Dear Readers, I’ve been blogging for the last eighteen months, usually every seven to ten days. This past summer I found myself finding excuses not to write: I’m jetlagged; I don’t have enough time; I don’t want to write about the drug war; and, the time between posts increased. Blogging vs. Slogging You may be…
As you may know, I’m a board member for Human Options, a non-profit dedicated to ending interpersonal violence and abuse. I support raising consciousness and awareness about emotional and physical harm. At a recent Human Options board meeting, the Chief Development Officer orchestrated a roleplay for board members on how to share their motivation for…
I’m excited about my upcoming speaking event at the Newport Beach Public Library, this Thursday, October 11, 2018 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. I’ll be sharing some of my research and the stories behind the characters. Below is the poster created by the Newport Beach Public Library’s uber-marketing department. For an entertaining and educational…
Getting published and then promoting my debut novel has brought me into contact with writers that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. One example is my friend, Tina Hogan Grant. Tina emailed me, and we developed an online relationship. Author, Tina Hogan Grant My novel about drugs intrigued her because the father of her child was a…
How do we determine if someone is homeless and genuinely needs help? My husband and I recently saw a man, woman, and two children around seven, eight, or nine-years-old, standing by the entrance to the Bristol Farms grocery store. The mid-forties man held a sign saying: Homeless, Please Help. The four individuals had olive or…
While driving North in the middle lane on Jamboree, a six-lane road in Orange County, California, I noticed a blue Honda in the slow lane with smoke clouds billowing from the driver’s window. Thinking that was a lot of smoke for a cigarette, I passed the car and glanced inside. I noticed the mid-twenties driver…
Last spring I entered the Readers’ Favorite 2018 International Book Awards contest along with two-to-three thousand other authors. Much to my pleasant surprise, Busted received the Bronze award (third place) in the Fiction – Suspense genre. I discovered the first-and-second place winners in the fiction – suspense genre are international best selling authors, then me. Yay! There’s…
I’m honored to be speaking at the Newport Beach Public Library on October 11th, 2018 from 7 until 8 p.m. For the first 45 minutes, I’ll be sharing my research as well as the stories behind the stories, then 15 minutes for questions and answers. This is different information than I shared at Busted’s book launching party. I…
My Lebanese husband and I recently visited Lebanon to attend a family wedding. My husband emigrated to the U.S. through an international exchange program with Coopers and Lybrand in 1974 and became a U.S. citizen in 1985. One brother followed; three sisters remained in Lebanon, and the fourth sister moved to Paris with her husband…
A year ago I read an article in Coast Magazine about a company that trains dogs about rattlesnakes. Concerned about encountering the poisonous reptiles on our walks and hikes, I investigated the service. Rusty, the trainer, explained over the phone that it’s a twenty-minute process. The animal is trained to see, hear, and smell the…
