Happy Halloween, everyone! In our neck of the woods, the trees are getting really pretty, there’s a nip in the air, and I’m scouring Pinterest for decor ideas and recipes to enhance the Halloween fun here at Casa Owen. Our cat Tora is starting to snuggle on my lap for longer stretches of time as…
Welcome to another installment of “Where my research takes me,” an impromptu series of posts inspired by all the little odds and ends of Victoriana I collect in my book researches. My new release, Unseemly Haste (book 4 of the Concordia Wells Mysteries), provided a treasure trove of research opportunity. The story is set in the…
A couple of days ago I returned from BoucherCon. With an attendance of 1500, it’s considered one of the larger mystery fiction conventions out there. (For those unfamiliar with the name, BoucherCon was created in 1970, in honor of mystery writer/editor/critic Anthony Boucher). It appeals to every mystery fan along the continuum: authors, readers, agents,…
I hope you’ll forgive the punny title, but I’m so excited to share this news with you! Becket Royce, the narrator for the audiobook version of Dangerous and Unseemly, has lent her voice talent once again to the Concordia Wells series. Unseemly Pursuits, book 2 of the Concordia Wells Mysteries, is now available as an audiobook at…
Hurray, September 29th is National Coffee Day! I’d say the beverage was worthy of some recognition, don’t you? Fun facts about coffee: Coffee is said to have been first used by Sufi monasteries in Yemen in the 15th century Americans drink an average of 30 oz of coffee per day $40 billion (yep, that’s a…
Happy Equinox, everyone! Today is the day when the angle of the sun is straight on the equator, and the amount of day and night are nearly equal. In the northern hemisphere, this makes it our autumnal equinox (southern hemisphere has the vernal equinox). So for those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the…
Yesterday (the second Sunday of September) was National Grandparents’ Day, first celebrated officially in 1978, when the proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter. We’re a little late, but grandparents are so awesome that I think they deserve an extra day of celebration, don’t you? 😉 Sadly, none of my grandparents are still living, but…
I know, we almost missed it! If you think about it, though, we here in the northern hemisphere have the rest of the summer and early autumn to appreciate all of the birds, bats, bees, butterflies, small mammals, and other insects who pollinate our flowers and crops. Some facts about pollinators: There are more than…