Before I get started, let me say the last couple of months have been horrible. And not just because I'm terrified for the future of our nation. I'm not going there. Not now. This is more personal than that. For the last couple of months, I've been watching my mother's health decline. As I'm writing this, she's in a coma. All of her meds have been discontinued. We're in limbo, waiting for the inevitable. Therefore, my view of the world right now is colored with sorrow. [Taking a deep breath and plunging ahead] However, the entire year was NOT bad. In fact, looking back, I had some of the best moments of my career and my life in 2016. Henery Press released my fourth Zoe Chambers mystery, With a Vengeance ! That's Trevor and Natalie of Mystery Lovers Bookshop hamming it up with an advanced copy of it. AND Bridges Burned was an Agatha Award nominee for Best Contemporary Novel!!! That photo was taken at the celebratory lunch my critique group th...

Wishing all my family, friends, and readers the happiest of holiday seasons.

I was still a newlywed and deathly sick from sun poisoning. I'm surprised the my shoulders didn't glow red through the shirt from the burn. My other thought as I look at this: Here I am in my Miami Vice phase.

Yesterday was my FINAL deadline for No Way Home. I have this production schedule spreadsheet tacked up next to my desk that lists due dates and tasks. It begins with turning in the manuscript and ends with "Official Release Day." Some of the tasks are things I owe my publisher. Others are things they're doing or owe me. We're getting near the bottom of the sheet. There are still a few items left, but those items are things THEY have to do. The last few items with MY name on them were "typos from the final print PDF proof pages" and "Acknowledgements/Dedication," all due yesterday. And I met the deadline. Yay! So No Way Home is out of my hands. Done. Which makes this THE DAY AFTER. So what do I do with myself on the day after a big deadline? Well, of course I keep writing. There's always a next book. But I did my pages early this morning and now I'm looking at my to-do list. It's long, as always, but not urgent. I could upd...

My to-do list for the next week: Finish proofing the galleys of No Way Home. Update my website to show the new book cover. Update this blog to show the new book cover. Write the acknowledgements for the new book Write the dedication for the new book. Continue drafting the NEW new book. No problem. I got this.