August 1, 2023

The Real People who Inspired my Mystery Series

Several scenes and characters in The Lion’s Courtship (Prequel to the Anna Kronberg Mystery Series) were inspired by historical photographs from John Thomson & Adolphe Smith in Street-Life in London - a small, tattered pocketbook I bought ages ago.

Bookish Shenanigans 2 min read

October 31, 2018

On Killing

If you are (like me) a crime fiction writer, you will often face the problem of how to best kill one of your characters. It’s not an easy task. And believe me when I say that in fiction, a lot is done wrong. A LOT. I’m sure I did it too.

Bookish Shenanigans Writer's Chaos Digest Espresso, Mayhem, & Other Disasters 3 min read

August 31, 2018

Writing with Owls

Never in my life had I thought we’d live with an owl. But here I am, working on my next book, with Peppa our rescue barn owl snoozing on my old loom behind me.

Espresso, Mayhem, & Other Disasters 4 min read

April 3, 2018

Victorian Erotica in Film & Literature

Believe the Victorians uptight all you want, but they invented the first recreational spanking machine, the vibrator, and erotic film. Don’t ask me how I came across Victorian erotica while doing background research for my murder mysteries, else I’ll post nauseating details on Victorian postmortems.

Bookish Shenanigans 1 min read

January 1, 2018

To Art or not to Art

It’s one of those days I feel out of words. I’m not sure if I should write with empathy or disdain.

Espresso, Mayhem, & Other Disasters 2 min read

July 1, 2017

Sustainable Publishing

For a few years now, my husband and I have been micro-farmers. Our philosophy is to live sustainably and to leave our farm ecosystem in a better shape than we’ve found it in.

Writer's Chaos Digest 4 min read

October 16, 2013

Not Ready? Jump Anyway!

The day I said idiotic things to Hugh Howey and talked about statistics with the CEO of McMillan.

Espresso, Mayhem, & Other Disasters 6 min read