Legends, Lore, and More
February 3, 1959, is what many refer to as, “The day the music died.” It was on that day a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa claimed the lives of three popular Rock and Roll Stars. Buddy Holly, age 22, Ritchie Valens, age 17, and J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), age 28. (Bit of... Continue Reading →
It’s no secret that my all-time favorite movie is Casablanca. What’s not to love about this classic with a cast including Bogart, Bergman, Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains? It also contains some fantastic quotes. "Here's looking at you, kid." “Play it, Sam.” This is often misquoted as “Play it again, Sam.” (Bogart never... Continue Reading →
Inspiration for my stories comes from many different places. Sometimes it’s an observation made in a crowded restaurant. It may be from a photo prompt or from a family story. Other times, ideas just pop in my head. But often, it’s songs from favorite groups or singers. John Denver’s music inspired some of my early... Continue Reading →
Hello, everyone! Before I continue, the release date of Cold Dark Night has been delayed a few days. I've had some unexpected personal things come up and need a few more days to prepare. Anyhow, instead of May 24, the new date is Tuesday, June 1. Most of you who have followed my blog a... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. It's been ages since I've done a WIP Wednesday post. The past few weeks, I turned my focus from Cold Dark Night toward finishing the short story prequel. Originally titled Woman in Black, it has a new name, House of Sorrow. As is often the case, the story took me in a slightly... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. Once again, I'm participating in Soooz's weekly flash fiction prompt. Each week she shares a photo and invites writers to participate by writing a fiction or non-fiction piece not exceeding 750 words. For more information on how to participate, visit Soooz by clicking here. And now, here is this week's prompt and my... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. For today’s WIP Wednesday, I’ll share the third and final playlist for the Driscoll Lake Series. For this one, I began selecting songs while still brainstorming the plot. I shared in a post a few months ago, where Lyin’ Eyes inspired the storyline. (You can click here if you'd like to read that... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. It’s time for another WIP Wednesday. This week is another “work in publication." The idea of creating a playlist, or soundtrack for my novels didn’t occur to me until after I had published Unseen Motives. Given the main character in Unknown Reasons was a part-time drummer who loved music, it seemed fitting for... Continue Reading →
Hi, y'all. Time for another WIP Wednesday. Today's post is about a "Work in Publication." Yesterday, my book Unknown Reasons got some attention over at Marcia's blog. (If you didn't read the review, click here to see the post.) I decided to share a little more about the background to this story. When I began... Continue Reading →
Sometimes the inspiration for stories come in the oddest ways. I often use real-life events in my books—either personal experiences or things I’ve read. I change the situation enough so as not to be recognizable. It’s been a long time in coming (much longer than I expected), but the first draft of Unclear Purposes, the... Continue Reading →
I can't remember the exact occasion when I heard the Beatles on the radio. It was probably sometime in early 1964. My older brother was a big music fan and therefore, I was introduced to several singers and groups from that era. I was a big fan of the Four Seasons - until The... Continue Reading →
Hi, everyone. Hard to believe another week has come and gone. While the official start of summer is still a few days away, we're already experiencing summer-like temperatures here in Texas. The days have grown longer, but that is something I enjoy. And, in spite of the heat, there are so many things I enjoy... Continue Reading →
I intended to blog more often this year, but we’re now well into February and I haven't met my goals. I've devoted most of my writing time to editing my novel and it’s taking much longer than I planned. However, I want to stay connected with you so I came up with the idea of... Continue Reading →
On February 7, 1964, four young men from Britain stepped off a plane at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. Two days later, they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to what was at that time the largest television viewing audience in history. I don’t remember the first Beatles’ song I heard, where... Continue Reading →
Joan Hall 
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