Shadow on the Yard

Shadow on the Yard

An excerpt from The Cemetery Club: Sleep vanished as a sound penetrated my consciousness. I sat bolt upright. What had awakened me? My bedroom curtain moved as a breeze blew through. Had the wind knocked something off my dresser? Throwing back the sheets, I padded to the window. The full moon lit the front yard, […]

Blue Jeans Writer

Just call me the Blue Jeans Writer. I’m more comfortable in a pair of jeans than anything else, have been since I was pre-teen. In summer, it’s tee shirt and jeans. In winter, it’s sweatshirt and jeans. This morning, the temperature is a chilly forty-seven degrees, so back to my dear old warm sweatshirts. Ah-h, […]

Laboring Away

A lovely Labor Day dawns in Arkansas. Wherever you are, I hope your day is lovely too. As we rest from our work, let’s be thankful for jobs, for the good health to do them, for families, for freedom, for so many things. You have your own personal list as I have mine.  Each Labor […]

A Threat on the Prairie

Sophie pointed to a large, spreading cottonwood standing like a lonely sentinel atop a knoll in the vastness of the prairie. “Oh, let’s forget about it for now and not let that miserable Tom Mott spoil a perfectly nice day. There’s a spring over there by those trees and some flat rocks. It’s a good […]

With Death in Pursuit

A drop of blood dripped from my nose and I flicked it away. I felt terrible and couldn’t imagine how I looked. If our lifeless bodies were ever found, would anybody recognize me?  “I’m in no condition to die,” I told Mom. “Just look at my hair. If Minda Stilley could see me now.” I […]

Within a Hair’s Breadth

Within a Hair’s Breadth

A man’s voice came clearly to my ears: “I tell you, there’s no use in tramping through these miserable woods looking for their bodies. Nobody could survive going down this hill at the speed they went over. Come on, let’s go.” The crashing in the underbrush grew louder. From my hiding place, all I could […]