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...

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  Ours was more low-key than usual. Hubby and I both have head colds. JUST head colds. I had been nowhere and seen no one else for weeks. He's been out in the world and came down with it first, so I know where I got it. He tested negative for Covid, so our doctor is comfortable that I'm also negative. How I miss the days when a cold was JUST a cold. And I am immensely grateful that such is the case right now, even as I sniffle and blow my nose forty times a day. Anyhow, we stayed holed up yesterday to keep our Just Cold germs to ourselves.  I'm happy to announce I met my writing goals and deadlines for the year. Having this week between Christmas and New Year "free" was a goal in itself. I have a dozen or so videos on police procedure to watch in order to finish a couple of online courses I'd signed up for. This week is for that.  It's also for winding down and reflecting on 2021. For making plans and new goals for 202...

After a whirlwind November, I'm finally at a place where I can catch my breath just in time for the holidays.  After doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last year for the first time, I'd sworn I would never do it again. True, it had allowed me to complete my first draft of the next Zoe Chambers mystery, but I hadn't needed the "goal" number of 50,000 words to do that. 50K in 30 days is sheer madness. At least it is for my personal process.  However, as I wrote back in June, I had abandoned a manuscript that wasn't selling to start something else. The Something Else hasn't sold either, and the characters from the first of those manuscripts were clambering to have their stories told. So I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2021 with abandoned manuscript #1 as my project. I'm thrilled to report that a.) I topped my 50K goal within the month of November and b.) I completed the rest of the first draft within the first week of December. Typing THE END is suc...

Somehow, I've once again managed to let several months fly by without checking in here. I could offer up a multitude of excuses, all valid, but instead, let me just do a quick catch-up.  The garden did extremely well but is done now.  I've been kept busy doing both in-person and virtual book events. It's been wonderful seeing people in 3-dimension instead of just in a little box on a computer screen. I got to interview my good friend Liz Milliron during her launch party for Harm Not the Earth at Mystery Lovers Bookshop Hanging out with Jennifer Diamond after I presented the keynote at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies Doing a reading at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies One day in September, we had waterfront property, courtesy of Hurricane Ida. Thankfully, the floodwaters didn't quite make it to the house. Earlier this month, I released my second indie-published book. Not a full-length novel, but instead, a collection of short stories featuring the chara...

I can't bring myself to celebrate winter. I've never skied. My sledding and inner-tubing days are long behind me. I used to attempt skating, but the memories of landing on my backside keep me from ever trying it again.  Nope, I don't do winter.  But I love Winter Solstice. It's about looking forward to more hours of daylight. This is it. We've bottomed out on the darkness quotient and are heading toward spring! We had snow last week. It was pretty. Yes, although I don't do winter, I can appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature painting the world in black and white.  Ask me again in January or February (or March!) and I won't have anything nice to say about snow. But it's the week leading up to Christmas, so I'm okay with it. Ha! As if I get a say! The longest year in the history of the world is winding down. I'm cautiously optimistic about the New Year, although I have no illusions about things suddenly becoming rosy just because the ball drops at ...

For the second year in a row, I'm giving away a short story for Christmas. Last year, I shared the very first Pete and Zoe mystery, a short story published in 2006 in Mysterical-E Magazine . This year, I've written an original Christmas story about the night Zoe met Pete. It's set eight years prior to Circle of Influence and was a lot of fun to create. And yes, it's free. But there is a catch. It will be posted on a members-only page on my website and the only way you can get the password is by subscribing to my newsletter. I'll send an e-blast containing the password out to subscribers on Christmas Eve. A week or so later, Uneasy Prey goes live for pre-orders, so I'll send another newsletter with the buy-link and with the new cover art! And then I won't bother you again until spring, so don't be worried about me spamming your inbox. If you're already a subscriber, thank you. If you haven't joined my mailing list yet, click here to s...

I spent all last week in Book Jail again. On Monday, I traveled to Aston PA, south of Philly to meet up with Ramona Long and Kim Gray for a weeklong writing retreat. Wendy Tyson joined us for a couple of nights too. The house is old but feels like home, reminding me a bit of my grandparents' farmhouse. My writing space there was small but comfy. Deer came to greet us at dawn and at dusk. But most importantly, I managed to write "The End" not once, but twice! I finished the first draft of Zoe Chambers Mystery #7. And I started and finished a Zoe Chambers short story, which will be posted on my website on Christmas Eve. The short story is free but there's a catch. The page it'll be on is password protected and the ONLY way to get the password is to subscribe to my newsletter. You can sign up here . I promise I won't swamp your inbox with newsletters. But you will get the short story and you'll get a sneak peek of the cover of Une...

