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More Music from the 1960s…

I’ve already been dinged about avoiding the Beatles, the group heading the British Invasion of the rock and roll scene…

Christmas in Prague

This is a re-posting of a blog from 2020 about Christmas in Prague, where my husband and I lived for…

The Real First Thanksgiving

With my recent posts, I’ve tried to create an accurate historical lead-up to the first Thanksgiving. This is a piece…

In Flander’s Field

In recognition of Veteran’s Day, I am reposting this from previous years. We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived,…

Book review: The Invincible Miss…

This is the heartwarming and remarkable story of Aleen Isabel Cust, England’s first female veterinary surgeon, and a book I…

AN INTERVIEW WITH D. WALLACE…

Diana Peach is making a stop here in Chapel Hill on her whirlwind book tour of her latest book, The…

The Gift of Autumn

To my followers, old and new, I give you the gift of the trees this season.I took these pictures on…

A Night with Elton John…

I’ve been to a lot of concerts over the years, but never one in a professional football team’s stadium. Thus…

Book Review: The Haunting of…

What kind of book do you get when two writers, both known for their award-winng literary excursions into evil and…

The World’s Loss: Queen Elizabeth

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Queen Elizabeth. She became queen when I was eight…

Rock, Roll and Ruin, a…

Rock, Roll and Ruin edited by Karen Pullen Available on Kindle for $3.99 and soon as a paperback on…

A hot hello to all…

Here in North Carolina, we are amidst a brutal heat wave. From the weather maps, everyone in the US (except…

New Release! Watersong by R.M.…

I am pleased to announce the release of a high adventure-romance-historical novel by R.M. Byrd. I’ve known the author for…

St. Edmund’s Priory #WritePhoto-Priory

This was is written in response to a prompt from LK Caley, who can be found at https://new2writing.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/writephoto-draft/#respond The curly-haired…

Book Review: Sunflowers Beneath the…

I’ve been posting a lot of reviews lately, in an attempt to catch up with my reading. I think this…

Book Review: Wasteland by Terry…

Wasteland is the second book in the Operation Galton series. The author has written in a variety of genres, but…

Book Review: The Last Princess…

I participated in the book tour for Shelley Wilson’s The Last Princess, and I thought I’d follow up with a…

Book Review: Raleigh – Tudor…

I was first introduced to Tony Riches when I read his Tudor Trilogy, about the founding and growth of the…

Memorial Day – My Thanks

Memorial Day 2021 – By John Darkow I know this link contains an ad for the publication (Imprimus) from Hillsdale…

How I feel when I…

It’s almost here! The Last…

I’ve been following Shelley Wilson via her blog for a number of years now, and I am delighted to be…

LIVING UNDER THE RULES –…

With apologies to Barb Taub, who would make this tale a really funny story. A lot of my friends have…

Your life as a Pilgrim…

The upbringing of a Separatist child was harsh, as you might suspect. Adults believed that children were to be humble…

Book review: Dark Hunter by…

I do love a good historical mystery, and Fiona Watson has written an atmospheric and compelling one, set in the…

Life As A Pilgrim Child

I learned a lot of very interesting information about the lives of children in the 17th century when I was…

The Last Pilgrim has been…

I received an email a month or so ago from Ben Shepherd, founder of the SHepherd.com website. Ben shepherd invited…

Book review: Someone Close to…

I had never read any of Alex Craigie’s books, the premise of this one was enticing. I was not disappointed…

Book Review: Neander and Neander:…

I purchased these books for review on Rosie’s Book Reviews. Harald Johnson has written three novels about Neanderthals about a…

Coming up on this site

Many thanks to my now 1500 followers! You are the best. And as of today, this is my 856th post!…

A post from me, Garfield…

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything, but my two-legged has made a lot of changes in her…

I’m way down under the…

Wherever did that term come from? So I looked it up: The phrase “under the weather” came from British sailing…

Mulling Over a Few Things

Something different for my blog post today! Lately, events of the last two pandemic years have been shuffling around my…

Some doggerel about to-be-read lists

In response to the challenge by D. Wallace Peach to write a poem or story about your e-book TBR list,…

Favorite Books I Reviewed in…

I have reviewed a total of twenty-eight books on my blog this year, most of them for Rosie’s Book Review…

Book Review: Foxe and the…

I have read and reviewed all the books in this series, and it was so enjoyable to sit down and…

Holiday Greeting from Snowy Utah

I will be off my blog for the next two weeks – Christmas vacation! We are in Utah, where it’s…

What Did the Pilgrims Wear?

Although the Pilgrims didn’t celebrate Christmas, since they eschewed all holidays except for those decreed by God (Sunday), I thought…

Book Review: Fae or Foe?…

Although this book is listed for YA, I have found many such books a great ride, so even though I…

Seasons of Starvation and Plenty

Starvation continued beyond the first winter. After the first year, the late spring through early fall was a time of…

The Pilgrims Were Not the…

Pilgrims Going to Church, oil on canvas, 1867, by George Henry Boughton This is a common misconception, mixing the…

An Autumn Haiku

Leaves cling to trees Some, wind-ripped, leave imprints Of their short, sweet life

Pilgrim Homes, Food and Farms

On 28 December 1620, house plots were assigned to family groups–each family was responsible for building their own house. Once…

A Brutal First Winter and…

The building of the first homes proceeded at a glacial pace – a pun because of the frequent storms with…

The Pilgrims Reach the New…

As I mentioned in my last post, land was first sighted from the Mayflower on November 20, 1620, after a…

Come Take The Voyage On…

What was it like to sail on the Mayflower in 1620? No picnic. The Mayflower actually sailed three times, the…

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23 Oct 2021
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HOW I WAS INVOLVED IN…

In response to a request from Barb Taub, I am reposting this article from 2015. I raised the insects for…

Introducing Geoff Le Pard’s New…

Today I’m interviewing Geoff Le Pard (shown here with his dog Dog), who has a new book out called The…

What Research? Years for The…

I am often asked how long it took me to write The Last Pilgrim. Counting the abortive attempts with first-person…

How I Chose Mary Allerton…

I promised I would reveal all about how I chose Mary Allerton Cushman as the subject for my novel The…

A Celebration of the 400th…

Many of you know that I recently released a book called The Last Pilgrim, the story of Mary Allerton Cushman,…

Book Review: Dead Letters: A…

I was intrigued by the thought of a handwriting expert as the sleuth in a cozy mystery, so I purchased…

Book Review: The Grifter by…

I bought this book for review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team, and I impressed even myself with…

End of the Line: Moab,…

Our second day on the train was short. We were served a good breakfast and a charcuterie board before disembarking…

WHAT A BIRTHDAY: OVER THE…

For my birthday this year, Hubs decided we should take the Canadian Rocky Mountain Railway from Denver to Moab. Canadian…

Book Review: Megacity by Terry…

Leave it to me to pick up the last in Terry Tyler’s Galton Trilogy to read first. But no matter,…

A Shout-Out to Recent New…

I am always grateful when someone decided to follow my blog, so here is my acknowledgment of them in return….

Book Review: Coffee and Vodka,…

A compelling read about two cultures and one family’s struggle to deal with the past. Eeva has a happy life…

Book Review: The Ferryman and…

D. Wallace Peach is, to me, the master of world creation. In The Ferryman and the Sea Witch she blends…

No, Not Another Book Review!…

This is a post from several years ago when I did Renaissance artists for my A-Z challenge. Mayflower at Plymouth Harbor wharf There is an empty boat slip on the waterfront in Plymouth,…

Guest Post by Sue Vincent:…

Sue Vincent of The Daily Echo blog (http://scvincent.com/) agreed to my request for a guest post on the subject of:…

How I Make My Covers…

I got the idea for my third book, Death by Pumpkin, watching a You Tube video of the pumpkin drop…

All That Genetic Stuff: DNA

It seems like you can’t read a newspaper or online news about anything related to medicine (not to mention some…

For My Husband on Valentine’s…

An old song by Tom T. Hall for Hubs and all of you out there: Here’s a link to a…

Book Review: Irex by Carl…

Irex is Carl Rackman’s debut novel, and in terms of creating a feeling of doom and tension in totally bleak…

Book Review: Echoes of Time…

I chose to review Echoes of Time as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team and purchased it to read….

