Trying to Decide About Decisions

Trying to Decide About Decisions

Decisions–we can’t get through life without making them. Some decisions are fun, like deciding on the color of a dress or whether to plant impatiens or begonias. Some decisions can be changed–the dress and flowers, for instance. But some decisions are pretty much forever and have far-reaching consequences. A few choices we are called upon […]

What Did You Mean When You Said Hello?

What Did You Mean When You Said Hello?

What Did You Mean When You Said, “Hello?” “What on earth are you talking about, Cub?” I asked the big, red-faced man who jumped off the seat of his dirt mover. “What did you mean there’s something in the well?”  The whole book is based on that question and Darcy wondering if it was Best […]

One Mind, Two Hands, a New Personality

One Mind, Two Hands, a New Personality

In the third Ned McNeil cozy mystery, the whole mystery centers around an old woman who recently died in a nursing home. Because she is the basis for the story, I have to know all about her before I can introduce her to you. That means I must write a back story. That’s the fascinating […]

Rainy Day People

Rainy Day People

I love rainy days–always have. And, I love the memories of the people who have shared them with me. Yesterday, rain fell from pewter-colored skies, running in rivulets down the windows, puddling in the yard, playing hide-and-seek with hungry squirrels at the feeders, and keeping winter birds hidden away among sheltering bushes. I listened to […]

An Open and Shut Case

An Open and Shut Case

To the authors who read my blog: As you write your new book, do you find that you have some chapters you prefer to other chapters? To the readers who read my blog: As you read a cozy mystery, are there chapters that stand out to you? And then, of course, there are favorite parts within each chapter. […]

A Brief Glance Back, A Long Look Forward

A Brief Glance Back, A Long Look Forward

This post that I wrote two years ago popped up this morning. As I read it over, I saw that I had just finished Grave Heritage and had not yet written By the Fright of the Silvery Moon. I was looking forward to another two hours with the Cozy Critters. The face of the Cozy […]