Creating in Miniature & A Mystery

Whether you write or have a hobby, both are satisfying ways to let out your creativity.

When it works, those words on the paper give you joy. And when it doesn't, well, we all know the torture of wrestling with stubborn words or sentences.

I'm in the pre-formatting stage now of my latest project, The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River. The novella provides another glimpse into my supernatural vision of Fall River. No zombies this time, though, as in Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter. 

So, I'm done with the million edits now, a cover is ready, and the formatting is next! The photo includes one of the story's lines.

This has been an interesting project, which began with  a question I had - how would coming upon the Borden murders that Aug. 4, 1892 affect Dr. Bowen, the family physician and neighbor? Was there something haunting him, and the city, that such terrible deeds could be committed?

The Burden murders, you see, were not the only ghastly deeds. Did you know there was another axe murder around the same time? The area also had a history of wars between the Indians and the Colonials. Stay tuned for more details on the project. You can sign up for my newsletter at my website and check the Dr. Bowen page there, also.

As for my other creative outlet, I love finding bargains at the local flea market! Here's a glass case I just found! I'm going to display some items I made before for my miniature Ladies' Shoppe (still in the planning stage.) At least I can display some things instead of keeping them in boxes. The pretty couch is resin and actually was sold as a Christmas ornament at Hobby Lobby. I have several pieces I was lucky to find since they don't seem to offer them anymore.  I repainted and added French labels to the small chest. I love the shabby chic style!

That's all for now! Happy creating! 

Book Launches, Parties, and Blog Tours, Oh My!

January is the launch of my first yoga mystery, Murder Strikes a Pose, and I will be going blog crazy!   Through January 20, my Whole Life Yoga and Killer Hobbies blog posts will be devoted to the blog articles and events below.  After that, it will be back to articles on yoga tips, research, practices, and techniques, with an occasional writing blog thrown in for good measure.

Murder Strikes a pose will be available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and other e-readers as early as January 1.  It will be available online at Amazon as well as retailers and bookstores everywhere on January 8. You can pre-order any time!

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for sponsoring the blog tour below.  Each stop will provide unique content, so don't miss any.  You might just learn some of my deep, dark secrets!

• January 2 – Thoughts in Progress – Review
• January 3 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Guest Post
• January 4 – readalot- Review
• January 5 – Auntiemwrites’s Weblog – Guest Post
• January 7 – Mochas, Mysteries and More – Interview, Review
• January 8 – dru’s book musing – Guest Post
• January 8 – Beth Groundwater – Guest Post
• January 9 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview
• January 10 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Review
• January 11 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Guest Post
• January 15 – Killer Characters – Guest Post
• January 20 -- InkSpot -- Guest Post

A free autographed copy of Murder Strikes a Pose will be given away at each stop!

And, for those of you in Seattle, a couple of in-person events. 

• January 25 – Book Signing at Seattle Mystery Bookshop (Saturday, noon – 1:00 PM) DATE CHANGED DUE TO SEAHAWKS PLAYOFFS GAME.  GO HAWKS!
• January 19 – Yoga Mystery Launch Party at Whole life Yoga (Sunday, 12:30 – 2:00 PM)

Hugs and prizes will be available at both events--and at Whole Life Yoga, vegan chocolate mousse cake! I hope to see you there!

Tracy Weber

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, and check out Tracy Weber's author page for information about the Downward Dog Mysteries series.  MURDER STRIKES A POSE is available for preorder now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Whole Life Yoga, and other retailers!

The Mysterious Painting

Back around 1967 in a storefront called Center of Consciousness, which was located in the area around Sixth and Portland in Minneapolis, there lived a group of hippies. One of them was an artist named Leah Peterson, or Jacobson. She took a very big canvas, about fifty by forty-eight inches and painted an abstract in shades of brown and orange – with one lavender exception. She didn’t sign it, and later, when she moved away, she left the painting behind.

The person who was to become my husband moved into the Center of Consciousness (it’s hard to believe, looking at him today, but he was a hippie back then) and liked the painting. When another artist proposed to white it out to paint something new on the canvas, Al offered to buy a new canvas the same size as a replacement. The offer was accepted and Al came into possession of the original.

When I saw the painting in 1979, I fell in love with it, too. It has survived three living quarters with us. Today, thirty-odd years after I first saw it, I still will get a glimpse of something new in it. At last count, I’m seeing up to thirteen figures swirling in its depths. We’ve never named it.

I sometimes wonder what became of the artist. We’ve never seen or heard of her, but I’d like to know what she was thinking of when she painted this. And I’d like to see what she’s painting nowadays.

Have you ever owned something you didn’t quite understand? Something you couldn’t explain your attraction to? Something that stirred an appreciation of the mystery that lives in all of us?

Looking for Love

Welcome to guest blogger CINDY SAMPLE! Cindy, a prolific author, writes the popular “Hot Flash” column for the Gold River Community Newspaper. She's a frequent speaker in the Sacramento area with topics ranging from “Never let a lack of ability stand in the way of success,” “Dating for the Hot Flash Set,” and “You really want to be an author?”

Cindy is the past president of the Sacramento Chapter of Sisters in Crime.


LOOKING FOR LOVE . . . in all the wrong places. Some of you may recall that line from a famous song. It perfectly describes my dating life and that of my protagonist, Laurel McKay, a newly divorced soccer mom.

Ever since DYING FOR A DATE was released, people assume I’m the resident expert on dating, which I guess is why I was asked to guest blog on the subject of romance. Now I will admit that I’ve been brave enough to venture onto a variety of on-line dating sites in search of Mr. Right. And yes, I even admit to going on coffee dates with 34 potential Mr. Rights. My protagonist, on the other hand, was talked into joining a matchmaking agency called THE LOVE CLUB, the safe alternative to on-line dating.

And that’s where our paths diverge. My coffee dates have resulted in interesting conversations with some very cool, mature men, with the exception of the one guy who tried to impress me by sharing that his best friend was an assassin (honest, I wouldn’t joke about that).

Laurel’s first date by contrast wanted to have HER for dessert. So she did what any resourceful woman would do: she whacked him on the head with the first viable weapon she could find, a cell phone. Things start going downhill when he is found murdered the next day, with her unfortunately the last person to see him alive. When her second date disappears during dinner, the handsome detective in charge of the investigation can’t figure out if she is a killer or the next victim.

Rumor has it that authors write what they know. Evidently I know dating, but fortunately all of my exes are still alive. At least I think they are.

So has anyone ever gone out on a date so bad that a few dastardly thoughts crossed your mind? We are all dying to have you share your worst date stories. Share your story or make a comment and you'll be eligible for a copy of DYING FOR A DATE!



For more information or additional dating tips from Cindy, check out her website at www.cindysamplebooks.com.

DYING FOR A DATE is available as a trade paperback and e-book. It is published by L&L Dreamspell and can be ordered from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Fictionwise, Mobipocket, and any indie store.