Ready for Mother's Day?

The high winds in Albuquerque today are playing havoc with our blooming irises. One with three large blooms was blown to the ground, so I clipped it and made it an indoor cut flower. It looked so nice I photographed it and posted it on Facebook. See?


My highly talented artist friend, Cullan Hudson, liked it, so I gave him the photograph. He added a great background and enhanced it to look like this:


He liked it so much, he turned it into a series of Mother's Day gifts here: Mother's Day Iris Gifts.

Bottom line: My rescued purple iris is now famous, all thanks to this annoying wind and my talented friend.

Moral: When Mother Nature slaps you (or your irises) around, take a picture.

5 Days in AZ

We returned yesterday from a quick trip to Sedona and Tucson. Both places were having record cold weather, but we still managed to have a great time. In Sedona, we got in a nice hike up Mount Doe before a snowstorm hit. Beautiful. Lots of green this year.

It was a great hike. See how happy we were?

Then Jack and I pushed on to Tucson. One day we drove to the top of Mt. Lemmon. What views! Here's one from part way up.

At the top is a very small and picturesque ski resort. I tried unsuccessfully to befriend the local feline. She was either pregnant or old (I'm a terrible judge of cats), so I didn't push it, but she still added to the charm of the little resort.

Cover contest

I've loved Dark Knowledge's cover since I first saw it. The artist, Renee Rocco, did a great job of capturing the feel of the novel.


The cover was recently selected as a finalist in a contest. Take a look and vote for your favorite cover over at Susan Whitfield's blog.

And while I'm on the subject of Susan's blog, here's a direct link to my interview with her: My Horror with Heart Interview.

Struck book signing in Old Town Albuquerque

I haven't had a book signing since Halloween, so I'm already looking forward to the one this Saturday. It'll be at a favorite independent bookstore. Here are the details:

Saturday, April 10th
1 PM to 3 PM
Treasure House Books & Gifts
2012 South Plaza NW
Old Town Albuquerque
(opposite the church)

It's predicted to be sunny and mid-70's, so it'll be a great day to stroll around Old Town, sit under a tree or on a park bench, and read your freshly signed copy of Struck.


If you want a teaser, read a couple chapters by clicking here. Hope to see you Saturday.

Today's Hero of the Treadmill

I missed most of my runs last week (I ran once instead of my usual 4 or 5 times), and I thought I might cut today's run short. Then this song came on. Love running to this beat.