How I Created One of…

My daughter is the featured person or body part on each of my book covers, and we had so much…

Wise Jewel #Blogger’s Bash #Connections

This is my entry for the Blogger’s Bash in London in June. The topic for the short story is CONNECTIONS….

Dying For Your Faith #writephoto

Here is the photo prompt from Sue Vincent this week for her #writephoto series: Lady Rowen carefully descended the stone…

Thirty Years a Junkie

In addition to being the companion of Danny the Dog (a prolific blogger) and the author of several books, amongst…

And it’s lovely rice pudding…

I found myself reciting some of A.A. Milne’s children’s poems the other night, during dinner with my brother and sister-in-law….

Book Review: The DCI Jones…

This the first book I have read by Kerry Donovan and I was definitely not disappointed. There are three other…

Movie Review: Hidden Figures

I went to see Hidden Figures on the Martin Luther King holiday, and it was a perfect way to celebrate….

Book Review: The Replacement Chronicles…

I previously reviewed the first part of this saga (https://saylingaway.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1354&action=edit), which was published as a novella. The story has now…

Our Snow Is Finally Melting

It’s been an interesting week here at home. We had a snow/ice event last Friday and Saturday that left us…

The Lost City of the…

By some weird quirk of fate, I had just finished reading The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas…

I guess I need to…

Okay, okay, it’s January 4th and I haven’t done a post since welcoming in the New Year. Dragging my feet…wondering…

Best Wishes for a Happy…

For many of us, 2016 has been a difficult year – the loss of a friend or family member, a…

SOMETIMES THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT CAN…

Dear Friends and Fellow Bloggers: This is a chapter from a book written by a woman in my critique group….

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Give…

(Ornament purloined from Sally Cronin’s tree!) Stymied figuring out gifts for everyone? Here’s my suggestion: get them a book…

New Followers!

Getting into the holiday season? Elijah Moon is. THANK YOU to everyone who stops by to read my posts! I’m…

Today Is Pearl Harbor Day

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We have long since made peace with the nation…

Book Review: Eclipse Lake by…

Eclipse Lake is the latest book from popular author Mae Clair. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of…

New Followers!

Shreya at https://shreyasharmasite.wordpress.com – The Mysterious Soul – blogs thoughts, poetry, short stories and memes. This blog is very entertaining!…

How Was Your Thanksgiving Holiday…

How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Ours was busy – a sumptuous meal with ten dishes (just ask if you are…

Book Review – Regicide: Peter…

Regicide begins with a description of a historical event: King William of England, known as William Rufus (1087-1100) died after…

Do You Know Where Winnie…

James Osborne recently posted on the origin of Winnie-the-Pooh. This story is so charming I am re-blogging it here so…

New Followers

My list is long, have patience! https://monstamind17.wordpress.com/ is the blog of Jeff Chamberlain, who likes to help others through community…

Thursday photo prompt from Sue…

This is in response to Sue Vincent’s photo…

Introducing…The Steep Canyon Rangers

We went to a Steep Canyon Rangers concert last night and came away again convinced this is the premier bluegrass…

Where Is Fall? Part 2

Sing this to ‘Where Is Love?’ from Oliver! Wheeeree is fall? Will it ever come at all? …

New Followers

I’ve been remiss lately about recognizing new followers and as a result, there is a huge backlog. I promise to…

An Interview with Christoph Fischer,…

I turned the tables on Christoph (who recently interviewed me: https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/mystery-mondays-interview-with-n-a-grainger) and asked him to answer some of the questions…

Book Review: The Body in…

A fellow blogger and excellent writer, Christoph Fischer, just ventured into my domain with his cozy mystery, The Body in…

The Washtub War – a…

I worked on the machine over the weekend (my wife now giving me longer sidelong glances, for the laundry was…

The Washtub War – a…

I first read this piece on Bob Byrd’s blog site – http://byrdwordsblog.wordpress.com – several years ago and laughed so much…

#Book Review: A Shortcut to…

This review is for Rosie’s #Bookreview team. The book was purchased by the reviewer. A Shortcut to Murder is the…

Book Review: The Lady Anne…

The Lady Anne is the second book in the Above All Others series about the life of Anne Boleyn by…

Short Story: Lifeline

Gina blew out the 19 candles and her family clapped. She’d taken the bus overnight to be home because she…

New Followers Friday

Just made it with 2 hours to go! https://yourfriendlycarguy.wordpress.com is something truly different. The author, Jacob Dacey, is a local…

You Won’t Make It! by…

I saw this post late last week and asked the author if I could repost it on my blog. He…

Why I Swim in Cold…

Today is October 16, and I put in 40 laps of our pool (which is pretty long) and am looking…

New Followers

I’m finally back in the groove – cold over although another sore throat coming on… https://badpagesblog.wordpress.com is written by a…

Book Review: Poison Bay by…

Poison Bay tells the story of a wilderness hike turned dark and deadly. Eight friends from high school embark on…

It’s Party Time for Sally…

Today is Sally Cronin’s blog’s third anniversary party and we’ve all been invited. Sally is well known in the blogosphere…

Book Review: Murder & Mayhem…

I’ll start by telling you how much I enjoyed this mystery. It’s a bit different from the mysteries I’ve read…

Book Review: The 45th Nail…

I am torn between describing this book as compelling or interesting. I think I’ll go with the latter. It has…

When Is Autumn Coming?

Well, I am still suffering from the cruddy cold, and now one of my eyes is infected, so I look…

New Followers – on Saturday!

Sorry to post this a day late – have the chest cruds and spent most of yesterday sleeping. Today I…

Nanoo, Nanoo – my rough…

Henry Philpot was a science fiction aficionado. Not an ordinary “liker” of science fiction, but a compulsive one. His obsession…

Thank you, thank you, thank…

Dear Followers: I just checked my site stats – probably should do that more often – and I have cracked…

New Followers Friday

One of these days I will catch up! https://steelinkisses.com/ is a blog on pregnancy, birth, and motherhood, intended as a…

Book Review: A Long Ways…

This is the first Sgt. Windflower book I have read, and I was curious about a book with a Native…

New Followers Friday

This is about as eclectic a group of followers that I’ve encountered. Read about them and maybe check them out?…

Who Killed Vivien Morse? by…

Who Killed Vivien Morse? is the fourth book in the DCI Peter Hatherall series. I haven’t read the other three,…

Reviews of Death by Pumpkin

I am inordinately pleased with reviews of my third book, Death by Pumpkin, by two bloggers with who are great…

New Followers Friday

I think I am catching up – but still a few weeks behind! Here are some blogs for you to…

Beep, Beep… Beep Beep… The…

I want to tell you about a blog called Club 51, run by Chris White. It’s a blog for and…

The Strangely Surreal Adventures of…

I will freely confess it took me a while to finish this book. Life got in the way and I…

Part 2 of Life in…

Looking across the Vltava at Hradcany(Prague Castle) and Svaty Vit (Saint Vitus) The laboratory where we…

Another Friday and More New…

Relax! The weekend is coming! Every time I explore this list, there are more amazing people…

Living in Prague: Before and…

Because of the comments I received on my Czech Christmas post, I decided to re-post the two blogs pieces I…

New Followers Friday, a Bit…

It’s Labor Day weekend so my New Followers Friday got delayed a bit. I am now blocked out for the…

Porter Girl: First Lady of…

Disclaimer: I was given an advanced reader copy by the author as a gift and was not asked for a…

Twenty Questions

Don Massenzio kindly hosted me for a Q and A on his blog today. You can check out my answers…

I’m On Radio!

