My story “Her Perfume” due out in the Mesdames of Mayhem’s music-themed anthology, In the Key of 13, on October 26th is set in the Welsh town of Chepstow, a place I’ve visited many times. Yet despite Chepstow boasting one of the oldest imposing Norman castles, it’s not as well known as a tourist spot.… Read the rest
Category: Writing

13 Claws Book Launch in Time for Halloween
MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! The Mesdames of Mayhem are launching their latest mystery anthology, 13 Claws, just in time for Halloween. Lo and behold! My story “That Damn Cat” is in the book. The book launch on Saturday, October 28, 2017 from 2 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. will take place at Sleuth of Baker Street, Toronto’s bookstore specializing in crime and mystery books.… Read the rest

Color in “Journey into the Dark”
In my short story “Journey into the Dark“, published in the anthology Passport to Murder for Bouchercon 2017, color plays an important role in reflecting the various actions and moods of my characters. The most obvious is the play of light and darkness. The crates, the windowless van, the black hole are examples of the evil that engulfs Amira.… Read the rest

Creating Setting for the Crime Story “That Damn Cat”
The five key elements of any story are characters, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. In this post I will talk about how I went about choosing and creating the setting for my latest crime short story, “That Damn Cat“.
Why I Chose Toronto for the Setting
There are a number of factors why I chose Toronto for my story.… Read the rest

Story Selected for Passport to Murder Anthology
Forgive me. I’m still walking on air after discovering my crime fiction short story “Journey into the Dark” qualified as one of the 18 for inclusion in Bouchercon 2017’s anthology, Passport to Murder. I had never written a short story before. (I’m not counting the unfocused prose I wrote before Christmas 2016 that my darling daughter declared not to be a story, but did have promising elements.)… Read the rest