The other day I accompanied a gal pal and some of her friends (whom I didn’t know) to the movies. At one point my friend, referring to me, said, “She’s the only person I know who has been to Lithuania!”—to which one of the other women replied, incredulously, “Why would you go there?” I think that pretty much sums up what many Americans think about the Baltic States, but I’m here to tell you those countries are well worth visiting (for their beauty and culture) and studying (for their tragic ... VIEW POST
The Baltic States: A Primer in Three Parts
I just returned from a few weeks touring the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I knew nothing about them except that they were once part of the U.S.S.R. What a delightful surprise they turned out to be! Each country has its own culture, history, beauty and, well, “quirks” (at least to an outsider like me). Yet the people share one thing in common: an enduring resilience and a desire to be free. Like Croatia, which I visited late last year, they are “rising stars” in ... VIEW POST
Not for the Squeamish: Gruesome but Fascinating Facts from MurderCon 2019
Fiction readers love drama, and drama nearly always involves some type of crime. When something unspeakable happens, like murder, who doesn’t feel satisfaction when the evidence turns up and the bad guy is brought to justice—as long as we’re taken on a wild ride along the way? To gather information (and inspiration) for the spin-off mystery series I’m working on, I recently attended the Writers’ Police Academy's 2019 “MurderCon” in Raleigh, North Carolina. Spearheaded by crime writer Lee ... VIEW POST
Some Interesting Facts about Jade
I’m in the midst of writing my latest contemporary romantic suspense novel, The Jade Hunters. At the center of the story is the theft of a pair of white jade tiger earrings that originally belonged to the last emperor of China. As a result, I’ve been reading a lot about jade. Some initial facts: It’s one of two types of minerals, nephrite and jadeite, and comes in many colors, not just green. It’s also extremely durable and hard to break, which made it an obvious choice for weapons, ... VIEW POST
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