Over a decade ago, I became a part of Secret Cravings Publishing. Excitement reigned in our household due to someone believing a story I wrote was good enough to be published. The first step to the publishing route included assigning me an editor, Larriane Wills.  And what an editor she was. What initially impressed me about her editing style was her vast storehouse of knowledge. What she didn’t know, she could look up either on the Internet or by consulting an expert on the subject. More than a few times her expertise saved me from embarrassing myself in print.

In historical fiction, I wanted my character to use matches, which existed at that time. Larriane pointed out that even though they existed, they weren’t in common use in the United States. I wanted my mail-order bride to board a train to meet her soon-to-be husband, but Larriane pointed out that trains didn’t go that far at the time. A stagecoach ended up substituting for the train.
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Besides her willingness to go the extra mile, I remember Larriane’s sweetness and fearlessness—an unusual combination. I considered her fearless because she didn’t let things like deafness slow her down. Often, at writing conferences, she used an FM receiver unit to hear the speaker. The speaker might turn away or rattle papers, making it difficult to hear anything, but still, she persevered.

I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to travel places—which she did. Travel became more difficult when an oxygen tank became part of her luggage. When security stopped her for not having a doctor’s note to travel, she dealt with it, got on the plane, and made it to conference.

Coyotes roamed the edges of her back yard, which forced her to keep a sharp eye on her beloved dogs. When one grabbed her tiny dog, she chased the predator and beat it with her cane until it dropped her pet. Someone needs to make an action hero movie with the lead character named Larriane, and wielding a wicked cane.

Her sweetness showed up in many ways. She loved, loved her family and Christmas because of the joy of the season and family get-togethers. Homemade crafts came from endless hours of stitching. She created crocheted, knitted, or cross-stitched gifts for one and all. Right before she went into the hospital, she either mailed my cross-stitched cup filled with tea or had someone mail it for her.

Despite how diva-like writers could react to her edits, she never responded in turn. Maybe she understood because she, too, wrote. In my opinion, she must have been an old soul, who held a deeper understanding of the human heart than most. She once told me that her goal was to make the authors better writers. Sure, it would be easy to buzz through a story and make corrections—basically rewriting it—but she didn’t do that.

Instead, she wrote on my manuscript about trying a different word, or to elaborate on the scene due to its importance in the timeline. She kept track of time and days in the story and warned me when I made my heroine do more than humanly possible in a day.

Larriane also witnessed the absurdity of life and stored it away for another time when she need to smile. She shared tales of her own life in our email exchanges.  Life dealt her some severe blows, which never brought her to her knees. The woman I knew could have inspired the warrior princess trope. Deafness, age, coyotes, and diva writers couldn’t take the wind out of her sails.
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Besides being my editor, I thought of Larriane as my friend, and encourager. She used her social media presence to promote other writers all the time.  In a way, I never wanted to think of being without Larriane—so I didn’t. Unfortunately, COVID had other plans, and her indomitable will finally folded. This isn’t goodbye because she lives on in her books with the pen names Larriane Wills , Larion Wills, and L.L. Brooks. She endures in all the authors she guided. There is, in the end, her family, her dearest treasure.

YIELDS:8 servings
PREP TIME:0 hours 15 mins
TOTAL TIME:1 hour 5 mins

Ingredients
4 large ears corn, shucked
2 1/2 lb. bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
4 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. half-and-half
3 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon leaves
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Directions

1. Cut corn kernels from cobs; set kernels aside. Scrape juices from cobs into 5- to 6-quart sauce pot; add cobs, along with chicken, 8 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked, turning chicken breasts occasionally. Remove pot from heat and let cool. Transfer chicken to large bowl. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard any bones; pull meat into bite-size pieces. Remove and discard cobs from poaching liquid; reserve liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in 7- to 8-quart sauce pot, heat butter and oil on medium until butter has melted. Add celery, carrots, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 10 minutes or until beginning to soften, stirring frequently.
3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir in reserved poaching liquid and corn kernels. Heat to boiling on high; boil 1 minute, stirring. Reduce heat to maintain simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half, tarragon, reserved chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

YIELDS:4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 45 MINS

​INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried oreganoKosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. white rice
3 c. shredd chicken3 large egg yolks
Juice of 2 medium lemons
Freshly chopped dill, for serving 
Lemon wedges, for serving 
 
DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add broth, thyme, and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until rice is cooked through, 20 minutes. Add chicken to pot and bring back to a simmer.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Slowly add ¼ cup of hot broth to eggs while whisking. Slowly whisk mixture back into the pot. Let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. 
3. Serve soup with fresh dill and lemon wedges.

