I promised to re-do my web site and yet, here it is at the end of the year and it has been untouched. Please hang in there. A lot of new things have been happening in my life and the best is yet to come.

The end of June is like half-time. Half of the year has slid past, gobbling up the days and nights on the calendar like PacMan on speed.

I don’t know about you, but I need the half-time festivities. Thank goodness the Fourth of July happens when it does. I needed a break, some time with friends, a good-old barbecue and lots of fireworks in the open Texas sky.

Now that the holiday is over for another year, I am in the midst of planning for the next six months. Prioritize is the number one issue. What’s more important – or more to the point – is deciding what has to be done and what can’t be left undone.

My web site as we know it, will undergo a face-lift. It’s time. So, that’s what I’ll be doing next. Drop by soon and check on the progress. Hopefully, this won’t take too long. I’d rather be writing. Until then, have fun. It is summer and the days are flying. Below is a photo I took one morning of the peonies in one of our flower gardens. I love the soft color and the morning dew settling on the delicate petals. Just a reminder: stop and smell the peonies. They don't last long, but while they do, they are glorious. -- Deborah

I've just returned from End of Trail. If you'd like to know more about that, check out my article Thursday, the 28th, at  www.criminalbrief.com . We had the best time, but now ready to rest a bit. Ah, if only there was time for a few extra zzz's. Not happening this week, but I am not complaining. I've had several wonderful opportunities come my way recently in connection with my writing and I am feeling blessed. Blessed, but tired. Okay, maybe just a little nap. Summer was meant for hammocks, pools and dancing beneath the warm, starry skies. Dance some for me!

Deborah--

This time of the year is filled with people rushing from one event to another. Graduations, weddings and the Memorial Day holiday seem to yank at us like stiff winds on a kite. We hold on tight, bending with every new gust trying to pull us off the path we think we should travel, and yet, sometimes it is the side trips of life that are the most important.

These are joyful days, but time seems more fleeting when one warm spring day blends into another and then another so easily. If we’re not careful, we lose sight of the importance of each moment. Blessings sometimes come quietly and are easy to overlook in the madness accompanying our rush to get everything done.

I am pausing in the fury to:

Take some time for yourself and do something extra special for someone you love. I promise you won’t regret it.

There is nothing more intoxicating than being invited to join a select group of your friends to gather on a regular basis, spend time together and share stories. I’ve been invited to join some wonderful mystery writers over at www.criminalbrief.com   featuring the incomparable James Lincoln Warren on Mondays, Melodie Johnson Howe on Tuesdays, Robert Lopresti on Wednesdays, me on Thursdays, Steven Steinbock on Fridays, and Leigh Lundin every Sunday. Saturdays are reserved for our distinguished guest contributors. I’ve seen impressive names on the list so far. Okay, so consider yourself invited. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. These are great people with the most interesting stories to tell. It's come as you are, so don't worry about anything. Just relax. Join us as often as you can, but it's best to drop by every day so you don't miss anything. Have a taste of something quite mysterious and be sure and leave a comment or two. I bet you have some pretty great stories, too.

Deborah--

Thunderstorms excite me. Lightning blazing across the sky like a futuristic laser sword slashing through the darkness, makes my heart skip a beat. I wait and count the seconds until the thunder follows to see how far the storm is from me. Somehow, the closer it is, the more exciting. I am prepared to take cover should a tornado loom too close, but I know in my heart, I would wait until the last second to dive to the safety of a shelter.

As a mystery writer, I have mostly plotted as I wrote. Of course, I usually know the ending when I write the beginning of a story, but it is the "how we get from Point A to Point B" that makes the story memorable. The twists that take the story from a gentle May rain to an unpredictable storm – all the "what if’s" that change people’s lives in seconds – that’s what compels me to write.

Like sudden streaks of lightning gouging the sky, the characters show me which path they’d take. Where there once was only darkness, the characters raise a brow and say, "Follow me to adventure." I go willingly.