Today I had the honor of being interviewed by Annette Rochelle Aben on her blog talk radio program Tell Me…

New Followers Friday

One of these days, I’ll catch up! In the meantime, here is another group of fascinating people: Natalie West at …

The Old One is Down

The Old One is the name we gave to an oak tree that stood in an area off the end…

#Book Review: The Dead City…

This is a review based on an advanced reader copy from the author through Rosie’s Book Review Team. The book…

New Followers Friday

Here are some more bloggers you might be interested in following! https://chingum.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/hyper-realistic-paintings-by-emanuele-dascanio/ Chin gum has a fantastic blog of pictures…

I’m Baaaack and in Purrfect…

It’s been a while since my human has let me take over her blog. She had an excellent opportunity when…

Thursday Photo Prompt – Caged–…

I couldn’t help responding to Sue Vincent’s photo prompt from last week. Ellen looked at the crowd of people…

#Book Review: The Owl Goddess…

I really enjoy books that are aimed at a YA audience, and I did enjoy this one. The Owl Goddess…

New Followers Friday

Here’s my people for this week! Check them out – as usual, amazing! Madelyn Griffith-Haynie https://addandsomuchmore.com/ Madelyn has a lot…

Check out my guest post!

Sue Vincent is one of my blogging buddies, and she asked me if I would do a guest post. You…

Book Review: Baby X by…

Baby X by Rebecca Ann Smith is a work of science fiction…or is it? The story is built around the…

New Follower Friday

As most of you know, I have made it a habit to do a shout out to new followers. I…

Book Review: A World Between…

How could I resist reading a sci-fi book which has a blurb saying, “Parts of the world are disappearing…”? The…

Vacation is over 🙁

We arrived home yesterday afternoon, just in advance of some mighty thunderstorms that rolled through all last night. While we…

August 2016 is Write An…

I’m on vacation, as you all know, but couldn’t miss re-posting this from Terry Tyler. As the author of a…

Checking in with all y’all

We’ve been in Maine for several days now, weather warm and blue skies. I have personally eat my way through…

Book Review: La Petite Boulain…

La Petite Boulain is the first of a series of novels that will follow the life of Anne Boleyn (this…

Ah, Vacation!

I’m off to Plymouth MA for a high school reunion and some research on Thursday and then on to Maine…

76 Trombones, Bells and Whistles

Death By Pumpkin will be available on Kindle on July 19th! The band is playing and you can pre-order a…

Hard Tack

I could mean a hard tack on my sail boat, but actually I want to introduce you to the hard…

Another Bite of the “Pumpkin”

Now for a little of the food that shows up from time to time in the Rhe Brewster Mysteries: …

The Fourth of July: A…

I think many of us are probably fuzzy on the details of why we celebrate the 4th. Our celebrations are…

#Book Review: Death by Didgeridoo…

Death by Didgeridoo is the first in the Jamie Quinn Mystery series. It is a is short, really quick read…

#Book Review: Dark Threads of…

This is book two in the Ashmole Foxe Georgian Mysteries. I didn’t read the first but didn’t have to, since…

Another Bite from Death by…

Here’s a little something from Chapter 1. Darkness was just starting to settle on the crime scene, and some spotlights…

#FridayBookShare MIDSUMMER AT EYRE HALL…

I just finished the third book in the Eyre Hall Trilogy by Luccia Gray. I gobbled it up over two…

A Bit from Death by…

My third book, Death by Pumpkin, will be out in less than a month. I’ve decided to peak your interests…

Why do I feel like…

I am stuck, really stuck. I’ve started a historical (is it an historical? I’ve always wondered about that) novel based…

A shout out to more…

I am always grateful for my friends in the blogosphere who follow my paltry offerings and find them interesting! I…

A Shout out to new…

My newest followers: Ben Chittock at https://bchittock.wordpress.com/about/ Ben does movie reviews, most recently The Revenant and The Dead Pool Juliacastorp…

Legends of Windemere: Tribe of…

Charles Yallowitz is the creative and imaginative author of the Legends of Windemere series, bound to appeal to anyone who…

We’ve joined the Millennials’ Parents

For several years now, I’ve been reading about millennial offspring moving back in with their parents. Not to worry, won’t…

7 Signs You Have a…

I’m in love with dragons so I just had to re-post this by Charles Yallowtiz. Stay tune for information on…

#Book Review: The Dead Lands…

I decided to read this book in preparation to review the second in this series, based on a terrific review…

#Book Review: Way of the…

I decided to dip my reading toe into some science fiction with this book, and I found it intriguing and…

Cover Reveal for Death by…

Here is the cover you voters selected. It was a very close vote! I think the artist did a great…

Cover Reveal is Coming!

As promised, but a little late, my cover reveal will be posted next week! I have been largely absent from…

My Pool is an Ecosystem!

May is here and I’ve been swimming outside since March, admittedly in some pretty cold water (60o and up). When…

Book Review: Breadline by Alain…

It took me a while to get through Breadline, written by Alain Dizerens, mostly because it is so descriptively rich…

Book Review: Jasper – Book…

The Tudor Trilogy follows the emergence of the Tudor dynasty from its beginning with Owen Tudor, the subject of the…

Book Review: Oy Yew by…

Five Stars Oy Yew is book I of the Waifs of Duldred Trilogy and was long-listed for the Times/Chicken House…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Hello readers! Cameron here. You may know me as the “daughter” in some posts and I am hijacking her blog for Mother’s…

This and That and a…

Whew! I’m still coming down from A-Z, but wanted to catch y’all up on the Granger clan doings. Right now…

And the rest of my…

Here are the rest of the suggestions for my characters in my book. I hope you’ll make some comments and…

Thanks To All my Followers…

Whew! Congratulations to everyone who participated in the A-Z challenge, and THANK YOU to everyone who visited my blog during…

Z = Zoey Harris

Bet you didn’t see I’d have a Z! Zoey begins as a strong minor character in Death in a Red…

Y = The Main Character,…

At last we come to Rhe herself. I have purposefully not described her fully because I want readers to conjure…

V = another mismatch: Pequod

I just realized that I had posted on Michael Bowers earlier – color me embarrassed. My mind is rather scrambled…

X = Bitsy Wellington

Another letter where I can do no better! I’ve decided to introduce you to Bitsy Wellington. She plays a major…

W = Will Brewster

Will Brewster is a character who started out as the ideal husband, a little too ideal as one of the…

V = FBI Agent Michael…

If Agent Bongiovanni is Jeff, then Bowers is Mutt. He’s much shorter than the senior agent, and Rhe noticed when…

U = FBI Senior Agent…

U and V are hard for me, because there are no names, you see! So let me introduce you to…

T = Tanya Davis

Tanya Davis is a young, African American Pequod student who meets Rhe in Death in a Red Canvas Chair, during…

S = Sam Brewster

Ah, Sam, the Chief of Police for Pequod, brother-in-law to Rhe. Sam and Rhe are close, especially after Rhe becomes…

R = Ruthie Hersh

Ruthie is another character I had so much fun creating. She is named after a high school classmate of mine…

Q = Phil Pearce (ok,…

There is no Q, so what could I do? I decided to tell you about Phil Pearce. He appears first…

P = Paulette McGillivray

Paulette is Rhe’s best friend, her sounding board, and a willing participant in many of Rhe’s sleuthing trips. She’s bubbly,…

O = Tom O’Neil

Tom O’Neil, sail maker of Pequod, is based on a real person I had the honor of interviewing during a…

N = Mary Noonan

In Death in a Dacron Sail, Mary Noonan becomes a private patient of Rhe’s, when Rhe is put on unpaid…

M = James Manning

Dr. James Manning is the CEO of Sturdevant Hospital. He first appears in Death in a Red Canvas Chair, as…

L = Lyle Pendergrass

Lyle Pendergrass is the guard at the rear (employees parking lot) entrance of Sturdevant Hospital. He sits at a station…

Poll is now closed!

