Book Review: Over the Shoulder by Jason Beech
Not only do I write thrillers and a mystery series, but I read them, too. I post reviews on amazon and Goodreads as well as on this site. Over the Shoulder by Jason Beech is a Goodfellas-type crime...
Comparing Crime Rates: Acapulco vs Points North
In mid-February, prompted by a spate of news reports on crime for 2012--including a list of the top 10 most violent cities in the world, discussions of violence in Chicago and Detroit, and school...
The Friday Fiesta: Travel with a Filmmaker, A Camera, Disappearing Destinations, and Titanic II
As a fiction and mystery author I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. But online travel is also a terrific way to discover news and places worth...
About the time I went to Fiji
Arriving in Fiji alone at 1:00 am after a 12-hour flight was unnerving but that’s the way the flights went so there I was, in the middle of the Pacific, with a heavy suitcase, an even heavier bag of...
Matching Books with Museums in Mexico City
There you are, strolling through amazing exhibits and you know something’s missing. Like the backstory. Wish you'd known more before going? But there wasn't time. Besides, research before going to...
A Friday Fiesta of Close Encounters: Maps, Murano, Mississippi and Designing Vietnam
As a fiction and mystery author I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. But every week there is something new to encounter--who knows where I’ll find...
The Case of the Mysterious Immigration Debate
I’m a mystery and thriller author, not a political pundit or a news commentator. My books so far have been set in Mexico, however, and if you think/talk/enjoy things Mexico the US immigration debate...
Friday Fiesta: Love, Murder, African Design and the Final Frontier
As the author of a mystery series I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. In these...
Historic Preservation That Scares Us and Why That’s a Good Thing
Elsewhere in this blog I've talked about historic preservation as a means of taking the temperature of a culture. A healthy culture chooses to preserve both its good and bad: we celebrate the good...
Friday Fiesta: Saving the Food Chain, A Language, Literary Thought and Your Self-Esteem
As the author of a mystery series I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America.In these...
The Best and Other Interview Questions to Ask a Mystery Writer
There are certain interview questions to ask someone who has just published a novel in a mystery series. And other questions that are sort of odd. Here are the ones I’ve been asked lately. 1. Why...
Friday Fiesta: An Artist, An Astronaut and the Unexpected in Nepal and on Kilimanjaro
As the author of a mystery series I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. In these...
3 Latinas Who Inspired Fiction’s Newest Crimefighter
Police detective Emilia Cruz is the main character in CLIFF DIVER, the first novel in my new mystery series set in Acapulco. She’s the first and only female police detective in Acapulco, a strong...
The mysterious case of 4 Jars of Inspiration
Ready to sweeten life? Throw out a sour mindset?As the author of a mystery series--a relatively solitary occupation--I can’t afford to let my inspiration ebb away. I’m constantly looking for new...
The Friday Fiesta: From Guatemala to Antarctica, with Museums and Manners, too
As a fiction author I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America.In these Friday Fiesta...
Lost in Mexico has nothing to do with translation
In CLIFF DIVER, the first full-length book in my new mystery series, Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz keeps a log of women who have gone missing. For her they are las perdidas, the lost ones,...
Friday Fiesta: The Real Big Bird, Famous Birthdays, and Beer for Fido
Coming 30 January! CLIFF DIVER: An Emilia Cruz NovelAs a fiction and mystery author I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and...
The Friday Fiesta: An Outdoor Seat, Music, Chocolate, and a Story
As a fiction author I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. In these Friday Fiesta...
Walking the Mouth of Hell
I ended up with the yellow hard hat but what I really needed were safety goggles. My eyes watered from the cinders in the air. Heat rose from the black porous rocks that lined the uphill path and...
A Nicaragua Christmas: The Treasures of Alter Eco
Advertising in Managua, Nicaragua, can be hit-or-miss so I wasn't quite sure what I'd find when I walked into Alter Eco, which bills itself as an alianza hecho a mano. This "alliance" is actually a...
A Nicaragua Christmas: Shopping at Mama Delfina’s
Managua, Nicaragua, is full of surprises including the beautiful art and antique store, Mama Delfina's. Housed in a large white Spanish colonial building with an open courtyard and beautiful old...
The Mary/Mujer Paradox
December is a big month for Mary, the mother of Jesus. On 8 December Catholics celebrate the Immaculate Conception, the day She became pregnant with the son of God without benefit of sex. On 12...
The Friday Fiesta: Safari, Snow, Scotland and Surprising Films
As a fiction author I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. In these Friday Fiesta...
5 Life Lessons from a Month of Writing Dangerously
NaNoWriMo can be described as a cult phenomenon, a virtual writers gathering, a very strange hobby or God's gift to global coffee sales. As I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog, the goal is to...
Crafting a Christmas at the Mercado
This is the year my Christmas won't be Made in China. Instead of the usual commercial shiny things we all know and love, I'm aiming for a simpler reminder of what the holiday is all about....
The Friday Fiesta: An Odyssey, An Artist, Manners, and the Radio
As a fiction author I love to weave unique cultural gems into the plot. Most of the time I draw on my own world travels and experiences living in Mexico and Central America. In these Friday Fiesta...
The Mexican Scatter Plot Diagram
Dedicated news junkies like myself can generally identify trends. But this week the news about Mexico has some of everything—the good, the bad, the hopeful and the bleak. If I was an infographic...