Cold Case In Ellyson

Readers, I never blog twice in one day, but the Eric Hoffer Book Award Short List of the finalists was just announced, and my book, Cold Case in Ellyson, is among them. It’s one thing to have friends and family support me, but it is indeed another to have strangers who know writing to acknowledge […]

When you have a teenage son and one nearly there, you find that communicating with them is not how it was. Some of our best conversations have happened phone to phone. It’s sad, in a way, but I’m grateful that to have some way of getting through to them. After they head out to school, […]

That’s right – a baseball game is so similar to police work, it’s scary…Think about it – moments of routine and boredom punctuated by seconds of chaos and drama. Maybe that’s why I love the game so much; I’m willing to invest the time to share in those flashes of excitement. I shared one of […]

Listening to Tim Tebow last night as he defended his first round pick to the Broncos, rather than savoring that moment for the pure joy of being an NFL drafteee, he had to answer questions about why him and why there. Bradford didn’t. Pouncey didn’t. Their moments of limelight were pure celebration. But Tim did […]

Driving home from an unsuccessful baseball tournament this weekend, my 13-year-old said to me that his teammate “acknowledged that he needs to work on…” Maybe I shouldn’t have been taken aback by his use of the word “acknowledged,” but I was. He’s a teen. He’s growing up. But the beautiful thing is that his language […]

I met with a group of ladies last night, a spirited bunch who had me giggling from beginning to end. They were my readers, full of great questions about the book, writing and police work. All but one were strangers to me in the beginning, and now none are. I shared in their enthusiasm for […]

u never no what 2 expect. With the evolution of technology comes the destruction of language, and taking the greatest hit is spelling. I am one of the wacky ones who loved spelling, loved vocabulary, and clearly loved writing. But for those of you math wizzards or business people who never much cared for language, […]

My sons washed the car yesterday in Florida sun and warmth. The front bumper was splattered with 1300 miles of bugs and dust collected from our cross-state trip over spring break. My youngest asked me to see how well he cleaned the front with my “keen eyesight.” “Keen,” I asked? “Great word!” My 12-year-old is […]

We just left the Tampa Electric plant for a tour – not of the facility but of the creatures swimming in the waters surrounding the billowy stacks. In the colder months, manatees seek the shelter of warmer waters, and Tampa Electric has provided walkways, viewing areas and a museum free to the public. Not only […]

Looking back at my recent sales, more of my books are sold through Kindle sales than paperback. Who knew? The leaps and bigger leaps technology is experiencing! How much more can a phone do? And now reading a book you download from a website onto your gadget? Faulkner would freak!! For me, I like holding. […]