January 2021 Newsletter

Dear Ones,

A Christmas Miracle at OHSU!

How I have missed you all! I was AWOL for a bit waiting for the Christmas Miracle in our family and participating as witness, grandmother, and scribe in the Labor and Delivery wing at OHSU. And then it happened. After nearly 24 long hours, Julian Peter Fair was born at 7:16 a.m. on Sunday, December 27. He joins two wonderful parents and a German shorthair pointer named Roger, plus five loving grandparents and a bevy of extended family including “the aunties”–my special women friends who, like the female elephants of the herd, are always on hand to help out when needed. Julian is home, healthy, and dictating the movements of his immediate family for the foreseeable future. We are in love.

New kid in town

Just days ago, a new online magazine for mystery readers was launched. Portland-based Mystery and Suspense Magazine is the co-creation of Editor-in-Chief Sam Boush and Production Editor Tehra Peace. It focuses on all types of crime writing in the mystery genre. Stories are added to the website on an ongoing basis. Have a look. I think you will be impressed. The inaugural issue available for download here.

I wrote a piece for the magazine called Pleasurable Terrors  which documents my love affair with Gothic novels. It goes live on the website on January 17.

Happy New Year?

Normally, I love to read Dave Barry’s annual Year In Review column. I just read his 2020 installment. He starts out describing the year as “one long, howling, Category 5 crapstorm.” I read the entire thing. The guy has a way with words, and he did his best, but none of 2020 was funny. Not one bit.

Now we are faced with 2021. The problems of 2020 have not gone away, they’ve only put on different clothes.

The main reason I devote my time to mystery writing and reading is that in this genre there is usually resolution. Horrible things happen, but ordinary people show up. They are braver and better and more committed to Good than they ever believed possible. They give it their all. And in the end, Good usually triumphs over Evil. And I feel just a little bit better

Life is different. Unfortunately, in the battle of Good and Evil, Evil often wins. While that is not acceptable to me, most of it is beyond my control. We can all just do our bit and hope that it grows into something better. My 2021 goal, therefore, is to show up for the people who need me and the things I believe in and to be braver and better and more committed than I ever believed possible. I want to support my sick friend and my new grandson, and my family, my tribe, the world. I want to write my stories of Good trumping Evil. I hope somehow it all makes a difference.

Be well, dear friends.