This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about nature, which is something I haven't experienced a ton of lately—thank you so much rain, wind, and generally dreary weather! Things are getting so bad I've resorted to making flowers with cross stitch. Yeah. It's been a long year. Anyway, in honor of my new hobby, here... Continue Reading →
Don't let the title of this post fool you: I'm nowhere near close to running out of reading material ... No, in fact, I'm more stocked than ever thanks to a local book sale over the weekend. However, this week's First Line Friday isn't focused on all the books I'll get around to (eventually). Instead,... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest challenges an author faces when writing a cozy mystery is crafting a main character who other people—sometimes complete strangers—actually want to talk to. It's not enough that the sleuth finds themself stumbling through a mystery. If they actually want to solve anything, people have to talk to them. There's all sorts... Continue Reading →
Like so many people this past year, I've spent a lot of time finding new things I can do from home. From tracking down copies of books I've always wanted to read to watching as many musicals as possible, I've tried to enjoy the time I can. One of my biggest projects has been crafting—knitting,... Continue Reading →
Part of the reason I love reading romance is, while there's a common set of time-tested tropes that remain incredibly popular, authors have to find creative ways to launch people into relationships. While a common background for characters often produces the fan-favorite 'enemies-to-lovers', it's just as true that opposites attract both couples and readers. For... Continue Reading →
A strange thing happened the other day. I sat down, thinking I'd look through a few of my books for my next read. However, the first one I picked up had such a great opening line, I couldn't put it down—I ended up reading it in one sitting. Maybe you can see why... The caramel... Continue Reading →
Growing up, the only time I really listened to the radio was riding in the car with my father, which meant hearing either Mike Shannon call Cardinals baseball or Bruce Williams give business advice. As an adult, I've pretty much phased it out entirely. However, thanks to the pandemic forcing me to seek out some... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love a good title? While it doesn't make or break a book, a truly great one can make the difference between me picking it up or leaving it on the shelf. Granted, there are a lot of clunkers with clever names, but that's a whole other Top Ten Tuesday ... Speaking of which,... Continue Reading →
Who said death means you have to give up living? That's certainly not the case for everyone's favorite temperamental PR executive turned temperamental sleuth. While M.C. Beaton, the much beloved mystery writer, passed away at the end of 2019, but one of her most famous and heralded creations, Agatha Raisin, continued on a brand new... Continue Reading →
This week's Top Ten Tuesday is supposed to be focused on books I'm not particularly fond of—those that "I'd gladly throw into the ocean." And while there are a few that spring to mind, I'd rather focus on the positive right now. Instead, I'd like to feature ten future romance releases that I'd scale the... Continue Reading →
