Welcome to Suite and Savory. Can we help you?

December 18, 2025/in Uncategorized/by donalee Moulton

By donalee Moulton

Lotus Detective Series #2

Lotus Detective Series #1

Shopping plays a big role in my new book, Melt. The second in the Lotus Detective Agency series, it follows three women who meet in a yoga studio and discover they have a penchant for solving crime. In the first book, Bind, a very expensive watch is stolen from the gym where the yoga studio is located. Not surprisingly the women get involved in solving the crime. Not surprisingly there is a lot of focus on the yoga studio and downward dogs.

Melt takes Charlene, Lexie, and Woo Woo outside their comfort zone, literally and figuratively. There is less action centered around the yoga studio and more around the women and their growing ability to solve crimes. One new location that plays a central role, and will likely make guest appearances in future books, is Suite and Savory, a fictional gift store in downtown Halifax.

The manager of the upscale store is Sofia Makri. She is the daughter-in-law of a key suspect in the book. She is also an acquaintance of Woo Woo and, therefore, offers the detecting triad a way in to the suspect’s world.

That was the reason Suite and Savory made its way onto the pages of Melt and into the world of my characters. As so often happens, the location became much more than a backdrop as originally anticipated. It became a meeting place, it became a place where friendships grew stronger and new ones blossomed; it became a place with a hint of romance.

It also became a place where characters searched for how to perfectly show their affection for one another. The story takes place around the holidays and the three women, the detective who has become part of their lives – and the crimes they solve – find themselves searching store shelves for the “perfect” gift.

Suite and Savory is a place to find the weird and wonderful. There are bright scarves and elegant notebooks and mandala bracelets and snuggly slippers. There are water bottles that clean themselves and slow sweaters. There are figurines, including three miniature pewter figures in yoga poses: lotus, shoulder stand, plow. There is choice, and the choice highlights the dilemma of the main characters as they strive to show what they mean to one another.

Suite and Savory also turned out, to my surprise, to be central to the plot. It’s where something that never should happen happens to one of the three main characters, and as a result, it is the launchpad for an intense and immediate interplay of scenes.

The gift store also plays one more key role in the story. It is the reason the world unravels for one of the characters, and how that character, in turn, unravels the world of those around them.

I had no idea as I started to plot out Melt that a retail outlet would take centerstage. It started out simply as “gift store.” Then the question became what kind of gift store. The answer: the kind that makes a difference to the story.

I also had no idea as I started to plot out Melt that a place that sells fusion side tables and $500 candles would come to mean so much. I hope it will mean as much to you.

December and Sheepdogs by Saralyn Richard

December 16, 2025/in Uncategorized/by Saralyn Richard

Many of you know that my sidekick for many years was a naughty-turned-nice sheepdog named Nana. Nana was our second sheepdog, and we had high expectations for her, since our experience with the breed was stellar. In fact, we’d always believed sheepdogs were people in dog suits.

Nana, however, surprised us by being the wildest, craziest, most mischievous furbaby in history. She disrupted every corner of the house, broke bones, tore up valuable objects, leaped to grab things from counters, and ran at full speed into whatever happened upon her path—usually my knees.

We had to do something serious—and fast—to save Nana and ourselves from her exuberance. We hired a trainer, as much for us as for Nana, and I began making a list of Nana’s bad habits, so I could address them. As the list grew, so did my determination to turn Nana around.

One day, while walking Nana on the seawall (which only tempted her to jump), I told my husband that I was going to write a children’s book about Nana. “There are lots of kids who need to learn self-control, and Nana’s story could help them.”

My husband grinned. “Only if Nana’s story has a happy ending.”

I started educating myself about writing children’s books. By the time I’d written the first draft, narrated and pawtographed by Nana, of course, and hired a fabulous illustrator, Nana had settled down and become so well-behaved—no one could believe she’d ever been that naughty. Nana’s adventures were just beginning.

Naughty Nana was published in 2013, and Nana and I took to the road to promote the book. We went to schools and libraries, birthday parties and parades, kids’ events and bookstores. Nana became a local tourism ambassador, and her calendar began filling up with engagements. Both book and narrator were in big demand, and we led busy, exciting, and fun lives, meeting with children and their families.

Christmas time was especially exciting. One little girl at Moody Preschool told me, “Nana is Santa without a lap.”

