I am just about moved into our new-to-us home. One more week and I’ll have everything moved and will be settled into the smaller house. Downsizing is not easy! After 47 years, 4 kids, 12 grandkids, 2 great grandkids, I have boxes of photos that I’ve been going through. getting rid of duplicates and bad images from the days when you took the film in to be printed.
I have more furniture than this house can hold, but at the same time, I need to purchase furniture to fit in smaller spaces.
And don’t get me started downsizing from a walk-in closet to a 7 ft long closet in a 1952 older house. I see some remodeling going on in the bedroom down the road. Right now we are concentrating on making the kitchen and dining area larger.
Many of the things I’m doing to move relate to my writing.
Watching for duplicate words or words that aren’t strong enough.
making better word choices that fit the scene or the character even if the word had worked well before.
Shortening sentences to be more concise and not take up so much space in the story.
And expanding on the mystery and subplots to show the development of my characters and explore more reasons for the murder.
While I’m making the 4-hour drive back and forth from the old place to the new, I’ve summoned up several scenes and reasons for the actions of my characters in the work in progress.
But the words aren’t popping up on the computer screen because when I do finally have time to sit down at the computer, I have emails and promotions to tend to before my brain gives out.
In the last couple of days, I’ve thought about moving my deadline for this book out, but then it feels like I’m copping out. Instead, I’ll spend the rest of the month pushing to finish the book and know it will be published a bit later than I’d planned, but I managed to write it within my deadline.
That is the hardest part of writing for me. Not lambasting myself when I miss a deadline. When I put it out to the universe that something will happen or be finished, I don’t make excuses. I push and make it happen. It is my greatest strength as a writer. Self-discipline.
I can’t remember if I mentioned that Book 8 in the Spotted Pony Casino is now available in print and ebook.
When the past knocks on their door, the future they planned begins to unravel.
On the brink of their wedding, Dela Alvaro and Heath Seaver’s plans shatter when a ten-year-old boy appears, claiming to be Heath’s son. The truth is even darker: the boy’s mother—the woman Heath thought died years ago at Pine Ridge—was an FBI informant hidden under a new identity, left to raise his child alone before dying of addiction.
As Heath wrestles with awe for the son he never knew and fury at the FBI’s deception, the past turns deadly. When the agent who lied to him is found murdered in Pendleton, the FBI shows up on Dela’s doorstep, bringing danger straight to their home.
With their future on the line, Dela and Heath must confront a web of secrets before it destroys the family they’re just beginning to build.
Right now I’m transitioning from rural life to town life. We purchased the house in town the fall of 2024 because we were putting our farm up for sale and wanted to know where we would be going when it sold. That chapter was exciting and full of wistfulness of finding the right home.
We did. I love the view from all of my windows. We are isolated enough that we aren’t looking into any neighbors’ windows and we have a gorgeous view of the Eagle Cap Mountains that I write about in my Gabriel Hawke books and the Elkhorns which will be referred to in my Cuddle Farm Mystery series. Out the dining room window we see a couple of rooftops and a hill my hubby knows elk are going to come over when there is a bad winter. 😉
Eagle Caps from my living room window.
It’s an older house so there has been painting, fixing, and soon a remodel because the kitchen and dining room are too small. But first I will be moved into the house by April 1st. That’s when we are to be off of our farm. Hubby will stay on helping the dairy that he’s been managing hay fields for the last twelve years. Just for this summer to help the person taking over. He’ll stay there in a mobile home on the hay ranch and come help make out new place the way we want on long weekends.
I’m excited about a smaller house to clean, I can run to the store whenever I want, not make a list when I run out of things and have to wait until someone goes to town. I’m excited for the things I can attend without having an hour drive to and from the event. I’m also close to all the areas I write about in my mystery series. That is a real plus. I hope to get to more Native American events and culture a few more connections.
Hiking a wash in Hurricane, UT.
This is not the last chapter in my life but it is certainly one of the most looked forward to. I’ll continue to write, but we also hope to do a bit more traveling around the U.S.
We spent a week last month in southern Utah, hiking in parks and enjoying the weather and scenery. We plan to do that for a couple weeks every winter to get out of the longer, colder (usually) winters than we are used to.
