Create a hygge reading nook

The past few winters we’ve been incorporating the Danish art of hygge into lives up on our hilltop in northern New England.

Pronounced “hue-guh,” hygge doesn’t translate easily into English. “In essence,” says Visit Denmark, “hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Here are a few ideas for bringing hygge into creating a cozy reading nook:

Candles

A lot of candles. Candles are a hygge must. They can be flameless. It doesn’t have to be dark (or cold!) to light candles. I’m just careful to k… Read More

Adventures await!

“It’s bad manners to keep an adventure waiting.” ~Unknown 

My mother would appreciate that quote. She lived into her mid-eighties and went through some hard times, but she was always up for an adventure. It was her mindset, even when funds were tight, and a great example for me as the third of her seven kids.

She was with us on our first trip to Ireland in 2006. I said, “Mom, would you like to go to Ireland with us?” I swear she started her packing list before she said yes. She didn’t let health issues and knee troubles stop her. I remember her delight as we trekked through a muddy pastu… Read More

Happy October!

September flew by for us. Writing, running, walking, planning, rain, more rain, visits with family. One Saturday “we” rebuilt the woodstove chimney at our family homestead on the western edge of Quabbin Reservoir (setting for my Swift River Valley books). I provided an apple pie. Joe could have passed for a chimney sweep. It was a great day with most of my siblings.

My granddaughter celebrated her birthday with a cake that involved a lot of sprinkles. Or you call them jimmies? It was fun and delicious. She’s gluten-free and we all love the King Arthur Baking GF mixes. SO good… Read More

After the Vermont flood

It’s been raining here in Vermont. A lot. Even before the catastrophic flooding rain of July 9-10, we’d had a lot of rain since early June. We’re fine on our hilltop and our town is in cleanup mode.The damage in towns I know well and love is nothing short of breathtaking.

It’ll take time but Vermont will recover, as it did after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

The photos below are from a walk we took at the bottom of our hill the morning after the storm with the river starting to recede. The beauty of this area shines through.

Now, back to writing!!

… Read More

Hanging out with Maine crime writers

I’m back on my Vermont hilltop after a weekend at the Maine Crime Wave conference in Southern Maine. What a fantastic group! So much fun.

The weekend kicked off on Friday evening with my Q&A with author Julia Spencer-Fleming after I was named this year’s Maine CrimeMaster. I’m honored, humbled and grateful. I enjoyed the Q&A. Julia was insightful, entertaining and well prepared. She surprised me with a few of her questions! It was a great crowd, a welcoming mix of readers and writers (of course, writers are readers, too!).

Saturday was a nonstop day of panels and more fun. It was a pleasu… Read More

Maine Crime Master Award

This year’s Maine Crime Wave writers conference is in Portland on June 9-10, hosted by the Maine Writers & Publishes Alliance (MWPA), and I’m thrilled and excited to receive their 2023 Maine Crime Master Award. What an honor! I love Maine, I love writing books set in Maine, and I’m a huge fan of so many wonderful Maine authors.

On Friday evening, I’ll be doing a question-and-answer with outstanding author Julia Spencer Fleming, an honor in itself. Join us if you can. The chat is free — you can get all the details and RSVP here. 

Saturday is the actual conference with panel discussions and all s… Read More

Goodbye to maple sugaring season

When I was growing up in rural New England, I always looked forward to maple-sugaring season. We’d tap trees and boil up the sap on an open-air fire, finishing it off inside on the stove. We were lucky to get a couple of mason jars of syrup and savored every drop. With the warm temperatures, the maple-sugaring season is done for this year. I hope it was a good one.

It was natural for maple-sugaring to feature in my first book with MIRA back in 1998. Kiss the Moon has been reissued with various great covers and continues to be popular with readers. I love this one.

MIRA and I have parted ways a… Read More

On to spring!

March arrived here on our Vermont hilltop with a lot of snow. Thirteen inches on Saturday! It’s a great time of year to enjoy winter sports. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are our favorites. Joe and I don’t downhill ski or snowboard.

My Black River series is set during a cold New England winter. I wrote most of Cold Pursuit, the first book, during a particularly snow winter. Just looked out the window for inspiration.

When I was writing The Cabin, also set during winter, I realized as I was writing a chase scene the villain would leave footprints if there was snow. And there was s… Read More

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s a great day to celebrate and appreciate love and those we love.

Also for flowers and chocolate. 🙂

Here in Vermont we enjoy Lake Champlain Chocolates and everything Mother Myrick’s. Our roses won’t be in bloom for a while yet (our gardens are still covered in snow) but here are some Irish roses to enjoy.

Now it’s back to writing for me!… Read More

CLAIM THE CROWN on sale

Claim the Crown is on sale in eBook for just $2.99! It’s the story of a woman whose life is changed when she and her twin brother inherit a mysterious fortune. There’s romance, intrigue, suspense and, if I recall correctly, pumpkins.

I mention the pumpkins because they evoke one of the key settings in the book, the quiet spot in New England where Ashley Wakefield and her brother were raised, unaware of their dramatic origins.

And because it’s November and I love seeing all the pumpkins on doorsteps and thinking about pie at Thanksgiving (if not sooner).

If you haven’t r… Read More