One of Nana’s favorite hangouts, especially at Christmas time, was Hendley Market. The weekend before Christmas we would greet Hendley customers with furry hugs and sloppy kisses. Even at the end of her life, when Nana was disabled, Cheryl Jenkines (of Hendley Market) insisted that we keep up our tradition. Nana adored scooting all over the store, smiling and licking her adoring public, spreading her unique doggy cheer to everyone. That was two years ago, and right afterwards, Nana crossed the rainbow bridge.

This year, Cheryl invited us back to Hendley Market to sell books, and we accepted, even before we found out that Texas Old English Sheepdog Rescue would have a beautiful seven-year-old female sheepdog for us. Last week we picked up Cassie and brought her to her forever home, where she is settling in (without being naughty in the process).

Next weekend, Cassie will accompany my husband and me to Hendley Market, not to try to fill Nana’s paws, but to make new friends and put big smiles on the faces of children and dog-lovers who are shopping for gifts.

If you’re in the area, please stop by Hendley Market, 20^th and Strand, 1-4 pm on Dec. 21. And if you’re interested in Naughty Nana, you can purchase it new at https://palmcirclepress.com on the bookstore page. It comes autographed, pawtographed, personalized, and with literacy activities upon request.

One thing’s for sure. December and sheepdogs make a perfect party!

Saralyn Richard (https://saralynrichard.com) is a multiple award-winning author of seven mystery novels, a children’s book, and numerous short stories, poems, and essays published in anthologies and magazines. Saralyn is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She has taught literature and creative writing to high school students and adults. Saralyn and her husband live in Texas, where they enjoy their ninth dog and third sheepdog.

It’s Time for Advent Ghosts

December 15, 2025/in Christmas, Mystery, Paula Gail Benson, Short Stories/by Paula Benson

by Paula Gail Benson

Since 2015, I have been participating in Loren Eaton’s annual celebration of a “spirited” holiday by contributing to his call for “drabble” (short stories of exactly 100 words) that evoke the spectral or paranormal aspects of the season. Over the years, I’ve considered the perspectives of the deceased with unfinished business, inanimate objects that despise their own garish decorations and long for a real Santa experience, folk tales about Yule Cats and Snow Maidens, and even a takeoff on a joke about an elf, reindeer, and snowman stopping by a bar for an artic beer.

The whole experience is wonderfully creative as well as challenging. Each year, I’m amazed by the emotion and ideas that can be packed into 100 words.

Loren provides a link to contributors’ websites or will publish the stories on his own, with the authors retaining their copyrights.

Please consider joining the fun this year. Here’s the link with the instructions I Saw Lightning Fall, which I’ve also included below.

Happy Holidays to all!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADVENT GHOSTS FROM LOREN EATON:

1) Email me at ISawLightningFall [at] proton [dot] me if you want to participate.
2) Pen a story that’s exactly 100-words long—no more, no less.
3) Post the story to your blog anywhere from Saturday, December 13, to Friday, December 19.
Hosting on ISLF is available for those without blogs or anyone who wants to write under a pseudonym. (Don’t worry, you’ll retain copyright!)
4) Email the link of your story to me.
5) While you should feel free to write whatever you want to, know that I reserve the right to put a content warning on any story that I think needs it.

The Short and Sweet Elevator Pitch

December 11, 2025/in Ideas, Mystery, writing life/by Kathleen Kaska

From 2015 to 2020, I worked as the marketing director at Cave Art Press. One of my weekly tasks was writing a blog called Five-Minute Writing Tips, which eventually became the book Do You Have a CATHARSIS Handy? The book was orphaned when the company closed. Lately, I’ve been thinking about resurrecting both the blog and the book. That’s when I rediscovered an older post titled, “How to Write a Grabbing Elevator Pitch.”

Did you know that the term “elevator pitch” is often attributed to Elisha Otis, the founder of the Otis Elevator Company? He invented the first safety elevator in 1853 and installed it in a New York City department four years later. At the New York World’s Fair, he demonstrated his safety device to the public. Instead of explaining how it worked, he showed the crowd by raising a platform to a third-floor level, then slicing the cable with an ax. The platform dropped a few inches, but the safety brake engaged, preventing the elevator from crashing to the bottom. He then said, “All safe.” This event became known as the first elevator pitch because he said very little but conveyed a lot. Later, elevator pitches gained popularity in Hollywood, where writers had mere seconds to sell a movie script to a studio executive.

