St. Augustine, Florida is steeped in history, myth, and charm, and it can’t help but inspire tales of adventure and intrigue. I set one scene there in MURDER PAYS A CALL, and it’s based on personal experience and a genuine fondness for this historic city. I’ve … Read more
Happy Book Birthday to me! Today is the release day for Trimmed to Death, #15 in The Bad Hair Day Mysteries. Savvy hairstylist and amateur sleuth Marla Vail enters a charity bake-off contest at a fall festival sponsored by a local farm. While she waits to see if her coconut fudge pie is a winner, … Read more
Hairball Hijinks: A Bad Hair Day Cozy Mystery Short Story, is now available in ebook format. Digital ISBN: 978-0-9985317-4-8, $0.99, Orange Grove Press Hairstylist Marla Vail agrees to help find a neighbor’s lost cat and discovers a ransacked house where more than the pet is missing. Savvy hairstylist and super sleuth Marla Vail visits her … Read more
Revisions for our novels should include a complete read-through for repetitions and inconsistencies. What do we mean by the latter? You’ll want to take a look at your characters to see if they are behaving in a manner consistent with their personality. As a writer, this should be an essential part of your self-editing process. … Read more
I’m excited to announce the reissue of Silver Serenade. This science fiction romance was originally published by The Wild Rose Press. My newly revised edition has been updated with added bonus materials. A beautiful assassin and a desperate fugitive join forces to catch a terrorist and prevent a war between worlds. Starship pilot Jace Vernon … Read more
Do you dread writing a synopsis? If so, get used to it, because this tool is essential to your career as a writer. Not only is a synopsis necessary for a book proposal, but the sales force at your publishing house may use it to design your cover or to plan marketing materials for your … Read more
As a beginning writer, I didn’t understand what it meant to stay in viewpoint. I was guilty of bouncing heads, or switching viewpoints within the same scene. This confuses readers because they become unsure of who is the main character. You should stay within one person’s head or else use a space break to delineate … Read more
Today is Release Day for Hair Brained (#14 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries)! Digital ISBN 13: 978-0-9970038-7-1 Print ISBN 13: 978-0-9970038-8-8 Published by Orange Grove Press Book Launch Party tonight at 7:00 – 8:30 pm EDT. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty/ Fun and Prizes! When hairstylist Marla Vail’s best friend is hurt in a suspicious … Read more
Research Insights – Shipwrecks and Suspense I like adding bits of history into my mysteries. In Facials Can Be Fatal, I mined our Florida past concerning shipwrecks. Did you know the waters off Florida teem with sunken vessels? Spanish galleon ships alone may account for up to forty wrecks off our coast. Millions of dollars … Read more
Murder by Manicure Audiobook, book #3 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, is now available at Audible, iTunes, and Amazon. Narrated by the talented Mary Ann Jacobs. Hairstylist Marla Shore joins a fitness club to get in shape but discovers a dead body instead of an exercise routine. Jolene Myers, a client at Marla’s salon, … Read more