The Joy of Being Invisible

The Joy of Being Invisible

When one reaches a certain age, attains a veritable number of years, one becomes invisible. You don’t believe me? It’s true and I’m here to prove it.   Maybe it’s the white hair that puts up that Invisibility Shield; maybe it’s the wrinkles; I’m not sure what triggers this phenomenon. For example, in a room full of […]

One-Two-Three, It’s Still Free

One-Two-Three, It’s Still Free

  I feel like the Count on Sesame Street. One-Two-Three, It’s Still Free! Three! Three more days of By the Fright of the Silvery Moon being a free ebook on Amazon. My publishers really want you to take a look at this second Ned McNeil book, so that’s why they are offering it free–sort of […]

There’s More To It Than Meets the Eye

There’s More To It Than Meets the Eye

When we hear a news story or someone tells us of a happening, believe me, there’s more to it than what meets the eye. Everyone has a back story, a reason for being where we are and how we got there. Characters in books have back stories too. Before Barbara and I wrote The Cemetery […]

Untangling the Web

Untangling the Web

Why do you pick up a cozy mystery and read? Is it because you like the characters or is it the setting? Do you like to try to untangle that snarled web of a mystery before the protagonist does? Have you noticed that in the cozy mystery genre, there’s a lot of leeway, a lot […]

Acting Out of Character

Acting Out of Character

One of the most fun things about writing cozy mysteries is creating characters and developing those characters into becoming. Becoming what, you may ask. Becoming real in the mind of the writer and reader.  Oh, I enjoy manufacturing a plot with plenty of chills and setting the whole thing down in a place that may […]

Not a Malady, But Maybe a Syndrome

Not a Malady, But Maybe a Syndrome

I looked up the word syndrome in the thesaurus and it doesn’t sound like a good thing to have, sort of like the flu. I beg to differ with its definition of malady. Rather, I think the word syndrome means a symptom or a defining characteristic. That description sounds much better to me. So, let me tell […]