How a Tech Gremlin Rekindled the Magic of Summer (Or Maybe it Was the Sunstroke)

Hey! Remember me? It’s been a while, but I’m going to do the usual thing I do with friends—pretend like it hasn’t and pick up right where we left off. 😉 So The Hubs and I spent some time traveling recently, three states (I’m counting the District of Columbia as a state here) in what felt like the blink of an eye but my calendar says definitely wasn’t. Most of our journey revolved around family, including a gorgeous wedding with all kinds of warm-and-fuzzies. Though a little too much of the warm bit. 🫠 If you’re considering a formal outdoor Read more…

Novellas are Like Brussels Sprouts (My Argument for Giving Short Fiction Another Chance)

Last month, I had an email from an always insightful marketing guy talking about Brussels sprouts. He’d believed he hated the vegetable until a girlfriend convinced him to try them at a restaurant. The verdict: amazing. Now, properly prepared, he considers them a treat. (By the way, the itty bitty brassicas are actually Brussels—not brussel—sprouts, as they were named for the Belgian capital. You’re welcome.) I’m okay with Brussels sprouts and just about any other vegetable, but I generally don’t love fruit. (Lychee and dragonfruit are exceptions.) Shocking, I know, but it’s not like I’m a chef or nutritionist. I Read more…

The Cheese, and Secrets in Stockbridge, Stand Alone

The next, long-awaited installment in the Sydney Brennan PI Mysteries, Memory Lane, is available for pre-order. Woo-hoo! Until its release, I’ll be continuing the Getting to Know Sydney (Again) campaign here at the blog and in my Newsletter, wherein I re-introduce you to your favorite Tallahassee private investigator. I’ve been pinning old—I mean, classic—posts about the series to the top of the blog as I reread the books. Be sure to check those out. But since I’ve been focused on Book Two lately, I feel like there’s something I need to add to the conversation. Let’s call it an authorial Read more…

Looking Forward to a Less Lousy Rest of the Year

Hey, remember me? I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to drop in and let you know that I’m still here. Mostly. How many of us started January with confidence and optimism, or at least the thought that, surely this year has to be better? You may recall that even after 200+ inches of rain here in 2021, I was trying to be cautiously optimistic about the future. (See Dog Pee and Avocado Blossoms.) That is, until the shit show that is 2022 exploded all over us in earnest. Not to make light of the ongoing global atrocities, Read more…

Friday Five: Finding Reasons to Smile

I had something in the back of my mind to share this week, and then—surprise, surprise!—I got sucked down the rabbit hole of my own web site. It’s amazing how many things I’ve blocked out of my conscious memory that are recorded here for posterity and my therapist. 😂 That rabbit hole has inspired the return of a regular oldie but a goodie—The Friday Five Post. I was appalled to see I haven’t written one of these in over eighteen months. Gee, I wonder why that could be? [sarcasm] Since I am still rebuilding my blogging muscles and the world Read more…