We are solidly in the DEAD of winter. Every year, I reach a point where I proclaim (or mutter or yell, depending), "I'm sick of winter." Surprisingly, it hasn't happened yet this year. All I need to do is look at the news about what the rest of the country is going through--California is burning, snow blankets New Orleans, the southern Atlantic coast is freezing--and then I look out my frosted windows at a mere few inches of snow, which is pretty mild by Pennsylvania standards. Yes, it hit -11 yesterday morning, but I didn't have to go anywhere. Neither did my semi-retired husband. Our furnace kept the house comfy.  I have nothing worth complaining about.  Granted, that rarely stops me.  Today, I do need to set foot outside. I have kitchen scraps that need to go to the compost heap. I have a bag of trash that needs to go out to the can. I haven't made the stroll to the mailbox yet this week. But it's supposed to go "up" to 27 degrees, which will ...

There’s a lot up in the air for the coming year. I have two books (#3 and #4 in the Detective Honeywell series) coming out, but I have no titles, no covers, no release dates. I blogged last week on Writers Who Kill about how the only thing we authors have control over is writing the next book. While I will be writing #5 in the series this year, it’s not due to my editor until December, which leaves me with some wiggle room. As I teased in yesterday’s post, I have a plan. I’ve been outlining and starting to draft a standalone novel. I’m calling it a domestic suspense wrapped up in a police procedural. My intention is to have opening chapters and a synopsis ready to hand over to my agent in March, so she can start shopping it around. Then, in April, I can jump back into Matthias and Emma’s world for the rest of the year. I don’t have a lot on my “events” schedule yet. In February, I’m doing a reading with my friend Bill Gormley in Pittsburgh, but I don’t have any real details yet. In A...

For the last few years, I’ve been saying I want—no, NEED—to slow down. I’ve been pumping out books as fast as I could. Two or three a year. Now, I know writers who write even more than that, and I’m in awe. But for me, the old cliché “all work and no play” was wearing on me. Back on January 1 of 2024, I announced that I was taking measures to let me slow down. And I am. I’ve cut back on travel, although to be honest, a big part of that has to do with Kensi’s heart issues and the twice-a-day pill she gets. But the key measure I’ve taken involved turning down a three-book contract to continue the Zoe Chambers series. Okay, don’t cry or send threatening letters. I turned it down FOR NOW. I did not burn bridges. I simply need a break from multiple deadlines one after the other. Also back on January 1, 2024, I mentioned a book deal sitting on my desk. As you probably already have heard, that was another three-book offer, this one for the Detective Honeywell series. I’ve already written ...

Believe it or not, I'm still here! Hard to believe, but it's true.  First, let me catch up a little. The third Detective Honeywell Mystery that was supposed to come out at the end of this week...isn't. I don't have a new release date. Or a title. Or a cover.  Which is one reason I haven't posted here in ages. I've been anticipating having something to show for my efforts, but alas, have nothing. My publisher assures me it WILL be released but at a more opportune time than right after Christmas.  Second, I do have a freebie for my newsletter subscribers. The password to access a brand new FREE Pete and Zoe short story will go out on Christmas Eve. If you aren't a subscriber, you should sign up now by clicking here and filling out the form. And third, with all the crashing and burning of social media sites, I've decided to shift much of my attention to my blog and that newsletter. It's an early New Year's resolution. If you follow me on Facebook, I...

When last I posted, my husband's retirement was imminent. Now, we're two months in and both of us are alive and well and still like each other. All good. I took advantage of having him around by taking a trip to New Mexico in September, leaving Kensi and her pills in his (somewhat) capable hands. She wasn't happy, but he did succeed in getting the pills down her throat. Meanwhile, I had a lovely escape and a nice visit with my dear friend, Leta. It was a relatively short stay and we didn't do a lot of exploring, but we ate out several times including some of the best fish and chips I've ever had. Yes, fish and chips. In Durango, Colorado. Don't judge. I also had chile rellenos and quesadillas in Aztec, New Mexico. I just forgot to take pictures. After a month of retirement, Hubby decided to go back to work. Parttime. Now, I have the house to myself for two days each week, which is working out well.  I took two road trips earlier this month, again leaving Kensi w...

"The only constant in life is change." - Heraclitus I like to think I'm pretty flexible regarding detours and changes in life. An event gets canceled? Oh well. An appointment has to be rescheduled? Fine.  But I'm facing a BIG change within the next few days, and I confess, I'm anxious. At the end of this week, my husband will retire. We've been together for a long time. A long long time. He's gone through various employers and work schedules, but for the last decade, he's worked at the same place, steady daylight shift, Monday through Friday. He leaves at the same time every morning and is home at (mostly) the same time every afternoon. It's been easy for me to set my writing schedule around his work schedule. Kensi and I have the house to ourselves all day. We enjoy the quiet. That's about to end. Okay, Hubby and I have had a few times where we've been at home together 24/7. When he had surgery for a torn rotator cuff, he was off for SIX M...