Author Daniel Pink dedicates an entire chapter to elevator pitches in his book To Sell Is Human. Pink identifies six types: the one-word pitch, the question pitch, the rhyming pitch, the subject-line pitch, the Twitter/X pitch, and the Pixar pitch. Years ago, I created pitches for some of our books, using Pink’s techniques.

One-word pitch for Cape Horn: One Man’s Dream, One Woman’s Nightmare: “Pitchpole.”
Question pitch for Do You Have a Catharsis Handy?: “Tired of reading boring grammar books?”
Rhyming pitch for Cave Art Press: “Egress with Cave Art Press.”
Subject line use for the blog: “Mike the Dog Talks Books.”
X pitch for Youth and War: “Endurance and survival, compassion and brutality; ordinary people caught in the maelstrom of global conflict.”
Six-sentence pitch for A Long Way from Brooklyn: Once upon a time, there was a young homeless boy named John who lived on the streets of Brooklyn. Every day, John searched for food, shelter, and work, but each day, the challenges grew tougher. One day, in a desperate moment, John lied about his age to get a job with a new government program, the Civilian Conservation Corps. He was eventually sent across the country to a place where he knew no one and knew nothing about. John was assigned to help build the Deception Pass Bridge. His determination, hard work, and eagerness to learn earned him the respect of his employers, and he ultimately became a successful engineer whose wealth helped establish several community programs in Anacortes, Washington.

Inspired by revisiting these forms, I created pitches for Murder at the Pontchartrain, one of my Sydney Lockhart mysteries:

One-word pitch:
Question pitch: “Ready for buried war secrets, mystic murders, swampy shenanigans, and a little New Orleans voodoo spice?
Rhyming pitch: “Sydney Lockhart slams head-on into a New Orleans rampart.”
Subject line: “Sydney Lockhart Turns New Orleans on Its Ear.”
X pitch: “In New Orleans for her wedding, Sydney Lockhart ends up chasing murder suspects in search of the truth surrounding the crime, while her fiancé may be hiding the biggest lie.”
Pixar pitch: Private detective Sydney Lockhart travels to New Orleans for her wedding, but the Big Easy has other plans. Her friend Rip Thigbee vanishes after exploring a disturbed crypt. A local voodoo queen warns of dark forces, and a woman is found murdered in Sydney’s hotel room. When a second body is discovered, Dixon gets arrested. On the hunt to find the real killer, Sydney races through the French Quarter alone, dodging bad guys, the Ku Klux Klan, and her meddling cousin Ruth. To free Dixon and survive the city’s shadows, Sydney must untangle a web of lies—starting with the one told by the man she’s about to marry.

Elevator pitches are fast, fun, and flexible—and with a little creativity, they can become compelling book blurbs. Try your hand at writing one: What’s your best elevator pitch?

The Christmas Carols - 3 Novellas of romance and crime from Bethany Maines

Christmas the Movie Way

December 10, 2025/in Christmas, humor, Mysteries, Mystery, writing a mystery novel/by Bethany Maines

Christmas Strikes Back

A few years ago, I became interested in scriptwriting. Like many people, I assumed that after a lifetime of watching movies that writing them couldn’t be that hard. I’ll pause here for your laughter to die down. Specifically, I was interested in Christmas movies and why they sucked. Which is unfair, one person’s terminally bland Christmas movie is another person’s soothing blankie that keeps the holiday season from emerging from under the bed and devouring them whole. I didn’t want gritty reality Christmas, but I did want something more. And since that didn’t exist, I set out to write it myself.

Cookies for Christmas

On the whole, I enjoy Christmas movies, but the problems arise from the Hallmark rules that keep Hallmark movies on brand — no cancer or dying, celebrate small towns, low stakes, etc. I get why those movies exist. Viewers want a sugar cookie movie, not a complicated dessert. But I didn’t understand why we couldn’t have Christmas stories with a little more… ass kicking. You see, I also love action movies — they are an excellent chocolate chip cookie of a movie. (Which is why I also stand firm in my belief that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, but that’s a topic for another blog.) So over the last several years, I’ve explored how to make the perfect Christmas cookie. They have all the sugar, fluff, and icing, but sometimes you need a few chocolate chunks and nuts. And I’ve accumulated three novellas worth of Christmas desserts.

