I finally started the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it even if you don’t have any bad habits you need to break or good habits you’d like to incorporate. Of course, if you have neither than you might not be human and that’s a whole different … Read more
In addition to writing, I act in online (and pre-COVID in person) mystery theater events. Each event brings a new opportunity to step into a new character’s shoes. For the month of February, I’ll play Italian opera singer Arianna Altamonte in a 1930s train mystery. I don the clothes, wig, and the voice of my … Read more
A short story for the annual NYC Midnight Short Story contest. I was assigned comedy/out-of-body experience/landscape architect. I think I ended up writing a satire which is a form of comedy, so I don’t know what the judges will think; however, I am happy with the result. A Picture Perfect Life Captain Billy eased back … Read more
I’m deep in the winter doldrums as we brace for another round of storms here in Virginia. My husband and I spent yesterday afternoon getting firewood for the woodstove in the event we lost power again. I made a mental note that any farmhouse we purchase when he retires must have a large, working fireplace … Read more
On Monday, the Fredericksburg region received a foot of heavy, wet snow. It caused trees to snap and a fifty-mile backup on I-95. People were trapped in their cars overnight in plummeting temperatures. Here on our little homestead, we didn’t have power for two days, but the dogs and cats snuggled with us and became … Read more
We laid to rest one of the world’s best storytellers, and the world is a little less bright with his passing. My father-in-law was born back in the early 1930s long before there were televisions in every room, YouTube at your fingertips, and books with digital ink. As a boy, he filled his time planting … Read more
Today is very important. On December 13, 1920, Albert Michelson uses Francis G. Pease’s interferometer to measure the diameter of a star – Betelgeuse. This is the first time a star’s diameter is measured, aside from our own Sun. Of course, the star made me think of one of my favorite movies, Beetlejuice. I’m a … Read more
Harry Houdini was a well-known escape artist, a film star, and a tireless warrior against spiritualism. He placed advertisements in local newspapers, including this one in the December 1, 1922 Richmond Times Dispatch. Spiritualism was a religious movement based on the belief that the dead and the living could have contact with each other. Houdini … Read more
It’s the 1850s and serialized stories are all the rage. Amazon Kindle takes a note from history and allows authors to serialize stories. I’m writing a mystery story set in rural West Virginia. It’s a step away from my love of the cozy and historical mysteries. Each week, I’ll publish a new “episode” via Kindle … Read more
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with friends and family. Currently, I’m on a mission to use up the leftover turkey in creative ways. I made a turkey potpie with a buttermilk crust and even impressed myself when it came out of the oven with a beautiful golden crust. My husband who claimed he … Read more