Here you’ll find progress on current books, behind-the-scenes insight and story inspiration, as well peeks at my life on rural, (usually) rainy East Hawaii Island.
The Blog Menu Dropdown highlights three categories, Hawaii Life(pretty self-explanatory), Stories I Love (also pretty self-explanatory, but includes books, movies, and TV), and Magpie Moments (bits I snatched from real life and incorporated, magpie-like, into my fiction).
Interested in something else? You can also Search for something specific—the little icon is at the end of the header—or just dive in and start scrolling.
I know, I know; I am a bad, delinquent blogger. I have not posted since my last Magpie Moments. Let the floggings begin. I am actually bursting with things to share with you, from my return to Florida and my first book signing and my return to Hawaii, but these things will have to wait. This is a week of deadlines. On the bright side, I just finished going through the Secrets in Stockbridge novella with my editor. Woo hoo—on schedule! On the won’t-it-look-bright-a-week-from-now side, Sydney #3 is due to another editor on Saturday. And I have a magazine article Read more…
This is a very special episode of Magpie Moments. Don’t worry—unlike the sitcoms of the 1980s, “very special episode” doesn’t mean you’ll learn an important lesson about how to treat people who are different from you, nor will anyone be stricken by a disease we should all know about. When I say “very special,” it usually means chocolate is involved. At first I thought she’d left, but when I rose from my own chair I could see her silhouette through the screen door, settling down on the concrete front steps. I crossed to the fridge, retrieved a baggie of fresh Read more…
As you’ve probably noticed, I live in Hawaii, but I’ve been traveling on the mainland lately. I was recently lucky enough to revisit some of my (i.e. Sydney’s fictionalized) old Tallahassee haunts. I was surprised by the usual—how much some places changed, and how much others stayed the same—and also by my reactions to those changes and resilient bits. I’ll be writing about it soon, but I want to give my observations and reactions time to ferment into something beyond blathering, like sharing kombucha instead of stale tea. (Okay, I should have warned you, I’m still pretty time zone-addled, and Read more…
My blog schedule is a bit off right now while I’m traveling, but I’m bringing you a Magpie Moments post with the hopes of having something more visually interesting for you later in the week. Maybe a little caffeine would help me accomplish that goal. Which is, of course, my not-so-subtle transition to the subject of my post. ☕ I am a big fan of the various shades of Black Brew, and of the places where you purchase it, i.e. coffee and coffee shops. Our “company” hot coffee is our favorite locally grown Kaū coffee. Cold-drip Louisiana coffee with chicory Read more…
I’m in the throes of planning for upcoming travel while watching lava and possibly a hurricane (i.e. real-life dramas), and the conclusion of the second Sydney Brennan novel (not real-life, but so much more dramatic—I promise!), so I’m going to keep this Magpie Moments installment short and sweet. Like Sydney’s car. I’d left my car in the carport, but Cecil, a light blue Volkswagon Cabrio, didn’t take up much room. Back to Lazarus, Chapter 21 And later in the book… “Cecil shouldn’t give you any problems either.” “Cecil?” “Yes, my car’s name is Cecil, and he speaks with a cockney Read more…
