Words Better Left Unsaid: Do You Know What They Are?
Want to know what happens when you use too many words during a podcast?
Mystery Making Event on March 6
You might be wondering what a mystery making event is. Well, let me explain… Mystery Making is the brainchild of Sisters in Crime New England, a writers organization of which I’m a member. Back when we writers made live presentations, mystery making events were primarily conducted in libraries. A panel of four writers would work with an audience to create a brand-new mystery. In a mystery making event, members of the audience suggest: Character names The plot and the setting (including time period) Who the unsuspecting victim of foul play is Who the villain is What the motivation for the
Missing My Parents
50 years ago today I moved into the house where I’m living now. This anniversary is poignant and I’m missing my parents. I was 14 years old when my family moved here and it was my parents’ “new” house. I knew I’d never see my friends again (we moved 30 miles) and I thought my life was over. (True to the friends part, false to the life being over part.) Well, my parents are gone but the house is here and it is “new” once again. Life took me on some wild rides and deposited me at an unexpected destination.
Mystery Making with Sisters in Crime New England
Join my writer friends at me at Mystery Making with Sisters in Crime New England. I am (and have always been) active in a number of writers organizations–and never more so than since joining Sisters in Crime New England (SinCNE). Mystery Making is the brain child of SinCNE. It involves a panel of four writers who create a brand-new mystery novel, on the spot. Members of the audience suggest character names and other story elements for us to use. In the past, we hosted these events live and in-person, but the virtual events are just as much fun. Join Edith
Insuring Cannabis Businesses – Issues and Problems
Insuring cannabis businesses can be problematic. During the course of the past two years, I’ve written several new insurance continuing education (CE) online and webinar courses for my client, A.D. Banker & Company. One of the most recent webinars is Insuring Cannabis Risks. The course is the brainchild of inquiries submitted by individuals who attended a free monthly webinar I co-host with A.D. Banker vice president, Pam Reihs. During each 1-hour Insurance Trends Webinar, Pam and I talk about insurance topics of current relevancy. How to insure cannabis businesses is always at the top of the list. Questions we often
Winning and Losing–and Temper Tantrums
Even if your parents didn’t teach you anything about winning and losing , when you attended school you learned: Winning and Losing: What not to do… Lying on the ground, stomping your feet, and wailing at the top of your voice was a lousy, ineffective blackmail scheme. Punching Johnny in the nose because he made fun of the way you swung the baseball bat was a better way of being benched than becoming a home run hitter. Badmouthing those who weren’t as smart and talented you were did not earn you the spot as most popular. In fact, it didn’t
Want to help Make a Mystery?
Join me and fellow mystery writers Debra H. Goldstein, Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, and Clea Simon brainstorm together to create a brand new mystery. Give us your audience suggestions and help make a mystery! The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, MA hosts the event in coordination with Sisters in Crime New England. In the past, we presented these events in person but haven’t let the pandemic slow us down. Help make a mystery by registering and logging in on the date of the event. Then, once we begin, simply suggest character names, murder plots, settings. Feel free to suggest anything
Perspectives about Your Parents
Today is Dad’s birthday. The ache of missing him competes with all the memories, the laughter, the certainty that no matter what–he was always there for me. What are your perspectives about your parents? When We’re Kids Of course, in the way of children, I wish the way he’d been there for me had fallen more in line with MY wishes. And that’s how it is with kids. They think the world revolves around them. They think they should always be the first thing their parents think about when they wake in the morning and the last image they see
Marketing Tips for Beginners
I presented my first live web training class on August 25 and had such an outpouring of interest, I am offering the recording of Marketing Tips for Beginners to anyone who is interested. In this class, I shared the marketing tips I used to establish 3 businesses in 2 different states. I also shared how I get the word out about who I am and what I do. For those of you who HATE the prospect of selling (which some people view as a combination of bragging and begging), I break down the components of marketing. I also help you
Prepare for Hurricane Season
In this week’s podcast episode, I talk about how insurance agents can help their policyholders prepare for hurricane season. Here are a few excerpts from the podcast, along with resources that appear at the end of the post: Did you know? Hurricane season begins on June 1 in the Atlantic and on May 15 in the Eastern Pacific. In all locations, it ends on November 30. The biggest threat during a hurricane is storm surge–especially at high tide. The National Weather Service reports that the number of hurricanes keeps growing each year. During high winds, the 4 biggest areas of