Writers speak truth

December 4, 2013
It’s been a while, and I’ve been busy being an author.  In the Spring this year, I manned a booth of the Tucson Sisters in Crime at the Tucson Book Festival — a huge event that drew thousands and was attended by famed authors.

Keeping the wind from blowing things away and staying warm were priorities, along with selling and signing books.  It was a cool, blustery day, unusual for Tucson even in the spring.

In November, I was invited to Central Arizona to do a book signing and talk at the Beaver Creek Public Library.  A huge mural of Montezuma’s Well covered the back and side walls.  It looked just like the cover of my book, which was actually from a photo my daughter took.

book-signingpresentationbrochure

As many other authors have found, promoting and publicizing the book takes a lot of time.  Will I have time to write the second one?  I’ve started it and I’m excited about it.  Now for the time….

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May 23, 2013

Why did I title my first novel “The Well”?

Prime elements of the book’s plot take place at Montezuma Well in central Arizona.  The Well is a unique, spring-fed lake surrounded by ancient Native American cliff dwellings.  That may seem the obvious reason for naming my book The Well, but that’s not it.  (Strictly speaking, The Well is not a lake or a well, and Montezuma had nothing to do with it.)  
I have vivid memories of turning a wooden crank to lower a heavy wooden bucket deep into the mysterious depths of an old-fashioned, man-made well.  During suspense-filled moments, I hear the creaking of the wood, metal and rope mechanism.  Will the bucket land squarely on its bottom and float, or tip and fill?  Then the faint “ploosh” sound as the bucket hits the water’s surface and sinks below it.  I turn the crank in reverse direction to draw the bucket upward, feeling its increased weight.  The wet rope and bucket release droplets back into the rock-lined shaft; their hollow, echoing “plink” sounds are both eerie and promising.  As I lean Continue reading
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