Hello, Ladies ~

I hope everyone has their decorations in place, their presents wrapped, and their Christmas dinners planned.

My nine-foot decorated Christmas tree brings me so much joy that I’m tempted to leave it up until Valentine’s Day. Decorating my tree is my favorite part of the holiday. I love looking at each ornament, remembering the origin of every Santa, reindeer, or angel. Of course, I have a few non-traditional ornaments. There’s a unique half-avocado, a stack of books, and my oldest son’s clay handprint from his third-grade art project.

A few years ago, Norman and his family joined us for Thanksgiving, and the grandkids were excited to decorate my tree. It was fun to tell them stories behind some of the ornaments. And grandpa and I enjoyed watching them take turns hiding the dill pickle from each other.

This year, they spent the holiday with us again, and we had the tree ready for decorating. But time changes things, and our now 15 ½-year-old granddaughter, Sloan, preferred watching from the couch. 13-year-old Carter was on a mission to add as many decorations to his area of the tree as quickly as possible. Kendra and Norman handle the placement of ornaments on the tree’s higher branches.

At the end of a lovely visit, the Henson’s headed home, and I put the finishing touches on my decorations. Noticing a glass ball precariously hanging on another ornament, I moved it to a safer place on the tree.

“I bet you can’t leave the tree decorated the way it is this year,” my husband, Randy, said.

“Of course I can,” I replied and resisted moving some of the ornaments Carter had clustered together.

“You’re sure?” Randy tilted his head. “I know how you like certain ornaments in the front and hanging others together for a theme.”

“I think the tree looks beautiful just the way it is.” I smiled and walked away before I could move a glass snowman.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve stopped and looked at the ornaments on my tree. And though I haven’t moved any, Randy was right, I have always placed special decorations toward the front of my fake noble. But I also loved the way Norman, Kendra, and Carter decorated my tree. Sometimes, change is good and helps us see things in a different light.

I’m sure, like me, most of you have discovered that the holiday season’s festivities have made it hard to work on writing projects. But I still try to carve out an hour each day to write. Currently, I’m working on “Fatal Falls,” the 6^th book in my Stoneybrook Mystery Series. In this series, I have recurring characters, think “Virgin River,” and found myself wondering what might happen with the story if I placed the characters in uncomfortable scenarios.

Harley Harper, my heroine, finds herself struggling to connect with her partner, Sheriff Wyatt Stone, since he’s working three different cases. She’s being ghosted by her bestie, Busy, and is thrown into a situation that requires her to rely on Morgan Grey, who is interested in being more than friends. Wyatt’s dedication to his job is challenged when he and his deputies can’t catch a break in their hunt for a serial killer. The sheriff’s department is also spread thin as they race to rescue a kidnapped woman and try to find the person responsible for killing a Stoneybrook resident.

I also decided that some of my supporting characters should have interesting story arcs in this book, so I’m moving them from the back of the Christmas tree to front and center. Can Derrick locate the Stone family’s missing gold? Is Busy keeping something from Harley? Who in the sheriff’s department ends up taking a bullet for a colleague? Which character steps up to bring a serial killer to justice?

“Lost in Loreto” is the 5^th book in my Mexico Mayhem series, and I decided, once again, to approach character creation from a different perspective. All three main characters, heroine Scarlett, hero Javier, and villain Arlo, have serious anger issues from the beginning. So far, their individual challenges are creating an interesting story. Can Scarlett learn to work with Javier, who thinks he’s always right? Can Javier work with his brother-in-law, Dante, considering that both Dante and his father want Javier to pay for abandoning Gabriella? Can Arlo overcome his fiery temper and manage to woo his beautiful captive, Gabriella, into a willing relationship with him?

My beautiful tree watches over me as I write each morning. And though it’s the most wonderful time of year, it’s also a very busy time of year, so who has time to redecorate their tree? I love that embracing a different decorating scheme for my tree has also encouraged me to change my approach to my character’s stories and move them around my “story tree.”

Merry Christmas, Ladies. I hope you all have a lovely and blessed holiday!

Hello, Ladies ~

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reminiscing about last year’s holiday, which was the last family celebration I had with my sister, Lori, and uncle, Terry. Of course, we never truly know when we’ll be called home, but I sensed at the time that it would be their last holiday season here on earth.

Every effort was made to enjoy all the trappings and food that come with Thanksgiving and Christmas. We cooked, laughed, and took lots of pictures to capture the special moments.