Dear Readers, Thank you for your votes! We have plenty of feedback and are ready to choose a winner. If…

K = James Barnes (sorry)

I am cheating today because I don’t have a K. And I’m rhyming… James plays a major role in Death…

J = Jack

Send me your ideas of what Jack looks like! Jack is Rhe and Will Brewster’s six-year-old son. By the time…

I = Kelly Ingram

In Death in a Red Canvas Sail, Kelly Ingram is the quarterback of the Pequod football team – a tall,…

H = Sylvia Hutty

Sylvia is a character with a major role in Death in a Dacron Sail. She is the head of Human…

G = Glass Trinket

You don’t have to imagine the Glass Trinket. Here is a photo: This is Rhe’s sailboat and it features prominently…

F = Frank Boyette

Frank Boyette is another of the minor characters and he appears for the first time in Death by Pumpkin. Actually,…

E = Nancy Ennis

Challenge: Send me a picture of what you think Nancy Ennis looks like! Nancy Ennis is one of those background…

D= Miss Daisy

Today I have an inanimate object that is on all three of the Rhe Brewster Mysteries, unless you have an…

C = Crystal Bog

Today I have a place that figures into Death in a Dacron Sail, so no challenge to provide me with…

B = Bob Morgan

Bob Morgan Challenge: Send me a picture of what you think Bob Morgan looks like! Bob is the Editor in…

I Have a HUGE Favor…

To all my followers, fellow bloggers and friends (you are all of them): I am working on the cover for…

A-Z Challenge Day 1: A…

Challenge: Send me a picture of what you think Marsh Adams looks like! Marsh Adams was originally an emergency room…

April Fool’s Day and the…

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, the one time of year when both Hubs and my daughter team up to make…

I’ve returned and while I’m…

I am back from my sojourn in Germany, where I didn’t learn the language (other than bitte, danke shön, and…

A Day in the Life…

By now you know a lot about me, Elijah Moon, a cat nonpareil. I am looking forward to having my…

A Day in the Life…

I’m Elijah Moon, and I’m back to post while my humans are otherwise occupied. I do have some trouble with…

A Day in the Life…

My name is Elijah Moon. This is the first time I’ve posted myself, but I know one of my humans…

Book Review – Britannia Part…

This review is for Rosie’s #Bookreview team. The book was purchased by the reviewer. This is the third in the…

While I’m Gone…

I will be away from my blog for the next week or so and won’t be able to read posts…

7 Signs a Person is…

This piece is from a guy whose posts I treasure. It should tickle your funny bone…

Book Review: Murder on the…

Murder on the Levels is the second in a series of short tales of murder by Frances Evesham. I was…

What the heck are seagulls…

Dear Readers: I was up in Virginia this weekend and made a trip to the Walmart in Rocky Mount. I…

Orbitz, TSA and I

THE Ohio State University I took a trip on Sunday to Ohio State University to give a lecture on…

Book Blast: The Perihelix by…

Book 1 of the Viridian System Series, The Perihelix, is out and available for reading! Published by Princelings Publications Genre:…

Book Review: The Code for…

This review is for Rosie’s #Bookreview team. The book was purchased by the reviewer. The Code for Killing is the…

Book Review: Do Not Wash…

Barb Taub is one of the wittiest writers I know, and her latest book – Do Not Wash Hands in…

I’m no longer underground

While I was deep underground, slaving away on my third book, I tried to sandwich in the reading of…

Book Review: Love in the…

Love in the Time of Murder is book three in The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives series by this author. I will…

Check out my post on…

Katherine Pitts, of the wonderful blog site I wish I Lived in a Library, asked me to do a guest…

The Bits and Pieces in…

Elijah Moon is doing his darndest to keep me from finishing my last rewrite before the book goes to…

Book Review: Fatal Fire by…

The author described her book as a cozy, chick lit mystery, and it does indeed fulfill all of those descriptors….

Pardon My Absence

I am into the major overhaul of my third book, getting fat in the rear from all the sitting! My…

Welcome to my new followers

Time to recognize a group of people who have kindly chosen to follow my blog. Perhaps you will find some…

A Good Mystery is Like…

In August of 2014 I was asked to write a guest blog for A Woman’s Wisdom. I thought about what…

Spider webs

A recent post from Sue Vincent reminded me of how much I like spiders’ webs: their patterns, their beauty when…

Book Review: Twelfth Night at…

I read and reviewed this author’s first book in her Eyre Hall Trilogy, hesitant because I was not a fan…

Champions Award

For some time, I have steadfastly held to being award-free on this blog, despite the row of awards listed alongside…

AN AMERICAN HERO, FORGOTTEN

My son is a Staff Sergeant in the 101st Airborne, and I recently ran across this tribute to Darrell”Shifty” Powers,…

LIFELINE

Gina blew out the 19 candles and her family clapped. She’d taken the bus overnight to be home because she…

The Great Spinach Rebellion

I read a post the other day where the theme was rebellion, and I immediately thought of one of the…

Review of Death in a…

Fellow blogger Irene Waters (whom my daughter and son-in-law met during their trip to Australia last year) kindly took time…

A Bunch of Birds. Or…

I just HAD to repost this from Nicholas Rossi’s blog. I see a plethora of book titles… Continuing the…

Charles Yallowitz: Legends of Windermere…

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen Legends of Windermere – The Mercenary Prince by Charles Yallowitz is new and is…

2015 in review

These stats got thrown my way so I thought I’s put them out there. Blogging hard to keep y’all interested!…

2015: The Good, the Bad…

The bad: losing my hard drive – I learned a few days ago that NOTHING was recoverable from the drive….

Happy New Year!

To all my family and friends, near and far, the happiest of New Years and 365 days of joy and…

Christmas is Always an Adventure

This year we were facing a really, really quiet Christmas with our son in Germany and our daughter in LA,…

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

I wish I could wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year or…

A Sweet Story about the…

This was sent to me by a friend of mine. Wish I could claim to have written it! I remember…

my jerry-rigged computer set up

Just want to let all of my blogging friends know I have managed to rig something up with a lap…

It’s Christmas Disaster Time Again

It’s been a truism in our family that Christmas always brings a disaster: the car throws a rod, a roof…

Moving Stories, Part I

We all have moving stories, right? Moving as in translocation – but do let me know if these move you…

I Went Skydiving!

Okay, okay, my son tells me I’m too old to engage in such dangerous activities, but the truth of it…

New Followers

I wanted to publish the list of new followers, some of which I have delayed responding to because of time…

Book Review: Maelstrom by Francis…

Maelstrom: turbulence, tumult, turmoil, chaos, confusion, upheaval. A perfect title for this book, which is based on a concept from…

Milestone and I missed it!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone. I am particularly grateful for the fact I now have 300 followers – bless each and everyone…

Book Review: Thicker Than Water

Thicker Than Water is the last book in the The Grayson Trilogy. I read the first book, a Single Step,…

Rosie Amber

Y’all might have noticed the emblem on this page indicating I am a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team….

Saturday in the Virginia Mountains…

Click on the photos to enlarge them! My husband and I and two of our friends usually attend this festival…

Let’s Do The Monster Mash

For those of you who took the quiz and came out as Frankenstein, I have some music for dancing: The…

Which Literary Monster Are You?…

Halloween is the perfect time of the year to think about your darker side. For book nerds and word lovers,…

A Story For Halloween?

