I’ve been testing so many fall recipes in my home kitchen the past couple of weeks, but this pumpkin delight isn’t based on a recipe from a book but rather a candle that smells like my books. I give you, That Spice Life cookies. The candle smells as good as the cookies taste and is […]

Going rogue.⁣ ⁣ When we moved to the Rogue Valley, we were ready for a complete lifestyle shift. My husband, who you know as the Tech Guy, had been working in tech, commuting in soul-crushing traffic over an hour each way, and working 10 to 12 hour days. So we made a choice. Give up […]

What’s your size? Do you have a preference when it comes to book sizes?   This new project is a completely different experience for me in that I get to pick everything from the size of the final book to the cover design. It’s exciting and overwhelming. So many choices—hard cover, trade, mass market, oversized, […]

Research Trips Developing a sense of place is one of the best tools a writer can use. When I’m teaching and coaching writing, I always encourage my students to immerse themselves in their fictional worlds. If we want our future readers to feel an attachment to the pages they’re inhabiting, then we have to do […]

The Sketching Process The first step of writing a new book doesn’t actually involve writing for me. Before I open my laptop or write a single word, I start with sketches. I sketch out the setting, characters and outline key plot points. It always feels a bit like returning to my elementary school art classroom. […]

Waking Up From a Dream I often get asked whether I sleep well at night and if my dreams are consumed with stories and potential plot lines. Readers want to know if I wake up with a fully developed book idea. My answer is always no. I wish, but no. Story ideas come to me […]

The Journey Begins Around this time last year, the world looked very different. Book events, travel, college tours we were planning to take with our high schooler were all canceled. We had no idea what the future was even going to look like. I remember journaling, taking long walks in the trails near my house […]

What’s your star sign, and do you connect with its characteristics? I’m a Gemini (bring on the twin personalities). 👯‍♀️ Jules from my Bakeshop Mysteries is a creative and ethereal Pisces. 🐟 Sloan from my Sloan Krause Mysteries is a Cancer who cares deeply about putting down roots and maintaining traditions. 🦀 Are you looking […]

I took a similar book stack picture a couple of years ago and I can’t believe how quickly the books seem to multiply. ⁣ ⁣ 2020 has been one of the most challenging years of my life. There’s been deep heartbreak for so many losses, and yet as the year comes to end I’m filled […]

Join me for a night of cozy mystery fun to celebrate the release of CHILLED TO THE CONE, book 12 in my Bakeshop Mystery Series. I’ll be sharing some new locations here in Ashland that make appearances in this book, talking about the series and what’s to come in 2021 and beyond, answering reader questions, […]