I’m writing PLOTTED, book #2 of my new Sugar Mill Marketplace series. Right now, the Marketplace consists of a used bookstore, bakery, chocolate shop, photography studio, and a cheese shop. My cheesemonger, Skyler (think Meg Ryan back in the day), is teaching a charcuterie board class after the Marketplace closes one Friday night, so I had to do some research about how to design cheese … Continue reading A Writer’s Charcuterie

I stumbled on some old assignments I’d written for various English classes in college. Before I read them, I braced for cringe-worthy prose. Kinda cringy, but not entirely terrible. I was struck by several things. I still do pretty good with titles… Forty years on I continue to struggle with tense shifts … And I’ve yet to learn the difference between satire and irony. Some … Continue reading Oh, the Irony!

The other day I stumbled on a list of Top Ten Irritating Phrases, as one does when one is searching for yet another synonym for “looked.” • At the end of the day• Fairly unique• Hashtag blessed• At this moment in time• With all due respect• I’m just being honest• Shouldn’t of• 24/7• It’s not rocket science• I could care less I would like to … Continue reading The Ear of the Beholder

I was out with writer friends recently and the discussion turned to language, as it does. We were at Happy Hour after our Sisters in Crime meeting. During the meeting that morning, someone used the word “peripatetic.” Because I’m me, I loudly confessed my ignorance and demanded a definition. (Turns out I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know, so YOU’RE WELCOME, CLASS!) The only … Continue reading But Officer, I’m Sure That’s Right!

I sat down on Monday to think of what I wanted to write about here, right after I read Leslie’s post about Marilyn vos Savant. I had a couple of ideas, but they weren’t exciting me, and if they weren’t exciting me, I can only imagine what they’d do to you. So I pulled out my Fat Folder of Fervid Fun, otherwise known as my … Continue reading If You Were Made Out of Glass

I love maps. If I had known the word cartographer as a kid, I might have had an entirely different career trajectory. I’ve talked many times about my huge family and how we’d drive all over Colorado when I was growing up. What I might not have told you is that I used to get carsick on those rides. In an effort to keep me … Continue reading The One Where Becky Learns a New Word

I was busy doing Very Important Work—okay, fine, I was working the Sunday crosswords—when I heard birds squawking and the neighbor dogs barking up a storm. Nala was inside so she and I rushed to the patio door to see if Timmy fell in a well or something. It took a minute for me to see him, but the most elegant fox crossed our yard … Continue reading Where the Wild Things Are

Historians don’t really know the origins of April Fool’s Day (and there is some dispute about how to punctuate it), but some believe it goes back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. In the Julian calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox, which typically occurs somewhere around April 1st. Those sillies who didn’t get the news that … Continue reading Happy April Fish Day

Last Friday night while my husband and I watched a movie, I was shoveling popcorn in my piehole. And yes, I’d rather have been eating pie. When I finally took a breather, I could feel one of the little husks stuck on the right side of my tongue, a bit underneath. I didn’t worry about it; those things always loosen up. But it didn’t. I … Continue reading Things That Get Stuck

They staged the musical “Clue” in my little town recently. If you’re not familiar, it’s a play based on the board game. It has snappy numbers like “Corridors and Halls,” “She Hasn’t Got a Clue,” and “A Conservatory is a Conservative Place for a Contract Killing.” Okay, I just made up that last one. I didn’t see it this time, but my kids were in … Continue reading Ms Clark, at the Kitchen Table, with a Blog

People ask me about the recipes in my Crossword Puzzle mystery series all the time, and it always makes me laugh. I think I’ve told this story here before, so if you’ve heard it, just hum to yourself for this next bit. When I was noodling over the series, thinking about who these people were, I decided that Georgeanne (the mother of Quinn, my sleuth) … Continue reading My Unintentional Culinary Cozy