Thankful for South Dakota

Recently, I was traveling when someone asked me a question that took me by surprise: have you thought about moving? I’ve had plenty of time to think about the question, and I’m ready to answer it. Never mind it’s been weeks. I wish I could say I was one of those glib people who can…

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Halloween

I love October, mainly because of Halloween. I’m sure lots of mystery buffs get excited about the holiday, and I’m no exception. Though I’m not buying a ticket to the movie It anytime soon, I will be watching It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with my kids. Recently, we went to the pumpkin patch, and…

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Book Launch–with Pictures!

Last Friday, Passport to Murder, the second book in my Prof. Prather Mystery series, launched. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since book one was published. The time has flown by. Immersed in the world of Copper Bluff, I’ve been living the dream I’ve had since I was a young girl: to write.…

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Goodbye, Pool! Back to School

Six days until my kids go back to school, but who’s counting. I love this back-to-school time—and not just because my daughters have been bickering for the last two weeks. I get geeked out about school supplies, planners, and generally anything with the word Crayola on it. But it’s not just the supplies I adore.…

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The Grand Canyon: A Majestic Mystery

I like to buy books when I travel—books and awkward-sized souvenirs that my husband has to figure out how to transport home. Try as I might, however, I couldn’t talk him into buying a siesta man statue when we went to Arizona last week. At twenty pounds, it was just too heavy. But I did…

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Mysteries in the Midwest: The Bullock Hotel

When I recently had an opportunity to sponsor a ghost tour at the Bullock Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota, of course I said yes. It was for Wild Deadwood Reads, a writing conference in my home state. As a mystery author, I’m intrigued by ghost tours. Any event that might turn spooky always gets my…

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Book Two, which is to say, A Year of Blogging

As I went to create a file for my May blog, I was stunned to find a May blog already existed. Nice. Had the writing fairy left me a surprise? Curious, I opened the file and realized it had been a year since I started blogging on a monthly basis. True, I’m not nearly as…

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Writers I Have Loved

When my husband asks me where I want to go on vacation, my first thought is my favorite writers. He doesn’t know this, mind you, but he learns it soon enough. Chances are, I will drag him and the kids to at least one writer’s house—if not his/her gravesite or family plot—on our family vacation.…

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Mysteries in the Midwest: Gitchie Girl

Several times a year, I hope to feature mysteries set in and around the Midwest on my blog. Today, I have a special treat for readers who have followed the true crime novel Gitchie Girl by Phil and Sandy Hamman. I have an interview from the authors! Sandy and Phil, thank you for the interview.…

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Guest Post: The “Magical Formula” for Writing Fiction

Today on the blog is Gilian Baker, author of Blogging is Murder, and she discusses academic writing versus fiction writing in her guest post. I look forward to reading her debut novel, just released Feb. 19. About Gilian Baker Gilian Baker is a former writing and literature professor who finally threw in the towel and decided to…

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