The Thing About Writing…

Writing is an exercise in imagination. I write in scenes and, in order to write a scene effectively, I have to be there. I have to see, feel, and smell whatever is happening at that moment. That can be exhausting but I want my readers to see, feel, and smell what I do. This involves […]

An Old Lady and a Horse

  Evangeline Carver loved race horses. She entered one each year in the Kentucky Derby. Although she was well into her eighties when Ned met her, she still loved to ride. She rode a little mare named Melanie. She and Melanie had been best friends for over twenty years. But one day, on a short […]

A Shorthand Situation

Coffee has gotten me through some difficult situations. So has Gregg shorthand. Those shorthand instructors in high school and college would be proud of me. After yea, these many years, I still remember. And, boy! Does it come in handy.  When I’m in a situation where I’m uncomfortable or bored or a bit ticked off, […]

A Gold Mine of Information

Ned McNeil wanted to know about Marvie and she found the person who was a gold mine of information! Excerpt from Murder By Moonlight. It was one thing to say I wasn’t interested, but it was another to actually mean it. All that trouble at the deserted farm had happened a long time ago. Mrs. […]

Tea and Cake

A frog and a toad have inspired generations of children and adults.  Although they existed only on the pages of books by Arnold Lobel, these small amphibians taught real life lessons. Frog and Toad were friends and never a day went by that one didn’t go visit the other and, over a piece of cake […]

Once a Year?

  As I get older, it’s the small things that matter to me the most. As the song goes, Little Things Mean a Lot.  For a writer, it’s a treat to get a special Valentine from a happy reader. I remember the email I received from a fan of The Cemetery Club.  She enjoyed it […]