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There are two times in your life when you enjoy Christmas. The first is when you are a child. There’s something about the smell of the pine tree in the house, the decorations cluttering everything up, and most of all, the anticipation of what you will find on Christmas morning left for you by theContinue reading “Taking a Deep Breath”

I am one of those people who gets sad around Christmas. Can’t tell you why. The best times I’ve ever had during this season were when my son was a boy. I loved buying toys for him, mostly due to the vicarious thrill of watching him play with them. Okay, I would play with him.Continue reading “Another Year, Another Sadness”

As you prepare for your thanksgiving feast, you might want to think about giving some early Christmas gifts. Ahem. My latest Minerva short story, written earlier this year, is included in the above anthology by Dandelion Revolution Press. You can order yours here. It concerns Minerva’s defense of a woman CEO in 1963 who mayContinue reading “Minerva James and the Goddess of the Dance”

How do you know you are on your way in the writing world? When you land on a discussion panel at a conference. In June 2023, Sisters In Crime Los Angeles is presenting a conference on the writing and selling of the crime novel. It’s called the California Crime Writers Conference. Good seats still available.Continue reading “Panel Boy”

Every morning when the sun stumbles through my bedroom window here in Barstow, my groggy brain fully expects to hear my drill sergeant yelling: “Get up! Get out of those beds!” Yes. that was the gentle and loving way we were roused from our cots all the way back in 1974. I enlisted in theContinue reading “Veteran’s Day”

Every year in November I participate in that madness known as “National Novel Writing Month.” I’ve been doing it since 2002. I have 20 novels to show for it. Some are better than others, of course. If you want to go to my NANO page, here it is: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/mcbruce56-gmail-com/projects/girl-8c062394-0b0f-46a4-a172-f3411d16f57c Every year I struggle with whatContinue reading “Inspiration”

There are some days, though, when I have to check to make sure I still exist in time and space. No one wants to publish my SF short stories. At least, the few places I’ve sent them to lately are not interested. (Though one said, “try us again.” I’ve been told this is a “closeContinue reading “Still here”

Time to hold my breath. For a really, really long time. I previously crowed about meeting a literary agent at a writer’s conference in August. The agent seemed to be very impressed with the first 20 pages of the book, Minerva James and the Trial of Mars, and asked me to come up with outlinesContinue reading “The Waiting Game”

In this life most of us are condemned to days of toil and worry. Me included. As most of you know, I am not only a great writer (okay, a pretty good writer) but also like to skim around the ponds of the law doing lawyer work, helping the downtrodden, making things right again forContinue reading “A Weary Man”

The breathless headline on my internet feed demanded attention: “New Book Reveals that Queen Disapproved of Megan White Wedding Dress.” Really? With all that’s going on in the world, I’m supposed to care about some royal’s opinion of a friggin’ dress? Not only that, but an opinion from years and years ago? I know weContinue reading “Really?”