Christmas Traditions

The challenge to writing a Christmas crime story was in finding the right mix of romance, holiday tropes, and humor to make people feel both awwww Christmas and Yippe-kai-yay MFers! This required research and I dutifully watched, Die Hard, It’s a Wonderful Life, Lethal Weapon, and White Christmas as well as many others. And OK, I also took a few classes on writing Hallmark and Christmas movies. But popcorn and couch time is way more fun than studying and learning from experts. So if you’re looking for a Christmas story that feels a little more hefty, but still hits that sugar craving, check out The Christmas Carols.

The Christmas Carols

Blue Christmas: Buy Now • GET IT FOR FREE

Blue Jones just stole Jake Garner’s dog. And his heart. But technically the French Bulldog, Jacques, belongs to Jake’s ex-girlfriend. And soon Jake is being pressured to return the dog and Blue is being targeted by mysterious attackers. Can Jake find Blue and Jacques before her stalkers do? For Blue, Christmas has never been quite so dangerous. For Jake, Christmas has never been quite so Blue.

Oh Holy Night: Buy Now

Graphic designer Violet Harper is usually found at her local Starbucks. Handsome Roman Knox is usually carrying a gun. But tonight they’re both in a bank and there’s a body on the floor. It’s a mess, a robbery and almost the worst day ever, but maybe a Christmas miracle can get them out of the bank and into love.

Winter Wonderland: Buy Now

When Marcus Winters, a photographer with a bah humbug take on the holidays, meets Larissa Frost, a set designer who loves all things Christmas, sparks are destined to fly. But when a famous diamond goes missing from the shoot they’re working on Larissa finds that Marcus may be the only one who can keep her from being framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

Or get all three Christmas Carols in hardback: https://amzn.to/3Uj9PLh

Like your chocolate chips, but not at Christmas?

Try out the 12 Knights of Christmas anthology from Buttonhall Publishing featuring 12 delightful tales of Christmas, including my story “Carol of the Bells.” These stories are all romantic and certified sugar sweetness. (Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and as an audiobook.) BUY NOW: https://books2read.com/12Knights

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She participates in many activities, including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

And don’t forget to check out all the books from The Stiletto Gang: Books

Food Fight by Gay Yellen

December 9, 2025/in Author Life, characters, food, humor, Romantic Suspense, Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery series, Secret Passions/by Gay Yellen

I’ve been stuck in a vigorous debate over an important cultural matter. It’s a food fight, of sorts, only with cookbooks. It would be nice to clean up the mess once and for all. So, here’s your chance to weigh in on the silliness.

Are you familiar with the ongoing on-line debate over whether a hot dog is or is not a sandwich? Well, my beef (!) is similar, except it’s about doughnuts.

Let’s start with a bit of history:

Today is National Pastry Day. A reason to rejoice, because the list of pastries associated with this event is mouth-watering, and includes one of my favorites: doughnuts.

A Wikipedia entry defines the doughnut as “a type of pastry made from leavened dough,” which seems straightforward enough to begin with. Wiki continues to state that it may come in many shapes, which explains the latest popular spinoff, the cronut, a mash up with another delicious pastry, the croissant. Given short shrift in the definition is the one made of cake, which contains no leavening yeast.

Lovers of the knock-off seem as passionate about their choice as I am of mine, the addictive, puffy, sugar-glazed delight which has fueled me through many long days at the keyboard.

In my world, as long as the doughnut-adjacent sweet remains qualified by its “cake” modifier, it may be okay, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing.

A bagel is similar in shape, but at least it has the dignity not to call itself a “bread” doughnut.

I believe a cake donut is merely cake trying to pass itself off as a something more interesting. This doesn’t preclude other people from calling the doughnut-adjacent treat whatever they want. But it will never be the real thing for me.

Which brings us back to the hot dog debate.

If, as some skeptics claim, a hot dog is not a sandwich, I’d ask why the lowly sausage between two pieces of bread doesn’t deserve that appellation. If you slice a tomato, add some cheese, lettuce, and maybe a little turkey‚ then put it all between two pieces of mayo-slathered bread, is that a sandwich, or a chef salad?

