Novellas are Like Brussels Sprouts (My Argument for Giving Short Fiction Another Chance)
Last month, I had an email from an always insightful marketing guy talking about Brussels sprouts. He’d believed he hated the vegetable until a girlfriend convinced him to try them at a restaurant. The verdict: amazing. Now, properly prepared, he considers them a treat. (By the way, the itty bitty brassicas are actually Brussels—not brussel—sprouts, as they were named for the Belgian capital. You’re welcome.) I’m okay with Brussels sprouts and just about any other vegetable, but I generally don’t love fruit. (Lychee and dragonfruit are exceptions.) Shocking, I know, but it’s not like I’m a chef or nutritionist. I Read more…
The Cheese, and Secrets in Stockbridge, Stand Alone
The next, long-awaited installment in the Sydney Brennan PI Mysteries, Memory Lane, is available for pre-order. Woo-hoo! Until its release, I’ll be continuing the Getting to Know Sydney (Again) campaign here at the blog and in my Newsletter, wherein I re-introduce you to your favorite Tallahassee private investigator. I’ve been pinning old—I mean, classic—posts about the series to the top of the blog as I reread the books. Be sure to check those out. But since I’ve been focused on Book Two lately, I feel like there’s something I need to add to the conversation. Let’s call it an authorial Read more…
Looking Forward to a Less Lousy Rest of the Year
Hey, remember me? I know it’s been a while, but I wanted to drop in and let you know that I’m still here. Mostly. How many of us started January with confidence and optimism, or at least the thought that, surely this year has to be better? You may recall that even after 200+ inches of rain here in 2021, I was trying to be cautiously optimistic about the future. (See Dog Pee and Avocado Blossoms.) That is, until the shit show that is 2022 exploded all over us in earnest. Not to make light of the ongoing global atrocities, Read more…
Friday Five: Finding Reasons to Smile
I had something in the back of my mind to share this week, and then—surprise, surprise!—I got sucked down the rabbit hole of my own web site. It’s amazing how many things I’ve blocked out of my conscious memory that are recorded here for posterity and my therapist. 😂 That rabbit hole has inspired the return of a regular oldie but a goodie—The Friday Five Post. I was appalled to see I haven’t written one of these in over eighteen months. Gee, I wonder why that could be? [sarcasm] Since I am still rebuilding my blogging muscles and the world Read more…
Pursuing the Pandemic Productivity Delusion
I’m feeling pretty scattered lately. We all are, right? Checking our latest local Covid numbers, or forecasts for the Gulf of Mexico, or wildfires, or… asteroids. <Sigh> I feel like I need some dude with a light saber (and preferably decent sentence structure) to teach me how to F-o-c-u-s. I’ve read so many books and articles and blog posts about productivity and how to best start your day, blah-de-blah-de-blah. Not that I don’t think there isn’t value in their advice. (Was that too many negatives? I’ve been doing Russian on Duolingo, and that language’s approach to negation blows my mind Read more…
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