Local author Carol Marquart is producing a staged reading of her new play, THE GOLDEN GIRLS OF HOLLYWOOD, and I have the fun of appearing as Dorothy Manners, one of the gossip queens of a long-ago era. The cast of characters includes Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons and Bette Davis. If you’re in the Monterey Bay area, come …

The first book in my West Virginia trilogy of mysteries is ready for purchase on http://amazon.com. Easiest way to find it is to type my name in the Search box and then click on the cover. Set in the fictitious small town of Lewiston, CHILD’S PLAY features Eden Jones, a thirteen year-old girl who’s learned most of …

If you’ve read MALICE ON THE MEKONG, you know that heroine Anjali Rao’s best friend is named Suneeta. But did you know how she came to have that name? India Currents has just published an article Russell and I wrote about how we met and married. In the article, you’ll find some old photos and the answer …

It’s been a long and challenging fall, but CHILD’S PLAY, the first book in my West Virginia trilogy, is ready for Park Place Publications. Here’s a draft of the “blurb” for the back cover: Everything thirteen year-old Eden Jones knows, she learned from watching television. Bethanne Swanson learned her lessons from fifty years in the school …

So pleased to have had a long Thanksgiving visit from Ameerah Haq, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. We first met in Laos, the setting for Malice on the Mekong, while we were all living and working there in the early 1990s. Ameerah was then serving as the UN’s Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative. Lovely chance for …

Met some great people and sold some books at Central Coast Writers’ annual Booktoberfest. Always fun to talk with fellow writers and readers. We learned something from everyone we talked with.

Many thanks to crime mystery author Sally Spedding for crafting such a fun interview and Mystery People Editor Lizzie Hayes for publishing it both on the MP website and on Lizzie’s blog. Sally asked really thoughtful questions, and I had to go deep in some cases to make sure I did them justice. I had fun doing the …

We had a fine time for nearly three weeks in September, exploring southern British Columbia — the city of Vancouver plus Victoria and Tofino on Vancouver Island. We went most of the way from central California by train on the famous Coast Starlight but ended up taking just about every other mode of surface transport — …

I’ve discovered that if you search for Malice on the Mekong, you’ll be sent to websites that offer my book for free. Web experts have informed me that these are probably phishing sites, using my book to get personal information from potential readers. Please don’t click on any of these offers; they’re probably out to get …

So exciting to learn that the Readers’ Favorite Website has awarded Malice on the Mekong five stars! Here are a few excerpts: “Great entertainment…breathtaking language..powerful and evocative..a beautiful tapestry on which the gripping story is masterfully designed…hard to put down…classic story that will be remembered for the beautiful characters, the unforgettable setting, and events so …