Tower Hill

For those living in eastern Mass, or those willing to take a trip, one terrific place to visit is Tower Hill Botanical Gardens. 

An absolutely lovely expanse of flowers and nature stewardship. Walks along the trails yield delights of the many plants, fountains, and more. 

Did you know that sheep and goats eat poison ivy and can clear away your invasive plants without herbicides? Cool. 

So many interesting plants, like this species of artichoke:

And now through the Fall, there's a special exhibit of beautiful stained-glass sculptures of butterflies and insects. They're all along the trails, and an absolute delight to view up close.

I love this one, a Ulysses butterfly, as I'm completing a new novel that's a modern take on a Ulysses-type character. Out next month. 

Treat yourself and come visit while nature is in full bloom, and the art is a terrific complement to it all. 

Excursions and two million views!

Just a short time ago, this blog hit the one million mark for views on it. Well, we shot right past the two million views mark recently, so thanks to all for paying attention! 

Summer is a good time for excursions, and two recent ones proved so much fun.

First, we toured Fenway Park, the oldest baseball stadium in the country. Here's Mick Miller on the approach.

And inside, looking for a new ride...

What a lovely tour with our guide Ellie, who took us all around. 

Here's a shady seat spot, with the last of the old wooden seats in the park. 

Here's the view of right field, with the stage set up for a concert.

Here's left field, another awesome view:

And how it looks from atop the Green Monster:

And we got to sit in the writer's room, with a panoramic view:

They can open the windows during a game, but have to watch out for foul balls! There's a big ceiling dent from one shot.

Highly recommended for Red Sox fans. Lots of lore, and plenty of memories. 

Our next visit was the Shaker Museum in Enfield, NH. A lot of history there about a community that thrived in the 1800's. Beautiful spot by a lake. Lovely stone buildings, and plenty of history.

Finished off with a visit to the original Vermont Country Store for souvenirs and a trip down memory lane. 

How's your Summer going? Any good trips? 

Cape Cod Writer's Conference 2026

The Cape Cod Writer's Center is an organization out on Cape Cod that works to help writers by holding events and learning classes. An important way for writers to learn and grow. Each year the organization hosts a conference, with guest speakers and instructors. 

This year, I was fortunate to be part of it, as I taught two classes, one on Mystery writing, and one on becoming a successful writer, both Indie and Traditional. 

Here's a pic from class attendee Betty Pierre, who, while relaxing at the resort, found great information in my book 87 Ways to Sell More Books. 

Just getting to the Cape in Summer can be an adventure. Luckily, I drove out on a weekday, and got across the notorious bridge in good time. Interesting sand sculpture along the way:

I stopped for lunch at Captain Parker's (highly recommended, even if not cheap) for their famous clam chowder (which made me a convert after a lifetime of not liking it), and this massive plate of tasty fish 'n chips:

Thus fortified, I made my way to the excellent Margaritaville Resort in Hyannis. Since it is a Jimmy Buffett inspired theme, here's a sculpture that illustrates a moment from the theme song (yes, a giant, blown-out flip-flop):

Spacious, comfy rooms, good food and service (many thanks to John, a roving food manager), all so good that we could concentrate on learning and sharing advice. And live music all the time, including Michael Paul Brennan and his singing partner, who belted out some favorites for the crowd. 

And the conference sponsored book sales, so we could sample writing from other attendees. 

I also attended the Introductory Screenwriting class of Claude Kerwen, as I'll be working on adapting a few of my novels into screenplays. Excellent instructor, and had such helpful tips I could even use them for improving my soon-to-be-released novel, Odie and Penny, a modern take on Odysseus returning home. This Odie, though, is no mythic hero, as he's been in prison for twenty years. 

And my first teaching class was in learning how to craft a good mystery. Sadly, in both my classes, a few people had to drop out due to health issues. I still later sent them the information I was presenting, so they wouldn't miss out. Here's who was left by the end, all eager to learn, and many had a mystery novel already in progress. 

And my other class on writing success also had folks who could not make it for health reasons. Writing is a tough enough game when you're healthy, and dealing with obstacles of body maintenance makes it even worse. As a good example of lasting, Gail here in the pic below (on the left), had her 80th birthday that weekend! She's been a stalwart presence at these conferences over the years. 

There were nightly readings of works from both instructors and students, so they could showcase what they've learned and applied. Some former students have now become award-winning authors! 

Note the margarita-glass lighting fixture overhead. 

We had a roving photographer in Callie, a noted area journalist.

And a panel of mystery writers from Sisters in Crime put together a lunchtime program of making a mystery on the spot from audience suggestions.
Sadly, I didn't get a chance to heckle, due to scheduling conflicts. 😏

Below are mystery and mischief makers Barbara Eppich Struna, Sharon Healy-Yang, and Nicole Asselin. 

Chatted with a bunch of new-to-me writers, some of who were also instructors, and had great talks. People like thriller author Jeffrey James Higgins, literary agent Tina Schwartz, Donna Zucker, and Josh Boardman. Nice to meet y'all. 

Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers who made this conference a smashing success. 

Highly recommended yearly conference for those who want to improve their craft and success rate.