I'm at West of Mars today talking about my short story "Sweet Deadly Lies" from Lucky Charms . Stop in and check it out.

A year ago, as I was completing my short story for submission to our local Sisters in Crime chapter’s anthology, I had no idea whether it would even be accepted, let alone end up being the first of THREE launches within nine months! The second will of course be Circle of Influence in March and the third will be the second Zoe Chambers mystery coming out in September. But today is the big day for Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Stories .  I’m sharing the excitement with eleven of my Pittsburgh area Sisters in Crime . It’s truly amazing how much talent we have here in southwestern Pennsylvania . As previously mentioned, I wrote my contribution “Sweet Deadly Lies” a year ago, long before my contract with Henery Press —long before I knew my cast of characters from Circle of Influence would be hitting the bookshelves in short order. But it turns out to be excellent timing, because when I created this short story, I borrowed one of my secondary characters from the series for it....

I forgot to mention that I was posting more memories of the Pennwriters Conference at Working Stiffs yesterday. If you missed it, you can still see it here . Last night I attended the launch party for Pittsburgh Noir at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. I had so much fun catching up with old friends, I didn't think to take any photos. You'll have to take my word for it. It was fun. And the book is great. But you don't have to take my word for that. You can order a signed copy here . Since I'm plugging anthologies, and in case you haven't bought it yet, Mystery Lovers also still has signed (by me, Beth Groundwater, and Daryl Wood Gerber at least) copies of Fish Tales in stock.

It’s been a busy and interesting week around here. I’m getting a crash course in book promotion (or Blatant Self Promotion) thanks to Fish Tales. As promised, I have posted the link to Mystery Lovers Bookshop to the right (or if you click on the picture of the book cover) for purchasing it in trade paperback. I’ve also updated my website for the first time in way too long. Many thanks to my webmaster Mike Holmes for tolerating the short notice. I’ve learned (or attempted to learn) a number of lessons on self promotion in the last few days. I now have a “fan page” on Facebook. Why? Darned if I know. At last count I have 3 fans. That’s probably about right. Mainly I did it because of a story one of the other Fish Tales authors shared about someone else creating a fan page for her that she has nothing to do with and can’t control. So I figured I’d do my own so no one else could. Kind of like reserving your domain name even when you don’t have a website…so it’ll be there when you DO want ...

I’m sure in the real world, authors know well in advance of their scheduled publication date. However, everything about the release of Fish Tales has come as a surprise, albeit a happy one. Less than two weeks ago, we got our cover. Last week it showed up on sale as an ebook. And this morning, I awoke to news that, mysteriously overnight, the trade paperback version is now available. I’m not sure if the lack of forewarning is because it’s a small press or because there are 22 of us included in this anthology, and keeping everyone in the loop was too labor intensive. Whatever the reason, I’m not complaining. Instead, I’m explaining why my website isn’t updated. My webmaster wasn’t expecting to get a major update from me. So it’s in the works, but… Also, the good folks at Mystery Lovers Bookshop are scrambling to get it on their website. I’ll have a link here as soon as it’s available, because as you probably all know, I’m a strong supporter of independent booksellers. In the meantime, ...

The print version isn't available yet, but for those of you with e-readers, Fish Tales can now be downloaded for Mobi , Kindle , or Nook ! Yes, I'm just a little excited.

Yesterday, I received word that we have a cover for the Fish Tales anthology, which includes my short story "A Murder Runs Through It." Even better, we have a release date of late April 2011. Yep. NEXT MONTH! It's really happening!

The thermometer has reacquainted itself with the sixty degree mark…even if just for a couple of days…so I’ve been able to shed the funk I’ve been along with my winter coat. But it’s not only the weather that’s lifted my spirits. Yesterday, I downloaded the proofs for the upcoming Guppies Anthology, Fish Tales , including my short story “A Murder Runs Through It.” All contributors were asked to check their pieces for typos and such. I’m a lousy editor where my own work is concerned, so the fact that nothing glaring jumped out at me doesn’t mean much. Well, it means that after the thing is published and readers start pointing mistakes out to me, I’ll have no one to blame but myself. The other thing that perked me up yesterday was the release of the list of Agatha Award nominees . I’m thrilled to see so many friends’ names. I was jumping up and down as if I were on the list. Hey, if I’m not there, at least I can live vicariously through my mystery writing pals. Congratulations all around!