YIELDS: 4 - 6
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:6 HOURS 40 MINS

INGREDIENTS
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 poblano peppers, chopped 
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper
2 (15-oz) cans hominy, drained and rinsed  Thinly sliced radishes, for garnish
Sliced green cabbage, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
 
DIRECTIONS

1. Place all ingredients except hominy and garnishes into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
2. Take chicken out of slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker along with the hominy and cook for another 30 minutes.
3. Serve soup into bowls and garnish with radish, cabbage and cilantro.

As a cozy mystery author, I often write about humorous anecdotes, especially when my main characters travel. Unfortunately, traveling during the pandemic has been far from comical. I’ll tell you a bit about my experiences both good and bad. Plus, you can tell me about yours.
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On March 13, 2020 or close to Friday the 13th, my state was officially shut down. We weren’t sure what it meant, but my sisters and I were afraid even to travel to my mother’s house that we were cleaning out and getting ready to sell. After six months of going nowhere and selling my mother’s home, we hit the road via car and headed north.

​Driving somewhere seemed easy since we were headed to South Dakota to look at the bison and gather up some rose quartz. Not too many people at our desired stops and even fewer people on the road. Mask ordinances varied everywhere we went, but we had ours ready. Merchants and employees were happy to see us. Our road trip would get a A-/B+. There were a few spots of absolute standstills usually caused by an RV on the narrow roads. Needles Highway isn't great for RVs.

eBefore traveling went south in a hurry. Cruising used to be our desired travel mode, not too surprising our middle-aged sleuths loved it, too.  The Star Trek Cruise, which we were on, was one of the last to tour the Western Caribbean before the ports closed in March 2020. We like everyone else thought this would blow over and booked a birthday and anniversary cruise in May 2021. Even went so far to spring for a suite since you’re only sixty once. That cruise was cancelled. Even though cruising is technically back, we have our doubts. We book a cruise, then, it gets cancelled and we never get our money back. I wrote letters, sent emails, talked to their chat bot, spent at least sixty hours on various calls to make our replacement cruise happen. It was just cancelled, which means I have to start again. Just the thought wearies me. Word of warning to cruisers: put down only the deposit until you find out for sure if your ship will sail. Cruise Vacations get a D- from me. I might go for an F, but I’m still holding out for my cruise credit. Anyone who knows a troubleshooter for cruise patrons, please drop their info in the comment section.

 Maybe not feeling confident, but desiring to see my son in Texas, we chose to fly. We went with an airline known for down home friendliness and lining up people like cattle to board. Our first surprise in our air adventure was a cancelled flight and not one we were notified about. Myself and about a hundred other unhappy fliers demanded to know what happened, but the airline employees were tight lipped on the subject. Most demanded their money back and were told to go home and apply online. Spoiler alert: they’ll get credit, not money. I asked about other flights and was told they had no way of knowing if other airlines flew to my destination. One did. It left an hour later, but I didn’t know that. Instead, I was rerouted adding an additional ten hours onto my already seven hours of flight time. We were in the airport or in the air from seven in the morning until eleven that night. Technically, the flight takes five hours. 

Our not-so friendly flight stewards huddled near the front of the plane while warning us not wearing a mask was a felony and bringing on our own alcohol was forbidden. Various incidents of out-of-control fliers explained their hesitancy to interact. I imagine the disgruntled customers that had to be rerouted didn’t inspire interaction, either. That particular flight experience would earn a C mainly because we were never informed about the cancellation by email, text, app, or call. We had no way of knowing we needed not to rush to the airport. We could have spent our extra five hours at home.

​Once in El Paso, Texas, we met up with our son and his girlfriend and had a super time. A big shout out to the people of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Terlingua, Texas and Marfa. You guys rock. A special shout out to Enterprise who exchanged our wonky rental for a four-wheel drive without a hassle. Make sure to use Far Flung Adventures, too. Texas road trip was A+.