As I put up my authentic, fake Christmas tree today, a pang of nostalgia pricked my heart knowing I will most likely never trapse through the woods in search of the perfect Noble tree. Large family holiday gatherings are now a thing of the past with the loss of my sister and uncle.

My mini-melancholy vacation was interrupted when one of my Beta readers called with input on “Chaos in Cabo.”

“I loved this book, Kimila,” she said. “I think this is the best book you’ve written so far. I loved all of the emotional turmoil your main characters faced. Their struggles brought them to life, and I couldn’t wait to see how they worked through their issues.”

I choose Beta readers who I know will always be honest with me. I appreciate being told what is wrong with a character or storyline. Knowing where the problems are helps me rewrite the book and bring everything into a better light.

When I finished “Chaos in Cabo,” I didn’t think it was very good. I attributed my concerns to the fact that the book had been written in starts and stops due to the rough journeys of my sister and uncle. Every time I stopped working on the book, I would lose track of the character arcs and storyline. When I was able to get back to writing, I’d have to read from the beginning to reintroduce myself to the story and find my rhythm.

I’ve never suffered from writer’s block, but the weight of my family’s struggles kept me off balance. And then there are those emotions … sadness, anger, confusion, hopelessness … and many more.

Had my emotions bled into my writing? Did the upheaval in my life thread its way into my characters’ lives? Could it be I had channeled my cornucopia of feelings into my story?

“Chaos in Cabo” had three Beta readers, and I was anxious to hear what the other two had to say. When my next reader texted to see if I could talk about the book, I said I’d call her from my car. “No,” she texted, “I want you to focus on what I have to say, so call when you can listen.”

Alarm bells went off, but I called as soon as I could. Her first words were, “This is the best book yet! The characters were so interesting, I didn’t want their stories to end.”

The conversation continued and was similar to what my first Beta reader said. Imagine my delight when I received the same fabulous feedback from Beta reader number three.

I think as writers we bring parts of ourselves and our lives into the stories we write. Maybe it’s a favorite childhood memory that we have a character share with readers. Or a broken heart served up at the hands of a partner who cheated or left without a valid reason. Then there’s the void left in your life when someone dies.

In “Chaos in Cabo,” my heroine, Detective Socorro Cortés, enlists the help of her former fiancé to solve the murder of his niece’s boyfriend. While trying to solve a murder that she thinks is linked to a scam calling crew, she has to deal with another ex who is trying to win her back. Oh, the emotional rollercoaster she rides!

Lieutenant Amado Peña just wants to help his niece and leave Cabo San Lucas as soon as possible. He knows he can’t risk having Coco break his heart again. But when he’s drawn into her efforts to solve two crimes she believes are connected, he finds himself also wondering whether he still has feelings for Socorro Cortés. Can a broken heart learn to love again?

Alida Burton has two goals in life: to remove abusive men from the planet. And to make as much money as possible from unsuspecting marks. Given her cruel treatment at the hands of previous males, Alida has no intentions of falling in love—ever—until she meets Antonio Ruiz. Could it be that even someone as damaged as Alida can overcome her hatred and trust a man?

The wonderful feedback from my Beta readers has reminded me that even the hardest times in our lives can produce small blessings. “Chaos in Cabo” might have taken longer than my normal timeline to write, but I’m thankful that my emotional baggage allowed me to create unforgettable characters with stories that readers don’t want to end.

Ladies ~ I hope your Thanksgiving holiday brings much joy and many blessings. Gobble, Gobble!!!

Hello, Ladies ~

While I am sad about the loss of three family members over the last three months, I am also relieved that the past eighteen months are behind me. I’m finally back to weaving words together as I work on three novels at once.

I know it sounds daunting—and maybe even a little crazy—but being immersed in a story is my happy place.

The wonder I have for my creativity is endless. I mean, how is it possible to have a character in “Lost in Loreto” looking for a missing wife? A wife, he thought, had divorced him. And at the same time, I’m back in Stoneybrook following Wyatt and his deputies as the hunt for not one, but two killers in “Fatal Falls.” Then, just to keep things interesting, I’m sailing on a 1757 Schooner as it tries to outrun a Spanish Galleon with three youngsters who have been transported from the present back in time in my middle school fantasy novel, “Midnight Sail.”

