12/21/2021 0 Comments Alfred Hitchcock Mystery MagazineI received my copy of AHMM January/February 2022. It's always a thrill to see my words in print. And after a rather bruising fall, I needed encouragement. HazMat Holiday features my recurring short story characters Charles and Tony. Charles is a dignified gentleman who loves his career as a chemist. He recently began a relationship with a wheelchair bound art museum docent from Israel, who introduces Charles to Hanukkah. Tony is a college student / laboratory intern. He aspires to be hip. Thanks to my middle granddaughter for correcting my flawed Boomer attempts at slang. She enabled Tony to grasp for coolness in the midst of his nerdiness. Charles insists on completing a vitally important lab test and report, causing him and Tony to be stranded at the factory during a blizzard. The story was inspired by my experiences working in a manufacturing facility for over twenty years. I hope you find a copy at your local bookstore or newsstand. You can also subscribe to the electronic version of the magazine. There are over a dozen great short stories by the mystery genre's finest authors. Now to the "bruising fall" statement. Not a literal fall. The season. The day job workload, fiction deadlines, and my general workaholic tendencies wore me down as the year stumbled toward its end. My husband and I took a long weekend by ourselves over Thanksgiving. On Turkey Day, I could not get out of bed. A bout of flu knocked me down for two solid weeks. And then he got sick. In the midst of this misery. a tooth abscessed. I had emergency oral surgery to have it removed. The sad little tooth could not be saved. I have been without tooth for almost two weeks. Today I received my temporary tooth. More dental work is in my future due to horrible family genetics in that department. I can say that all I wanted for Christmas was my tooth (it's a few weeks late for Hanukkah), and I received it. Then Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine arrived. Maybe this year will end on a high note after all.
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12/16/2021 0 Comments HazMat Holiday in AHMM11/8/2021 0 Comments Strange Messages on the Trail
10/19/2021 0 Comments Love Makes the World Go 'RoundI spotted two hearts in the natural world. The first was a patch of melting ice on concrete. The next was a clump of weedy grass along a walking trail.
10/19/2021 0 Comments NaNoWriMo for AuthorsIn Not Just for Aspiring Authors, on the Pikes Peak Writers blog Writing from the Peak, I discuss the benefits of participating in the month-long creative madness called NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month – is primarily touted as an exercise to drive aspiring authors to write 50,000 words. Hitting that goal may mean completion of a novel draft for the very first time. At the very least, NaNoWriMo inspires confidence that hitting The End is possible. But what about the published author? 10/18/2021 0 Comments Fall ColorsOn every walk through the neighborhood, we see changes in the trees. The colors are beautiful, but warn us that soon the leaves will fall. Our flowers are making a brave last stand before the first frost of the season.
10/11/2021 0 Comments Motorless Morning - Fall EditionThe Garden of the Gods, a city park, began hosting Motorless Mornings in 2018. This popular event involves blocking the roads through the park to motorized vehicles. Pedestrians, bicyclists, roller bladers, and skate boarders share the asphalt roads curving through the hills. My husband and I enjoyed a peaceful walk. Threatening clouds to the west may have discouraged a larger crowd. We did get sprinkled on, but it was worth risking a soaking to see the stunning views. 10/1/2021 0 Comments New TitleMy next cozy mystery has a title. I recently completed a novel for the Annie's Museum Mysteries. While writing AMM03, I used my own working title. Now it's official. DOUBLOON JEOPARDY will appear in the lineup. This series promises plenty of action and entertainment. The series has not yet been released. I will keep you posted! 9/9/2021 0 Comments A Different Kind of RockhoundPainted rocks are popular. I'm not talking about naturally artistic geological formations - I'm referring to rocks that have been painted by humans. The thrill of finding a painted rock is hard to describe. Painting and leaving rocks for random strangers to discover is an act of kindness. Sharing anonymous art with the world is an act of selflessness. I paint and leave rocks, always wondering if they give the receiver the same thrill of discovery as I have when I find painted rocks. These mini works of art are painted by amateur artists. The goal is to spread happiness. If they are on private property, I admire them but leave them in place. If they're in a place of business, ask first before taking. Rocks in parks and on walking trails are there to be shared. Painting rocks is inexpensive. A set of hobby paints, brushes, and sealer are all you need. You don't need skill. Painting on the uneven surfaces is difficult. Leaving little messages of hope, or silly images meant to make a person smile, can bring a smile to your own face. Here are some that I found on recent walks. This article tells about the Colorado Springs area rock painters. 8/29/2021 0 Comments Pulpit RockMy daughter is encouraging me in my attempt to resume running regularly. Last weekend she took me to a place I have seen a thousand times from the highway, but never explored on foot. Pulpit Rock is a pocket of rugged inside the city of Colorado Springs. Popular with hikers, I was curious to discover the appeal of this pile of rocks. I didn't run much, as the trail was steep and rocky. The hike was wonderful. The weather is changing from an unusually lush, green season to a hot, dry, get-ready-for-fall phase. The vegetation was beginning to dry up. Still, there were flowers hanging on. This weekend we ran with the Women's FIT Team on a paved walking trail. I did actually run a bit. The last year and a half have been challenging for everyone, and knocked many of us off our routines. I hope you are regaining your balance, and reconnecting to what you love. |
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