I love doughnuts so much, I lent my addiction to the heroine in my Samantha Newman Series. Sam has been known to scarf down a few whenever she’s stressed. And in Book 3, The Body in the News, she manages to bond with a potential murder suspect over their shared appreciation of the glazed goodies.

Perhaps, one day all of us will settle our differences and agree on the same gastronomic appellation of a doughnut/pastry/cake thingy. Then, we could meet in the middle to share a baker’s dozen.

And from there, perhaps, move on to weightier subjects, like sharing Peace on Earth.

Where do you stand in the hot dog sandwich controversy? What about the doughnut/cake/pastry debate?

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”

The Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller.

Special Guest Author – Kari Lee Townsend

December 4, 2025/in Author Life, Cozy Mysteries, Guest Blogger/by Mary Lee Ashford

by Sparkle Abbey

Today we’re excited to welcome Kari Lee Townsend, a long time friend and national bestselling mystery author, who is going to tell us a bit about her writing process and her latest project.

Welcome, Kari! We met you at a conference many moons ago and have been friends ever since, but for our blog readers who may not know you, would you please share a little bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Kari Lee Townsend—an upstate New Yorker at heart, from the Syracuse area where the winters are snowy, the summers are gorgeous, and the small-town charm never stops inspiring my stories. When I’m not writing, I’m usually spending time with my family, spoiling my 3 Samoyeds, traveling to lakeside towns and cozy villages for “research,” binge-watching reality TV, or designing fun graphics and reels for my books. I love everything whimsical, magical, and atmospheric…and it tends to seep right into my writing.

Now to some questions about how you got started writing, your favorite (and not so favorite) parts of it, and your process.

What started you on your writing journey?

I’ve always been a storyteller. Even as a kid, I carried notebooks around and scribbled scenes and characters whenever inspiration struck. But the real push came when my children were young. I wanted a flexible career that allowed me to stay home with them while still doing something creative and fulfilling. Once I wrote my first book, I was hooked. I knew I had found my calling.

What do you write? And why did you choose that genre or sub-genre?

I write paranormal cozy mysteries, fantasy cozy mysteries, suspense, contemporary women’s fiction, and romantic comedies—stories filled with heart, humor, friendship, and a dash of magic or suspense. I’m drawn to these genres because they combine everything I love: quirky characters, tight-knit communities, twisty mysteries, emotional journeys, and worlds where magic or intuition lingers just beneath the surface. I adore creating stories that feel comforting yet thrilling, with characters who grow, love, stumble, and triumph right along with the reader.

What’s your favorite part of writing?

I love the moment when characters start talking in my head and taking on lives of their own. Worldbuilding is another favorite—crafting towns like Wishville, Divinity, Clearview, or Coldwater Cove, with their festivals, secrets, magical systems, and unique personalities. And of course, I love the “aha” moment when all the clues and twists finally click into place. All my books take place in the Northeast with the four seasons.

And what’s your least favorite part of writing?

The first draft. I love having written…but the actual drafting can feel like pulling teeth some days. I’m also not a big fan of the technical side—formatting, timelines, and continuity checks—though they’re necessary to keep everything running smoothly, especially across multi-book series. I love connecting with readers, but promoting a book can be scary and hard.

How much do you plan before you start a book?

I’m a hybrid. I like to plot enough to know the big turning points, emotional beats, and the overall arc of the mystery, but I leave plenty of room for spontaneity. My outlines grow and evolve as I write; they’re living documents. I need the structure, but I also love discovering surprises along the way.

Where do your very best ideas come from?

Everywhere. Festivals, places I visit, random conversations, dreams, Pinterest aesthetics, documentaries, and little “what if?” moments. I’m constantly inspired by folklore, history, small-town quirks, and the idea that magic might be hiding in plain sight.

What part of writing is the most difficult for you to write?

For me, it’s slowing down to write deep emotional beats—especially grief, trauma, or the darker layers of a character’s past. I also find the middle of a book to be the trickiest, because that’s where everything must escalate without giving away too much.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today.

And readers, we very excited as Kari’s latest is something a little bit different. Both cozy and fantasy in all the good ways.

