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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…
Read MoreHalloween
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…
Read MoreBook 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.…
Read MoreGoodbye, 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.…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreMysteries 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…
Read MoreBook 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…
Read MoreWriters 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.…
Read MoreMysteries 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.…
Read MoreGuest 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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