novels of suspense, romance and intrigue
In the quiet English village of Rushton, in the county of Warwickshire, there is a small church, a local pub, a village green and, down an overgrown lane, a derelict mansion. This is part of the story of Tremaine Hall and the people who lived there. . In 1922, a rich businessman bought the estate… Continue reading The Mysterious History of Tremaine Hall
I love finishing a book. There's really no greater thrill than getting to those last pages, seeing the story form into a whole. Even with the looming task of editing (I really dislike editing) ahead, there are few more gratifying experiences in life than knowing the first draft of a book is complete. I'm not… Continue reading The Sticky Patch
I'm now well into writing the tenth book in the series. In June, my seedling of an idea blossomed into the beginning of a story, and I dove headfirst into the first half. Chapter after chapter flew down, characters took form and were brought to life. And then last Monday, I opened the 41,000-word file, scrolled to the… Continue reading The Plot Beast
I find myself at the edge of an idea, an idea that's slowly beginning to take root and wind itself through my imagination. I have 281 words written down and no more tripping off my fingers, but the idea continues its delicate, unhurried movement across my mind.Something new... Along the same lines as my other… Continue reading Beginning, Again
I just got back this week from a wonderful 18-day trip to Greece with my mom, which was entirely inspired by researching my last book. I'm happy to report that I didn't noticeably mess up any facts or details, though of course seeing a place is very different from reading about it. At some point… Continue reading Adventures in Greece
Over the last few months, I've become increasingly aware of how much I'm trusting, or not trusting, my instincts. In the past I wasn't all that great at it. I tended to think much more about what I "should" be thinking or feeling or doing or saying, rather than what I truly felt was right.… Continue reading Trusting My Gut
I haven't started a new writing project in months. I don't even have any ideas for a new story, at least none that I'm ready to dive into right now. And I'm trying to make peace with that. I love beginning to write a new book. Being barely halfway through and struggling with where the… Continue reading Inspiration Limbo
Warm sunshine, lush island vineyards, charming seaside towns—and beneath it all, dark and dangerous things are lurking in the shadows... Becca Rossiter once again finds herself embroiled in a treacherous and mysterious case of murder, interrupting her long-awaited trip to the Greek Islands. The ninth installment of the Strangers on This Road series is now… Continue reading INTERRUPTED BY MURDER… Book 9 released today!!
It's official—GREECE! I've made plans to travel to Greece for three weeks next spring, and am so lucky to have my stellar editor and dear friend, who also happens to be my mom, going with me. I would count it as a research trip and try to write off the cost, but since the book… Continue reading Can I claim this on my taxes?
Lately I've been thinking a lot about the importance of WHY. I can think of many circumstances in which WHY isn't all that relevant or useful, such as the age-old question "why doesn't X like/love/want me?" We can only guess the workings of other people's minds and hearts, so trying to figure that out can… Continue reading Asking Myself WHY
One of the craziest things about being published is that total strangers out there in the world are actually reading your books—and on top of that, forming opinions about them! This is very surreal. As someone just starting out in this whole published writer thing, it's a new experience for me. I've been surprised to find… Continue reading The Review Ride
Having gone through some pretty major life transitions lately, I'm feeling very in-between. It isn't a bad feeling, but it's uncomfortable in a lot of ways. I feel awfully rudderless, as if floating without a clear direction. I'm between writing projects, having finished #9, Murder in Santorini, with no ideas for my next book. I'm… Continue reading Being In-Between
Now available on Amazon Kindle. Wrong place, wrong time... An unlucky chance draws Becca Rossiter into a dangerous mystery. Find out what happens in the ninth installment of the series, the second featuring Becca (introduced in Book 8: Beneath These Streets). An idyllic vacation, interrupted by murder… Becca Rossiter arrives on the Greek island of… Continue reading Book 9, Murder on Santorini
I just sent the first draft of book 9 to my editor for her first read (yay!), and while I know it's going to need a lot of work in the editing process, including a title, I can safely say that for the moment it's DONE. (I need it to be done, otherwise I keep… Continue reading Coming Soon: Paperback Edition of Book 1!
I've been working hard on my latest book over the past month, and the end is definitely in sight. I hope to have it finished within the next week. Sadly, just as this new book is coming together, I've also had the heartbreaking experience of losing a very dear pet. He was ill for some… Continue reading Losing a Friend
Market Street, the Embarcadero, Davis, Clay and Sacramento... Beneath the offices and stores, the traffic and bikes and pedestrians, lie buried pieces of San Francisco's past. And Becca Rossiter is about to find out just how dangerous delving into the past can be. The eighth installment of Strangers on This Road is now available on… Continue reading DARK SECRETS LIE BENEATH THE CITY… Book 8 released today!!!
I haven't been spending much time on my blog lately, because I've become deeply involved in writing my next book. What began as a tiny spark of an idea has turned into 42,000 words and counting. In fact, I'm raring to get back to it right now so this is going to be pretty short.… Continue reading The Deep End
It's beginning again: the itch. I've started to play around with a tiny baby kernel of an idea for a book. “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison When I say baby kernel, I mean there's no plot yet,… Continue reading The Writing Itch
I have wonderful memories of my hometown public library. The library in Davis, California, where I grew up wasn't especially big or showy. It's not an especially big town, and while the University library is both very extensive and very impressive, the local library was just an odd little building next door to the Veterans'… Continue reading Prowling Through the Stacks
In my latest book, Beneath These Streets, coming out later this year on Kindle, I had the chance to draw on a really cool part of history: San Francisco's buried ships. There are ships lying deep under the streets of San Francisco. I'm not talking about fishing boats or small crafts, but actual seagoing 19th… Continue reading Digging up the Past
