This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I got a three-month writing retreat with every comfort needed! I scrawled the grand statement, which sounds like a cheesy advertisement, and taped it next to the guest room desk back in March. I was upset about the pandemic, and I was trying to reframe what I could … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A few weeks into the pandemic, a big bang broke this stillness of a stay-at-home Saturday afternoon. An electric fuse had blown, which meant the third floor had no lights, and the wi-fi was down as well. When I say a fuse was blown, I don’t mean a … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. People around the world are saying, when? Over eight weeks ago, business as usual stopped for most of us. Not just working: but shopping, learning, socializing, being out in society. Some are saying enough already! and demanding that their states’ governors reopen all non-essential businesses and get children back to school. … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. On a recent day that I was missing fresh greens, I walked into the garden. It was long before I’d planted my first seeds for lettuce. Not much was there. And yet… I appraised the dandelions. Their gay golden faces are dotted all over the lawn and garden … Read more
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