Sneak Peek At Mystery In Progress

Posted on June 17, 2022 by admin

It's not every day you meet a man who might have murdered your sister. That's how the next Q.C. Davis mystery starts. This is the one where Quille looks into the murder of the sister for whom she was named: the original Q.C. Davis. No working title yet, but I am about two-thirds through a first draft. And I'm doing something new. Chapters in the earlier books were cleverly titled Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. Creative, right? Quite a few readers told me, though, that you prefer c...

When The Phone Rings At Midnight

Posted on February 24, 2022June 18, 2022 by admin

The Fractured Man Q.C. Davis Mystery Series 3

A midnight phone call rarely brings good news. This idea sparked the opening scene for one of the Q.C. Davis mysteries, The Fractured Man. But it didn’t inspire the plot. I say “industry” because I love self-help minus the industry. Tony Robbins' book Awaken The Giant Within helped me reframe my thoughts and overcome anxiety when it was a real struggle. Other books on happiness, productivity, and success helped me make career changes and improve my relationships. But self-help has ...

Chicago Knows How To Rebuild

Posted on February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 by admin

One reason I love writing the Q.C. Davis mysteries is they highlight what I love about Chicago, where I live. The news is full of bad news about the city (but that's what news is, right?). But Chicago also is home to fantastic restaurants, striking indoor and outdoor art, and beautiful buildings. Sometimes when I'm walking at twilight I stop and stare at the skyline and think how lucky I feel to live here. What you may not know is that this abundance of stunning (and sometime...

New Release: The 5th Q.C. Davis Mystery Is Here

Posted on October 29, 2021October 30, 2021 by admin

The Hidden Man (New Release) He wants his father's killer found, but his secrets kept. She vows to solve the murder no matter what. Will what she doesn't know eventually kill her? Until now, Chicago lawyer Quille C. Davis has investigated crimes, but only to help her loved ones. Now she's been hired to solve the murder of a well-known class action attorney. The victim died with a secret. Quille suspects it relates to his fascination with UFOs, an interest he shared with his long-time gi...

Fictional Detective Visits Real Chicago Restaurants

Posted on October 27, 2021October 27, 2021 by admin

When I started the Q.C. Davis Mystery series I wasn't thinking about restaurants. But they quickly became key to the books. Why? First, because I love dining out. Second, and more important to readers, is that sleuths need to interview a lot of people, and scenes with just questions and answers start to feel repetitive. One way to vary those types of scenes is to set them in places readers might enjoy visiting or to feature food or drinks they want to try. Now the question readers ask me ...

A Sleuth Whose Superpower Is Listening

Posted on October 7, 2021 by admin

I didn’t set out to write a series featuring a sleuth who is kind. All I knew was that to write a private or amateur detective mystery, I needed a main character with special skills. Skills that could help her solve crimes where police failed. My first choice about Quille C. Davis, the sleuth in the Q.C. Davis Mysteries, was an easy one. I made her a lawyer because I am one and know what skills it requires. Sleuth, Lawyer, And Former Actress Like me, Quille appears in court and handles law...

Who Killed The Basketball Coach?

Posted on April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 by admin

No Good Plays (A Q.C. Davis Mystery Novella) His son's basketball coach is dead. She agrees to investigate. But is it worth her life? After solving a crime but losing a friend, Chicago lawyer Quille C. Davis’ plans for the summer are to have fun, catch up on her law practice, and enjoy time on her boyfriend’s boat. Then Detective Sergeant Beckwell, who helped Quille investigate the death of someone close to her, calls in a big favor. His son’s high school basketball coach is dead, ...

Sneak Peek at The Troubled Man (A Q.C. Davis Mystery)

Posted on December 18, 2020December 20, 2020 by admin

Chapter One What’s the one thing you want to do before you die? That question was printed in neon green chalk at the top of a blackboard hanging just inside Niche’s Women’s Room. I hadn’t noticed it when I walked in, but now I studied the chalkboard as I washed my hands. Ten numbered white chalk lines underneath provided spaces for restaurant patrons to write answers. It was early in the evening, and only one diner had filled in an answer. She wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands. Despite a...

Tour A Mysterious Historical Mansion In Chicago

Posted on December 17, 2020 by admin

Last holiday season my niece, a theatrical scenic designer, asked whether the historical mansion depicted in my mystery The Worried Man was real. I told her no, but it was modeled after Chicago Gilded Age mansions. A month or so later she said my Christmas gift wouldn't be ready in time. I never connected it to her question about the mansion. First, our family has a long tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts in March or May and sending birthday presents months late. Second, she's a de...

Do You Know A Middle Grade Child Who Loves To Write?

Posted on September 23, 2020 by admin

I don't have kids of my own, but I do remember being one. While I loved writing fiction, I didn't know how to turn what I wrote into a complete novel. When I saw more than one review saying the reviewer passed one of my fiction writing guides on to a high school student who found it helpful, I started thinking about tailoring a workbook to middle grade kids. (I began writing longer fiction around that age.) But with so many projects on my plate, I didn't get to doing it. (Nothing like too...