How I Write
I’ve always loved history. When I began writing novels, I realized how important history and art history were to the plot. I began my first novel without an outline or any research. I wrote two pages and stopped. I took the next six months to research and outline. I learned a lesson about myself and about writing, which I won’t forget.
Most of my novels take place in a foreign setting. This requires on-site visits. I stand in places where history was made, imagine events of the past, and enjoy the smell of exotic flowers, plants, and trees. My goal is to capture the ambience, the culture, and the sights and sounds of each setting. This gives me the ability to “paint with words,” as I describe the scenes. I want you to “shadow” my characters in their escapades and missions. As you read my novels, you might imagine yourself one of the characters.
My goal is to entertain my readers, and I do that best by allowing their imagination to roam the pages of my books.
Each of the following files [see link in red] pairs with one of my novels. Feel free to download the files before or after you’ve read a book. And, if you have questions don’t hesitate to send me a note on my CONTACT page. Most of all … enjoy!
- The Third Knife: A tale of passion and vengeance in the French Resistance
Catalina & Bonhomme Spy Series novel #1
Vence, France, is located immediately north of Nice. The hill-town was liberated on the 27th of August, 1944, soon after the Allied troops invaded the south of France. The Third Knife takes place throughout the French Riviera, with much time spent in Falicon and Vence. I was fortunate enough to be in Vence when the 70th anniversary of the liberation was celebrated. Genre: Historical Fiction.
Click on the link and download the story behind the novel.
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- Return of the French Blue
Catalina & Bonhomme Spy Series Novel # 2
The novel was born out of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. The al-Qaida used diamonds as a currency before and after the attack. This novel begins with the legendary French Blue diamond, which when cut into the “pillow shape” left many smaller diamonds behind. It is these diamonds that form a precious blue necklace–the focus of the novel. Imagine the French Directorate, the CIA, a rogue terrorist on the French Riviera–all on a quest to nab the diamonds. Genre: Romantic Suspense
On Writing Return of the French Blue
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- She Rides with Genghis Khan
Catalina & Bonhomme Spy Series novel #3
Researchers at the University of California, Berkley, discover the wish-fulfilling powers of a long sought after Buddha Jewel. The search for the jewel takes readers across the modern-day Silk Road. The French Directorate and CIA pursue clues that ultimately take them to the grave site of the notorious conqueror, Genghis Khan. But they aren’t alone is their escapade. They’re pursued by a terrorist who seeks revenge and power. The female Indiana Jones–a character I’ve always wanted to create–leads the chase, but not without extreme danger at every turn in the road. Genre: Suspense
on writing She Rides with Genghis Khan
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- The Can-Can Girl and the Mysterious Woman in Pink
Time Travel Series #1
Toulouse-Lautrec, the Belle Epoque, Paris in 1900, and a beautiful painting all come together in the first novel in my time travel series. The painting, At the Moulin Rouge, The Dance is at the heart of the mystery–playing a key role in the reason for time travel. Each book in the series focuses on a well known painting that holds a world-altering secret. The characters and location are different in each novel, but the concept remains. For those who enjoy art history, time travel, and a tightly woven plot — this is for you! Genre: Altered History/Time Travel
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- Broken Portal in Rocky Mountain Park, The last Pandemic
Time travel series #2
Albert Bierstadt’s Estes Park, Long’s Peak holds the secret to what could be the worlds last pandemic. Time is running out for the Centers for Disease Control to destroy a mutant version of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It takes a time traveler to save the world from a catastrophic epidemic. Remember the movie On the Beach? Now revive those images, and introduce them into the world in 2018. Hope rests with a brave art historian and a portal in Rocky Mountain National Park. Genre: Altered History/Time Travel
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- Code Name: Purple Fire
Seal Team 9 meets CIA meets Kim Jung-un in this incredibly fast-paced 54 page novella. Imagine ransom and nuclear warheads. As one reviewer said, “this is a kick-ass heroine!” Another describes it as “organized chaos.”
Code Name series #1 [series to be continued]
The Mafia steals the bones of St. Peter from the Vatican and hands them off to North Korea. Kim Jung-un ransoms the bones for billions of dollars–hoping to gain enough money to stockpile nuclear warheads and aim missles directly at the United States. SEAL Team 9, [which doesn’t really exist] works with a CIA handler in this tightly knit suspense-packed novella. Will the bones be destroyed in this international crisis? Read and find out. Genre: Suspense/Time travel