Happy New Year!

The holiday season arrived so quickly this year that I didn’t even have time to decorate. But I did buy an evergreen arrangement so I could smell the season. I attended three holiday events Christmas weekend – a friend’s holiday open house and music jam; a Christmas Eve dinner party with the kids; and a potluck Christmas dinner and music jam with friends and family. Lots of cooking, eating, and time to visit and listen to music made the celebrations special.

The annual New Year’s Eve party will have an Ugly Sweater theme this year. It will be amusing to see the variety of gaily decorated garments and to see whose is the gaudiest. As a special treat, Ugly Sweater Cookies will be available for decorating.

However you celebrate, I hope the holiday season has brought you happiness and warm memories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been really busy here at the police department with so many open cases, but I just wanted to take a moment to say ‘hi’ and give you an update on Millicent Hart. We have been investigating several persons of interest who might be involved in Mrs. Hart’s disappearance, and we hope to determine her whereabouts soon.

Detective Scott McGregor

PS – If you are not a turkey lover, come on down to my mother’s Basque restaurant. It’s the best in town!

Holiday chores? I’d rather be writing

As much as I’ve been looking forward to November, my first official National Novel Writing Month, I feel overwhelmed with everything that happens this time of year. Work is crazy-busy, the holiday season with all of its social and family commitments is beginning, and those darn household chores are never-ending. And this year, for the first time, I’m adding NaNoWriMo participation and daily writing sessions into the mix.

Balancing all this requires discipline and skill. An image of Inspector Clouseau and The Pink Panther theme song cross my mind as I examine ways to manage my dilemma. Ah-hah! Holiday get-togethers will be potluck style. Outside help will be hired for the household chores. Crisis averted! This will leave more time for writing.

I hope you also have strategies in place for successfully navigating the busy holiday season ahead.

Have you seen Millicent Hart?

Hand on heart in thanks

Arts Holding Hands and Hearts (AHHAH), one of my favorite expressive arts, literacy, and community-building nonprofit organizations, was founded and is directed by Jan Michener, an amazing woman who lives near Philadelphia. I have followed her work for years and admire her greatly. Although characters in my novels are purely fictional, Jan is one of the influences for a character in The Disappearance of Millicent Hart, the first book in the Detective Scott McGregor mystery series. I am honored to be featured on the AHHAH Facebook page.

Mac's on his way

There's a new supersleuth in town ... or at least there will be in 2018 when mystery author DJ Piper publishes the first in the Detective Scott McGregor series. Keep an eye on this site as the plot unfolds.