Just about two years ago, the Guppies (Great UnPublished chapter of Sisters in Crime ) announced our intention to put together an anthology of members’ short stories. I decided to give it a shot and wrote a tale about a romantic riverside picnic ruined when a dead body floats by. I was thrilled when, months later, my story was chosen to be a part of the anthology. I worked with our editor, Ramona DeFelice Long , who has since become a cherished friend (and a fellow survivor of the 2010 Sisters in Crime Great Flood and Writers’ Retreat ). After the usual long, drawn-out query and submission process (which I had nothing to do with…thank heavens!) The Guppies Anthology: Fish Tales has found a publisher in Wildside Press! Here is a listing of the stories and authors: “Thicker Than Blood” by Leslie Budewitz “Secret of the Red Mullet” by Nancy Adams “Accidents Happen” by Jim Jackson “Identity Crisis” by Diane Vallere “Sleeping with the Fish” by KB Inglee “Feeding Frenzy” by Patricia Winton...

Lest you think all I’ve been doing lately is vacationing and attending relaxing yoga retreats, I’ll have you know I’m currently juggling three writing “jobs.” First, there’s the novel. I’ve been moving steadily forward on it and am about to move into the third act. Rolling toward those two little words: THE END. But first, I’ve been taking an online course given by a retired cop who is willing and able to answer any and all questions. So I’ve been learning that I need to rewrite a bunch of stuff. Like most of the police scenes. That’s almost half of the book. But some of the revisions only require a line or two. Some involve pages and pages. Thankfully, none of it affects the bones of the story. So I’m tinkering. Second, there’s the short story. Yes, THAT short story. I’ve received a second (and I’ve been told LAST) editing letter. More minor changes that I can already see strengthen the story. I think I love my editor. And third, today I received the go-ahead on one of the articles I...

Remember that 9,000 word short story that I had to whittle down to 4,000 words? If not (and if you even care), click here for a reminder. Well, it’s still in the running. Three weeks ago, I received a letter of requested revisions from the anthology’s editor. Of course, three weeks ago, I was on a roll with my novel, so I put off the revisions for a little while. Granted, I had that letter and the comments bouncing around inside my head. Finally, I sat down during our vacation to give the story a serious once over. Some of the changes were easy. A few took more thought. This is my first REAL editing letter. I’ve made tons of revisions to projects based on critique group comments. With those, I always have the option of vetoing the other person’s opinion if it doesn’t mesh with my own. But I’ve always said if someone who is in the business of helping me make money on my work wants something changed, dagnabbit, I will change it. Jump? How high? However… There’s also the little matter of...

Writing as a career can be discouraging. You’d better love to write, because if your goal is to become rich and famous…well, excuse me while I wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes. Most days are solitary and fraught with rejection. Whenever I recognize one of my sase’s in my mailbox, I generally assume it contains a rejection letter. More often than not, I’m right. Of course, there are occasion pleasant surprises. We writers make big deals about the acceptances, email our friends, do the Snoopy dance, etc, because we need to suck every bit of joy from those rare moments that we can. Tomorrow, we’ll be receiving more rejections. So it is with great happiness and fanfare that I announcement the publication of my latest short story, “An Assassin in the Family” at Mysterical-e. Click here to read it. I have to say, this is an exceptionally good issue because my friend and fellow Working Stiff, Joyce Tremel, also has a story in it. You click here to read hers.

I’ve been writing just about every day. And yet, I haven’t produced a single new page in well over a month. Writing involves more than…well…WRITING. There’s rewriting, also known as revising. And there’s what I’ve starting calling UNwriting. I’ve been doing a LOT of UNwriting lately. You may recall the short story I created early in the year. It was supposed to be no more than 4,000 words, but finished out at 9,000. After much toiling and cutting and slashing, I succeeded in unwriting over 5,000 words to make the word count. Next, I took on the task of entering one of my completed (but so far unsold) manuscripts in the Daphne Du Maurier contest held by the Kiss of Death chapter of Romance Writers of America. They require a 675-word synopsis and the first 5,000 words of the novel, preferably ending on a “hook.” I had a one paragraph synopsis and I had a 1,600 word synopsis. The first was too condensed. The second? Well, I was already warmed up, so I unwrote 925 words to bring the long...