Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine published my short story, Real Cowgirls Like It Hot, in their November/December 2025 issue. Due to printing issues, I just now received my author copies. Better late than never!

My name is on the cover, which is quite an honor. The cover image is, ironically, what I see outside my window right now. No, not Mount Everest. My mountain view is of Pikes Peak, currently hidden by clouds, but usually visible. I'm referring to the snow.

We finally got a decent amount of snow. Between that, and the cold temperature, a serving of Hot As Hades hot sauce might be advisable.

Stay warm, and cozy up with a good short story or novel.

Keeping up with slang words and phrases is a never-ending task. Writers who like to sprinkle their work with the latest lingo need to use words correctly. Here's one I thought everyone had heard of, but I was wrong: splooting.

The puppy we adopted is the King of Splooting. I've seen photos of cats, bears, dogs, squirrels, and other creatures splooting, and now I have my own entertaining splooter.

​According to our veterinarian's website, splooting is a real thing. Full description here.

In the "full sploot," the animal lies on their belly and spreads their hind legs out behind and the front legs in front of them. A flying Superman pose.

Puppies and kittens are more flexible, and more likely to sploot. Strider is just five months old. He's a big boy at over twenty-five pounds, but has puppy attitude. 

He was born in Montana, so I suspect his motivation for ridiculous amounts of splooting is to cool off. He prefers to lie on the hardwood floor, although he has a bed, a blanket, and a towel.

How do writers learn new slang? I follow social media pages for national parks and particular animals. The rangers and the fans of bears and eagles spice their posts with humorous observations, often containing slang terminology.

Bison (American buffalo) are NOT fluffy cows, despite tourists thinking of them as such. Zoomies describes when a cat or dog runs around wildly, full of energy. Toe beans are the pads of the animal's feet, particularly felines and canines.

I'm learning canine terminology with the adoption. And I'm learning how cute these little fur beings can be!

Free! Free! Free! Winter Bash Saturday December 20! Winter Bash is now free for all attendees. Register now to save a spot at the combination party and book signing.

I'll be there with my Rose Creek series, including the December release, The Body in the Hayloft. My co-author will have advanced copies, available only at Winter Bash, of Grandpa's New Year's Relocation. 

We'll have all our current releases, including two wonderful children's picture books with original art (no AI!) and two books in the YA series, The Tapestry Tales.

​Plus many other Pikes Peak Writers authors! Find a gift. Treat yourself. Enjoy a book-themed party.

Grandpa's New Year's Relocation doesn't release until December 31st, but you can get a copy early at the Pikes Peak Writers combination party and book signing.

This Saturday, December 20th. Just in time for Christmas and Chanukkah. 

Looking for gifts? My daughter Merida Bass will have her cute children's picture books. Original art. No AI! And her childhood friend C. S. Gieck will drop by to sign copies of the book she authored, and Merida illustrated, The Jelly Monster.

Winter Bash sounds like fun! Check it out here.

Pikes Peak Writers members attend free! Register for this fun event. Space is limited. https://pikespeakwriters.regfox.com/ppw-winter-bash-and-book-signing

Join the party. Meet Colorado authors. Book karaoke! Book exchange! Snacks!

A couple days before Thanksgiving, we took a family trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Specifically, we wanted to see the Lego exhibit. But no trip to the museum is complete without seeing other displays.

The Brick Planet: A Magical Journey Made with Lego Bricks was amazing. Each giant construction included data on the number of hours, and number of bricks, required for assembly.

Next up was the Secret World of Elephants. I annoyed the grandchildren by calling them “oliphaunts” like Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings. When my husband and I became enthralled with a film depicting women African elephant caretakers, our group headed for different regions inside the museum.

Space or Prehistoric Journey? I opted for the dinosaurs! We met up eventually to go to an early dinner at an Indian restaurant, Spice Room.  The decor included elephants, which we all appreciated more after learning about them at the museum. 

The real joy of this trip was getting family together for a fun day. 

Now it's back to work! Did you catch my character being interviewed by The Wren? Emily Crockett, owner of Rose Creek Reads in my cozy mystery novel The Body in the Hayloft, chats on Substack: ​crockettwhatspineisyours.substack.com/p/off-the-page-with-emily-crockett

Coming soon, and available for pre-order, is a humorous mystery already getting great reviews: Grandpa's New Year's Relocation. The crazy story my daughter and I both believed in is hitting all the right notes with readers!

