This month, we get to chat with a fellow Nevada author I met at the Virginia City Writing Retreat. Sue and I enjoyed a great conversation over breakfast on the last morning about her career in education and her insights into the minds of young people, which she features in her writing. I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn more about her life as a writer and her works.

Yes, this is about murder mysteries that make us feel good—a paradoxical genre, if there ever was one. Stories that have us curling up with a hot cup of cocoa on a chilly day to solve a crime alongside our favorite quirky, clever, and often reluctant hero. Someone sort of like ourselves—but not quite—who lives in a sleepy seaside town (with an inexplicably high crime rate), owns a charming shop, or runs a cozy home business that puts them in the path of murder, prompting them to develop a heretofore unknown knack for solving crimes.

Snow might visit us next week. I wanted to share our own splash of fall color, which we look forward to each year. We so enjoy our pistachio tree, which has taken years to reach this fullness. It stands out beautifully against the scrubby olive and locust trees. Don't get me wrong. I treasure every inch of our two acres—scrubby brush and all—with our view of Mt.

I'm so excited! bydllewellyn.com is now hosted by BookBub Author Websites for a new, clean look and direct access to my books. However, I continue to be a regular blogger, including my Guest Spotlight feature, which remains accessible on WordPress at bydllewellyn.blog. Join my audience to stay updated. Thank you for supporting an indie author.

Reached 46 of 50 in my annual reading challenge. It was easy this month with four great reads. Lovin' another fabulous urban fantasy series from Lindsay Buroker. Death Before Dragons. No one does page-turning, urban fantasy set in the PNW, featuring witty banter and fascinating, relatable MMFs better! Tried a new author, Dianna Love. I really enjoyed this no-nonsense, direct writing style with great action and compelling characters.

Fall anywhere, actually, and I'll take it! The spicy scent in the air is enough, but then there are the crisp, warm colors, both bringing the coziness that lends itself to all the activities I enjoy—writing, reading a good paranormal romance, knitting, walking with my dogs and husband, taking a drive through the mountains, maybe on a yarn crawl, or going to…

I'm a big fan of pulp fiction—noir, westerns, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. You know, hardboiled stories with gritty characters. I’m working on one that blends these genres. The idea was inspired by a '90s rock video by The Toadies and my collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs paperbacks, which I received from a thoughtful boyfriend way back when I was 19.

If you’ve read my three-part series, The Starlight Chronicles, you were probably cursing me for leaving vampire spy, Mortas, in quite a cliff-hanger in Book Three, Tigris Vetus, having him bound in an iron casket and dumped into the ocean. You might also want to know what happens next for dragon shifter, Michael Elliott (Book Two, Drago Incendium). How do these two end up joining forces in another epic fantasy, and how do I showcase their romantic journeys across two novels while the plots wrap up in one?

I played my first tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) ever at my first-ever writing retreat in Virginia City in May. This month’s guest convinced me to give one a try on our Saturday evening in the cozy, haunted St. Mary’s Art Center, along with my friend and retreat roomie (and last month’s guest) Dee Beardsley. Jade authored the riveting Cthulhu mythos-based story…

This summer’s Q&As have centered on short story writing, and my friend, Dee, is the perfect guest to round out the theme in a totally fun and unique way. She is a long-time fanfiction short story writer for the classic western television show, BONANZA, plus so much more, as we will discover. As a Trekkie (Star Trek fan), I’m familiar with fan fiction, having read and passed on to my nephew dozens of fabulous Star Trek novels.

A while back, I shared this little bookshop in Belgium where I've since sold a few paperbacks to European readers. Yes! Author and creator of the shop, Chantal Agapiti, has been sharing "get to know the author" Q&As with her participating authors. Check out our chat for brief glimpses into my writer's life, including meeting my furbabies (aka writing buddies). And while you're there, have fun exploring…

It's getting harder to see all the events on this planet that make life overwhelming at best and genuinely depressing at worst. We've been re-watching Reacher. Lee Child's stories effectively depict (in their dramatic and violent way) the human condition and the terrible things people who abandon their humanity can do to others. They give us an exciting, larger-than-life hero who courageously seeks justice, often inspiring those he meets along the way to stand up to oppressors.

#RomanceBookBlast is back! Shop 1100 free romance books today, July 22. Find my books for free or discounted all week! Spotlight Guest, Linda K. Hardie Enjoy this lively chat packed full of great writing tips and resources on writing short stories with fellow northern Nevada writer, writing coach, and public speaker, Linda K. Hardie. Thanks for your support!

Linda led an engaging and informative short story workshop at a writing retreat I recently attended in Virginia City, Nevada, that truly inspired me to dive into my next small tale with a new perspective. Check out the highlights and photos of the retreat on my blog. That very day, I invited Linda to my Spotlight for a chat so that you can benefit too.

I am thrilled I was able to participate in the fifth annual Virginia City Writing Retreat. I have wanted to try it out for several years and meet some local writers. Registration is now open for next year. Our hardworking host, Kim Harnes, reports that the June 2026 retreat is already two-thirds full, so if you live in Northern Nevada, don’t miss checking it out.

My writer friend Lucky Noma made me a song. He's an awesome friend and it's an awesome song. Captured By the Hunted is a vampire story set in Central Europe and one of three fantasy threesome romance novellas in Les Romances des Trois. Chapter 10 features a main character, vampire enforcer Gedeon Kadar, recalling his life as a Scythian chieftain before being turned.

This month’s guest first came to my attention several years ago at an Autocrit short story workshop, and I’ve enjoyed her stories and lively newsletter ever since. After participating in Rayne Hall’s latest writing contest, where she challenged writers to submit stories without any AI assistance, including editing (eek! No Grammarly!), I thought it would be fun to invite her to chat about her life as a writer (gardens, cats, and all), her works, and writing in the gothic horror genre.

You may have noticed that I've fallen behind on my blogging over the last several months, although I've managed to keep up with my Guest Spotlights, which I'm very happy about. I've lined up more amazing authors through October, so stay tuned. First up, on Sunday, June 22, Rayne Hall will be chatting with us from Bulgaria. After that, all my guests will come from my very own jurisdiction in Northern Nevada.

As a dedicated student of arts and crafts since I could hold a crayon, May is a special month. It's Mermay! An entire month dedicated to mermaid art. Since I write more than engage in any other creative activity these days, I’m offering a short story, Beneath the Prismed Light, in celebration. It features a selkie (another wonderful mythical sea creature) and a lighthouse keeper in a romantic dystopian fantasy.

My guest and I have been sharing our writing journey for the past couple of years. We chatted on my Spotlight last May with the release of her second book, Hearing Wind. It’s not often you get an opportunity to meet an online friend and fellow author, and when one comes around, it can be magical, especially when it takes place at Lake Tahoe, where…

Lauren’s happiness is shattered when the compulsive need to retrieve her comb lets her overhear a conversation between the two most important people in her life. ### If Lauren hadn’t gone back for her comb, her world would still be vertical, not slanting horribly sideways. She clutched at the door of the stall with a shaky hand and held her stomach with the other, hoping to keep down the bile trying to explode to the surface.