Kari, what can you tell us about the book?

The Well-Kept Secret, the first book in my new fantasy-cozy mystery series set in the enchanting town of Wishville, Vermont. The story follows Lyra Wells—half human, half Dweller—as she discovers her true heritage while investigating the mysterious death of a local man near the centuries-old wishing well. The book blends small-town charm, sparkling magic, a hint of romance, and a twisty mystery with deeper secrets tied to the Dweller realm of Elarion. There’s a love triangle brewing, a memory crystal connected to Lyra’s missing mother, a talking cat, a cast of quirky locals (including the delightfully chaotic Wellies), and a fragile treaty between two worlds that might unravel at any moment. It’s cozy, magical, atmospheric, and full of heart—an exciting beginning to the Wishville Mystery series. Out now.

We’ve already the first book: “The quirky town of Wishville, a delightful amateur sleuth and a police chief who’s not sure what he’s stumbled into make for an enchantingly different whodunnit. And then there’s the talking cat. I was charmed and can’t wait for the next book!” ~ Mary Lee aka Sparkle

And we don’t have long to wait! Up next is book two in the series, The Well-Laid Trap.

This time, a beloved physical therapist goes missing, and Lyra Wells—half human, half Dweller—must uncover the truth while balancing a crack in the ancient Veiled Vault, her complicated feelings for two very different men, her judgmental talking cat Vex, and the chaotic Wellies who always manage to make things interesting. It’s atmospheric, twisty, heartfelt, and full of enchantment. And it comes out January 20, 2026.

In addition to this new series, Kari also writes two other cozy mystery series and also writes women’s fiction and suspense as Kari Lee Harmon. She is one busy lady!

You can find info on all her books on her website at : https://www.karileetownsend.com

And you can connect with her on social media at:

Kari, thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Great to “see” you and we hope to see you in real-life soon. Maybe at a conference?

Just Another Saturday Night . . .

December 2, 2025/in Police, Author Life, Brooke Terpening/by Brooke Terpening

A high-pitched tone sounded over the crackle of the radio inside the cabin of the pickup truck. The driver’s eyes snapped to the computer screen mounted on the dash between us, then immediately returned focus to the road.

“Did you hear that? There’s been an accident. Backup requested.” He pointed to the screen displaying all the patrol cars in the area. “We’re closest.”

He responded over the radio, “Unit on its way.”

Earlier that Saturday evening, my ride-along with the police started quite calmly with a tour of the department. The officer assigned to me, I’ll call him Officer D, explained the workings of the dispatch center. Dispatchers are the equivalent of the central nervous system, akin to air traffic controllers, communicating and coordinating with everyone in the field. The law enforcement technology is impressive for a city of our size – drones, a backup emergency dispatch center, a mini-forensic lab, and countywide shared radio frequencies to facilitate actions across departments. I asked for a tour of holding cells, where people await transfer to the county jail. I’ll spare you the details of what the officers deal with inside those cells but wearing a hazmat suit wouldn’t be overkill.

My ride for the evening was a souped-up Ford F250, faster than their regular patrol cars. Think of riding in the cockpit of an airplane and you’ll get the idea – interior and exterior cameras, license plate readers, computer, a display tracking all units. Unlike an airplane, the back seat is equipped with a single-prisoner transport, and the truck bed holds LED traffic cones and deployable spikes.

Our first stop of the evening occurred before we left the parking lot. A lost set of car keys was duly logged using the on-board software. I never realized how much of today’s policing is paperwork, often taking hours after a shift ends.

The action picked up with a report of a man throwing rocks at cars. From prior encounters, Officer D had an idea of who the man was, and we patrolled his neighborhood without seeing him.

Next stop: a drive through a park frequented by groups at night, many of whom often had active warrants. After an uneventful patrol of the perimeter, Officer D pulled over less than 50 feet away from a four-way intersection to enter a report. As he was typing, he said, “Watch. Someone’s going to run that stop sign.”

I laughed. No way. The sun was still up and the Ford F250 with it light bar and emblems was highly conspicuous. Within less than a minute, and true to Officer D’s prediction, a car blew past the stop sign. We followed the car until we could safely pull it over. Officer D recognized the driver, whom he’d given a verbal warning a few months earlier. The hurry this time? The man was rushing to a baby shower at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Officer D let him go with a written warning. The next time the driver would get a ticket.

