I’ve read Nothing Ever Happens Here, my current novel, at least 23 times before you, as readers ever see it. That means beginning to end. From the first draft to the moment when I superstitiously write The End and sent it off. I suspect most authors do. I...
It’s taken 3 years to bring By Accident to publication. By Accident is the fifth in my Santa Monica police procedural series. Back in the day, whenever that was, I could write one crime novel a year. That was then. This is now. Things have happened in the meantime....
Anyone who writes will appreciate the joy of getting to an end of a piece of work that hooks all the segments together, ties up all the loose ends, and arrives at the right place to stop. Gasp! The long slog of completing the first draft of my next crime fiction...
Mar Preston – Mystery Author FJ: When did you decide to become a writer? Mar: No decision involved. I slid into it. Being a wordsmith had been important in my working life in academia. I thought everybody could write. Widowed after only 4 days in our retirement...
Detective Dave Mason’s Santa Monica No Dice, Rip-Off, On Behalf of the Family, & A Very Private School, and By Accident are a series of crime fiction novels that take place in Santa Monica, California. .Millions of international tourists flood Santa Monica...
You take your identity for granted. Flash your driver’s license and maybe a credit card, and that’s it. We all know identity theft is lucrative for thieves, misery for the victim. Does this sweet old face below look like it’s laundering drug money? You think the...
Moving back “home” became something new. Surprises at my new life in a new country. Surprises? Canadians like sweet iced tea. Ick. No pennies in circulation. They round up to the nickel. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post this update for...
You don’t realize how time and energy-consuming it is to set up the basics of life, life as we know it in the 21st century. Life, for me, includes an Internet connection, smartphone, and TV, a bank, credit card, driver’s license. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for...
My new life in another country. Quebec City is one of the glories of Canada. My friend Judith Cassis was visiting. We decided to take the train from Ottawa to Quebec City and hit all the highlights. No research, no guidebooks. We’re smart. We’ll figure it...
My friend Judith Cassis and I took an excursion boat out into the mighty St. Lawrence Seaway connecting the inland provinces of Canada to the Atlantic Ocean. The currents in this deep and swift river make it one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. A pleasant...
