THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY – Nights in White Satin -March 2, 2026

The question most often asked of writers is, “Where do you get your ideas?” Novel writers are lucky. They don’t need to come up with a new idea more than once a year (or twice if they’re prolific). On the other hand, short story writers are more likely to produce a whole story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, as often as once a month. The superstars among us seem to be able to do it even more often than that. I have no idea how they manage it.

As for me, my annual New Year’s resolution for the last six years has been to write, rewrite, and rewrite again, and then submit a story to an editor or publisher at least once a month. Please don’t ask me how often I’ve managed it. Somehow, though, I’ve been fortunate to have 31 of my stories accepted for publication thus far.

I had no idea what I was doing at first, but the key to the dilemma of pulling new ideas out of the air became a lot easier when I learned to look for anthologies that were seeking submissions. The advantage of anthologies over magazines and other potential markets was that anthologies always have a theme. To be considered for publication, all you have to do is find a story to fit the theme. Not as easy as it sounds, though.

When I stumbled on the call for submissions for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Songs of the 60’s, I had an aha moment. How hard could it be to come up with a song from an era I knew, up close and personal? When I researched the top songs of the era, I was surprised to see that “Nights in White Satin,” one of my favorites because of its poetic ambiguity, wasn’t actually called “Knights in White Satin.” The lyrics made more sense without clunky armor being involved.

The story showed itself in the guise of a beautiful old mansion a block from my house that was frequently rented out for weddings. White satin! It would be the perfect setting for a murder. Adding to the mix, PTSD was in the news often. I envisioned a wedding photographer who had survived Afghanistan only to find herself caught up in the hazards of trying to keep prima donna brides happy.

You’ll have to read the story to see how it all worked out. I’ll just say that unlike in romance stories, happy endings are not guaranteed. Stay tuned for next month and the story behind "An Orchid to Die For."

“NULLA DIES SINE LINEA” – February 1, 2026

Since the beginning of 2025, these words have been taped over my desk although I know no Latin. I came across them in an article about advice for fighting off writer’s block. NO DAY WITHOUT A LINE. How hard could it be? Write one line every day to get the creative juices flowing, in spite of anything life threw at you. Sure. Easy peasy. Until real life got in the way.

Distractions during 2025 came from every direction. The adoption of a needy, untrained, eight-year-old Shitz-oodle for one. Arlo arrived in April, un-housebroken, un-leash trained, ferocious with other dogs, and suffering from major separation anxiety. My days were consumed with his needs. After months of hard work, he overcame his issues with the help of Prozac. Really. Too bad he refused to share.

At the end of each day, no writing had been done, not even one line. I’m in awe of writers who have young children but still find a way to churn out whole books on a regular basis. Maybe I’m just too old to learn to juggle.

2025 also brought a cascade of medical problems that left me without the energy to attempt any form of creativity and provided more excuses for not writing. I resisted the impulse to tear down the sign over my desk. Surely, at some point, I’d be back to myself and start writing again. But I didn’t factor in what should have been unthinkable.

The political nightmares that overwhelmed us this past year have interfered with the creative lives of everyone I know. We’ve all wrestled with this question. How important is writing another short story or weaving a beautiful coverlet or relearning to play the clarinet when our world is on fire, burning down everything that was good about our democracy and destroying the moral fiber of our Constitution? Will the forces of evil ill win if we let them control our lives, when the effect is as small as a story not written, a coverlet woven, or a clarinet played?

This blog entry is my answer. Nulla dies sine linea, my friends.

The Girl Who Loved Beethoven - January 30, 2026

When P.I. Zoe Tanner was hired by world-renowned symphony conductor Nathan Hancock to persuade his one-night stand to stop harassing him, Zoe couldn't resist the challenge. What could possibly go wrong? You'll find the answer in "The Girl Who Loved Beethoven," my latest short mystery story appearing in the anthology, CRIMEUCOPIA: Can You Dig It? which is now available in all the usual places.