I’m excited to see how the changes, might enhance my stories by living so much closer and being able to do even more trips to locations. I’m only an hour and a half away from the Umatilla Indian Reservation the location of my Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series.
Right now, I’m trying to get all the rooms ready to put the furniture that will fit in and try to keep up with writing on my current book, Captured Hummingbird, book 15 in the Gabriel Hawke novels.
As a reader can you tell when a writer knows the area they are writing about?
Writers, do you like to see places first hand if you write about real places?
From Memoirs to Mystery: Crafting a New Narrative Through Healing Writing has always been my sanctuary—a place where I can sift through the cacophony of life’s experiences and find meaning. After penning two deeply personal memoirs about my journey through domestic violence and the healing that followed, I never imagined that my next literary endeavor would take a sharp turn into the realm of mystery and murder. Yet, here I am, sharing with you the unexpected evolution of my writing journey.
The Healing Power of Words Before I delve into the origins of my latest book’s premise, I must first acknowledge the role my memoirs played in my life. They were not merely books; they were lifelines. Writing them gave me the courage to confront my past, the compassion to forgive myself, and the empowerment to advocate for change. Each word was a step toward healing, an act of defiance against a world that often silences survivors.
As I shared my story, I realized how deeply connected I was with others who had walked similar paths. This connection fueled my desire to continue writing—not just for myself, but for those who needed their voices amplified and their stories told. But after two memoirs, I found myself at a crossroads. I wanted to explore new narratives and challenge myself creatively while continuing to honor the themes of courage and resilience.
The Birth of a Mystery The idea for a mystery novel came to me unexpectedly, like a whisper in the quiet moments of reflection. It began with a question: What if the very skills I had honed while writing my memoirs could be used to craft a story that was both thrilling and meaningful? Could I weave a tale that captivated readers while subtly addressing themes of empowerment and justice?
The premise for the book took root in my mind while I was reflecting on the concept of duality. In life, as in writing, we often wear many hats and navigate different roles. I was intrigued by the idea of exploring the dual nature of people and circumstances—the light and the dark, the seen and the unseen. This duality became the cornerstone of my mystery novel.
Characters with Depth and Purpose My transition from memoir to mystery was guided by the essence of character development. In my memoirs, authenticity was paramount. I had to be truthful, raw, and vulnerable. In crafting my mystery, I applied the same principles to my characters. They had to be real, flawed, and relatable.
At the heart of my story is a protagonist who embodies resilience and strength. This character is a survivor, much like myself, and her journey is one of empowerment. She navigates a world filled with secrets and shadows, using her intuition and determination to unravel the truth. Her past, marked by adversity, becomes her greatest asset as she faces new challenges.
A Plot Rooted in Reality The plot of my mystery novel is woven with threads of real-world issues that resonate with me deeply. It’s not just a tale of whodunit, but a narrative that examines justice, moral ambiguity, and the power dynamics inherent in society. These themes emerged from my lived experiences and my advocacy work, reminding me that fiction can be a powerful vehicle for change.
The setting, too, is steeped in authenticity. Drawing on my life’s journey, I crafted environments that reflect both beauty and menace. The juxtaposition of a seemingly idyllic community with its hidden undercurrents of treachery underscores the novel’s central conflict. Just as survivors often navigate the complexities of their own environments, my characters must traverse a landscape where nothing is as it seems.
Empowerment Through Storytelling Writing a mystery allowed me to explore empowerment in a new light. While my memoirs focused on personal empowerment, my novel broadens the scope to include communal and systemic empowerment. It challenges readers to question their assumptions and consider the broader implications of justice. The process of writing this book was an empowering journey in itself. It required me to step beyond my comfort zone, to trust my instincts, and to embrace creativity as a tool for advocacy. Every twist and turn in the plot was an opportunity to highlight the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of standing up for what is right.
A Message of Hope and Courage Ultimately, my mystery novel is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling. It is a reminder that we all have stories worth telling and that our voices matter. Through the lens of fiction, I hope to inspire readers to confront their own truths, to seek justice, and to find strength in vulnerability. In writing this book, I discovered that the line between memoir and mystery is not as stark as it seems. Both genres require honesty, courage, and a willingness to explore the depths of human experience. Both offer the chance to connect, to heal, and to advocate for change.