I’ll admit that while I was dealing with what seemed like endless family issues, I felt that my creativity had abandoned me. It seemed every time I sat down to work on my novel at the time, “Chaos in Cabo,” that I couldn’t string together two sentences that read well. Still, I plodded along, working and reworking sentences, rearranging paragraphs, and adding more chapters.

I’m not going to lie, when my Beta readers reported back that they loved the book, I was thrilled. One even said she thought it was my best book yet. What?!? Now, armed with renewed confidence that my creativity works just fine even if I’m a little distracted, I’m excited again to have three projects to work on at once.

In “Lost in Loreto,” I’m back in Mexico. As luck would have it, I get to visit this city in March while on a Mexican cruise of the Sea of Cortés. I’m excited to stroll the same streets my characters walk. But mostly I like the idea of verifying some of the things I’ve learned about the city via Google searches. Even though I sometimes take creative license with locales, I try to stay as true to the places in my books as possible. Something else I’m excited about with this book is the character dynamics, which already offer huge potential for fun character arcs. Oh, and did I mention there might be a rattlesnake that doesn’t actually have a rattle at the end of its tail?

Of course, my favorite part of being back in Stoneybrook is that I get to write a story thread that honors my son, Derrick, the model for my autistic fictional deputy. I love all of the Stoneybrook characters, most of whom reflect the personalities of people in my life. But it’s also fun creating new characters, and in the case of “Fatal Falls,” the villain is taking an even darker turn than I had planned. One of the upsides of an evil villain is plotting how he will get his just desserts.  Another upside to writing about the town of Stoneybrook is that it’s similar to creating a fantasy or sci-fi world; I can bring my imagination to life in various ways.

Okay, so I’m guessing you’re all scratching your heads, asking how she can write a kids’ book when she’s so dark and twisty. I have had the idea for “Midnight Sail” since I still had kids at home. Then I was going to write the book for my grandkids, now fifteen and thirteen. But a good idea never truly leaves you, and one day I met a ten-year-old boy who brought my main character, Cyrus, to life. After our chance meeting, I couldn’t let go of his winning personality and curious mind. When I started working on the book, it seemed meant to be, because the other characters presented themselves with little effort. Once again, I found myself “sailing” Google, researching pirates and old vessels that once sailed the Oregon coast. As a native Oregonian, I was shocked at the many pirate stories I discovered. Turns out my buried treasure story idea from forty-plus years ago wasn’t such a stretch after all.

Obviously, I’m thrilled to be back in my writing groove. Whether it’s a brief note in the Halloween cards I send to my grandkids, great-nieces and great-nephews, or writing a blog I hope others will enjoy, all writing is good writing.

So, I must bid you adieu and get back to those three stories!!!

Happy Halloween, Ladies!

Hello, Ladies ~

Have any of you cried when you had to kill your villain? I’m not sure why, but it upset me greatly when my villain in “Chaos in Cabo” sailed off a cliff in a hail of bullets. I sobbed as I finished Alida’s story, trying to find comfort in the fact that she sacrifices herself to save Antonio, the man she loves.

Or maybe I listened to a recent reader who said, “I love that your villains find redemption, but don’t you think they should also pay for their crimes?”

Years ago, when I submitted my very first manuscript, “Murder in Margaritaville,” to agents and editors, I received the standard “No Thank You” form letter. But each letter had an interesting addition: You do write a very good villain.

Encouraged by the repeated comment, I studied how I had written my villain. Of course, as with all my characters, my villains are created with traits from people I’ve met throughout my life. From men who treated me badly to women who betrayed our friendship, I have a plethora of evil qualities to attribute to my villains.

I also learned from studying how I wrote my very first villain, Damian Garza, that his character had more depth than my heroine, Clara. Another tidbit was that I wrote Damian in third person instead of Clara’s narrative in first person. However, the biggest revelation was discovering that writing in the voices of my three main characters — the heroine, the hero, and the villain — allowed me to create more three-dimensional characters.

“Murder in Margaritaville” would never obtain an agent or publishing deal. Luckily for me, though, my fabulous friend, Paty Jager, helped me begin my self-publishing journey, and this novel became “Malice in Mazatlán.”

The words, “You do write a very good villain,” have stuck with me throughout my writing career and helped to hone my process. I always start with a title because, for me, the title guides the story. The next book in my Mexico Mayhem Series is “Lost in Loreto.” It took me a few months to decide who was lost and what had caused them to be missing. The cause, of course, originates from my villain’s actions. When the opening line appears in my writer’s brain, I get giddy with excitement to know how the story begins.