Psst. I need to tell you something… in the spirit of Halloween and all that. I have a Sin Eater…

Book Review: Murder at the…

Murder at the Lighthouse is a frothy confection of a short, cozy mystery. This is one of a series of…

Book Review: Gorgito’s Ice Rink…

Gorgito’s Ice Rink is at its core a family saga, set largely in Russia and alternating in time between the…

Book Review: Everything to Lose…

This is the second in the Gavin Shawlins Thriller series. I did not read the first, but this book is…

Stand by: Book Reviews (Note…

I just realized I’ve reviewed three books without posting the reviews. So this is a warning, a come-on, a post…

BOUCHERCON 2015: I WENT, I…

Just to follow up on a comment I made in the previous post: I did go to Bouchercon last week….

Death in a Red Canvas…

I was an attendee at the Raleigh Bouchercon Convention this past week – at least for a day, which I…

Jemima Pett, Guinea Pigs and…

Jemima Pett had been a great bogging friend almost from the beginning of my blog. She is a wonderful, thoughtful…

THANK YOU, MERCI BEAUCOUP, MUCHAS…

May you always have lobster! I am coming close to my 300th post since starting my…

Book Review: An Unlamented Life…

When newly-fledged physician Dr. Adam Bascom discovers a body in a churchyard, he has no clue that discovering how the…

Growing Up Pilgrim: Learning to…

Believe it or not, when I was learning to drive there was no Driver Ed available at my high school….

The Dogwood and the Cedar

This is a re-post of something I posted on Jan 9, 2013, when I was a fledgling blogger. I still…

AN INTERVIEW WITH BETTE STEVENS,…

Bette and I met for coffee at the Red Cup Coffeehouse in Boothbay Harbor, Me, after I’d finished my stint…

Book Review: Dog Bone Soup…

I grew up in New England the 1950s and ‘60s, and Bette Stevens has written a coming of age novel…

Book Review: Owen, Book One…

Move over, Philippa Gregory- you have competition from Tony Riches! I love to read books about the Tudors, so when…

The Principal and I

I remember learning the difference in spelling the homonyms principle and principal: the principal is your pal. One principal in…

Simple Scones

A fellow blogger (A Star on the Forehead) asked me for my recipe for scones. I’ve never posted a recipe…

Back Home and Working Hard

We had a great time in Maine, but now it’s time to get back on the treadmill (literally and figuratively)….

Book Review: A Company of…

This is the debut novel of Megan Goodenough; I think she has a great imagination and did a fair job…

Vacation nearly over…

We’ve had a busy time in Plymouth and Boothbay Harbor, meeting old friends, doing a couple of signings, and researching…

Book Review: Danger at Thatcham…

This is the second of Frances Evesham’s Thatcham Hall Mysteries, 19th Century historical mystery romances set in Victorian England. It…

Summers in Plymouth:Learning to Sail…

This is a short story I posted last year. It happened during the summer, so it fits with my Summers…

Men Vs Women Writers Infographic

Thought you might enjoy this infographic on men vs women writers, while I’m living it up in Maine! Please note…

Summers in Plymouth: The Cousin…

This is a partial re-posting of a memoir piece I posted last year, perfect for Summers in Plymouth. Mom and Dad standing in the driveway behind the house When I was growing up, my…

Book Review: Parallel by Anthony…

I met Anthony Vicino though his blog, One Lazy Robot. He writes perceptive and funny and helpful posts about the…

Summers in Plymouth: Always Wear…

Here I am, missing my front teeth and with the new no-fuss bowl haircut. That’s my…

Book Review: White Collar Option…

I do like to read the occasional political thriller, and this one was novel to me in that it was…

Summers in Plymouth: Fresh Vegetables,…

Mom always served vegetables – canned when I was very young, then later, frozen vegetables, as they became more widely…

Summers in Plymouth: All a…

Looking back, I can see that I was extremely lucky. My summers in Plymouth were darned near perfect. New England…

Guest Post: Author Fia Essen

Hello friends and followers of Noelle! My name is Fia Essen. I’ve been an expat since childhood. I grew up…

Blog Tour: Meet Olga Núñez…

I met the wonderful Olga online via the blogosphere and have enjoyed her posts. She has become a good friend,…

A Letter from Rara

A few weeks ago, I posted about the death of Grayson Queen. His wife, Rara, has a blog, Rarasaur, which…

Trouble Comes in Threes

Trouble Comes in Threes Inspired by today’s humorous post from TanGental (http://geofflepard.com/2015/06/19/international-rescue-south-london-branch/), I feel compelled to comment on what happened…

Transitioning from one life to…

I spent last week at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomist. I have been the Program…

A Busy Week

To all my friends in the blogosphere: I have been running an academic educational meeting in Nevada for the past…

Book review: Dream On by…

4.5 stars I will admit at the outset I have enjoyed two other Terry Tyler books: The Last Child, Kings…

Book review: The Widow’s Tale…

The Widow’s Tale is a genuine romance and a debut novel. Set in the era of the English Civil War…

A Trip to the Windy…

One thing did result from the Great Chicago fire: it created a clean slate for the growth of a modern…

A Visit to the Windy…

Since retiring, my husband and I have been eating more lightly. Traveling with my daughter and son-in-law reminded us of…

A Visit to the Windy…

As mentioned in a post last week, I spent four days in Chicago with my daughter and son-in-law. Have you…

If you wish to send…

Here’s is the address for Grayson (Dave) Queen’s wife, Rara: Radhika Jaini WF0124 CIW LA 249 LOW 16756 Chino-Corona Road…

Chicago, Chicago, That Toddlin’ Town

Just a quick note – I’m in Chicago, meeting my daughter and her husband who are here for a wedding….

Book Review: The Scarlet Wench…

I was intrigued by the title of this book and discovered I had selected a true British cozy, a murder…

A Fellow Blogger Has Died

I got a brief message today on my blog from someone whom I don’t know. This person wanted to tell…

Book Review: The Young Jaguar…

The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia is the first book in a pre-Aztec trilogy, and introduces us to Atolli, a…

Behold the Gaffney Peach!

On a 1,000 mile round trip trek to Columbus, Georgia a couple of weekends ago, we passed the Gaffney Peach…

I Am Part of UNC’s…

This past month, I became a formal part of the University of North Carolina’s Southern History Program. I guess I’m…

Second Act Series: An Invitation…

I was honored to be asked by Joanne Guidoccio to participate in her Second Act Series. My contribution: From Human…

An Interview with Author R.…

Bob enjoys a cup of good black coffee, so over coffee in my kitchen, I pried some answers out of…

Book Review: The Fur, Fish,…

The Fur, Fish, Flea and Beagle Club is a fantastic first book by R. M. Byrd, who writes with evident…

And the Winner Is…

I received a wide range of guesses about what sites of the ones in my A-Z Challenge I would visit…

The Day After the Challenge

My thanks to everyone who visited me during the A-Z Challenge! I made some new friends this past month, and…

Z = Zebulon Smith House

Congratulations to everyone for making it through our Challenges. Don’t forget to give me your best guesses as to which…

Y = York

York is an historic town near the southern tip of the state. It includes the villages of York Village, York…

X = Fort Western!

[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignleft" width="150"] Old Fort Western I simply could not find anything to see in Maine that begins with…

W = Wabanaki

Old photograph of a Micmac encampment on Cape Breton Island Wabanaki is roughly translated at “People…

Viles Arboretum

Maine Hospital for the Insane, Augusta During the 1890s, as part of a belief in “moral…

U = University of Maine

I had a hard time finding a U until I remembered that faculty at the University of Maine had a…

T = Tap a Maple…

I’m pretty sure you’re all drawn to Vermont Maple Syrup, but did you know that Maine also produces excellent stuff?…

Book Review: Concealment by Rose…

Concealment is quite a twisted mystery and unique in that it takes place in the arena of big business and…

S = Saint Croix Island…

Although Saint Croix Island has no public access, it can be well seen from both the U.S. and Canadian mainlands….

