A golf tan doesn’t belong on a corpse. That’s the first line of my story, No Mulligans, which I’m pleased to say is included in Level Best Books’ anthology, Busted: Arrested Stories from the Beat (available on Amazon or from Level Best). The anthology is a collection of mystery stories featuring law enforcement, from an […]

I love those four words.  I love opening a new book, and the excitement of plunging into another world, hoping the author gives me a first-class tour.  I am a literary concierge because I love helping other people have that experience too.  I recommend books to friends based on personalities, past book preferences and sometimes, […]

Writing is a solitary occupation, but magic can happen when writers get together. I’m hoping for some of that magic on Friday, September 6 in Leesburg. I’ve been invited to speak at the Writer’s Center’s monthly First Friday event, along with journalist Sue Allison.  We’ll be talking about short fiction and, in Sue’s case, short […]

Some days I want to brainstorm with other writers. Some days I just want to relax with a margarita. But at the Key West Literary Seminar, I get to do both. Read more about the seminar in my post on the Writer House blog.

People notice dead women… that’s the first line of my short story, “Invisible Women,” published in this week’s issue of The Hook.  I’m proud to see my story published in The Hook and I hope you enjoy reading it!  http://www.readthehook.com/104706/invisible-women

I’m pleased to announce that my short story, A Grain of Truth, is included in the new Sisters in Crime anthology, Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder.  The story idea came to me when I was researching methods of murder on the Internet for one of my mysteries.  It occurred to me that anyone seeing my computer […]

I’m thrilled to announce that contest judge John Grisham selected my story, “Invisible Women,” as the third place winner in The Hook’s 2012 fiction contest!  Details here:  http://www.readthehook.com/103028/fiction-2012-winners.  The Hook will publish the story some time this summer.  Stay tuned for updates.

When friends learn that I write mysteries, they often ask what it’s like. I suspect they imagine me curled up in an armchair in a cozy library, surrounded by hardbound copies of the classics, fingertips on a laptop keyboard effortlessly creating pithy phrases and creative plot twists. Alas, it is not so. The cozy library, […]