Sustainable Hope

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

Glorious Gargoyles! A Chat with Gigi Pandian

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

My Quarantine Smells Like Jasmine Rice

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

Hands Together, With Hope

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

An Adventure on Pali Hill

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

From India with love

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

Sujata’s Writing Road, 2019

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

Gardening on Deadline

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