In Chapter Four of "Only if it Rains" (an unpublished-at-the-moment mystery novel), a character I had meant to be nothing more than Victim #4 turned into comic relief that I would miss writing about and I honestly hated when I'd have to write his death scene, but it was only a matter of time. He had to go. Still, when homicide Detective Caylor Reed became entangled in gym equipment in a most embarrassing way, he appeared hovering above her. The newspaper reporter who dogged her every move for an exclusive while trying to get a date smiled that idiotic smile that made her crazy. "What are you doing here?" she asked. When I typed those words, my hands flew from the keyboard and I actually gasped. Where had he come from? He was supposed to be somewhere off stage with the serial killer getting murdered. Wow. It’s almost like lightning streaking across the sky before the rain, before any expectation.

I love when the storms come and when the words flash through my mind...my writing surprises even me. I hope it surprises you, too.

Deborah--

(Confidential to Travis: happy now?)

It’s the first day of spring, my favorite season. I’ve ordered bulbs and seeds. Luckily, I am married to a Master Gardener (complete with certification), so all I had to do is pick the flowers I like. He spoils me and I love it.

Everything is turning green, robins are in our trees and the peonies I adore are popping through the soil. Not too long from now, their plush flowers will burst into bloom and color will surround us once again. There’s something about the renewal of the earth that renews my soul.

The Muse has been playful lately, which is welcomed. I spent most of the fall researching for my newest work in progress. While I enjoy learning, research is not as much fun as writing. Research is more like work. Writing is not quite play, but in the space of doing something wonderful I lose track of time and for that, I feel blessed.

Does that mean writing is work? Yes. But, if your heart is in the work, it becomes play.

When my children were small, I told them to find "something" they’d do for free and it would never seem like work. I think I’ve found my "something." Like the first day of spring, it renews my spirit to write.

-- Deborah

I’ve always thought Merle Haggard had my theme song already recorded. I tend to go overboard at Christmas, so "if we make it through December, everything will be all right, I know," just fits.

I buy too much, I decorate too much and I certainly bake way too many "goodies" than any family needs. So, I’ve been busy and neglecting my blog. (It was blogging or chocolate – which would you choose?)

2006 was a good year for me. I finally got a web site of my very own. I was published in book length for the first time. I had a phenomenal book signing and follow-up signings, too. I found out who my friends are and probably more importantly, who I can count on and who I can’t. Ouch! But, a valuable tool for the future.

Someone asked me about anger and I was surprised to say I hadn’t been angry with anyone about anything in quite some time. Of course, a lot of that was hard work on my part: several years ago I realized it was detrimental to be around negativity, so I distanced myself from those places and people as much as possible. Life is too short to waste it not having the time of your life as much as possible. I don’t need people in my life who make me feel bad or sad or used. I hope I have not made anyone feel any of those things this last year either, but if I did, I am truly sorry. It was not my intention.

Maybe I’ve mellowed, or maybe it’s just getting older, which isn’t such a bad thing. Age has been given a bad rap as far as I’m concerned.

Yep, a few wrinkles popped up this year that I’d rather not have. I don’t worry about gray hair because I’ve been a L’oreal girl for a long time – because I’m worth it. I do wish I had more time, but I didn’t plan the schedule on that. I can merely fudge it a bit by trying to manage a healthier lifestyle (okay, so that’s for next year after all these cookies and candies are gone, but I’m at least thinking about it.)

All in all, it’s been a good year, a very, very good year. My hope is that yours has been too, but ours will pale in comparison to what 2007 has in store. Happy New Year’s Eve!

The days speed by when you're the busiest and this is a busy time of year. I'm cooking the lavish feast this year at my home, which is customary in my family. Everybody comes and the house is full. So, I'm sharing the article I wrote for the newspaper. Click on the link below and have a simply marvelous Thanksgiving!  

Deborah--

http://amarillo.com/stories/112306/opi_deborah.shtml