as admirable traits in male characters, especially the heroes, because that’s what he was– my hero. I can’t resist mixing a little […]
Aug 19, 2020
The Menace in the Middle
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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 […]
Aug 18, 2020
Stop While You’re Ahead
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Stop while you’re ahead. I used to hear this phrase a lot; not so much nowadays. It means to cut it out, stop doing or saying whatever. It’s useful in a lot of circumstances, but certainly in speaking or writing. One of the hardest things a writer has to do is delete those unnecessary words […]
Aug 16, 2020
When There’s Nothing Else To Do
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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 […]