As we patrolled a residential neighborhood, I peppered the officer with questions about his job and training. How did the long hours and stress impact his personal life? He shared that the pain of a fistfight with three large drug-dealers didn’t compare to the heartbreak of trying— and failing —to save a baby that had stopped breathing. What about the effect on his own family? Officer D uses an app that lets his wife monitor his heartbeat real time.

When the implications of his statement sank in, I changed the subject. I learned he was a taser instructor, a weapon near and dear to some of the characters in my novel. He described being hit by one during training, not an experience to repeat. Did you know? Different propellants can fire the prongs up to 100 feet. Another interesting tidbit about pepper spray: Police departments now use water-based versus oil-based sprays. Turns out certain kinds of pepper sprays are highly flammable, and a taser hit can ignite the suspect.

A high-pitched tone interrupted his taser lecture.

“Did you hear that? There’s been an accident. Backup requested.” Officer D pointed to the screen displaying all the patrol cars in the area. “We’re closest.”

He responded over the radio, “Unit on its way.”

The wreck happened on a busy highway cutting through the town. One vehicle, no fatalities. With a few taps on the screen, a route appeared, and we accelerated past cars that decided to slow to a crawl with a marked police vehicle in their rearview mirror.

As we turned onto the highway, Officer D unhooked his seatbelt, a move that didn’t seem safe. He explained, “That was my sergeant on the radio. I heard stress in her voice. And I don’t want to get tangled in my seatbelt if I need to get out of the truck in a hurry.”

Lights on, we pulled behind two other patrol cars and a fire engine. A car had launched from the highway, through a brick sign, and landed upright on the other side of a ditch.

“Stay here,” Officer D ordered and jumped out. By some miracle, the driver, highly intoxicated, was ambulatory with only minor injuries. He proved to be an amiable drunk who knew the drill and went along with the officer’s instructions peacefully. With the driver arrested and in handcuffs, Officer D placed him in the truck’s transport cell behind me, and we drove to the nearest hospital.

I spent the rest of the evening in the emergency room with Officer D and his sergeant as they filled out paperwork and waited on third party EMT’s to do a timely blood draw. We weren’t alone. Other police officers and their arrestees soon trickled into the emergency room.

Then another high-pitched tone sounded over their hand radios. A shooting on the other side of town.

Just another Saturday night . . .

***

Brooke Terpening – A former software geek and attorney, today I’m retired in Colorado with my husband. As a Miami attorney, some of the notable capital cases I worked on included Casey Anthony, Ariel Hernandez, and Michel Escoto. A graduate of the Lighthouse Book Project, I serve on the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America board as their newsletter editor. When I’m not writing mystery and legal suspense, I volunteer with my therapy dogs at hospitals, police departments, and mental health facilities.

Bucket List: Blue Rodeo

December 1, 2025/in Judy Penz Sheluk, Author Life/by Judy Penz Sheluk

Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy at the mic

I don’t have a huge bucket list of places I want to go or concerts I want to see. Part of the reason is that I tend to do things I want to do, if I can afford to do them. The other reason is I have few wants, and those that I do have tend to be simple. But one of my bucket list wants has been to see Blue Rodeo live in concert. Admittedly, many of you reading this won’t even have heard of Blue Rodeo. They’re a Canadian band, been together 40 years, but they never really hit it big in the U.S. But in Canada…well, they are legendary.

Like any band of longstanding, Blue Rodeo has had changes in band members. The exception is the frontmen — singer/songwriters/high school friends Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor. They have very different vocals, but both are immensely talented — but once you hear Jim Cuddy’s voice, you’ll never forget it.

The long story short on this post is that Blue Rodeo actually came to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where I live, in October. They played at the local hockey area to a full house of about 6,000 diehard fans. I knew it might be a risk — we’re always told not to meet our idols (or in this case, go to see our favourite band live) but I took a chance and…

Blue Rodeo played for 2 hours straight, including five of my favourite songs: Try, Bad Timing, Five Days in May, Lost Together, and Bulletproof.