​

I have lots to be thankful for and plenty to anticipate in the month of December. 

December 1st: The book birthday for The Body in the Hayloft. The third book in the Rose Creek Mystery series is available now for pre-order.
Bookstore owner Emily believes cats and mysteries go together, and she just might be right. During an equestrian workshop at the Double C ranch in northeast Oklahoma, a pampered Persian housecat leads Callie to a woman in a hayloft. The Rose Creek Reads book club springs into action, investigating the meaning behind the woman’s mysterious final words.

December 20th: I make a rare in-person appearance at the Winter Bash. My writing group plans to share a table, offering our published novels, children's books, and adult coloring books.
Meet over twenty local authors, including me, Merida Bass, Jeff Schmoyer, and Deborah Brewer.

December 31st: The book birthday for Grandpa's New Year's Relocation. The first book in the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mystery series, co-authored with my daughter Merida, will be available at Winter Bash.
A mysterious ninja kidnaps a lonely senior citizen and places him with a family in need of a grandparent. Barry Strong, a seventy-year-old bodybuilder and widower, isn’t ready for romance. When his New Year’s Eve dance partner leads him away from the party, he attempts to resist her charms. Until a bag drops over his head.

​Whew! I have a lot happening in December! 

The Body in the Hayloft, book three in my Rose Creek Mystery series, was included in a new release announcement on Dru's Book Musings.

Appearing on a blog might seem like a ho-hum moment to some, until you learn a little about Dru Ann Love. Reader, author, reviewer, Dru Ann is a powerhouse in the cozy mystery universe.

Every mention of a novel helps the author immensely, whether it's word-of-mouth between interested readers, or inclusion in widely followed social media sites. Thank you, Dru Ann!

After our amazing Seward halibut fishing experience, we drove to Homer. There we met a friend's sister and her family. We arrived late, stayed in their RV "guest room," and had to get up at 5 AM.

On Sunday, August 31, we headed to the Homer marina. We saw boats used by the captains in the television reality show we watch, The Deadliest Catch. After finding the correct dock in a maze of docks, we met Captain Brandon on his boat, The Spartacus. The weather was not as nice as the previous day. The water was choppier, and the gray skies rainy on and off.

We were once again fishing with our new Oklahoma friends. Brandon left the marina, and drove us out into open sea. Our goal today was solely halibut. 

Brandon told us he had a spot. Captains jealously guard the locations of their hunting grounds. 

In the Gulf of Alaska on this gloomy day, we had very little company. Brandon found his spot, dropped anchor, and baited hooks. Almost immediately, the halibut were biting.

The limit is one halibut under 27 inches, and one over. Two fish per person, but they had to be the correct, legal size. One of our Oklahoma friends was a bit competitive. He participated in many bass fishing tournaments. Leonard and I caught our limit. Then we hit a doldrums. Time dragged on. I was tired. Lack of sleep, and the lingering effects of the cold-flu-mushroom fever were kicking me hard. But I didn't want to be the one to ask to return to the harbor.

Our Captain was easy-going. He would stay as late as he needed to make his guests successful. We caught cod for bait. Brandon used the tails on the halibut hooks. He said halibut love cod tails. That seemed odd to me, but he knew fishing. Soon, the halibut were biting again.

The Oklahoma boys caught a huge halibut. Then another. The limit reached, we headed back to Homer.

It was so late by the time we got to the marina, we didn't have time to visit with our friend's sister. We drove straight to the fish processor, then back to our cabin. I slept great that night.

On Monday, September 1st, we realized the lake - bear experience wasn't going to happen. The weather wasn't cooperating. We were offered an alternate float plane trip. This was our last day, and we hadn't been on a float plane, so we said yes.

Alaska West Air took us a short jog to a river. Josh was our guide for more silver salmon fishing. This was the first time we needed mosquito netting, to keep little buggies off our faces. Just gnats, but so annoying.

A nice couple from Arkansas were celebrating their 36th anniversary. I was glad to meet another avid woman fisherperson. Leonard and I didn't catch our limit, but really, how many fish did we need? Our new friends did better. Then it started to rain, and the float plane picked us up. 

Our Alaska fishing adventure was finished. All that remained was to get all that frozen fish home. In the morning, we packed and headed to the Kenai airport. The long journey home was exhausting, but we eventually arrived at our Colorado home.

