To tree, or not to tree?

I used to always have a Christmas tree. Sometimes we would cut one en famille at one of the local tree farms, other times we bought it from a sales lot. Certainly when the grandkids were tiny, that was part of the fun. But then the lads grew a bit, and had their own tree…

Read More

Driving the point home

When a person turns 70 in California, they need to show up at the DMV the next time their license comes up for renewal. They also need to take the handbook test. One of those is easier than the other. Not that you’d guess that from the DMV site: I call bullshit on that. Apparently,…

Read More

Waves of glass

Every October, my county hosts Open Studios, three weekends when selected artists in all manner of media open their doors and let people wander in and out, asking questions, buying things—and commissioning projects of their own. I always set off with a list of artists I want to see, and I try to buy something…

Read More

Rain gonna fall

It’s April, here on the Central Coast, and in a normal year, we’d be pretty well finished with rain until October. Not that we can remember what a normal year looks like. This year we’re above our more-or-less average of 33 inches (the below are from the excellent Weathercat.net) – Last year, on the other…

Read More

…And a Year Later: Edgar!

Part of February’s month-long celebration of A Grave Talent, my Edgar-winning first novel. ** A year after A Grave Talent was published, my first venture into publishing took me to the annual Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards banquet, when it was nominated in the Best First Novel category. I went with my daughter (then…

Read More

The Author Photo: a work in progress

Part of February’s celebration of A Grave Talent, the Edgar-winning first novel that started a writing career. ** If you have ever tried to take a good picture of yourself—not just a grinning selfie with friends but the kind of photo that says “thoughtful, intelligent person with a trace of humor and wit”—well, all I…

Read More

A T-Shirt Promo

Once upon a time, children, publishers used to promote mid-list authors and build the careers of newbies. That’s right, my publisher took out a quarter-page congratulatory ad in the New York Times back when Grave Talent won Best First and Minette Walters won Best Edgar. My original publisher decided to pass on the paperbacks of…

Read More

The Business of Writing: Your Friend, The Agent

Part of the 30-year anniversary celebration of A Grave Talent. Like most first novelists, I had no clue about how to run my life as a business. In 1993, the only people who did self-publishing were the desperate souls who just HAD to have a volume to put in the hands of family and friends.…

Read More

When Intellectuals Read Crime

Part of February’s month-long celebration of A Grave Talent. A writer tosses books out into the world without much clue about where they will wash up or whose hands they will end up in. Naturally, this is especially true with a first book. What, people who don’t know me will read it? Wow. With A…

Read More

The Fans

Part of the month-long celebration of A Grave Talent, the Edgar-winning first novel about SFPD Inspector Kate Martinelli that started my writing career. In addition to actual, print reviews, my first book brought letters from people from all over who liked A Grave Talent enough to go to the trouble of writing me about it,…

Read More