Featured Books
Uncharted Drift - A Work in Progress
“Uncharted Drift” is the fifth book in the Caitlyn Jamison mystery series. It is set in Pont-Aven, New York, a town readers may remember from “Deadly Secrets.” Caitlyn is back in Pont-Aven to attend a workshop at the Creative Arts Center. Her relaxing week is disrupted by the unexplained death of one of the instructors, and then her partner and FBI agent Ethan Ewing arrives and tells her that he is working a case dealing with national security. Can these two solve both mysteries?
A new website and a whole new learning experience. One thing I wanted to bring over from the previous site was how Summit arrived in the Caitlyn Jamison Series.
Summit joined the Caitlyn Jamison mystery series team in October 2014, a month after I started writing An Unexpected Death. Readers love him, and he assisted Caitlyn in solving crimes. My daughter refers to my books as “The Summit Series.” Whatever. I’m just thankful I have so many readers that love the books.
Yesterday (April 15, 2026) I had the most delightful session with the West Bay Cove book group. They discussed "The Art of Murder." The comments were so positive and also humbling. Can I do a book this good again? It has given me pause to rethink the characters and plot lines for the next book.
Writing a Story Readers Want to Read: One Scene at a Time
Being an author requires a multifaceted skill set. A writer needs to have a good grasp of language, creativity, interesting characters and setting, and seat in the chair discipline. When the writer types “The End,” it’s not. Ahead are hours of editing and finding qualified beta readers to go through the polished draft. Does the plot line work? Are the characters believable? The setting? Missing end quotes? Grammar and typos are just a few items a writer hopes beta readers will report on. After many more hours of editing, the book is finally ready to publish. But how? Once that decision is made, another skill set is required. The writer has to become a marketing expert. And that’s probably the biggest challenge. Getting yourself and your books out there. Sometimes a writer wonders if it is worth the time and effort. Then I remember why I write and am thankful for the readers who comment after they’ve read my books.