April 2020, and it looks as if we are inside for the long haul so I want to share some of the mystery series I enjoy. They are well-written, and the plots will keep your interest but will not give you nightmares. These are the books I read when I am tired. When you...
Writing
Famous First Lines Quiz
It is a truth universally acknowledged—to steal a line—that good writers are well-read. Fellow writers (and readers) see if you are able to match the first lines with their titles and authors. The first lines are numbered; the authors are lettered; and the answer key...
The Mystery Novel as Coffee Table Book
Introduction: What writer hasn’t looked around her office and wondered where all those hard copies of her drafts came from. And then wondered what to do with them. Here is one solution. What I have written exists only if it appears on paper and I am able to hold it...
Launch Party
It was ninety-seven degrees June 8, 2014, when we gathered at CRUX Winery to send In the Shadow of Lies: An Oliver Wright WWII Mystery out into the world. Thank you for coming. I had a wonderful time!
What I Learned About Using Lyrics While Writing “In the Shadow of Lies”
Sometimes, a song enters my mind and becomes the soundtrack for the scene I’m writing, particularly if the scene includes Oliver, who shares my love of music. Early in the book, he sits in the dark listening to Billie Holiday sing “Gloomy Sunday.” If the reader knows...