Back to the airport, but this time I used an airline where I choose my own seat this went much better. The flight attendants acted more relaxed, but that may have been due to all the empty seats surrounding me. A half-filled flight has to be an easier one. The shining moment of the flight was the Detroit airport. Long layover, of which I’m not a fan—except this time.
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Detroit is a huge airport that goes on forever or so it seems. It gave me a chance to get my steps in. I also treated myself to a reasonably priced steak dinner at Lone Star. Then I discovered they had a gentleman playing show tunes on a baby grand in the food court. I located a cup of Earl Grey and a cookie to accompany the music. One downloaded podcast later, I was ready to board the plane where I was once again surrounded by empty seats because I used my airline app to check out and modify the seating if needed.  B+ on the experience because the airline made the big layover by moving my first flight to three hours earlier.

The same airline kept changing the times on an upcoming flight to see our other children that  carved a three-day visit a into a day and a half. When I tried to return the flight back to the original schedule, they demanded another $350. A news agency had reported about this bait and switch practice, but this was my first experience. Not a fan.
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In conclusion, if you can drive; do so. There is still the allure of the open road and plenty of country to explore. As for my traveling adventures, one or two might show up in the next book.

The Part-time Sleuth
 
Meet Donna Tollhouse Tabor, the opinionated, former nurse who runs and owns The Painted Lady Inn in Legacy, North Carolina. When she isn’t baking apple crumb cake for her guests, she likes to help solve murders in the charming, coastal village. Let’s drop in for a cup of her special coffee and a sweet treat.

Donna stands at the porch in a ruffled pinafore apron and waves us in. “Come in, I’d love some company. All my guests have already left and I have time for a short chat.”

“Great.”

Inside the inn there is a curving staircase and a long hallway with doors on both sides. Donna opens the door to the kitchen, releasing the mingled smells of fresh ground coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate. “Let’s eat in the kitchen like friends as opposed to in the dining room as my guests do. There’s warm chocolate chip macadamia cookies that just came out of the oven. Grab a seat and I’ll get you some coffee and cookies.”

After grabbing a seat, it’s time for the interview—I mean chat. “I’ve heard so much about your delicious cooking and your sleuthing skills. Isn’t running an inn enough work without solving crimes?”

Donna laughs, and then smirks. “Sure, it is—most of the time. I do have family and an assistant that help with the inn. Summer is my busiest time. All the same, I’ve lived in this town my entire life, which means when someone is murdered, it’s personal.

“I get that. How do you pick up clues the police miss?’

Her eyes roll upward and she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m not going to say they miss the clues. The police tend to go with the traditional suspects. You know, disgruntled employee, embittered spouse, or will beneficiaries are the first go-to folks.  I try to go into the situation with an open mind. A person that believes the husband is guilty will look for circumstantial evidence to confirm this and miss the tiniest clues. Any killer will try to erase clues. No matter how great the murderer thinks he or she is, there is always a mistake.”

“That’s interesting. Is that how you catch the culprit?”

“It’s usually a beginning, but not necessarily enough to pin the crime on someone.”
 
“Do you have any help on these cases?”

Donna presses her hand to her chest. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.  Some of my help isn’t the sleuthing type. Often my mother and sister-in-law will help with inn duties so I can nose around. On other days, my mother, who is a social butterfly, gathers pertinent gossip.” She grins widely, bringing out the crow’s feet. “Gossip is a great jumping-off point. While the end gossip might not be totally true, there had to be a reason for it. Sometimes, even figuring out the motivation why someone started the gossip matters and can help.”
 
The innkeeper and sometime sleuth picks up her coffee and takes a sip. “Then, there’s my assistant, Thelma, who has psychic ability. She’s offered a few helpful clues.”

“Wow. A psychic. Does she just tell you the name of the killer? That would certainly make it easy.”

Donna laughs so hard, her fingers grip the island, so she doesn’t fall off her stool. Finally, she stops, gasping for air and wipes away a tear. “No, is the short answer. Thelma usually gives you a cryptic word that doesn’t mean much except in retrospect. Like eleven.”

“Eleven?”

“See—not so easy. It takes a great deal of work to unravel random words along with criminals’ motivations. Consider I’m not only hunting down would-be felons but also not looking like I’m doing so.” She glances up at her cat kitchen clock that rolled its eyes and wagged its tail in rhythm. “Hate to say I’m running out of time but I’ve got some sleuthing to do.”

​“Please, don’t let me keep you. Any adventures coming up you’d like to tell us before you go?”
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Donna holds up her index finger and says, “You’ll have to read about it in Two Many Sleuths.”