I just received my program for the 5th annual Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave (Oct 31 – Nov 02, 08) here in Manhattan, KS, and there it was, my name in black and white. How exciting is that? Not only is it my first conference, but it’s my first public appearance, complete with author signing and panel.



If you’re a reader, writer or fan and you live in the area, please feel free to stop by the Holiday Inn at 17th & Anderson Avenue. I’ll be there Friday night and most of the… Continue

Yesterday I admitted to liking the chase better than the puzzle. Sure thing, ask anyone who knows me. My monkey mind doesn’t have the patience it takes to solve puzzles, play chess or tinker with things. So that’s why I chose suspense over traditional mysteries. But why this genre to begin with?



I like the relative freedom and flexibility of it. Within the very broad constraints that come with the mystery/suspense genre, I can pretty much do whatever I want. I can keep the plot… Continue

I will attend the 5th annual Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave (Manhattan, KS) at the end of this month. My first conference, yay :-) I was even offered a spot on one of the panels. Then I realized yesterday that a) the end of the month is nearer than I thought and b) I need to prepare. If my information is still correct I’m sharing the panel with a few other writers new to the mystery genre. Subject of our panel: Why I Write Mysteries.



In all truthfulness and for the sake of… Continue

Some of my students wrote a letter to a school for the deaf today. There was a short discussion about whether or not their teacher would have to translate our letter into sign language so the deaf kids would understand.



I am happy to report that I dispelled that particular myth: Deaf people read plain old regular English. They write plain old regular English. The oral deaf speak regular plain old English [“speak” as in “use their voice or talk”].



There’s another common… Continue

I’ve updated my website. Whoohoo. Go ahead, have a look.



I’d like to think of myself as savvy when it comes to the Internet, but I have no clue, none whatsoever, when it comes to websites. I’m at the mercy of tech support. I think I did a pretty good job, if I may say so myself. I’m not 100% happy yet, but I can certainly live with the results for now.



I’ve also joined Facebook. I’d love to give you a link, but I haven’t figured that one out yet. Whenever I link, I end up… Continue

I finished reading Josh Lanyon’s latest Adrien English mystery, Death of a Pirate King, and I LOVED the book (thanks, Ella, for pestering me to make time to read).



I’m a big fan of Adrien. It was good to see his harder side – no pun intended – but I don’t get the fan talk about his fear of commitment. Last I checked “fear of commitment” meant avoidance of long-term relationships. Didn’t Adrien just spent two years with Guy? They clearly had a committed, monogamous relationship. A… Continue