And I’m no casual fan…I’ve included mentions of them in several of my novels, and even wrote a Facts in Fiction post about them on my website. You can access that here to learn more: FACTS IN FICTION: BLUE RODEO. And in case you don’t want to do that, here are some excerpts from three of my novels:

Excerpt from A Hole in One: A Glass Dolphin Mystery #2

“I’ve got to get back to Lount’s Landing. Can you point me in the direction of Union Station?” Kevin stood up. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll walk you there.”

They were within spitting distance of Union Station when Emily noticed Chloe strutting toward them, chest thrust out, hands on hips, her black spandex tights and leopard-print top accentuating every curve. How long had she been following them? Since they’d passed her gym the first time? Or on the way back? Emily didn’t know and was relieved to find out that she didn’t care.

Unless, of course, Chloe knew more about Marc Larroquette than she had shared with Kevin.

Damn it. She’d have talk to Chloe.

But not today. Today, Chloe was Kevin’s problem. Emily patted Kevin’s arm, letting her hand linger slightly longer than necessary, then gave him a peck on the cheek.

She wound her way through the throng of commuters to Platform 26, humming Bad Timing by Blue Rodeo. It was time to go home.

Want to hear Bad Timing? Watch the official YouTube video with Jim Cuddy on lead vocals.

Excerpt from Where There’s a Will: A Glass Dolphin Mystery #3

The DJ began playing Blue Rodeo’s Lost Together, a cue for Luke and Emily to take center stage for their first dance before inviting others to join in. Arabella pushed back a tear, watched the dance floor fill up, and contemplated the pairings.

Want to hear Lost Together? Watch the official YouTube video with Greg Keelor on lead vocals.

And finally, from Past & Present: A Marketville Mystery #2

I hung up and found myself humming a few bars of “To Make You Feel My Love.” I thought about the Barnstable family curse and laughed. More like “Bad Timing” by Blue Rodeo. Hell, almost anything by Blue Rodeo, especially if Jim Cuddy was the one singing it. That man had a voice made for sad songs.

Maybe this time would be different. I started humming again.

And my all-time fave? Bulletproof with lead vocals by Jim Cuddy, courtesy of YouTube.

Thanks for listening.

New Crafting Mystery: Embroidered Lies and Alibis

November 26, 2025/in crafting mystery, Cozy Mysteries, crafting cozies/by Lois Winston

By Lois Winston

Embroidered Lies and Alibis, Book 15 in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, is currently available for preorder. Wow, right?

Back in the early years of this century, when I was first asked to write a crafting-themed amateur sleuth series, I never could have envisioned that twenty years later, I’d still be writing about Anastasia. Especially since I’d never written a mystery prior to sitting down to write Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the book that got the series rolling. I wrote romance, romantic suspense, and chick lit back then. I also never could have imagined that I’d leave those genres behind once I immersed myself in the world of cozy and amateur sleuth mysteries. But that’s exactly what happened.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis, like the other books in the series, draws on topics that are on the minds of many of us these days as we try to understand the rapidly changing world around us. The seeds of the plot sprang from an article I read in 2024 about a quarter of a billion-dollar crypto theft and a mysterious kidnapping. It grew from there, incorporating scams perpetrated on senior citizens. And of course, I added some dead bodies.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis is by no means a techno-thriller, though. It’s a cozy mystery about how one person’s greed impacts many innocent people, including my sleuth and her family, and eventually leads to murder.

If you didn’t know by now, I’m a total news junkie. I read several newspapers every day and watch both local and national news every night. “What if” is always playing around in my mind. I keep a loose-leaf binder filled with stories I’ve clipped from magazines and newspapers and downloaded from the Internet. Writer’s Block never lasts long because whenever I’m stuck, I read through those clippings until the perfect idea present itself. I’ve been inspired by everything from unethical fertility doctors to Ponzi schemes to local murders, not to mention a myriad of human-interest stories. Lately, cryptocurrency and AI have become a rich source of plot ideas due to the corruption and unethical behavior of many people connected to both.

In Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in the series, I had to look no further than the neighbors who lived across the street from me decades ago. I knew they’d eventually make it into a book. Now, the aftermath of that plot has flowed seamlessly (pun intended!) into Embroidered Lies and Alibis.

Do you enjoy books with plots that incorporate current events and/or trends? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook download of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

~*~

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis

A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…

When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.

The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.

Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?

Craft project included.

Pre-Order Now. Available 2/10/26.

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