November ’21

When I share with friends that I write every day I’m on vacation, many of them are aghast. Shouldn’t vacation be a break from the usual routine and a time to clear your head, some ask. But writing on vacation is not a chore or something I force myself to do, it’s a real pleasure. There’s something energizing about writing in a totally fresh and exciting setting, plus, if I’ve dabbled a bit in my work while away, it’s so much easier to get back into the groove when I return.

I didn’t write a ton on the trip I recently took to Ireland with my husband (btw, almost everyone there is vaccinated, plus you have to be vaccinated to go to museums and restaurants, so I never felt nervous about coming down with Covid on the trip), but I did get on my laptop every day, and it was really inspiring to work on my next suspense book while occasionally glancing up to a view of Dublin rooftops or a misty lake in Western Ireland.

I loved imagining James Joyce walking the Dublin Streets.

For me, writing on vacation is never a chore.

A Very Special Offer for You

Are there moments during Thanksgiving weekend when you wish you could take a break from turkey and football and enjoy a few minutes to yourself, curling up perhaps with a cup of tea and a book? Well, why not carve out the time for yourself. And I have a suggestion about what to read. The ebook of my latest suspense novel, THE FIANCÉE, will be on-sale for ONLY $2.99 from November 26 until November 30 at all major ebook retailers. It’s a special Thanksgiving weekend offer.

Megan Miranda called THE FIANCÉE, “a tense, simmering…captivating thriller that explores the secrets that lurk just under the surface of a picture-perfect façade.”

What I’m Reading/Watching

The Other Passenger
By Louise Candlish

I was not familiar with Louise Candlish until recently, but I guess I must have seen her latest book, The Other Passenger, on a thriller round-up because suddenly I was reading it, and I’m so glad I found my way there. I loved this book, not only for its wicked plot but also because of the fantastic, dark, sly humor. What a clever, delicious read.

Deadwind, Season 2
Netflix

Boy did I have a treat last week. Somehow, I’d missed the fact that season 2 of this Finnish thriller series was now available, but after I made the wonderful discovery, I began devouring it. Totally gripping. I just wish some of these female cops in contemporary series would make the time to get their roots touched up.

What I’m Cooking

Don’t you love it when a simple, easy recipe is not only good but for some magical reason the whole is even greater than the sum of the parts, meaning the results are better than you could imagine those ingredients adding up to?
That’s what happens with this chicken and mushroom dish from Mark Bittman. No fancy adds, not even herbs, but the flavor created from the mushrooms, wine, and butter is out of this world. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I made it three times in one week.

Until next month,