Country Gals, Sass & Murder
“Older than dirt”
I have a birthday soon, too soon. It’s tomorrow. I won’t share with you how old I am, but I recently took a twenty-question quiz on Facebook. It was comprised of items from the past. If you remembered all 20 of them, then you were “older than dirt.” I was “older than dirt.” Each year…
Read MoreMy new muse: Facts, folklore and myths
This past winter, I decided to retire my Florida literary muse and replace the muse with another . After some consideration on my part and the input from the readers of this blog, I chose the coyote. I hear them sing across the field from our house when the train thunders through…
Read MoreThe winner is, and another contest
Contest for A New Muse Here’s a list of the suggestions readers made for my new muse: Coyote Raven Brahma Bull Fairie, Swamp Fairie Ghost of Chuck Wagon cook Frog Spoonbill Rhesus Macaques Florida Panther Flamingo Iguana Domestic Cat Kinkajou River Otter Skunk Ape Burmese Python Pixabay.com-choose Bald Eagles Anhinga Thanks to all…
Read MoreMy winter home
I know. I know. I’m posting this blog a day late, but I hope you’ll give me some latitude. We spent the last ten days packing and then driving to our place in rural Florida. It’s exhausting both emotionally and physically. Our cats are fine once they’re on the road, but the days before we…
Read MoreTales from the Hayloft: The Lonely World of an Only Child
I’m pretty certain there are more drawbacks to being an only child than there are advantages. People misunderstand growing up alone. They often assume the only child to be spoiled, the center of attention, the recipient of numerous gifts from parents and other relatives, all of this resulting in an individual who is self-centered and…
Read MoreTractors and Eve’s Sense of Moral Purpose
The virtual book blog tour for Mud Bog Murder is over as is the tour for Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime. I had fun with both the tours, and I especially loved getting to know the other authors from Happy Homicides 4. In one of the interviews from my tour, I was asked…
Read MoreTales from the Hayloft: The Bumblebee Skirt
Many of you know my passion for yard sales, consignment shops and stores that sell used clothing and household items. And some of you also know that I come by this passion via my father’s mother, my grandmother whom I have labeled the queen of recycling, reusing, redoing and reinventing. She took my aunt’s clothing…
Read MoreA New Eve Appel Mystery goes on tour
That’s the cover for the new Eve Appel mystery. Cute little gator, eh? Here’s what Eve is up to now: When Eve intercepts an airborne, muddy, disembodied head, how can she help but get her hands dirty? On September 1, 2016, Camel Press will release Mud Bog Murder ($15.95, 268 pages, ISBN: 978-1-60381-315-0), the fourth…
Read MoreMy First Hangover
It’s past July 4, and as we used to say on the farm, the corn was knee high by the fourth of July here in Upstate New York. Getting hungover may not seem like a fond childhood memory, but it’s one of my earliest on the farm. We moved from an apartment in our small…
Read MoreStories from the Hayloft: The Red Mitten
When I was a kid, I loved following my dad around on the farm as he went about his chores. He milked the cows both morning and evening and both times, I accompanied him to the dairy barn where I fed hay to the young calves housed in one of the pens. One evening during…
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