Happy New YOU

Happy New Year everyone!

Thanks for visiting my blog, and briefly joining me in my life and writing journey. I know you have your own journey, which is why I've titled this post, "Happy New YOU."

I'm not much for making New Year's resolutions. When I have, they've usually been about diet issues, and those who know me personally can attest to how well that's worked out. Turning the pages of our life gives all of us an opportunity to start fresh, head in a new direction, try something we've never done before, fulfill that promise we've been making to ourselves for years. In reality, life gives us a chance for a new start every morning.

Lots of "new" things happened to me in 2014. I had to get used to living alone, which was a challenge at first. Thanks to friends and family I don't feel alone. LADY ON THE EDGE, the latest edition in my Brad Frame mysteries was published in 2014. You can take a look at the first chapter, and hopefully it will be on your reading list for 2015. I had the chance to perform my one-man show based on the life of Ben Franklin at PACA in Erie, PA. It was a memorable experience, and I look forward to doing more performances in the coming year. I sold a condo, bought a condo, packed, moved, met new friends, kept up with old ones, lost a few pounds, exercised more, started working on a new mystery novel, got involved with a new writers' group, and spent my first full year in retirement. Whew!!!

Life truly is a mystery that unfolds for us each day. It's exciting for me to anticipate what will happen next with my own story. I try to make the most of it, and I hope you do too.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? Join the conversation.

Once Upon a Time

We all like a good story.

Recall a time when you sat on the sofa with a parent or grandparent reading you a story, and it provokes an emotional image.

Just the words "Once upon a time..." conjure up wonderful memories. And during this holiday season we find ourselves watching fresh those favorite stories that charmed us when we were young (A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life), or that bring back a special time with loved ones (in my case, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and The Bishop's Wife).

I've done a fair amount of theatre in my life, and I worked with one director who kept reminding us actors, "Tell the story." I often chuckle as I think of Mrs. Lovett's line to Sweeney Todd, when, in her cockney accent she says, "You do like a good story don't ya?"

In addition to the bazillion other things we writers have to remember, we must "tell the story." It's easy right? Draw the reader in with a catchy opening line. Let's see... "Once upon a time" has been taken, along with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Wait, I have it, "It was a dark and stormy night." Maybe not. But we have to be creative. One word next to another until we've gotten our hooks into the reader. Easy! Yeah, right.

Perhaps the mystery writer has it easier than most. After all, we can dangle mystery, murder, and mayhem in those early lines to draw our readers in. In my first mystery, UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, the opening line is, "In ninety minutes Wilkie would die." Not a bad combination of six words for an opening line. There's only one problem: I had to come up with 64,994 more words.

Do you have a favorite opening line for a story you've read? Or one you've written? Please share in the comments section and join the conversation.

It's the Hap... Happiest Season of All

One of these days I'd like to write a mystery novel set during the Christmas holidays. Combining murder with the holidays seems incongruous, though many writers have successfully done it. The holiday season can be a stressful time and finding motivation for murder would be easy enough to develop.

Holidays are often an emotional time, perhaps because of strong memories associated with people who are no longer a part of our lives, or loved ones no longer with us.

My dad was born on Christmas, so the day carries those special memories. Last year, my mother-in-law passed away on Christmas. It was a day that felt like no other holiday I could ever remember.

I have written a short-story, with a tinge of mystery, that I hope captures the essence of why we celebrate the birth of Christ. You can click this link to read the story - A VISIT FROM SAINT DOMINICK. I hope you enjoy.

In the comments below share your Christmas/holiday memory, or perhaps you've read a novel/short story set during the holidays that you'd like to recommend.