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!

After spending the weekend holed up at our camp (for Hubby, it’s The Fishing Camp…for me it’s The Writing Camp), making good progress on the 4 th Zoe Chambers Mystery, it’s now officially the Monday Before Malice . Malice Domestic officially begins on Friday, however my traveling companion (Martha Reed AKA Thelma—or Louise—I can never keep us straight) and I are leaving on Wednesday so she can attend another event in Maryland that evening. This leaves me with very little time to get everything done that needs to be done. Today’s agenda: Spend the day with Mom, pick up my dry cleaning (my two good jackets for the convention), and pack. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but the problem is WHAT to pack. Those two jackets, yes. Three pairs of GOOD jeans (my uniform of choice), my fancy dress and red shoes for the Agatha Awards banquet—and then I’m stuck. I can’t decide which tops to wear over the jeans and under the jackets. And which shoes should I pack. I have my two pairs of tri...

Yes, I’ve fallen into both of those categories. If there’s any hope, it’s that acknowledging the problem is the first step to recovery. Right? Today is the official launch of Bridges Burned.  Granted the online dealers have been shipping print copies for weeks now, and my big launch party was this past Saturday, so you would think the “official” release would be somewhat anticlimactic. Or at least I always think it’s going to be. Wrong. Besides the big publicity push for the new book, my brilliant publisher, Henery Press, does the remarkably smart thing and puts the previous book on sale during launch week. So Lost Legacy is available in all e-book versions for only 99 cents. The deal hit BookBub. And then Lost Legacy started climbing the sales ratings. Most of the time, I pay little attention to these numbers. I check on occasion to make sure I’m hanging out in my usual range—adequate, but not newsworthy. But the BookBub thing stirred me to star...

I was convinced that maybe three people would show up. I’d had that same fear for my first two launch parties (both of which were smashing successes), but this time I was more convinced than ever. The day before Easter? Everyone had family stuff to do. One friend had a broken leg. Another had hurt her back. Even the owner of the bookstore texted me that she was sick. No one was going to be there. And I had a horrible head cold. Hubby and I arrived way early, expecting traffic that never materialized. No problem. I’d rather arrive early and wait than be late. Right on time people started rolling in. My local Sisters in Crime. Fellow authors. Old friends. New readers. Before long, we had to set up more chairs. In spite of my cold, in spite of the holiday weekend, my launch party for Bridges Burned at Mystery Lovers Bookshop was another huge success! Thanks to my friend (and official photographer of Mystery Lovers), Steve Bucci, for recording the day.  ...

Tomorrow I'm kicking off my two week plus blog tour for the launch of Bridges Burned. March 31 - A Blue Million Books April 1 – Jane Reads April 1 – Writers Who Kill April 2 – Tea and a Book April 3 – Shelley’s Book Case April 4 – Deal Sharing Aunt April 5 – Christa Reads and Writes April 6 – A Chick Who Reads April 7 – Readalot April 8 – Marie’s Cozy Corner April 9 – Community Bookstop April 9 – Get Lost in a Story April 10 – Chloe Gets a Clue April 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! April 12 – LibriAmoriMiei April 13 – MysteriesEtc. April 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book April 14 – Dru’s Book Musings April 16 – Killer Hobbies

Some of you may have already heard, but for those who haven’t, Skye didn’t make it. Last Monday, the bleeding from her mouth became much worse and didn’t ease up. In spite of that, she and I had a lovely night. She stretched out on my lap Monday evening while I watched TV, kneading my legs. I woke up Tuesday morning to her soft purring as she slept on my feet. But I knew when I looked in her eyes…she was ready. My vet’s office took us right away. I had some quiet time with her before my wonderful vet came in. He’d been with us from the start. It was fitting he was with us at the end. She died peacefully in my arms. Kensi and I had several rough days afterwards. Kensi kept looking for her big sister. I tried to give her extra TLC, but she was mad at me. I took Skye away and didn’t bring her home. But we’re both doing better. I’m down to one good crying fit a day. In case you’re interested, today’s tears are falling right now…as I write this. Sweet Skye, you...

The good news is I thought this post was going to be a memorial to my Skye kitty. Instead, it’s a tale of one tough little furbaby. Skye has been a Bartonella cat for as long as I’ve had her. For those who know nothing about this wicked disease, let me give a little background. Bartonella is a bacterial infection spread by fleas. It has no cure and, in Skye’s case, manifests itself as severe periodontal disease and gingivitis. Over the years, Skye has dealt with sore, red, often bloody gums. I’ve treated her with round after round of antibiotics and too-frequent steroid shots. But lately nothing has been giving her more than a week or two of relief. For the last year, I’ve had a sense that we were on borrowed time. This last month has been the worst. Yet through it all, she continued to eat and to snuggle with me. I wasn’t ready to let go when she still had so much fight left in her. Last Sunday morning I awoke to find her right upper lip/cheek swollen. Of course,...

