That Warm, Wonderful Feeling

That Warm, Wonderful Feeling

The warm, wonderful feeling yesterday afternoon wasn’t due completely to the fireplace, although it was snapping and blazing, or the hot, aromatic coffee or even the gingersnaps. No, that cozy feeling was because three good friends were gathered around the hundred-year old table, laughing, talking, and sharing thoughts on reading, writing, and more. Much more. […]

Plain Poetry from a Plain Country Woman

Plain Poetry from a Plain Country Woman

  by Blanche Day Manos Don’t tell me they are gone, for I can see them still The house, the spring, the burr oak tree, the barn beneath the hill. I smell the sausage sizzling, I hear the rooster crow, The sounds and scents of each new day that woke me long ago. I feel […]

Out of the Shadows, The Cemetery Club

Out of the Shadows, The Cemetery Club

The Cemetery Club, the first Darcy and Flora cozy mystery, was written as a joint effort between my friend Barbara Burgess and me. You see, it happened this way: Barbara and I had a mutual friend, Levern, who introduced us. We three were in Rogers one beautiful Arkansas day, in an upstairs tea room in […]

Why On Earth Do You Read (or Write) Cozy Mysteries?

Why On Earth Do You Read (or Write) Cozy Mysteries?

So many books from which to choose. The world is awash with books, rooms overflow with them, including mine. So, with all the fiction and non-fiction at your fingertips, why do you choose to read cozy mysteries? Is it the appeal of the name, sort of contradictory. How can a mystery be cozy? Or is […]

That Mysterious Cozy Mystery

That Mysterious Cozy Mystery

Yesterday, my newest neighbor came over for a cup of coffee and a chat. It was fun, a sort of “get to know your neighbor” get together. She is interested in writing and she looked through my six cozy mysteries. But, you know what she asked? “What is a cozy mystery?” she said. “I mean, […]

A Hodgepodge Medley of This and That

A Hodgepodge Medley of This and That

A Little of This, a Little of That, Mixed Together Into a Chatty Hodgepodge  A low, steady roar greeted me as I opened the door this morning. It will continue, non-stop for the next four days. That sound comes around every year, just like the changing season. It’s the sound of thousands of motorcycles in […]