8/4/2023 0 Comments Rock PaintingHave you seen painted rocks beside walking trails? Perhaps tucked into the crook of a tree? The rock might have a single encouraging word, a phrase or sentence. Colors may be bright, designs fanciful. The mini artworks are meant to encourage, brighten a day, bring a smile to a stranger. The artist will most likely never know who found their art. In her novel The Springs, Anne Britting Oleson shows the process from creation, to releasing into the world, to discovery. The rock art is a minor plot thread, but one that caught my attention. I love finding rocks. Sometimes I leave them in place. I might take one home for a while before re-releasing it. I also paint rocks. 719 Rocks! is a group on Facebook devoted to rock painting.
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I am delighted to report The Body in the Cattails received a stellar review from Mark Baker at Carstairs Considers. Five out of five stars. Mark is a tough and honest reviewer, so this means a lot to me. 7/31/2023 0 Comments Seen on the Trail7/28/2023 0 Comments The Gardening ChallengeGardening in Colorado is a challenge. Drought alternates with hail. Decomposing granite makes for poor soil. The short season means we have to be poised for action the moment after the last frost of spring. The first frost of autumn is not far away. My garden is coming along nicely. Our strawberry patch typically struggles along, but this year I have gotten plenty of berries to put on my morning granola. 7/24/2023 0 Comments CattailsWhen I was in grade school, my mother embarked on an intense interest in arts and crafts that lasted the rest of her life. I have memories of her collecting dried wild plants to use in craft projects. One time, we had to pull over when she saw a stand of cattails. She cut several stalks, seeking the most attractive "candlewicks," the familiar cigar-shaped ends that are actually covered with flowers. I don't recall the specifics of the trip, but apparently the cattails were in the trunk of the car for some time. Later, when Mom opened the trunk, fluffy clouds burst forth. The cattail flowers had gone to their next phase of development in the warm car trunk, forming a "wool" that has many practical uses, but none for the project Mom intended. Cattails appear in my latest mystery novel, The Body in the Cattails - A Rose Creek Mystery Book 1. 7/23/2023 0 Comments The Power of Rain7/17/2023 0 Comments Dru's Book MusingsMy character Callie Garcia appears on Dru's Book Musings to talk about her experiences in the Rose Creek Reads book club. https://drusbookmusing.com/callie-garcia/ 7/11/2023 1 Comment Favorite Place to WorkSome writers enjoy working in a coffee shop. Others need a formal office situation, with desk, chair, and a door that closes. My favorite place to write fiction is outside. Living in Colorado, the days when it is comfortable to be sedentary out of doors are limited. We are currently in the season when I can enjoy my outdoor spaces while working on my laptop. Here are my office mates. A hummingbird and a blue jay. Our tall pine trees offer a bird condominium to these two, and magpies, doves, finches, and flickers. I hear our red-tailed hawk, nesting nearby, and see it perform fly-overs. 5/31/2023 0 Comments Karen's Killer Book BenchI'm on Karen's Killer Book Bench with the debut in my new Rose Creek mystery series, The Body in the Cattails. Read an excerpt! Leave a comment on my Karen's Killer Book Bench blog post for a chance to win a copy of The Body in the Cattails! 5/28/2023 0 Comments Hooked on Books |
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