As you turn the pages of my mystery novel, I invite you to embark on a journey of discovery—a journey that echoes the resilience of survivors everywhere. May it inspire you to embrace your own story, to seek the truth, and to find empowerment in unexpected places. Together, let us continue to write new chapters of hope and courage in the book of life.
Bodies Under the Bluebonnets (no cover)
Book 1 in the Secrets Never Sleep series.
Sara Matthews comes to China Grove searching for peace. After a lifetime shaped by control, fear, and survival, she buys a neglected house on the edge of a small Texas town, hoping distance and silence will finally offer her a fresh start.
But peace is hard to find when bodies begin turning up beneath the bluebonnets.
As the town reels, Sara becomes entangled in a murder investigation that exposes long-buried secrets, betrayals, lies and dangerous loyalties. Police Chieff Dean Williams believes the deaths are connected—and the closer he gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that Sara’s past has sharpened instincts others ignore.
Having learned to read danger long before it shows its face, Sara recognizes the warning signs no one else wants to see. Yet each step toward the truth draws her deeper into a web of threats, where trust is fragile and survival is never guaranteed.
When the case finally closes, Sara learns one unsettling truth: China Grove has been hiding secrets for decades—and the land remembers all of them.
Bodies Under the Bluebonnets is the first novel in the Secrets Never Sleep Series, a gripping small-town Texas mystery in which buried crimes resurface, and a woman who survived one kind of violence must face another to reclaim her life.
Available Late Spring 2026. Be the first to know when Bodies Under the Bluebonnets is released—follow kathysechrist.substack.com for launch updates, behind-the-scenes details, and early announcements.
Parris Blue Photo
Kathy Sechrist is a survivor of domestic violence and a dedicated advocate for those who have experienced similar trauma. Through her powerful and honest writing, she shares her journey of healing and resilience, offering hope and support to others. Kathy is passionate about raising awareness of the prevalence of abuse and breaking the cycle of silence that often surrounds it. Critics and readers praised her work for its raw vulnerability and its ability to connect with readers on a deep emotional level. Kathy resides in the Hill Country of Texas with her companion, Dean, and Toby the cat, Warlord of the house.
After a reader asked me how I developed my characters, I decided to share how I came up with each of my main characters in my mystery series. Today, I’ll explain how Dela Alvaro of the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries came about.
In the beginning, Dela was actually a main character in a short story I entered in an anthology contest. The story didn’t make the book, but the character stuck with me. At the time she was from a tribe in California because the story had to be set in that state.
Dela Alvaro
As I wrote the short story, her life became clearer and clearer to me and I could see her as an Indigenous person from NE Oregon. When that idea stuck and I had been interviewing a Umatilla woman who helped me with my Stolen Butterflybook in the Gabriel Hawke novels, I knew that Dela would be head of security for a fictional casino. She made her debut in the book Stolen Butterfly, helping Hawke find a missing woman.
From there I spun off her own series. Using the information I gleaned from the Umatilla woman about tribal police and casino security (she had been a security guard at the real Wildhorse Casino), I sketched out my fictional casino, imagined her duties and how she could use her position to help with police investigations.
She was raised on the reservation by a single mom. Dela was told her father died before she was born and he was Hispanic. She believed this until the day she discovered a photo of a Umatilla man who looked a lot like her. A man no one wanted to talk about. Not wanting to cause her mother, a school teacher on the reservation, any unhappiness, she talked it over with her high school boyfriend who also had a missing father. Another thing they bonded over.
To give her a strong need to protect Indigenous women, I had Dela’s best friend in high school found murdered along the interstate when she should have rode home from Pendleton with Dela. Her guilt over her friend makes Dela’s desire to find missing and murdered women’s attackers her first priority. She must save others to atone for not saving her friend.
After that happened, she joined the army and left the reservation. Leaving behind a worried mother and a heart-broken boyfriend. But she needed to leave to think and become stronger. During her time in the Army, she became an MP and would have made it her career if a bomb hadn’t ripped off her lower right leg and filled her with shrapnel.
She returned to her childhood home to recuperate and had the opportunity to get a job as a security guard at the casino and worked her way up quickly when they realized her skills. She had wanted to join law enforcement but with her disability she would have been restricted to desk duty and that isn’t her style.