R = Route 1 in…

Many times in my books, Rhe Brewster takes Route 1 to get to various places: Boston, Portland, Presque Isle. So…

Q = Quoddy Head State…

West Quoddy Head Light with Grand Manan in the background – Wikipedia Quoddy Head State Park…

P = Puffin

Puffins are cute and comical seabirds which breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands along the Maine…

O = Olson House

I hope I’m not going to bore you with yet another house, but Rhe’s interest in old buildings is also…

N = Narrow Gauge Railroad…

This one is for all you train aficionados out there! Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum The Maine…

M = Mountains of Maine

Maine occupies the northern part of the Appalachian Highlands region of the United States. Its physical features were determined by…

L = Lake Shaker Village

The United Society of Believers, commonly called Shakers, was founded in 1747 in Manchester, England. Because if their vigorous bodily…

K = Kennebec Arsenal

Kennebec Arsenal, Wikipedia The Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta was built between 1828 and 1838, as a …

Book Review: Pearseus: Schism (Prequel…

The author Nicholas Rossis is known to a lot of people, but this was my first introduction. I’d been promising…

J = James G. Blaine…

In keeping with Rhe’s interest in old houses and unusual architecture, today I am introducing you to the James G….

Legends of Windermere: Sleeper of…

Good morning, everyone! This post is to remind you that LEGENDS OF WINDERMERE: SLEEPER IN THE WILDWOOD FUGUE by Charles…

I = Isaac H. Evans

An ‘I’ was definitely hard to find and then I discovered the isacc H. Evans. Isaac H. Evans is another…

H = Harriet Beecher Stowe…

Harriet Beecher Stowe and her husband, Calvin Ellis Stowe, lived in this house for a short while. The house is…

G = Grace Bailey

Grace Bailey Rhe Brewster’s love of sailing would have undoubtedly led her to the Grace Bailey,…

F = Bay of Fundy

Map of Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy lies along international borders, surrounded by Maine…

E = Eartha

Where would Rhe be without her Garmin Persephone, who leads her all over the place? The map industry is changing…

D = Desert of Maine

Maine has a desert – bet you never knew that! This is another place that Rhe and Will would likely…

C = Cole Land Transportation…

I’ll bet you thought I would choose Campobello Island for C. But I can’t, because it’s a Canadian Island located…

B = Boon Island Light

This is short one – Boon Island is tiny! Before I start, I’d like to give a shout out to…

A = Acadia National Park

Welcome to my tour of Maine. If these posts don’t make you want to visit, then I’m not doing a…

Are You Ready for the…

Sing this to the tune of “Are You Ready for Some Football?” that’s played before the NFL season opens on…

A Five Quill Review

I met fellow blogger Trisha Surgarek on line. Trisha is one talented lady: she writes cozy mysteries which I enjoy…

A Conversation with me on…

My friend, Elizabeth Hein, interviewed me for a post today on her blog, Scribbling in the Storage Room: https://scribblinginthestorageroom.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/interview-with-n-a-granger/ I…

Book Review: Last Child by…

I was introduced to Terry Tyler when I reviewed her previous book, Kings and Queens. This is the sequel, and…

Time for the A-Z Blog…

This is my third year doing the A-Z Challenge. The first year I posted on odors, which is something every…

How Do You Know When…

After the longest four weeks in February, I am finally in a springtime state of mind. Although it is chilly…

Interview with Sylvia Villalobos, Author…

Today I’m nursing a headache from celebrating St. Paddy’s Day, but over a cup of coffee and an English muffin,…

Book Review: Stranger or Friend…

Stranger or Friend is Sylvia Villalobos’ first book, a mystery. Anyone familiar with Sylvia Writes, Ms. Villalobos’ blog, knows she…

Coming tomorrow….

Tomorrow I get to introduce the first book by Sylvia Villalobos, the author of the blog Sylvia Writes. The book…

Death in a Dacron Sail…

My second book, Death in a Dacron Sail was released ten days ago. I had a fabulous launch party in…

Book Review: Stranded in the…

Stranded in the Seychelles is a fun, frothy memoir of two young women looking for adventure before they have to…

I’m Doing My Happy Dance

On her blog, I Wish I Lived in a Library, Katherine posted her review of Death in a Dacron Sail….

Book Launch Party!

Last night we had a party for the launch of my second book, Death in a Dacron Sail. It was…

Book Review: The Watchmen, Volume…

The Watchmen is the second book in the Britannia series by Richard Denham and M.J. Trow. I read and reviewed…

Death in a Dacron Sail:…

A review of Death in a Dacron Sail is in. Check out Book Club Mom. Book Club Mom.doc or https://bvitelli2002.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/rhe-brewster-is-at-it-again/. Many…

Versatile Blogger Award

I gratefully accept The Versatile Blogger Award, and because of the lengthy award acceptances last night at the Oscars, will…

The Excitement Begins with Book…

As most of my blog readers know, I have the second book in the Rhe Brewster Mystery series coming out…

When I Became North Carolinian

This piece was published in Deep South Magazine in 2012, but I dug it out of the archives because of…

Book Review: The Last Dragon…

The Last Dragon Slayer by Martyn Stanley is the tale of a quest, book one of the Deathsworn Arc series….

Interview with Chapel Hill Magazine

The news about my second book is beginning. Here is the link to my interview with the Chapel Hill…

The Benefits of Chocolate Addiction

I’ll admit it, I’m a chocoholic. Totally, extremely, unashamedly so. I would never go to a meeting of Chocoholics Anonymous…

Book Review: Two Rivers by…

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and looked forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed. Two…

How I became involved in…

In response to a request from Barb Taub, I am reposting this article from 2015. I raised the insects for…

How Much of Us Is…

I recently reviewed Raven’s Choice, a book by Harper Swan, the premise of which is based on the discovery that…

Book Review: A Cry from…

I chose to read this book more or less as a challenge. I do not like the romance genre, but…

Book Review: Raven’s Choice (The…

I like books that travel back and forth in time, and this novella didn’t disappoint. The author uses the recent…

A Comfortable Clowder: A Cat…

Part IV When they all returned to the living room, Mister, now ensconced in his special chair, asked them, “What…

A Comfortable Clowder: A Cat…

Part III That afternoon, Boots and Gracie were curled side by side on the sofa. Gracie heard “Pssst!” and looked…

A Comfortable Clowder: A Cat…

Part II The clowder at home After dinner that night, Boots called a meeting with Gracie…

A Comfortable Clowder: A Cat…

PART 1 Gracie, Willow, Puss and Boots are four cats who live together in an uneasy truce, part of a…

Book Review: The Haunting of…

The Haunting of Secrets by Shelley Pickens is really a YA novel, but I decided to give it a read…

Beginning Monday: A Comfortable Clowder

A clowder is a group or a kindle of cats, on the order of a murder of crows, a gaggle…

Book Review – Vengeance Wears…

I met Seumas Gallacher online. No, not that way, but as a fellow blogger. His irrepressible personality shines through his…

A guest post for me…

Don Charisma (http://doncharisma.org/2015/01/06/my-adoption-story/) kindly asked me to do a guest post on his blog. It appeared today and told the…

They Were Late

Ever since I heard a soaring sermon by the late Reverend Peter Gomes on the Feast of the Epiphany, the…

Book Review: The Taste of…

Trisha Surgarek, is in my opinion, one of the best cozy writers around. She recently sent me a copy of…

