"Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read..." Francis Bacon #HearHear! This week we've had a fabulous time visiting wineries and vineyards in Paso Robles, a lovely city with a bountiful heritage located in central California, for an extended birthday celebration for Hubby. Visiting with family, friends, and sampling the rich, vino flavors of the area made for a delightful road trip and a ver

#HoHoHo, I'm still full throttle celebrating #ChristmasInJuly. I am super excited today to have a #BookCover reveal for my #NewRelease coming October 1st. This collection of holiday, mystery tales is titled Christmas Bizarre: Rikkhe St. Claire Holiday Mysteries! My interior designer with an eye for clues is making her literary debut just in time for your holiday reading enjoyment! ❄Pssst, #BookCover animation by the fabulous Morgan Wright! ❄ It's the #weekend before Christmas

What better way to celebrate #SummerReading season than an enchanting chat with a talented #writer who just happens to have a new #book releasing today (Blade of Truth)! Canadian author Lali Love's books #inspire and #entertain---without further adieu, let's chat with Lali: Q1. Lali, I have enjoyed reading your gorgeous, poetry/meditation book, The Joy of IT so much! I have it handy on my coffee table to open up and be inspired each day. The collection is awesome and the draw

'Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.' 'Nancy, if I were your husband, I 'd drink it.' Lady Nancy Astor and Sir Winston Churchill How deliciously droll, I adore this quote! As a cozy mystery writer, I'm always on the hunt for unique ways to commit 'mur-dahs most foul'. Poisons are used quite often in cozy tales, hence my interest in what's the best one to use?; how does it work?; what are the symptom's? I guess on the surface it sounds a bit ghoulish but a wr

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go..." E.L. Doctorow Words so true! I thought for this post I'd try to give a boost to my #writer friends and share a few #writing resources I (and others) have recently found useful to explore and utilize. I've seen quite a bit of frustration and gloom in tweets this past week on Twitter, ranging from the #Goodreads sudden deletion of #bookreviews (luckily it looks like most reviews have been restored) to pe

"One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by..." Jeanette Walls Continuing with my quest for great #SummerReads, this month I'm excited to feature #Writer A.C. 'Drew' Merkel! He is the author of the Lady Dreamscapes, time traveling/sci-fi series. These imaginative tales feature a MC by the name of 'Murder'...and what an exciting, literary journey she will take you on! Without further adieu, let's chat with Drew: Q1. I really enjoyed the first book in

Part deux of our escape from the family room #roadtrip took us to the shores and hills of Lake Tahoe in northern California. It has been almost thirty years since I last saw this natural wonder. I have to say it is probably the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. Crystal, clear waters, a proliferation of pine trees and majestic mountain views took my breath away. The air smelled of pine, turning crisp and cool in the evening. We stayed at the lovely Ritz Carlton in Tahoe. I

This week I'm very excited to have as my guest, Canadian #author, Joanne Paulson! I've decided to feature fellow writers each month as we move into that all important and exciting, #SummerReading season. Joanne's mystery series rocks and I'm looking forward to hearing the exciting news on her latest, literary venture. Without further adieu, let's chat with Jo! Q1: Joanne, I'm a huge fan of your Adam and Grace mystery series. What was the inspiration for the characters and set

This week our escape from the family room #roadtrip takes us to the Sierra Mountains in northern California. We're headin' to the hills of Mammoth Mountain and the shores and mountain forests of Lake Tahoe. The good news is that there is still snow in 'them thar hills' making this #snowboot gal extremely happy! The feature pic ⏫ is of the Twin Lakes area in the Mammoth Mountain area. Unfortunately most of the lake view road was closed so this was the main water view to be had

Happy May! From wine country to the northern California shore--part deux of our escape from the family room road trip took us to Half Moon Bay. We stayed at the fabulous Ritz Carlton that sits regally on the cliffs of this NorCal paradise. I have to say this was one of the most beautiful places on our journey. We were blessed with sunshine during the day and magnificent sunsets in the evening. The Ritz is surrounded with breathtaking views, including a stunning golf course an

