A grieving fiancee, naïve victim, or calculating coquette? — We’ve met Eleanor (Nell) Darrows in Chapter 4 of Death’s First Kiss. She’s young, pretty, and living with a man she calls ‘uncle’. But is there more to her relationship with Houston Carlisle? There are those who hope so…namely Houston’s sister Charlotte and her husband Preston Darrows. They believe Houston’s…

Creativity is like a muscle, and yes, you have one — YOU are creative! As an instructor of digital design software, I so often heard a student claim things like: “I’m not creative. I can’t draw a straight line. I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” For starters, the truth is: No one can draw a straight line. We are human beings…

Getting organized is a task. Staying organized is a habit! — If you’re someone who forms habits easily, keeping your home organized can be ‘hard-wired’ into your life without too much trouble. For the rest of us, keeping a few basic ‘commitments’ each day will keep the clutter away. …

How to creatively conquer clutter in your home, your work and your brain. — Clutter-filled environments can make for a clutter-filled life When your surroundings are out of control, you often feel the same way. Clutter also has a knack for compounding itself, creeping into other areas of our lives like a fast-growing weed: your car, your desk at work, and even your mind! Creative people are sometimes thought to be unorganized…

How expressing gratitude can lower stress, improve sleep patterns, and enrich personal relationships. — “That’s gratitude for you!” Do you remember hearing that old saying? An acerbic retort generally directed at someone who wasn’t grateful at all for something they received, especially if it was from you! If someone didn’t appreciate a kindness or gift you’d given them, you probably never wanted to help that person again, right…

Varenna Black, Myth Hunter: The Judas Curse — Book One — “Houston!” I hear Nell call, her shrill voice echoing from the hallway the moment I enter the house. “Thank goodness you’re back!” In a flourish of colorful silk skirts, Eleanor Darrows swishes into view, breathless and pale as ever, the dark circles under her eyes even more pronounced than when…

How embracing creativity and complexity can make you more successful as a business leader — In the movie Jurassic Park, the fictional Dr. Ian Malcolm, a self-described “chaotician” attempted to illustrate his theories about chaos to his glib companions while riding in an unmanned motorized SUV: “See…I’m right again…nobody could have predicted that Dr Grant would suddenly jump out of a moving vehicle.” — Dr…

Partner or Player? A mysterious metallurgist makes himself useful. — Choose your friends wisely In Chapter 3 of Death’s First Kiss, Varenna Black and Houston Carlisle have only just met, but there’s an instant attraction. Not to mention mutual interests and a potentially beneficial business connection. But is Houston Carlisle really who he seems to be? You can’t be open to love without risking…

Taking the time to say Thank You — Again (and again!), is time well spent. — THANK YOU! to my NEWEST followers on Medium. It means the world to me that others take the time to read my writing and enjoy it enough to hit the follow button. …