Echoes of Narcissus in the…

This is part of a launch tour for Jo Robinson’s new book Echoes of Narcissus in the Gardens of Delight. …

It’s the Most Wonderful Time…

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all, and to all…

A Night at the Royale…

At 7:30 PM, with two tickets to the movie of Liz Alexander’s choice, Liz and her husband Ed bought a…

A little story to start…

From a friend of mine: When four of Santa’s elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast…

Deja Vu Blogfest: The Lemon…

I am reposting this as part of the Deja Vu Blogfest! One of the last times my Dad applied a…

‘Tis the Season: A Book…

Home for Christmas is a compendium of Christmas stories from years gone by, assembled by Margaret Jean Langstaff and…

100 / Hard Time: a…

A few weeks ago, I posted something a blogging sister had written from prison – Rara, who is doing…

Why is Christmas on December…

“Christmas,” the word, comes from the Old English Crīstesmæsse, or literally, “Christ’s Mass” and is festival commemorating the birth of…

Coming soon – a Pequod…

I wrote a short story a while ago and decided to set it in Pequod. It involves one of the…

Five Secrets I’d Like to…

Author Luccia Gray, she of the fabulous All Hallows at Eyre Hall, has passed on the challenge of telling my…

Christmas is coming, the goose…

I love Christmas, and it’s not just because of my name. I wasn’t born on Christmas but was told by…

Summers in Plymouth: Learning to…

For me, part of summer times in Plymouth was always spent learning about and being a Pilgrim. This is taken…

Couldn’t Help Myself – Had…

Posted on November 13, 2014 by The Story Reading Ape Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water…

Death in a Dacron Sail:…

Here it is! On an icy February morning, Rhe Brewster, an emergency room nurse with a nose for investigation, is…

Cover Reveal Is Coming!

I did a little research on the best time to post a new message on a blog. Turns out it’s…

BRING ON THE WALKS, THE…

With the closing of our pool four days ago – hey, I made it to October 30 even though I…

RARASAUR

I want to introduce you to a sister blogger. Her name is Rara and her blog is Rarasaur (http://rarasaur.wordpress.com/). I…

What Makes You Happy?

Yesterday, Sarah Allen (http://fromsarahwithjoy.blogspot.com/) published a post on ten things that make her happy. It made me think about what…

Another Milestone

Sitting here, lounging in a recliner, drifting in and out of a nap and wondering where the time went. More…

Guest Luccia Gray: Clothes in…

Fellow writer and sister blogger, Noelle Granger, was kind enough to ask me to write a guest post for her…

Guest on Wednesday: Luccia Gray

Luccia Gray will post about fashion in the Regency and Victorian eras and the clothing in Jane Eyre. Stop by!

Coming Wednesday: Guest Post by…

This is the week before my daughter’s wedding, and Luccia Gray has graciously agreed to give me a boost by…

Short Story: Learning to Sail…

It was time I learned to sail. At least that was what I’d been told by my father. He’d purchased…

Sailing, Sailing Away…

Well, it’s not far down to paradise, at least it’s not for me And if the wind is right you…

Today’s Guest: Elizabeth Hein

Thanks to Noelle for hosting me today. I am honored to be here to talk a bit about my new…

Guest post tomorrow – author…

Stay tuned for a great guest post by a very talented writer I met through my critique group: Elizabeth Hein….

Sisters in Crime September Blog…

Greetings to all my Sisters in Crime. This is the September blog hop, for which I need to answer some…

Front Porch Society

Many years ago, front porches were an important part of our society. People would gather on the front porch after…

The Second of Two Books…

This is the second of two books I’ve recently read, about the relationships between women and their slaves in the…

Writers’ Police Academy, Part I

The Writer’s Police Academy has been held in North Carolina for the last five years at Guilford Technical Community College…

Book Reviews: Two Books About…

I recently read two books about the relationships between women and their slaves in the South, before the Civil War……

Bite-sized Memoir: Third Grade –…

As I wrote about recently, I spent my first two school years at Sacred Heart School, the parochial school in…

Book Review: Britannia – The…

I recently reviewed Britannia:The Wall by Richard Denham and M.J. Trow for Rosie Amber’s blog. I am re-posting the review…

Book Review: Greening of a…

Charming (def.): pleasant, endearing, wonderful, amusing, satisfying, entertaining Charming is a wildly overused word, but in this case it is…

Advice, please!

My blog has suffered in the last couple of weeks from lack of input. I’ve had things I wanted to…

Book Review: Round and Round…

I will admit I’m a huge fan of Terry Tyler, so I eagerly downloaded Round and Round to my Kindle…

Guest Post: The Humour Musketeers…

It was wonderful to be asked to write a guest post for Noelle’s lovely blog but what was I to…

Check out my guest post…

A Good Mystery Is Like A Turducken

Not Another Book Review! How…

This is a post from several years ago when I did Renaissance artists for my A-Z challenge. Vasari, Self Portrait Don’t forget to click on the artwork! There were no Renaissance artists whose…

X = Xuande Emperor

Do click on the artwork to see it’s beauty! To paraphrase Monty Python, now for something really different! I did…

W = van der Weyden

Don’t forget to click on the artwork! Rogier van der Weyden, portrait by Cort, 1572 Rogier…

V = Verrochio

Remember to click on the artwork! Verrochio, Self Portrait Andrea del Verrochio (1435-1488) or Andrea di…

Thursday Haiku with a tip…

Jemima Pett pens lovely haikus on her blog, and I started writing some to send back to her. This one…

U = Ucello

Don’t forget to click on the artwork so you can see the beauty! Portrait of…

T = Tintoretto

Don’t forget to click on the paintings! [caption id="812" align="alignleft" width="124"] Early Self-Portrait Tintoretto’s (1518-1594) real name was Jacopo…

S = Signorelli

Click on the images to see them close up and in their glory! Signorelli, Self Portrait…

Q = Quarton

Don’t forget to click on the images to see their beauty! Enguerrand Quarton (or Charonton) (c. 1410 – c. 1466)…

P = Pisano

Click on the illustrations to see the beauty of the art! Andrea Pisano was a pioneer of prototypical Renaissance relief…

O = Orcagna

Remember to click on the art, to see it in its glory! Thank heavens I found an early Renaissance artist…

Thanks to all the A-Z…

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by. I apologize that the pictures for Massacio didn’t get uploaded into the post…

Spring on the Rampage

I’ve only been able to swim in our pool off and on for the last two weeks (the air temp…

M = Masaccio

Please click on Masaccio’s work to appreciate its beauty! Because I could not find an artist with an “N”, I…

L = Ambrogio Lorenzetti

Ambrogio Lorenzetti (c. (1290-1348) was an Italian painter, who, together with his older brother Pietro, helped introduce naturalism into the…

K = Giorgio Giulio Clovio…

Don’t forget to click on the illustrations to enjoy their beauty! Guilio Klovic by El Greco…

Ahvarra – a Book Recommendation

I have made very few book recommendations in the last several years, and this particular book is not my genre. …

J = Jheronimus van Aken…

Left click on the images to enjoy the beauty! Self Portrait Hieronymus Bosch was born Jheronimus…

I = Adriaen Isenbrandt

Remember to left click on the paintings! Adriaen Isenbrandt (between 1480 and 1490 – July 1551) was a Flemish painter…

Treasures from the Pool

Water draws me, wherever it is – lake, ocean, pool. We opened our pool this week and I’ve been in…

H = Hans Holbein the…

Remember to click on each painting to see a larger version and appreciate the beauty. Hans…

G = Giotto

Don’t forget to click on each work of art to see it in all its beauty! This was a difficult…

Whew!

