This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Stacks of books, Sharpie pens, a microphone. A sea of empty folding chairs—and a slight rush of nervous energy. This scene is a cliché for any author who’s been fortunate enough to have a bookseller invite you sign books. I count myself very lucky to see whatever number … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I secretly anticipated a really big storm would hit the East Coast in 2026. It’s not that I have psychic powers. I simply enjoy almanacs and folk wisdom about nature—and I keep my eyes out. One of these American folk legends is that when the acorns abound, snow … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Sometimes I like to close my eyes and just think about the various homes I’ve lived in over the course of my lifetime. While my husband and I have mostly lived in Baltimore, our marriage started off with two very unusual years in Japan. And while this blog … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Fall is almost here, but nature is having a last hurrah. In Maryland and the states nearby, farmstands are loaded with corn and tomatoes. Peaches are ripe and a second harvest of raspberries looms. For me, the fruit that’s calling out the loudest is the simple brown fig. … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Like so many Baltimoreans, I spent yesterday on the phone telling friends and relatives that I was alive. No, I hadn’t been anywhere near the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning. But I was following the news from before sunrise, because my email carried an emergency bulletin … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I grew up in a gray house in Minnesota that didn’t get much light. Yet because my mother lined all the windows with plants, it never felt dark. Everywhere, there would be an African violet, or a frilly fern, or leggy begonias. In May, one family chore was … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I consider myself tolerant of heat. Yet over the last few days, I’ll admit that the air in Baltimore, Maryland, has felt like a poison gas sauna. And it’s not just me. Even Daisy, my energetic Yorkshire terrier, refuses to take a walk. At the same time, the … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Have you ever thought about what happens to a particular book after it’s been read? Does it settle into a gentle slumber on a shelf, or a haphazard spot on the floor? How will it continue to do its work? I love having a house full of books; … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. The songs are playing day and night. Some of them are tentative, while others blow the dust off the steep wooden staircase. My son is home from college for the winter holidays and nestled in his third floor bedroom with all his electric guitars—and the amplifiers. The improvisations … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A Thanksgiving movie is as much of a tradition for me as the cooking. When I used to return from Baltimore to St. Paul, Minnesota, in November, my sisters and mom and I always endeavored to find a special film to watch at an art house theater like … Read more