This is a classic Harry Bosch story and then some. Harry is working to solve a double murder, handling cold cases for a small town police department, and dealing with empty nesting as his daughter has left for college. To further roil the waters, he has been accused of planting …
Recent Blog Posts
The Blessings of Being a Writer
Yes, Virginia, there are blessings to being a writer. And it goes beyond multi-book deals, beyond making the bestseller list, beyond movie deals. Few writers attain these lofty heights. But all writers can experience the blessings of being a writer: Learning And not just learning a new skill such as the …
5 Steps to Success
Have you noticed how many lists there are out there? Seven steps to achieve this. Six steps to achieve that. Ten easy steps to achieve happiness. Or weight loss. Or the spouse of our dreams. All seem geared to making us successful. I enjoy lists. They can be fun and …
A Book Review: Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
A couple of disclaimers right off the bat. First, I am a huge fan of Jacqueline Winspear. Second, her protagonist, Maisie Dobbs is my all time favorite female detective. Maisie is such an intriguing character. A highly skilled investigator who uses her psychologist background to develop insights into her clients …
What Makes for a Successful Writer?
I was sitting and chatting with a group of writers the other day and one asked, “What makes for a successful writer?” People started to bubble up with definitions and dropping names on both sides of the question. I raised my hand. “How do you define success?”?The silence was like …
Living Revved Up
Do you ever get the feeling life is running out of control and you’re racing like a car in the Indy 500? And falling further behind the rest of the cars no matter how fast you go? And your pit crew looks like the Three Stooges on steroids? A few …
Write What You Know
“Write what you know” is a piece of advice that just about every aspiring writer has heard. At first glance, it sounds really wise and profound. Until we try to apply it. If we adhered to this maxim, very little would get written that would be worth reading. Because, when …
Looking Behind, Looking Ahead
At the end of 2017, I took a few days to reflect. Not only on the year just ended, but also on the new one about to begin. Here are three questions that guided my time. What did I learn in 2017 that made me grow as a writer, and …
Where Does Stress Come From?
Stress: a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existing equilibrium (Miriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition) If we’re breathing, we all feel stress. Something is always trying to disrupt our equilibrium. For many of us, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is …
The Meaning of Christmas
This year, the meaning of Christmas is stirring in me at deeper levels. I’m seeing the season in a new perspective as I listen to our Pastor Robert Morris give new insights and I study books such as Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado. I’ve long been jaded by the …