Now that I know my villain’s crime, I spend time with him or her asking those pertinent questions: Why? How? When? What? Where? At the beginning of my villain, Arlo’s story, he has no redeeming qualities at this point. But I know from experience that it can change as the other characters begin their search for the missing Gabriella.

In this series, my hero, Javier, is a character who has moved forward from “Chaos in Cabo,” but I needed to introduce a new heroine. In “Lost in Loreto,” this character was a bit of a challenge. When Scarlett Quinn finally materialized, I was thrilled with the direction the story would now take. Oh, what “fun” she’s going to cause.

I usually know the general storyline of the novel I’m writing, although I’ve had characters change the trajectory of their story, which changes everything. In “Lost in Loreto,” I knew as soon as I researched the location of the crime, fleshed out my victim, and wrote the first chapter … what awaits my villain, Arlo. And if my characters stick to their roles, I doubt any tears will be shed when Arlo receives his “punishment.”

Even though I’m back to working on my next WIP, tears still fill my eyes when I think about Alida. I know she needed to pay for her crimes in some fashion, but until I wrote her last two chapters, I didn’t know she would be the one to end her story.

I’ve written six novels and three novellas now, and I’m so thankful for the creative license that self-publishing allows me. Without anyone demanding a finished product by a certain date (except me, of course), I can work on three different books at the same time if I want to.

But I’m also thankful for the time those agents and editors took to tell me: You do write a very good villain.

Happy writing, Ladies, and may all your villains be deliciously villainous!

Hello, Ladies ~

When I was a kid, I loved playing the game of “Clue.” Piecing together the clues to decide if Miss Scarlett killed the victim with a candlestick in the conservatory was exhilarating.

And was there anything better than watching “Perry Mason,” “Matlock,” or “CSI?” I would settle in to watch these shows armed with a pen and pad, making notes of possible clues to help me solve the crime before the episode ended.

A few weeks ago, a writer friend and I were talking about writer’s block, something she’d been struggling with. When I said I never suffer from writer’s block, she raised an eyebrow.

I continued, sharing that my brain sort of takes over and directs my fingers across the keyboard, or guides the pen in my hand across a blank page.

“Can you give me an example?” she asked.

My response, then became my blog for this month …

While I don’t write mysteries per se, I do like to add a touch of mystery to my books. In my first novel, “Peril in Paradise,” I discovered that my writer’s brain had automatically planted clues about my crime and villain. In my series México Mayhem, the reader knows who the villain is from the beginning, but I still create a sense of mystery by adding perfect hidden gems to keep the reader guessing.

Two of my favorite additions were characters who weren’t meant to be in more than a couple of scenes. In “Peril in Paradise,” I created Billy Boyd, who becomes my villain Damian’s cellmate. I didn’t know when I created Billy, initially intending for him to add color to a few scenes with Damian, that he would become his own interesting character.

In “Malice in Mazatlan,” Alba’s only purpose was to paint a picture for the reader of how difficult my villain, Sarita Garcia, could be. But Alba ends up stealing a scene and becoming a perfect hidden gem.

As I reread the current WIP for my México Mayhem Series, “Vanished in Vallarta,” I realized I had added some hidden gems during the first draft that I could now use as clues for the Hero and Heroine as they try to tie a suspect to a murder. When I edited the Villain’s chapters, I discovered I’d done the same thing with her storyline.

Every time I find these intriguing nuggets, I’m in awe of how my brain has placed a little of this and a little of that in the right places of the storyline, which I can now turn into tantalizing tidbits for my readers. Another fabulous thing occurred, too. Without knowingly inserting this information, I created a storyline for my next book, “Lost in Loreto.”

In the first novel, “Redneck Ranch,” of my Stoneybrook Mysteries, I added stab wounds to my victim and placed her on the dirt floor of an old barn. But I didn’t know at the time the stab wounds would reveal Morse Code for a number or that the barn floor being void of blood would suggest a different crime scene for this victim.

I just finished a short story, “Jamboree Jealousy,” for an anthology, and when I did my read-through, I smiled at the hidden gems I’d already added to the story: A missing cowboy hat. A gold hoop earring. A few pages with lyrics for a song.

I hope there are many Hidden Gems in your writing endeavors, too! Happy Writing, Sisters!