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...

Next Tuesday will be FOUR weeks until the release of No Way Home . I'm really excited about this one and hope everyone enjoys it. The genesis of the story began four years ago (notice the theme of FOUR there?) when I took my dream trip out west. It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I had no idea I'd go back again. And again. I didn't realize then that my fifth Zoe Chambers mystery would be partly set there. Heck, I didn't even have a contract for the FIRST Zoe Chambers mystery at the time. However when I went back for my second trip to New Mexico, I did have a contract. And an inkling of a story idea. By my third trip, I was in solid Research Mode. Trip #4 was all about verifying my facts for an already written manuscript, and grabbing some photos of the locations. Beginning next week, I'm going to share some of those memories and photos. New Mexico is now my second home. I'm looking forward to returning for a fifth time this summer to promo...

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.

Yes, I fell off the blog map for a while there. At the risk of sounding redundant because I've apologized for it multiple times over the last few years, I'm sorry. One of my goals for 2016 is to blog more. Another goal is to finally set up a real newsletter. But I digress. Happy New Year a day late. And since I didn't do my usual look back on New Year's Eve, I'll lump that in here, too. My goal for the last two years has been to find balance. Hey, it's a work in progress. I'll give myself a solid C+ and try to do better. Another goal for 2015 involved travel. I definitely fulfilled that one. I went to Williamsburg VA with Hubby (strictly vacation, no work) in March, Bethesda, MD in April/May, New Jersey in August, Colorado and New Mexico in September, and Raleigh NC and Nashville TN in October. And that's not counting the numerous Pennsylvania road trips I took. I loved every second of it. Except maybe the four-hour flight delay getting out of Ra...

The SECOND draft is done! Yes, I’ve crawled out of the writing cave yet again. With a Vengeance has been sent off to my beta readers—fresh eyes to read the entire manuscript straight through. In the meantime, I’m taking two weeks off to do other things. Like blog. And begin outlining the next Zoe Chambers mystery. And get out in the sunshine! This weekend, my camera and I hit the bike trail between Ohiopyle and Confluence on a beautiful summer day. I wasn't the only one enjoying the day. This guy was fly fishing at the confluence of the Casselman River, the Youghiogheny River, and Laurel Hill Creek. My hubby was out there on the Yough (pronounced YAWK) somewhere, too, but this wasn't him.  Here's a view of Confluence...both the town and the spot where the Casselman comes in from the upper right, is joined by Laurel Hill Creek on the upper left, and merges with the Yough at the bottom of the frame. Further along the trail, I took a few moments a...

My travel buddy, Martha Reed, has family in Mercersburg, PA, which is on the way to Bethesda. She asked if it would be possible for us to leave a day earlier than our original plan so she could see them and attend a function at the school here. She promised to put me up in my own hotel room so I could unwind a bit before the big weekend. Hubby was fine with the plan, so we hit the road this afternoon. What Martha didn't tell me was the "hotel" was actually the Mercersburg Inn , a Georgian mansion, bed and breakfast. Very historical and lovely. And we're the only two guests in the house. And we're on separate floors! It's gorgeous! I hope it's not haunted. I'm thinking it would be a great location for a writers retreat for our Sisters in Crime back home! Tomorrow: breakfast and then on to Bethesda and Malice Domestic!

It’s time once again for me to look back on the year as it comes to an end. One thing I can say about 2014: There’s never been a dull moment. It started out frantic with revving up to release my first novel while finishing my second and starting my third. And in March, the day I feared might never happen came to fruition. My first launch party was a huge success. I’d dreamed of someday signing the famous bathroom wall at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. It finally happened. Then I spent a few months learning to be a published author, attending book signings and conferences. Soon I was gearing up for the launch of my SECOND book! At the same time, I was finishing the third one. The highs were tempered with lows, namely my mom’s health issues. My goal for 2014 was finding balance. I think the Universe wanted to make sure I kept things in perspective. The second launch party was incredible, too. And as if that weren’t enough, I hit the USA T...

