Lori,

I can certainly understand how busy you must be with children and parents. I recently moved in with my eighty-five year old mother so I can relate - at least a little bit.

I write the Malone mystery series, which includes Mixed Messages, Unfinished Business and Desperate Deeds. The fourth book in the series, Mistaken Identity, will be published by Post Mortem Press early this summer. I would classify my books as mystery/suspense although this next book would definitely fit into the cozy mystery category.

That sounds like an interesting premise for a novel! I went through the same process regaining my fiction voice after 11 years in journalism. It wasn't easy. I'd been trained to keep my opinion and my voice out of my writing. I tackled it by working on my master's in creative writing part-time. One professor required eight short stories for the semester. That was a real turning point for me. It forced me to focus and to learn. My series begins in the mid-1990s. I'll be interested, when we start getting feedback, to see what editors think of that time period.

I am originally from the Adirondacks, but I was a reporter in Syracuse was 11 years. My stepdaughter lives in Rochester, too. What a small, small world! I wonder whether your father and my cousins might be related even if just very distantly! My father is from Malone, NY, and my mother is from Germany. Good to connect with you on Twitter and on Facebook! I don't tweet much, but I use FB daily.

I've been busy with learning-how-to-write-fiction.  After moving on from paid-blogging, and getting back to working on the stories-that-won't-be-ignored, I assumed that the fiction skills would slowly reveal themselves as I wrote.  I was wrong.  Too much just-the-facts-ma'am training put a crimp in my imaginative writing.

Because of that, for the past year or so, I've been scouring fiction writing books and taking courses.  Now, I think I'm able to create a narrative that hangs together as a story.  Of course, it's going to require all the 'deliberate practice' that Malcolm Gladwell describes for me to get to the point of writing good stories, but that's part of the fun <she sez, knowing what a dreadful procrastinator she iz>

My stories are almost-historical as the 1970s are only approaching the cusp of the times that are considered historical rather than late-modern.  My sleuth is a woman in the Army, a counter-intelligence agent, assigned initially to the border area of West Germany. I hope to bring some awareness of the time and experiences of the place, as well as put together readable mysteries.  That's the hope.  :)

Lori, that is so bizarre -- I was actually born in Rochester!! However, I was adopted at 3 days old! My mother and father are from upstate NY - Finger Lakes. My mom's sister lived on Electric Avenue in Rochester her entire married life!  Are you from upstate NY?  My mother is 93 and has no siblings left, but her maiden name was Heusler. My father and she adopted my brother and me later in life.  Sorry to blather on, I just found your comment so interesting? Are you on FB or Twitter? I'll have to connect with you. 

Hi Karoline! I have lots of Barrett cousins in the Rochester, NY, area who are pretty awesome, so that name holds a special place for me! Can't wait to hear your good news!

Hi Lori.  I write cozy mysteries and am working on book #2. My series revolves around Molly Tyler, owner of Batter Up Bakery. I will have good news soon, but I can't announce it yet!