Written Words, a blog for readers

Sunday sample: the new Torn Roots

With the end of the Kindle Worlds program, I am revising all seven of my Kindle World titles. First up is the first KW title, Torn Roots: A Hawaiian Storm, featuring FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm in Hawaii. Get a taste of what’s coming up. Chapter 1: Special Agent Thursday, 4:55 a.m. Vanessa groped in […]

Farewell, Kindle Worlds

This is the Farewell Tour for my Kindle World novels and novellas, and for the many other talented and skillful writers who have contributed to them. In another three days, Amazon says, they will disappear from the virtual shelves in the U.S. (They were never available on the Amazon sites outside the U.S.A.) In other […]

Live blogging from the Ottawa ByWard Market Authors' Market

It’s a blustery day here at the corner of William and George streets. Not ideal conditions for selling books outdoors. Gusts whip open the covers of books, scatter bookmarks and postcards, and forget about putting up a poster. Even the notebook I put out for people to enter their names in a draw for a […]

Walking Out of War cover

Happy Canada Day, readers! As our country’s 151st birthday falls on Sampleday—I mean, Sunday—this year, here’s a sample from a story about a great Canadian returning home after a decade, and a world war being away. This excerpt from Walking Out of War (Book 3 of the Eastern Front Trilogy) describes Maurice Bury’s first attempt […]

Writing can go fast, and then you run headfirst into a wall: how did ancient people live? What did they eat? What kind of clothes did they wear? What were their houses like? This gets more challenging the more obscure you get, particularly when you’re dealing with pre-literary cultures. I’m deep into writing The Triumph […]

The end of the (Kindle) Worlds is the launch of a new series

By now, avid readers probably have heard that Amazon is going to cancel the Kindle World program. As of the end of July, all seven of my Lei Crime, Jet and Sydney Rye Kindle World books will no longer be available. Reminder: Kindle World Kindle World is, or was, a program where authors could write […]

Live blogging at Arts in the Park

11:30: All set up Never open with the weather, said Elmore Leonard. Okay. Now that I’ve opened, I can tell you that it’s a beautiful, clear, sunny and hot day in Stittsville, Ontario. This is my second year at this event, just a few kilometres down the bicycle trail from my home in Kanata. No, […]

Monday sampler: escaping from wildfire

This week’s sampler is from the first wine country mystery, Wildfire. Chapter 6: Evacuation Tara stuffed her laptop into her duffel bag and grabbed a couple of other personal items. As she followed Greg and Alex to the winery, she hit her parents’ speed-dial on her phone. Her phone issued a strange tone. She glanced […]

Sample Sunday: Wildfire—Evacuation

On this beautiful Sunday morning, I’m sharing another taste of California Wine Country mystery. Here is part of the evacuation chapter from Wildfire. Tara stuffed her laptop into her duffel bag and grabbed a couple of other personal items. As she followed Greg and Alex to the winery, she hit her parents’ speed-dial on her […]

Sunday sample: Wildfire

This week’s sample is from my latest book, Wildfire, the first wine country mystery. Chapter 3: Wine and a woman At last, it’s over. A full day of Chef Donald’s abuse. Not to mention harassment. Oh, yes, and working my ass off in a kitchen. Now I remember why I decided against being a chef […]