The wildfire on Maui was devastating for our friends there, for the state, it’s culture and history. Lahaina, originally a small fishing village, holds significance to Hawaii, as it was chosen by King Kamehameha II to be the revered royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1820-45. Today, the Lahaina wildfire is now the deadliest …
If you are in College Station or Bryan, Texas, stop by the Arts Council on August 11 for the launch and signing of Splintered Loyalty.
Last night, I was privileged to attend a high school graduation—my first since my granddaughter’s graduation three years ago. Graduation ceremonies, with their age-old rituals, give us an opportunity to reflect on what we hold dear. They are a celebration of young people and their accomplishments as they start on their journey into the future. …
Splintered Loyalty is the new Ava Rome mystery from Down and Out Books. It was published May 8, 2023. You can order it directly from the publisher or from Amazon. It is available in trade paperback or in several ebook formats. Here’s the cool thing. If you order the paperback from the publisher, you will …
Election season in Texas means we are bombarded by political ads telling us that crime is on the rise, that our borders are porous, and that, whether stated explicitly or by implication, the two are related. Is crime really on the rise? The violent crime rate in the US reached an historic high in 1991 …
Aggie Park opened Friday at Texas A&M after almost two years of development. I visited this morning with my KoAloha longneck soprano. It’s a great place to sit and play music. Here is Ulupalakua. Well, it took awhile to figure out how to embed this YouTube video, so I’m going to leave this post with …
Our second day in Honolulu, it was time to start the Mai Tai and Music Tour. First stop was Waikiki Beach Walk on Lewers. For fifteen years, the Waikiki Beach Walk complex of shops has presented music on an outdoor stage. Today we caught Blaine Kia and his hula family. We saw Blaine last year …
I received word yesterday that my story, “Burnin Butt, Texas” has been nominated for a Derringer Award by the Short Mystery Fiction Society. The story appeared in Black Cat Mystery Magazine #10 in November, 2021. Here is the complete list of finalists in each category. Derringer Awards Finalists The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced …
What I’m Reading Chimichangas and a Couple of Glocks by David H. Hendrickson. Guns + Tacos, Season 3, Episode 15. Fuller Park sits in the heart of Chicago’s killing zone. A trip down there, at night, puts your life at risk. But for Lizzie, it is life-changing. For there, at Fuller Park, is a certain …
We had a full moon last night and it was gorgeous. In the top photo, the moon is behind clouds, but you can see the moon glow on the ocean just beyond Diamond Head, which is bathed in moonlight. The area below our condo is bright with lights from homes, apartments, and traffic. Dillinghham Fountain …
Hawaiian Noir 