To her dismay she discovers that a Special Ops officer she butted heads with and had a crush on is an FBI agent stationed in Pendleton. Their lust for one another is palpable but they both know that they aren’t meant to be together and argue instead. Then Dela’s high school sweetheart returns to the reservation and wants to rekindle their relationship. It works. Heath has always been the person she could talk to and who would listen and trust her judgement. He joins the tribal police.
Together, Heath at the tribal police, Quinn at the FBI, and Dela with her good instincts and contacts in the casino security and surveillance, the three make a formidable trio when someone at the reservation is killed or threatened.
That is how I came up with Dela. By sitting down and thinking about her strengths, you read about above which could also be her weaknesses. Her other weaknesses are : Action before thought, feeling she isn’t a whole person, and taking in strays.
The action before thought is how Heath makes her a complete person. He is methodical and can keep her from reacting without thinking. Because of her loss of limb and inability to have children she feels she is damaged. While she acts and talks tough she has a soft spot for anyone or thing that needs help. Her strays are the three-legged dog she named Mugshot and Jethro, the donkey she was asked to take care of by a neighbor and was nearly killed and suspected of killing the woman’s husband.
I hope this gives you an idea of how I put together Dela Alvaro.
Right now I have a special- get all three first in series mystery books bundled together for FREE in ebook or audiobook. It’s my gift to readers this holiday season.
I was intimately affected by the bombing in Dublin in 1974. As depicted in the excerpt from the book (see my website: http://maxburgerauthor.ag-sites.net/ I was a student assisting in the surgery of a victim. The description of the procedure was real. Our uncertainty of both the outcome and the identity of the victim was real as well. Never having experienced the chaos of a trauma case when minutes could mean life or death, and the unpredictability of the outcome, made me acutely aware of the tension in the room. As primarily an observer, my mind raced over the possibility of what might happen and the sad anonymity of a John Doe. The nature of the injury and the markings on the body only added to my questions. This man may have gotten his wounds in any number of ways; the speed that was needed to repair them did not allow for careful review and analysis with a plan for the outcome as it might in an elective surgery. The black rose tattoo added to the questions — a symbol of the Irish resistance to British rule. Whether this person was a member of the IRA or just a proud Republican, I never found out, but the question prompted a momentary pause in the surgery and, for me, the idea of a story of identity. The idea of a pathologist who puts together the pieces came naturally since a dead person could tell a story even if it had to be translated by the skillful eyes and hands of a pathologist. I had seen enough autopsies as a student to know the process and practiced medicine long enough to know the diseases that inhabited the bodies of the dead.
The politics of the time overlaid all the facets of Irish life but were brought into sharp focus with the bombing. I, as most students, was more involved in my social life and studying than following the news which was most violent in Northern Ireland and along the border, as distant as the war in Vietnam was a series of terrible stories that I left at home. We were relatively safe in Dublin until the reality of the violence hit the peaceful city. We all were changed with the bombings, as was my protagonist, Harold Stokes, and his assistant, Samantha Monaghan. Actions needed to be taken.
This is now a work of history and memory, but the circumstances felt very real. I wrote the novel to work through the feelings I couldn’t forget.
EVEN IN DEATH
After the Dublin car bombings in 1974, Harold Stokes, ME, and his new assistant, Samantha Monaghan, begin the last autopsy of the casualties. This unidentified victim is not an Irishman, but an Israeli, killed by a bullet, not a bomb. Before they can finish their task, the body is stolen. Stokes and Monaghan hunt for the victim, but Stokes is also looking for the killers who caused his wife and daughter’s bombing deaths two years before. In their hunt, he and his impetuous young assistant are enmeshed in a web of IRA and Palestinian arms trades with a terrorist known as the Jackal, the Mossad, more factional killings, and the manipulations of an Irish ex-minister using his power to take advantage of the turmoil.
Max Burger is a retired Family Physician, His novel Even In Death, a mystery/thriller of a 1970s Dublin pathologist searching for a stolen body, was published by Rogue Phoenix Press in December 2023. He has completed another novel, My Father’s Father, a Holocaust Family Saga. The first chapter was published in October 2023 in Embark, a literary magazine, and another excerpt, “Lost and Found,” was published in jewishfiction.com in September 2024. He has published personal interest stories in Medical Economics, JAMA, and AMA News.
Ladies of Mystery 
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