With both a sense of relief and a feeling of longing to do more (but realizing I’m done), I finished…

F = Fra Angelico

Please remember to click on the images to see them in all their beauty! I am taking liberties with ‘F’…

E = van Eyk

Remember to click on the artwork to see it clearly in an enlarged format! [caption id="attachment_537" align="alignleft" width="109"] Self Portrait…

Today was ‘D’ Day!

Thanks to everyone for stopping by my blog! Now that I’ve gotten through all 26 artists, I have time to…

D = Donatello

Donatello’s statue outside of the Uffizi Galleria. Remember to click on the artwork to see it…

C = Correggio

Early self portrait of Correggio Remember to click on the artwork to see it clearly in…

B = Brunelleschi

Remember to click on the artwork to see it clearly in an enlarged format! I would bet money that many…

A = Altichiero

Byzantine Madonna Remember to click on the artwork to see it clearly in an enlarged format!…

Ready, set, go…. A-Z Blog…

Okay, I’m almost ready for April Fool’s Day. I have five more entries to go and I’m editing the ones…

Theme Reveal for the A-Z…

This is the second year I’ve done this challenge. Last year I did odors, something that should be integral to…

Happy St. Patrick’s Day –…

Today is a rather special St. Patrick’s Day for me. I’ve always worn green on the 17th of March but…

Research

Do you do research for your books/stories? Since I spent many years doing scientific research, I found it natural to…

A-Z Blog Challenge is Coming!

Just thought I’d issue a bit of a warning. For last year’s A-Z blog challenge, I did odors – something…

Some Observations on Snow and…

It’s amazing to me how the South responds to a “winter event.” A winter event is snow, sleet, ice or…

Research

This is loooong overdue. I kind of hit a wall in early December with all of the holiday activities, and…

May We Give Thanks

Having grown up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and as one of the first guides at Plimoth Plantation, Thanksgiving has a special…

I wil miss Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy died today, too young at 66. He was a towering author of technically detailed espionage and military thrillers…

9/11

On this most auspicious day, I suspect people remember just where they were when they first heard the news of…

I Met Craig Johnson!

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Craig Johnson, the author of the series of Longmire mystery books I recommended…

Re-blogging!

Okay, I’ve been very remiss at blogging lately, but I have a good excuse – a knee replacement, which left…

Book(s) Recommendation

I have rarely encountered a series of books that I enjoy re-reading, especially in my favorite mystery genre. But lately…

How to find inspiration

I’m facing a period of healing (bodily) which leaves the mind at sixes and sevens. Having a routine helps, with…

Death in a Red Canvas…

Finally, after what has seemed to be an interminable length of time, Death in a Red Canvas Chair is out…

The Dogwood and the Cedar

For many years I passed a dogwood and cedar on my way to and from home. There are lots of…

Beginnings and Endings

I came to the sort of end of a chapter in my book today and realized I hadn’t a clue…

Mortality

I recently attended the funeral of the mother of a good friend of mine. It was joyous for a good…

Memorial Day

It’s Memorial Day, the beginning of summer, time for barbecues, picnics, swimming and boating. Or at least that’s how most…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who is a Mom or who has one (pass it on)! I had a special…

Musings on Mentors

My daughter recently called for advice. I’ve noticed that as she’s matured, she does this more often. This time it…

What to do now that…

I don’t know about anyone else who did the A-Z blog challenge, but it felt rather strange this week not…

Z is for Zinnia

Zinnias were a part of my mother’s rock garden, one she carefully designed on the side of a slope that…

Y is for Yew

The North American Yew is, to my sense of smell, like many other evergreen shrubs or trees – it has…

Almost to the Finish Line

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by my blog! I hope you enjoyed my A-Z choices so far, although some…

X is for Xylene

It’s hard to find an odor beginning with X, but this particular substance figured large in my graduate career. Xylene,…

W is for Wisteria

I was going to do wine, but the subject is vast and I suspect many other bloggers will choose this…

V is for Vanilla

I couldn’t not talk about vanilla, one of the most ubiquitous spices. Its extract can be used in cakes, cookies,…

U is for Urine

Okay, so this is another ick for a letter. But other than ugli fruit, with which I am not familiar,…

T is for Tar

Not a lot of people like the smell of tar. I could have chosen thyme or tarragon (like anise!) or…

S is for Sweat

Betcha no one is going to pick sweat for the S! I actually like the smell of well-earned sweat and…

It’s Sunday

Only seven more days to go in this challenge! Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Your comments have been interesting…

R is for Rain

I’ll bet you didn’t think rain has a smell, but I’ve always smelled something delightful with a fresh rain. There…

Q is for Quince

Thanks for stopping by! Quince jelly was a staple in both of my grandmother’s homes. I liked its taste, sort…

O is for Onions (wild)

I love the smell of onions cooking. It makes me feel homey and strangely peaceful, not sure why. Onions figure…

N is for Nectarine

I love peaches and had never eaten a nectarine until I was in my 30s. A nectarine is basically just…

M is for Maple Syrup

Thanks to everyone visiting my blog! Coming from New England, I have to have maple syrup around: it is one…

L is for Linden Trees

The lovely smell of linden tree blossoms in the spring takes me back to Plymouth, where I grew up, and…

K is for Kerosene

Not many people would immediately associate kerosene with the letter K. But the 100+ year old house I lived in…

J is for Jasmine

This is a short, very sweet memory for me. When my husband and I moved to California in 70’s, the…

I is for Iodine

With all the antibiotics, soothing balms and even treated Band Aids available to treat and disinfect kids’ cuts, there’s clearly…

H is for Honeysuckle

You can’t be a good Southerner without associating H with honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is a hardy climbing vine, common in North…

G is for Grass (newly…

One of the smells that I will roll down my car window to inhale, and then drive by its source…

F is for Forsythia

I love forsythia, their delicate yellow flowers with the barely detected scent. What I didn’t like, when I was a…

E is for Eucalyptus

Although eucalyptus is used in the saunas of many spas, I was first encountered its unique odor when we moved…

D is for Dead Body

Okay, this is not pleasant for almost everyone else, but this smell was certainly integral to my life as a…

C is for Cinnamon

Of all the spices in my spice drawer, cinnamon is the one I use most often. In addition to its…

B is for Bag balm

I’ll bet not a lot of my readers have ever heard of this product. It comes in a square green…

A is for Anise

Anise is a smell (and a taste) that had dire repercussions in my twenties. I love its taste and smell,…

Blogging A-Z

A friend encouraged me to sign up for the A-Z Challenge, for which you blog every week day but Sunday…

It’s Like Winter in Cleveland

We’re having another dreary day of cold rain. We’ve had so many of them that my husband commented, “It’s…

Working at Self-Publishing

I’ve been given lots of advice lately about self-publishing, especially once I told my friends I’m too old to work…

Woops, I Did It Again

With apologies to Brittany Spears: I just had another shoulder replacement. This is the consequence of my competitiveness – competitive…

Humblebragging

Below is an excerpt from a newsletter written by a Canadian plein air painter – Robert Genn. He writes two…

Pushing Against Resistance

I’ve been walking back and forth in my pool to keep my body going while my little red blood cells…

Walking in the Pool

Yes, you read that right. I’ve been walking in my pool. After my shoulder joint was rudely removed by a…

Added new chapters to Sudden…

Hello readers! Chapters 3-5 have now been added. Read on as Rhe delves deeper into the mystery of the body…

Spiders

Autumn is here. I can tell from the spider webs. Going out onto our back deck each morning is now…

Rewriting and rewriting and rewriting…

I don’t know how many people reading this have written something, anything, that requires rewrites. I am personally on my…

Thinking in the MRI

My left shoulder finally got to the point where the pain was occasionally unbearable, and my PA at the orthopedist’s…

What do you do when…

This past week was a hard one. We had to have one of our dogs put down, a lovely, smiley,…

I’ve been largely missing out on time for serious writing lately. That worries me. The rule of thumb is to…