In less than a week, I’ll be winging my way to Long Beach , CA for Bouchercon: Murder at the Beach . Having seen our local forecast, I think I’m getting out of town just in the nick of time. That “polar vortex” thing is being tossed around again. Whoever coined that term should be shot. Too apocalyptic. In the meantime, I’m trying to get my household in order. You see, not only am I attending Bouchercon, I’m then heading to New Mexico for a much needed vacation and some girlfriend time with my BFF Leta. The problem is I’m leaving Hubby at home to take care of the cats and life in general. I think he’s having panic attacks. Hubby: “Am I going to have to do laundry ???” Maybe I should stop at the store and buy a few packages of new underwear and socks for him. The cats aren’t thrilled with the idea of being left with The Dad either. Kensi: “Puh-LEEZE take me wiff you, Ma!” Sorry, baby girl. 

Forgive me, Garrett Morris, for borrowing (and corrupting) your famous SNL tagline, but 2013 has been bery, bery good to me. As I look back at my first blog post for the year, my goals for 2013 included pitching some story ideas to Pennsylvania Magazine , querying Circle of Influence , finishing the second Zoe Chambers book, finishing the short story I was working on, and making my dream of traveling out west a reality. How did it turn out? I only pitched one story to Pennsylvania Magazine , but it was accepted. My article “Restoring the Past, One Buggy at a Time” appeared in the September/October issue. As for querying Circle of Influence … If you’ve followed this blog (or if you’ve kept tabs on me on Facebook or Twitter) you already know I signed a three-book contract with Henery Press in early September. Circle of Influence , the first in the Zoe Chambers mystery series, is set for release in late March 2014! (Available for pre-order now!) The second in the seri...

Sunday, June 16, 2013 My soul may have completely fused with the southwest, but my body—especially my sleep habits—never really made the switch from Eastern Time. I awoke at 3 AM and stayed that way. I dragged myself out of bed at 5 AM. The atmosphere at Leta’s house was subdued with both of us battling tears. And failing miserably. Hubby and I loaded up the Edge and said our sorrowful farewells. We were on the road by 7 AM. I think I wept most of the three hour drive to El Paso . I finally came to grips only to burst into tears again when I spotted the “Leaving New Mexico” sign. And again when I turned over the keys to the Edge in the airport lot. We were early and easily reached our gate well ahead of our 1:00 flight, in spite of being pulled aside during the security check for a brief inspection of my carryon bag. The mount for my GPS apparently triggered questions. But once they determined what the weird-looking item was, they waved us on with a smile. Hubby and I ...

Saturday, June 15, 2013 My biggest challenge was trying not to think about this being our last full day of our trip to the west. This wasn’t easy since we had to box up all our dirty clothes and Hubby’s fishing gear to take to the UPS store to be shipped home. A brilliant idea, by the way. No checked luggage to be lost. Or transferred if flights got mixed up, delayed, or diverted. It also meant I wouldn’t have to wash those dirty clothes until the UPS man delivered them back to my house. But I digress. Silver City is an old mining (silver, of course) town and boasts being the home of Billy the Kid. The cabin where he grew up had been razed, but a reproduction cabin, which had been used in filming the Tommy Lee Jones movie The Missing , stood in the spot. Next we toured the Silver City Museum , which had a really nice gift shop. Hubby bought me a pair of turquoise earrings that matched my necklace. Happy belated anniversary! After lunch at a Mexican rest...

Friday, June 14, 2013 It never fails that when I have a long drive the next day, I don’t sleep well. Having a critter in our motel room didn’t help. It sounded as though a mouse had gotten into our trash. But Hubby climbed out of bed several times, turned on all the lights, and searched for the source of the rustling to no avail. A mouse, I could live with. But the thought struck me that it could be a snake. So much for sleeping. When dawn finally graced the skylights in our room, I spotted the culprit. MOTHRA. The darned thing was the size of a hummingbird! At least it wasn’t a snake. We gathered our gear, leaving Mothra behind, and checked out. The gal at the front desk turned out to be a mystery lover, and I just happened to have a spare copy of Fish Tales with me, so I personalized it to her and made a new fan. Pleased that we were actually ahead of schedule, we headed out to our vehicles only to discover that someone (not me!) had locked their keys in their truck. I w...