Be Careful What You Say

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But where’s the fun in that? “She’s going to kill him!” my writer friend said, in a loud of enough voice and with convincing enthusiasm to be heard across the lobby while we waited for the elevator in my apartment building. We had just returned from a brisk, evening walk while we  brainstormed her newest Christian suspense. A neighbor entered the area just as my friend finished illuminating her plot and announced the crux of her heroine’s dilemma. The poor man’s eyes bugged. I can only imagine the thoughts going through his mind. “What have I just overheard?” We reassured him we…

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To a Story

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“She’s cute, and perky, and all the things I’m not.” That’s how my real life persona, Donna Schlachter, describes me. I’m not sure why, because she’s a pretty swell person herself. Still, I suspect it’s because she likes to live vicariously through me. Kind of like a split personality. Maybe all authors are that way. We live our lives through our characters. Putting them in situations most of us would never experience. When I wrote the first book in this series, I had a character, an occupation, and a murder—but I didn’t know whodunit, or why. I got to within two…

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A Few of My Favorite Things

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I realized recently that a few of my favorite things and creatures have names beginning with the letter C. A fine example is Capsized by Death, the fourth of my Jo Oliver thrillers releasing Dec. 2, 2019. My dog’s name is Christie—short for “Christie, The Christmas Pup.” Well into her eleventh year, we’ve been a tight team since she first crawled up my leg like a little kitten when she was six weeks old.  She rocked my world in the earliest days of a long period of pain in my life. Experiencing her little heartbeat and loving personality remains a…

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Watch Your Language!

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Often times when we are on the cell phone or having a conversation in a public place, we become oblivious to others within listening range.  At a restaurant, I was helping a fellow author friend plot her novel. She had reached a stagmire in the plot, basically dug a whole for her protagonist that she couldn’t climb out of.  It involved a murder. As we brainstormed the crime, I  glanced over her shoulder to the next booth where an elderly woman appeared wide-eyed and nervous. She quickly glanced way when our gazes locked.  Sensing her angst, I slipped out of…

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Oops

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We all have experienced that sinking feeling when a typo slips through our scrutiny and that of editors and proofreaders. The editors of this magazine probably gets that, don’t you think? Guess she is NOT a vegan.   COMMAS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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Friday Funny…

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Do not shampoo in the shower. Stop that habit right now!   I just noticed what it states on my shampoo bottle: Adds Volume and Fullness. With all those suds cascading down as we rinse our heads, no wonder Americans can’t lose weight!     Julie Cosgrove Romantic suspense, cozy mysteries, digital ministry www.juliebcosgrove.com

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A Starry-eyed Kid

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One day, my friend, Kim, was teaching her toddler about the American flag. She pointed to the stars on the flag, and told the little girl that each star was for one of the 50 states in our nation—like Arizona, Texas,California, Ohio, Wisconsin, and so on, until she listed all of the states. When Kim finished, her little girl looked up and with wide-eyed innocence said, “Which star is for Baby Jesus?” Thank  you, Jackie M. Johnson, for sending us this and sharing it with us! Jackie M. Johnson is an author and blogger. Her books include Power Prayers for Women, the breakup recovery resource When Love Ends…

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Oops, Wrong Man!

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Oops, Wrong Man! Being blind never stopped me from traveling alone across the country or abroad to speaking engagements. But in one of those rare occasions that my hubby accompanied me, a funny thing happened to me as we headed back home. At the airport, we crossed the security point. So far, so good. As I usually do, after I put my belt back on and hung my purse on my shoulder, I extended my arm and looped it around my husband’s arm. We began to walk away. Suddenly, someone gripped my other arm from behind. How rude, I thought….

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Funnies from Court Reporters’ Records

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“Nutty with a Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here, with some funnies from court reporters’ actual records, to emphasize the importance of choosing your words wisely–unless you’re looking for laughs. These quotes are taken from a book entitled Disorder in The Courts by Charles M. Sevilla and Lee Lorenz, copyright 1999, W. W. Norton and Co. ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? WITNESS: He said, ‘Where am I, Cathy?’ ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? WITNESS: My name is Susan!

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