As writers, we spend most of our days locked in our own little worlds–plots, characters, dialogue that swirls around inside our heads even though nobody but the people in our imaginations are talking! As I’ve said a thousand times, it beats having a real job (especially one at which I might have to wear [...]

That grumbling you hear coming from the direction of Cleveland is me. See, through no fault of my own–and certainly not because of any technical talent!–I’m the official administrator of The Little Blog of Murder.
Most times, that’s nothing but a title. But recently, there have been some problems at the Mother Ship [...]

Apparently, you’re not the only one. The folks over at Lake Superior State University have issued their 35th annual list of words they believe should be banned.
Tops on the list? Shovel-ready, a word that refers to infrastructure projects that are ready to break ground and is associated with federal stimulus programs.
Speaking of which [...]

I’m teaching a writing class at our local Arts Center. Six weeks, and we’re half way through, and I’m trying to cram in everything I know into one-and-a-half hour classes and hoping I’m not racing so fast that I’m leaving everyone dazed and confused.
We’re hitting what I hope are the high points for beginning [...]

It’s 5:30 in the morning, and Zorro and I are headed out the door. Why? Every year for St. Patrick’s Day, his sister hosts a corned beef and cabbage breakfast on her front lawn. Neighbors stop in. Cops drive by and honk and wave. Total strangers stare at us in [...]

OK, here’s something you probably didn’t know about me–I am a beekeeper.
Yup, there’s a hive in my backyard (a second one is coming this spring) and inside on a warm, summer day, you’ll find about 60,000 honeybees.
Why?
I can’t say. Not for sure. I can tell you that I’ve always been fascinated with bees [...]

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time at all, you surely remember our good buddy, CR Corwin, who died in 2008. We miss him at the the Lil’ Blog. His humor and his insights were always welcome.
Now, there’s a way you can help memorialize CR.
The [...]

An article in a recent Forbes magazine has declared Cleveland the Most Miserable city in the country.
Apparently, part of the criteria they used to determine this was economic, and it’s hard to argue with that. Cleveland’s been hit hard by the economic downturn. Jobs are few and far between, property values have dipped. [...]

Sitting here this Wednesday morning, watching the snow fall and wondering what I was going to blog about when the publishing gods intervened and I received a jpeg of my newest cover.
So here’s a first look at the wonderful, fabulous, awesome cover of “Tomb with a View.” The book will be on store [...]

Back from a week of brainstorming in Sarasota and once again, I’m reminded of how important and energizing the brainstorm experience can be.
There’s nothing like sitting around with four trusted author friends and tossing around ideas. This past week, I had the opportunity to put my little gray cells to work on women’s fiction, [...]