Thinkingdog Publishing

  There comes a moment in life — somewhere between your first grey hair and the first time you willingly choose elastic-waist trousers — when you realize something profound: You have spent an impressive amount of time trying not to offend anyone. Not too loud. Not too strange. Not too ambitious. Not too dreamy. Not too… you. For a considerable portion of my life, I tried very hard to be what I believed was “expected.” Sensible. Polite. Predictable. Professional. The kind of person who nods in meetings, files papers in neat folders, and pretends spreadsheets are thrilling. I did the “normal.” I did the “responsible.” I smiled through jobs that felt like wearing shoes two sizes too small. Perfectly acceptable. Mildly painful. Entirely unnecessary. And do you know what happened? Absolutely nothing. The world did not applaud my normality. No one handed me a medal for “Most Inoffensive Human.” There was no parade for “Successfully Blended In.” Instead, somewhere ...

There’s this idea floating around that writers have “perfect writing days.” You know the ones. The charming cottage. The soft morning light. The gentle breeze fluttering linen curtains. The coffee brewed to aromatic perfection. The laptop humming obediently. The muse hovering nearby like a polite Victorian ghost, waiting to dictate brilliance. Somewhere in the background, I imagine a string quartet. I keep waiting for that day. It has not arrived. Instead, what usually shows up is this: I sit down to write and my laptop decides it is the perfect time to update seventeen things simultaneously. None of which I asked for. None of which seem to help my life in any measurable way. I glare at it. It whirs louder. We both know who’s going to win. Sometimes, in a moment of dramatic defiance, I grab another laptop. This one, of course, has absolutely no research on it. None of my notes. None of the carefully collected details about motives, timelines, magical Papillons, suspicio...

Hey Bookworms! Guess what?! I'm bursting with excitement to share some fantastic news: I'm participating in the upcoming "Stuff Your Kindle" event, and not just with ONE book – but with TWO! That's right, you'll have double the chance to snag some FREE reading material from yours truly. Clear your schedule, because today is the day to head over to StuffYourKindleCrime.com, browse through the amazing selection of mystery, crime, and suspense eBooks, and stock up! Let me tell you a little more about the books that will be available: First up, we have Sapphires & Secrets: From the Magical Papillon Mysteries Series . This cozy mystery with a touch of magic takes you to Rosewood Hollow, where nothing is quite as it seems. When a priceless sapphire vanishes, Sarah Anderson's life gets flipped upside down. She must clear her friend's name and catch some dangerous art thieves! But Sarah soon discovers she can communicate with her Papillon, Pix...