About Me

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My literary taste runs the gamut from Shakespeare, Poe, and Austen, to Elizabeth Lowell, Toni Morrison, and Jo Nesbo. Though I often read tales that plumb the inner demons of tortured souls, I prefer to write lighter books that my readers can have fun with.

Growing up, my sister and I lived next door to three French girls, who were like sisters to us. It was our friendship that gave me the idea of writing a book series about a group of five girls, plus the wonderful time I spent in Santa Barbara in my 20s.

Set in Santa Barbara, the Cota Club books tell the stories of each of the five friends and reflect the genres that fit each of the characters. That’s why Kristi’s story in Love and Money is a mystery, whereas Carla’s story in The Offering is romantic suspense. Tate’s story in Love and Hate is a thriller. I don’t know yet about Izzy’s, but Gwen’s will turn to the world of the supernatural.

A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2) (2006) - Louise Penny

Louise Penny continues her series, threading in little tidbits from Still Life. Where art and painting formed the motif of Still Life, with the murder victim's art work at the center of the story, the murder victim's obsession with creating a "life-style" philosophy resonates at the center of A Fatal Grace. Penny is definitely evolving as a mystery writer in this book, which I found created much more distinctive characters than her first book. CC de Poitiers (the victim), her brow-beaten husband, Richard Lyons, and their cowed daughter, Crie, are very clear in my mind.


The rest of the book contains the usual cast of characters, Three Pines, and lots of good food, with hints toward a larger political scandal at police HQ. As others have noted, the characterizations definitely start to become kind of cardboard after a while (maybe because I'm binging her books right now). That being said, if you want comfortable, binge-worthy books, without too much drama or darkness and lots of good food, then Bon Appetit!