I’m so sorry I missed my turn in January, but I was a tad bit distracted!
Randy and I spent the last week of 2025 in Arizona, a trip he surprised me with on Christmas Eve. He’s been wanting to buy a place in Arizona for our future retirement … you know, someday!
I haven’t been keen on the idea of moving to Arizona since I love living in Oregon. I love rainy days and early nights, which I see as reasons to write. And I can’t imagine living somewhere without the four seasons. With each season, I’m reminded that change is a good thing.
My husband, on the other hand, hates the rain. He complains about every season except summer and talks incessantly about living somewhere warm in winter. Hence, my Christmas present to Mesa, Arizona.
Even though I had no intention of relocating to Arizona, I convinced myself that it would be nice to get away and relax after the holiday season bustle. Of course, this meant I’d have to endure Randy’s enthusiasm for looking at homes to buy, so I asked God for patience.
We arrived late on Christmas Eve night, ending up at the local Denny’s for a less-than-delicious dinner before arriving at the place we’d rented and falling asleep. The next morning, I frowned at the Keurig (I’ll never understand brewing a cup at a time) and made a cup of coffee.
Since I was up before Randy, who likes to sleep in, I thought maybe I’d find a Christmas movie to watch. Remote in hand, I settled on the couch and began channel surfing. The morning sky was beginning to lighten, and I thought we’d left the porch light on. I crossed the small living room, opened the door, and was greeted by the rising sun.
Every morning, I got up early so I could watch the sun come up. I spent all my free time outside at a patio table, writing and smiling.
Randy had researched and planned several excursions, including one to a nearby lake. As we wound our way out of town, our route took us by a beautiful sight … Superstition Mountains.
My writer’s brain kicked into overdrive, and by the time we’d visited the lake, stopped for lunch, and began our journey back to Mesa, I had a heroine, a cover, and a mystery plot.
Let me introduce Sapphire Stone, cousin to Wyatt, Derrick, and Blake Stone from my Stoneybrook Mystery Series. Sapphire, much to her mother’s dismay, is a Private Investigator who also moonlights as a security guard at a cannabis store. Most of her jobs involve following cheating spouses or uncovering insurance fraud. But when she discovers a body in a vehicle crushed by large boulders in a section of the Superstition Mountains, she finds herself a step behind a cunning killer.
I was over the moon to have a new storyline to imagine and build. New characters to create. A new town and state to learn about. And those mountains … oh, the stories that lie hidden in the history of the towering red rock peaks always reaching for the sky.
I’m not sure what came over me, but I’m guessing the bright sunshine sparked my imagination. All of a sudden, I found myself embracing the idea of living in Arizona. After all, we didn’t plan to move away from Oregon entirely. We’d still have our small house in Donald. And we would spend summers at our small cabin on the Siletz River outside of Lincoln City, so I could enjoy the ocean I adore.
I’ve always wanted to live in México, the reasons are many, but as I’m sure you all know, the country is undergoing major changes. I long for the country I first visited thirty-five years ago.
While I still plan to visit the places I love, I no longer feel it is safe to live in México, a realization that has been heavy on my heart.
I believe God gave me more than patience. Everything about Mesa seemed to soften my heart and weaken my resolve. We looked at a few mobile homes in fifty-five-and-over parks, but none met our needs. For me, this was a relief. Even though I was enjoying our trip, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to live in Arizona.
But the minute we walked into the last place on our list, I knew we’d found the perfect home. It was a newer model and had the right layout. The best part, though, was a covered patio area where I could see myself working on a novel.
As I said at the beginning, I was a bit distracted in January because of all the work required to close on our new home in Mesa, Arizona. While we won’t be moving anytime soon, we are planning a ten-day visit in May.
When I write a book, I have to remember to let my characters tell me the story, rather than move them like chess pieces. Advice I should apply to my life, too. When I stopped trying to be “Master of the Universe,” I was blessed with a new home, a happy husband, and a new mystery series to write!
Happy Writing, Ladies ~
Ladies of Mystery 