Our once-in-a-lifetime trip was not enough. We hope to return. After our whirlwind touring and fishing extravaganza, we can go at a slower pace. But I will want one thing: another trip on the open sea to catch halibut.

​The Alaska adventure inspired ideas for book three in the Tapestry Tales YA science fiction series, written with co-author Merida Bass under the pen name Ann Belice, coming in 2026. Books one and two are available now in e-book and paperback. Audiobooks are currently in production!
Broken Strands: book two
​​Frayed Dreams: book one

The third book in my Rose Creek Mystery series set in Oklahoma releases December 1st. You can catch up on books one and two:
The Body in the Cattails
The Body in the Cornfield

One thing most people don't know about me is that I love fishing. I'm not very good at catching, but I'm obsessed with trying to hook trout in Colorado reservoirs. The trip to Alaska promised actual results with salmon and halibut.

Friday, August 29, I dragged myself out of our Fish On! cabin for day two of Alaska fishing. This trip was on the Kasilof River. The goal: salmon.

The weather was better than the previous rainy day. We shared a boat with fishing guide and self-proclaimed riverman, Brandon, and two guys from Mississippi, Wade and Lee. I enjoyed listening to their banter in thick Southern accents. 

The fishing was okay. Only Lee made his two fish limit. Wade was skunked. My husband caught a whopper of a silver salmon. I enjoyed seeing bald eagles and seals, although I suspected they were stealing my fish.

The next day, August 30, was the big day. Halibut! Our neighbors in the cabin next door were also on this expedition. The two guys were from Oklahoma, a state I lived in for almost a decade. We got up at the horrible hour of 3 AM. We had to drive across the Kenai peninsula to Seward. I'm sure it was an area of stunning beauty, in daylight. 

We reached the dock, and found our boat. Captain Chuck was in charge of the fishing boat, the Ann Marie. Deck hand Jake ("from State Farm," he jokingly told us) was the crew. One other couple arrived late. Later, we all wished we'd left them behind.

My Ahab-like dream of catching a halibut might be realized today. The Captain steered us out of the incredibly beautiful dawn harbor and into the open ocean. Leonard and I had already been on a larger boat, touring glaciers several days ago (see my Sept. 14 post - An Alaska Mini-Mystery). We had skipped the advised sea-sickness medicine then, with no ill-effects.

If you don't know whether you're immune to the motion of waves tossing you about, take the medicine. I don't know why Leonard and I could handle it. Just lucky? But the couple who arrived late? The man became ill the instant we left the harbor. He continued to be ill, in a very loud and dramatic manner, the entire trip. He made me wish for a revival of the old tradition of making people walk the plank.

And Captain Chuck could have done the job. I gave him due respect as the man in charge of the boat. He was a little scary, but also remarkably patient. He was used to dealing with wackadoodle tourists. Still, his boat, his rules.

The scenery was mind-blowing. The weather was great. And the fishing? Oh, my!

The first time I hooked a silver salmon on the open ocean, I felt that thrill. The fight. This was an entirely different style of fishing than trying to catch Colorado trout. Different hooks. Different bait. Without our fishing guides, we wouldn't have known where to go or what to do. Leonard and I caught our limit of salmon. Three each. 

Then I hooked a halibut. 

"Reel," Jake from State Farm yelled. "Keep reeling! Reel!"

The halibut was heavy. And on the ocean floor. I reeled. And reeled. Until I felt like my arm would fall off. Jake continued to yell at me that I could do it. I had to reel in my own fish. He refused to help.

​Muscles burning, I cranked on the reel. I caught my first glimpse of the large, flat fish struggling to get free. I continued reeling, until finally Jake used the gaff to pull it onto the deck. The halibut continued to flop around. Crack! Jake whacked it. The halibut was still.

I felt exhausted. Triumphant. A dream realized. Do I feel bad about killing the large fish? Not at all. The halibut, frozen at Jolly Wally's and brought all the way home to Colorado, has been delicious.

I had accomplished what we came for. And we had two more days of Alaska fishing.

The Alaska adventure inspired ideas for book three in the Tapestry Tales YA science fiction series, written with co-author Merida Bass under the pen name Ann Belice, coming in 2026. Books one and two are available now in e-book and paperback. Audiobooks are currently in production!
Broken Strands: book two
​​Frayed Dreams: book one

The third book in my Rose Creek Mystery series set in Oklahoma releases December 1st. You can catch up on books one and two:
The Body in the Cattails
The Body in the Cornfield