Mexican Retablos: Prayers on Steel
After a few bites of the cake Raul seemed to realize that she was waiting. “He read about the United States and wanted to go. He tried to cross the desert but the Virgin abandoned him because what...
Little Silver Miracles
I’ve been thinking about visual inspiration lately, as I tackle KING PESO, the 4th Emilia Cruz mystery. Thankfully, Mexico is replete with visual cues to creativity, from large (the Basilica of...
A Box, a Mystery Series, and Some Lacquer
She came back a moment later with a box decorated in the traditional rayada carved lacquer technique. It was the size of a loaf of bread and the bottom was fitted with a small drawer with a tiny...
Book Review: The Orphan Uprising
The Orphan Uprising is the riveting last book in the Orphan Trilogy by the father-and-son writing duo of Lance and James Morcan from New Zealand. I hear they are making a movie based on the books...
How to write a political thriller
One of the most often-asked questions for a mystery and thriller author is "Where does your inspiration come from?" Political thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY had quite the auspicious...
Book Review: Smokescreen, a thriller
Smokescreen by Khaled Talib is a thriller for today’s audience. It’s got a politically driven plot based on current events, an everyman hero, and enough double-dealing and deranged killers to keep...
The Year We Made a Difference for Water.org
In 2014, I donated $1 from the sale of Kindle books to Water.org, the charity co-founded by Matt Damon to bring clean and safe water to communities worldwide. The goal was to provide clean water for...
Book Review: Top Secret Twenty One
The Stephanie Plum books are like Pringle’s potato chips—I can’t eat just one despite the fact I know they’ll be full of empty calories. Maybe it’s the salt. Whatever. Pass the can. Top Secret...
One Heart, Three Tragedies
Three places I love are bleeding and all I can do is watch and pray. Mexico As many readers know, my years in Mexico and Central America provided the impetus for my mystery and thriller novels and...
Book Review: The Witch of Napoli
The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker is an unexpected trip to 1890’s Italy, when Garibaldi’s unification of the country was still tenuous and Italy’s city-states retained their strong regional...
Theme for 2015: Maximize!
At our family New Year’s Eve dinner, I asked if anyone had made any resolutions. My husband had some fitness goals, while our college kids talked about GPAs, Zumba classes, getting more...
It Goes Without Saying
It wasn’t a high school for the performing arts, but it came darn close. Every year, my Catholic high school raised the majority of its operating funds by putting on two plays and a musical. With...
The Ghost of Christmas Past
What if you were truly haunted by the ghost of Christmas past?Sometimes I think I might be.That First ChristmasWe spent our first Christmas as a married couple in a fairy tale setting. It was crisp...
Writing for Water.org: Glass Half Full in November
Throughout 2014 I am donating $1 for every Kindle book sold to Water.org, the charity co-founded by Matt Damon to bring clean water and decent sanitation to communities worldwide. A number of other...
Entitlement, Mexico style
Over the last few weeks I've been following the news stories about the fate of 43 students who went missing in the Mexican state of Guerrero, in a small town not far from Acapulco, in late...
Writing for Water: October’s Surprising Stall
Throughout 2014, I'm donating $1 for every Kindle book I sell. Other authors are joining the Writing for Water effort and togethe we have raised enough to provide 29.5 people with clean water for...
Why Acapulco is an Unforgettable Setting for a Mystery Series
Spenser has all of Boston to roam through, solving mysteries with Hawk at his side and meeting Susan later for dinner at Locke-Ober. Wallander has Sweden's fog and gloom to wander, his melancholy...
March for the Missing in Acapulco
The road has disappeared under a wave of sorrow and anger. In a case of weather mimicking emotions, it is raining and thousands are unintentionally decorated with multicolored umbrellas. The...
How to Make an Informed Reading Choice
With so many books out there, how do you make an informed reading choice? From the author's point of view, it's all about "book discoverability.' But I read more than I write and from the reader's...
Writing for Water: How to Cure Ebola by Reading
Throughout 2014, for every Kindle book I sell, $1 is donated to Water.org, the charity co-founded by Matt Damon to bring clean and safe water to communities worldwide. Other independent authors have...
Where’s a Cheerleader When You Need One?
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was part of my high school’s cheer team. I was also a member of the band, playing—yes, you read it here—the cymbals. Those cymbals were red hot when we New...
Book Review: Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle
Up for a trip to southern France, where mirth, mayhem, and Champagne rule? C'est vraiment drole! Translation: keep reading. I not only write mysteries but I love reading them, too. My favorites are...
Writing for Water: August’s Big Wave
It's almost a tidal wave. As of 30 August, the Writing for Water team of authors exceeded the 2014 goal of providing 25 people with clean water for life, via donations to Water.org. Author donations...
Lighting the Path
"Surround yourself with those who light the way." It was just another pithy Pinterest graphic; worth a nod and a smile. Forgotten in the wake of a great chicken recipe or a cat playing the piano....
An Excellent Liar
Big lies, white, lies, pretty little lies--Acapulco Detective Emilia Cruz is an expert at all of them. But in the Emilia Cruz police procedural mystery series, she hardly ever lies to the people she...
Book Review: The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Not only do I write a mystery series, but I read them, too. My favorite mysteries are the ones that take me to new places. This week's book review is of THE CORONER's LUNCH by Colin Cotterill....
Writing for Water: The Summer of Love
Throughout 2014, I’m donating $1 for every Kindle book I sell to Water.org. Every time someone buys one of my books, they help bring clean water to communities worldwide. Some terrific author...