This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. The skies are blue, the clouds dense, and it’s quiet enough that you can hear the birds. Our two dogs have never had more attention. And with a lack of places to go, I am in my garden. The leading picture for this blogpost is a raised bed … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Continuing our journeys to Paris, I’m interviewing author Gigi Pandian about her new book, The Lost Gargoyle of Paris. Gigi has been a friend of mine since the time she was writing her first mystery featuring archaeologist Jaya Jones. She grew up as the daughter of anthropologists from New … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Scents that jolt our memories are important because we rarely smell them anymore. Think about that for a moment. I can still summon the soothing aroma of the Nivea lotion I used during my sixteenth summer. And the piquantly fruity smell of Haribo Gummi Bears, my favorite snack … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Okay, I realize there have already been a few MIE posts about this. But when Donald Trump posted a meme of himself fiddling while Rome burns, I could not refrain from comment. Not only were Trump’s words and image in bad taste, but his comment appeared to mocking … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. The first welcome I had in Pali Hill was from a rooster. I’d just entered my bedroom in the Airbnb rental. It was about three-thirty in the morning. As I put down my suitcase, exhausted after eighteen hours of flying and lots of airport waiting, a series of mournful … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Literature became less suspenseful on January 31, the day that Mary Higgins Clark slipped out of the world. Often called the Queen of Suspense, the 92-year-old author published more than 66 books in a forty-four year career. She was in Naples, Florida, working on a book when she … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’m filing this on my last day of a wonderful three weeks in Mumbai. I was taking a walk through a shady, old-fashioned passageway in a typical 19th century shop building in the Colaba neighborhood. It was a delightful meander just steps from the historic Royal Bombay Yacht Club, … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I grew up in the age of point-and-shoot simple cameras, which at the time seemed beyond magically simple. But in the last ten years, the cell phone camera has thrown old-fashioned cameras to the curb. We are now responsible for being the chroniclers of our lives. I feel … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. For too long, I’ve been lost in the LED-lit, indoor world of writing. Over the last month, I was intent on doing nothing else except finish a book. It also happened that late November turned out to be the only time to plant a garden. Fall planting is easier on … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I went to Dallas last weekend for Bouchercon, a 50-years-old-and-counting annual mystery convention. The weather was cold, yet the Texans were warm. So were the folks I chatted with among the flood of 1800 mystery lovers who arrived from all points. This year’s theme was suited to conventional … Read more