I write early California rancho-period historicals. Are they westerns? Kind of. Are they Victorians? Kind of. Are they steamy? Definitely. Do they have their own category? They don’t, so they’re kind of on their own. Do you remember Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in that old Zorro movie? It had action, sizzle, humor, and a … Read more

I can’t believe I haven’t written about this. The year was 2007 and we were on our way to Daytona Beach, cruising in our Grand Banks 36 trawler, a great little two-person power boat for long hauls. We’d started the trip earlier that month in Stuart, Florida, and planned to be out about seven months … Read more

Christmas is my favorite holiday. So many lights, so much festive music, so many cookies in my cookie jar. But for some, there are blue notes. Even I succumb once in a while to what I will call emotional nostalgia. I’m a crier. Always have been. Always will be. But I do it in private, … Read more

We all have secrets. Most of us have small ones that we keep because they’re not ours to share or they might hurt someone we care about. Sometimes their importance is blown up in our minds or we’re so used to them we can’t let them go, even though keeping them is no longer important. … Read more

Be honest. Do you like the automated grocery store checkout counters? I’m talking about the ones that are do it yourself and are supposed to save time. I’ve used them on occasion and I thought they were okay if you have a carton of ice cream and your only other option is a line with … Read more