The House Sitter

The House Sitter

Agnes Clover set her broom on the porch and glared up at this monstrosity of a house. How did she wind up here, far from her home town and her warm, friendly neighborhood? Maybelle, her ever faithful hound rubbed against her, soulful eyes brimming with sympathy and wagged her tail.  Agnes reached down and patted […]

Rain, Where Are You?

Parts of our country have a lot of rain, more than they need, floods; in my part of the country, we are parched and need rain desperately. I like to read or write when rain falls; I also like to write about rain, and I do–a lot. Here are excerpts from The Cemetery Club, Grave […]

Edging into Fall

Edging into Fall

Would you believe it’s 55 degrees this morning? Yesterday morning, very early, the thermometer registered 49. It never fails to surprise me, each fall, when the earth begins to cool toward winter. Yet, the same thing happens year after year, and to me, it’s reassuring. Yesterday morning, when I poured water into my coffee maker, […]

The Cottonwood

The Cottonwood

The Cottonwood At Grandfather’s farm, in back of the house Stood a large, ancient cottonwood tree. How it weathered the years and stood fast in storms Was a wonder and marvel to me. My grandfather said that the tree had strong roots Sinking deep, holding fast to the ground, For the earth never lost it […]

What a Character!

What a Character!

What do you like most about the books you enjoy? Is it the setting, that intriguing plot, or, is it the characters?  Thinking back on my favorite stories, I remember the characters. When I read each of the books, those characters became alive to me. They weren’t words on paper; they were living, moving, thinking, […]

Or, Doesn’t It Matter?

Or, Doesn’t It Matter?

I’m simultaneously doing two things: re-reading one of my favorite mysteries by Mary Roberts Rinehart and starting to write a new cozy mystery, new protagonists this time. Not Ned and not Darcy and Flora. Maybe it’s because I’m stuck in an earlier time zone, although I actually wasn’t born at the time Miss Rinehart wrote […]