What better way to close out #IndieApril than a chat with one of my favorite #Holiday mystery writers, the fabulous Amy Reade! I've read many of Amy's tales and am a huge fan of her Juniper Junction Holiday Mystery Series. Without further adieu, Ladies & Gents, #Author Amy Reade: Q1: Amy, I thoroughly enjoy reading your Juniper Junction Holiday Mystery Series--what inspired you to write it? Pssst..love the #Holiday theme! Thank you! I have grown to love these characters and t

"Wine and friends are a great blend." Ernest Hemingway Once again we ventured away from the confines of the family room and traveled to central California to the charming town of Paso Robles. Located in central California, Paso has become a hub for wine lovers and has multiple vineyards in the area---a perfect place for a wine tasting afternoon! For this trip, we stayed at the fabulous Allegretto Vineyard Resort just off Hwy 46 (yes, the infamous highway where James Dean met

Hi ho, hi ho, it was off to Las Vegas we go! This past week it was such a treat to escape for a few days to meet up with my baby sissy and her husband. After 15 months of almost daily phone calls during the #lockdown, we seized the chance to meet up in person with Gayle and Keith at a not too distant stop on their cross country tour to celebrate Keith's recently retired status (and baby sis's bday, she turned the big 6-0 on March 28th!). We planned our get-together on the sho

What better way to start off the new month of #IndieApril than an interview with a writer whose works I've come to greatly admire! In today's post you'll meet the multi-talented, author/poet/musician/singer, Derek King. His poetry soothes the soul, his short stories evoke scary chills, and non-fiction works inspire us all. Ladies and Gents, Mr. Derek King: Do you remember the first poem you wrote? Ha! Yes, I do remember it. I was thirteen. I wrote it sitting on the grassy slo

#Spring has finally sprung! This past week has been filled with sweet moments of #hope that we may be emerging from the darkness of #lockdown and into the #light...Sunny weather has arrived, my latest #book is almost ready to release, and #knock wood--we may be getting ready to hit the friendly skies, ships, roads soon! This week I thought I'd share a few pics of a springtime visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville N.C. that we took a few years back. The scenic views of the

💚“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song, may each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.” 💚Irish Proverb ☘🍀Top of the mornin' to ya and a very happy #StPatricksDay! ☘🍀 This is a day to celebrate your #Irish roots and perhaps tip a sip of Guinness, or in my case, Irish coffee. #Yummo The feature pic today is of the Blarney Castle, which is located near Cork, Ireland. We were lucky enough to have vis

Spring is in the air, with its colorful beauty and fragrant splendor highly anticipated. The flowers and succulents are beginning to bloom here in SoCal. We're still waiting and hoping for our winter rains--they haven't really materialized as thought thanks to the La Nina in effect. Let's hope they come, otherwise it's going to be another fiery summer. I thought today I'd share some of my favorite garden pictures from Hampton Court Palace to get into the spring vibe. These pi

"If not us, who? If not now, when?." ~ John F. Kennedy #HappyMarch! What better way to celebrate a new month than with a fav quote and new word to inspire you?! I think the Carpe Diem inspired questions of the former President are perfect for the je ne sais quoi of my post today. As for words, fecundity, is my choice for fav March lexeme (TYSM Brenda B., had to look this one up): The condition of being prolific; The use of imagination or original ideas to create something. I

Oh, happy days--we finally made it up to Big Bear to experience the chilling temps and snow! My snow boots were so happy after sitting unused in a dark closet for over a year, LOL (I knew exactly how they felt😜 ). The weather was gorgeous during our stay--invigorating, winter beauty without the slush and mess. This was our first, official road trip of the year. #SocialDistancing and #Mask policies were strictly enforced. Sadly, many of our fav restaurants were not open--most

What a week to celebrate! Tomorrow, February 18th, is the three year book birthday for The Crown for Castlewood Manor, the first book in my cozy mystery series! Who knew that three years on I'd be preparing for the 6th book's release? In honor of #TheCrown I thought it would be fun to go back in time to my first #blog post on this story and update my nouveau #author views then, with a 2021 perspective. Today we're talking about main character Gemma...💖👑 From March 11, 2018