BIG NEWS: CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR AN AGATHA AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL! I’ve had this wild fantasy of snagging an Agatha nomination since I started writing mysteries. Never, never NEVER thought it would actually happen. I’d imagined what it was like so many times, when the phone call actually came, I thought I was dreaming. I’m one of five wonderful mystery authors in my category. I’ll be thrilled no matter which of us wins. Just being nominated truly is an honor. In other news, after nearly ten years of running this blog, I’m going to move it to a new home. I recently took over the reins of my website, changed to a new web host, and redesigned the whole blasted thing. The new website has a tab for a blog of its own. I’m still learning the ropes, so until I get it running the way I want it, I’ll probably post here, too. But eventually, I’ll post only there. My Writing, etc archives will remain available, however. So head over to my newly remodele...

In my continuing effort to reclaim my house, I have named the process the No Clutter Campaign. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. This week the No Clutter Campaign has moved into my office out of necessity. I have to get my tax stuff organized for my accountant. I’ve made good progress. Not enough to take any “after” photos, but enough that I have a clear table top for sorting receipts. I’m drawing inspiration from several friends who have either recently moved or are in the process of moving. If I were moving, would I take this item with me? If the answer is “yes,” the item stays. If the answer is “no,” it gets tossed, put in the flea market/Craig’s List bin, or goes to Good Will. For me, this mindset works better than the old “will I use it/do I love it” question. It’s too easy to think I might have a use for some gadget. I’m too sentimental about too many little inanimate objects. But the idea of packing and moving to a new home is daunting. Do I “love” that chipped coffee ...

One of the things I hope to improve upon in this new year is decluttering. With the demands of deadlines, not to mention the great excuse “I don’t have time to clean. I have to write,” my house has become a series of what I affectionately call “hog holes.” Comfy, but messy. A little TOO lived in. So I’m tackling one hog hole at a time. No, I will not be showing you the before photos. They might result in a film crew from some hoarding reality show appearing on my front porch. However, here is my first tidied corner of my house. Books and DVDs all neat and orderly. Small cabinet’s top cleared of “stuff.” On to the next corner…which sad to say now contains some of the junk I cleared from THIS corner. Sigh. In other homefront news, Skye has developed a new quirk. She no longer wants her food in the kitchen. She now prefers to eat it in the bathtub! If I set the bowl down elsewhere, she snubs it, goes to the bathroom door and looks at me until I follow her. Then ...

First, let me say I’ll be very glad when these year-in-review things go away! 2014 was a rough year for the nation and reliving all the horrific news stories is more than I can handle with my current low stock in tissues. Goal #1: Go to the store and buy Kleenex. Seriously, though, it’s time for my annual post about creating goals. If you don’t know the difference between goals and resolutions by now, go back into my archives and pull up a post from January 1 of any year. Last year, my big goal concerned finding balance. I was more or less successful. I met all my deadlines (okay, I was one day late for ONE of them, but I had permission), so I must have done okay staying focused on writing. I did, however, go off the track where exercise is concerned. And family matters completely derailed me for a while. Hey, life happens. You do your best, and you move on. So for 2015, I’m shooting for a do-over on the finding balance goal. I need to continue to maintain momentum...

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...

Wishing you all a very merry holiday season. In case you’re looking for something to read, my Pittsburgh Chapter of Sisters in Crime put out an anthology a year ago, and to celebrate, we’re offering a real 12 Days of Christmas Deal for Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Tales . My contribution, “Sweet Deadly Lies,” is set in the same county as my Zoe Chambers mysteries, although in a different town. In fact Monongahela County Police Detective Wayne Baronick puts in an appearance. Mona Peterson had once told me the chunk of fake turquoise hanging on a heavy silver chain around her neck always brought her luck. Seeing that same silver chain cutting purple grooves into the gray skin of her throat, I had my doubts. My Marsdale PD partner, Cale Harper, finished stringing crime scene tape around the back side of the Marsdale High School football field bleachers where Mona’s body had been discovered. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and ambled over to me. “I’ve seen it all ...

I like to think I’m flexible—the emotional kind, not just the physical kind of flexibility that comes from almost two decades of yoga practice—but I’ve come to the conclusion that I resist change as much as anyone I know. Give me a rut, a routine and I’m happy. When my rut caves in on me, I lose my center. Heck, let’s face it—I lose my mind! After several months of no routine, no rut, no sense of structure in my life, I’m finally getting back to a schedule. Mom’s settled in nicely to her new home. I don’t necessarily have less responsibilities, but I do have different ones. The important part is I’m managing to fit my new responsibilities in around my writing. And I’m writing every day ! The next book is more than scribbled sticky notes tacked to my office walls! It’s taking shape. In the meantime, the print version of Bridges Burned is now available for pre-order ! 

So many friends have been asking about my Mom, I realized I needed to post an update. It’s been a rough couple of months for both of us, beginning with the realization that she wouldn’t be able to live independently at home any longer. However, the plan for her to move in with us didn’t set well with her. She repeated she didn’t want to be a burden in spite of my insistence that she wouldn’t be. As of this past Tuesday, Mom has moved to Sunrise SeniorCare , a beautiful assisted living facility. This place is incredible. Heck, I want to live there! Either she’s lying to me or she really does like her new digs. Time will tell. My home will always be open…although I have to admit, where she’s at now is WAY nicer than Casa de Dashofy! For Thanksgiving, Hubby and I picked her up and took her to the family gathering where she oversaw the carving of the turkey. No blood was shed, no fingers lost. With Mom settled into her new apartment, a huge weight has been lifted from my...

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.