When a true story holds both impossible mystery and romance … The heart of mystery is perfection. The writer needs to find the perfect ‘crime’ with which to begin. The reader should not be able to work it out. If you committed it, you could … get away with it. As a writer you need to force yourself into becoming a master detective, into solving the mystery in a way in which you outsmart yourself. You need to discover the flaw in what you thought was perfect. But what if you discover a true story that not only holds all of these elements, but is also set in the most romantic city in the world, and encompasses a secret love story from the past, its ghost-like images captivating not only you, but also thousands of bloggers all over the world? This was what happened to me. I was writing a mystery surrounding valuable art. It involved a love affair from the past and I was working with an agency in London. The novel was almost ready. But then, I read about THE PARIS TIME CAPSULE. Now, you see, I adore France. I speak French, and I love history. I have…

Jill Gardner, my heroine in GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER quit her job at the law office, picked up her life, and bought a coffeehouse/book store in a small coastal California tourist town. Risky you say? I don’t think so. We are drawn to actions that at the time seem foolish to those around us. But maybe, just maybe, it’s a life path correction that needed to be taken. Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken has always been my favorite poem. What would happen if we did take the less traveled road, the one that called to our soul? Some people are better at listening to the universe and choose well the first time. I, on the other hand, have always been one who learns from experience. Like my first marriage. Or a failed business. Thomas Edison said a failed light bulb is one less way it wouldn’t work. Sales courses tell you it takes 25 no’s to get a yes. Twenty-five rejections. Now that’s persistence. I’m on a second career path right now. I built my work experience in a large social service agency. When I left, I tried to run my own business but realized I didn’t like marketing. Funny…

Fresh Pick for Monday, April 28th, 2014 is THE COLLECTOR by Nora Roberts #SuspenseMonday Roberts hits her stride again Putnam April 2014 On Sale: April 15, 2014 496 pages ISBN: 0399164456 EAN: 9780399164453 Kindle: B00FX7REI6 Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List Romance Contemporary, Romance Suspense Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound The Collector by Nora Roberts From #1 New York Times–bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a novel of a woman who needs nothing, a man who sees everything, and the web of deceit, greed, and danger that brings them together—and could tear them apart . . . When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . . Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess…