I'm tickled pink---is that a Southern thing? I never know, because Southern is my native language, and some things I've been saying my whole life are regionalisms, while others are things folks everywhere say. I digress... I'm over the moon about Betty Webb's review of Lowcountry Boil in the … [Read more...]
I Make Things Up and Write Them Down
That line, "I make things up and write them down," used to be my short bio somewhere--maybe it was Facebook, back before my Facebook page was a part of my ONLINE PRESENCE. But it's true. That's what I do. In a few minutes, October 18 will be here, and my debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, will be a month … [Read more...]
And Then Things Started Happening
I came back from Sleuthfest in Orlando on Sunday, March 4. A lot of normal stuff happened during March, but the quantity was daunting--life, y'all know what I mean. Then, late in March I got an offer from Henery Press to publish LOWCOUNTRY BOIL, the first in my mystery series about a private … [Read more...]
Some of the Nicest People are Planning a Murder
Some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet are planning a murder--or three. Seriously, it's a puzzlement, when you think about it. Mystery writers--folks who spend their days plotting inventive ways to kill people and hide the bodies--are, as a group, so pleasant.I'm just back from Sleuthfest in … [Read more...]
The Striptease
A friend of mine and I were solving the problems of the world via protracted phone chat/bon bon eating marathon last week when the conversation turned to her work in progress. Her local critique group felt that she needed to front load more backstory. I cringed. I hadn't read her current project, … [Read more...]
Okay, Let’s Try This Again…
Well, well, January, here you are back already. I know what you're thinking--that I haven't kept a single one of last year's resolutions, and you're right. But I think I've just been going about this resolution thing all wrong. This year, I'm going to stick to resolutions I can, well, stick to. … [Read more...]
Chicken à la Twitter
I can't recall ever blogging a recipe before, but, by special request from a Twitter friend, here is the Crock-Pot®chicken recipe I threw together week before last. I tweeted the ingredients as I was creating, but it took me a few tweets, and searching a Twitter stream is a hard way to find a … [Read more...]
The Christmas Trees Won’t Fit in the Bathroom
I can write about this now, because it's over. But, I've danced perilously close to the line between sane and crazy these last few months... Sugar and I are blessed with a large family, and we are grateful for each and every loved one. We love it when they all come over to visit. We were not, so … [Read more...]
Decisions, Decisions, or How I Chose Which Book to Buy Today
I have a Nook Color, which I might have mentioned that I love. But, it has changed my book-shopping habits more than I anticipated. Now that Amazon has unveiled the shiny new Kindle Fire, I plan to become a dual e-reader owner. (I had to have color, you see.) And I can easily justify to Sugar why … [Read more...]
For my Friend, Who Sleeps with his Autographed Nora Roberts Books
Okay, he doesn't sleep with them. But he clutches them to his chest for a few minutes every day. He loves his Nook, but he also loves the tactile sensation of holding a book with his favorite author's signature. So do I. And who can really enjoy a book signing--where you get to meet one of your … [Read more...]