T.A. Seitz's Blog

Coming soon!

Welcome, y’all! I’ve been a bit busy lately. Nothing exciting, just busy.

I have two upcoming short story releases. Georgie Powers is back in a new G. Powers P.I. case called ‘Missing Gem’. It will appear in the 4th Sisters in Crime North Dallas anthology, Trouble in Texas, coming April 15, 2025. Preorders are available on Amazon.

The second story is ‘Citta Fantasmi’ will be released on May 30, 2025, in Lured into the Deep, published by Dragon Soul Press. Yes, I have written a mermaid story! Check it out!

In the meantime, I keep writing.

T

Accountability Help

Happy Monday, all! It’s been a minute since I last wrote. What can I say…my life is kind of boring.

I am launching a Substack page that will focus on my occupational therapy career, in addition to my writing career. Maybe someday, it’ll actually help me finish my non-fiction book. I might also share books I’ve enjoyed or other such nonsense.

If you have any suggestions for topics, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll flounder my way around, and y’all will have to suffer through my ramblings and rants (fair warning!). My goal is to do a monthly post (this is called accountability–you have permission to say “Hey! Where is it? Get off your…!”) I will still have this website blog–I know I haven’t updated it in tooooo long (see above permission for accountability).

If you are interested in finding me, it’s https://substack.com/@tiffanyseitz?utm_source=user-menu.

As usual, I won’t know what I’m doing. Y’all are used to that, so I figure I’m good to go.

T

Rough Couple of Weeks

Hey, y’all! Still alive here. Just hanging on by my fingernails.

As an occupational therapist, it’s always a challenge to schedule around holidays or vacations. There are rarely any opportunities for someone to cover my patients during time off. Typically, I have to cram more people into a shorter week, and that makes me crazy. Last week, of course, was Memorial Day. I did see a few patients, but it wasn’t a normal Monday (Is there such a thing?).

The next two weeks will be short thanks to Mi Esposo is FINALLY getting his knee reconstruction done. Friday is surgery day, so I’m not scheduling anyone for that day. Fortunately, Myrtle the Younger will be home to cater to his every whim, but I’m keeping next Monday light just in case he decides to get on her last nerve (as father’s typically do).

I’ve also resigned myself to being forced to watch old films ad nauseum for the next six weeks. It’ll be my luck that they schedule a Casablanca or a Maltese Falcon movie fest during this time (Ugh!). At least it’s not Christmas–It’s a Wonderful Life should only be seen once in a blue moon, not daily. If I try to schedule more patients than I can physically see in a day, you’ll understand why.

In addition to the surgery and a busy caseload, I am trying to write some. I’ve essentially finished the third book in the Corona Chronicles and have started on book four. The third installment of the Case Files of G. Power, P.I. is underway, and I have the beginnings books for a wolf shifter, a grim reaper, and a haunted mansion. No, I can’t combine them. We’ll see what happens.

If you are looking for reading material, please check out the two anthologies that have the first two installments of the Case Files of G. Powers, P.I. A Vague Threat is in Notorious in North Texas (Sisters in Crime North Dallas volume 3), and On the Rocks is in Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors (Inkd Publishing). I’m pretty proud of both stories. On the Rocks was listed in one review as being one of the reviewer’s favorites of the anthology (Yay!).

Sisters in Crime North Dallas is having a couple of book signing events this weekend. On Saturday, June 8, 2024, we will be at the Barnes & Noble at Stonebriar Mall at 1pm. I won’t be at this event since I’ll be bringing mi esposo home from his surgery. I am planning to be at the Wild Detectives in Dallas on Sunday, June 9, 2024, 6:30pm. This will be a Noir at the Bar event–in addition to signing books, we authorish-type people will be reading part of our stories. Come and see me!

What am I reading right now? Bones in the Blackout: A Romantic Wartime Cozy Mystery (Dr. Benjamin Bone’s Mysteries, book 1). I stumbled on this series and bought the book before finishing the sample reading. Set in England at the beginning of WWII, Dr. Bones is a young physician who has been relocated from London to serve a rural area instead of being conscripted into the Army. He and his wife are run over upon their arrival. She is killed, he is wounded. As he recovers, he realizes his wife’s death was more than an accident.

That is all.

T

Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You!

Coming…Today!

I’m in fine company with the Sisters in Crime North Dallas 3rd volume of short stories, Notorious in North Texas. My 1940s noir, A Vague Threat, is the origin story of my short story series, The Case Files of G. Powers P.I., a tri-generational series of Dallas private investigators.

AND…

COMING May 17, 2024!

Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors is a collection of short stories including On the Rocks by yours truly and published by Inkd Publishing. It’s a 1950s noir and second generation of The Case Files of G. Powers P.I. series.

I did a little graphic for both stories.

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

T

Texas Springtime

Spring has sprung in North Texas, and along with it comes allergy season. Actually, allergy season is year-round here, but it’s especially bad during this time of year.

Everything is blooming. Pollens lead to sinus infections and bronchitis. Sinus congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing, headaches, and all the fixin’s run amok–as in EVERYONE gets SOMETHING. A common phrase heard around here is “I’m not contagious. It’s just allergies.” If you are writing about a North Texas springtime, be sure to give your characters a “spring cold.” It is especially attractive–sexy even–for a romance. Trust me. If you don’t–well, you just ain’t writing about Texas.

The pollens depend entirely on the direction of the wind–mostly from the west, but we get north and south winds, too. Sometimes at the same time. That’s when our weather gets really interesting. Don’t forget to add a weekly cold front that drops the temperature twenty degrees or so and stirs up a thunderstorm or two–or at the very least 30 mph winds that freeze your buns off even if it’s sixty-five degrees out. If you want to keep your work true to nature, you can throw in a tornado or even have it snow on Easter in April. (The snow and low temps went away fast, but it did happen in the early 2000s–I couldn’t find the exact year, sorry.)

Once this part of the year is over, then Texans look forward to ragweed. And summer. YAY!

T.

Not My Forte

I am not someone who enjoys being in front of a camera. I’d rather be taking the picture than be in the pictures–which is odd since when I met mi esposo back in the dark ages, he was a photography major and worked in the photo lab where I met him. This isn’t to say that I’m a photographer. I can take a snapshot, but let’s just say I cut off a lot of body parts in my photos.

Anyway…I have a short story coming out in an anthology, and the publisher requested videos of the authors reading excerpts of their work for the Kickstarter. So, mi esposo, Myrtle the Younger, and I set about making a video for “On the Rocks” for Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors. While we were at it, we did one for “A Vague Threat,” the story I have coming in Sisters in Crime North Dallas anthology, Notorious in North Texas. Since both stories are noir and set in the 50s and 40s respectively, we tried to keep the historical vibe in the videos. Mi esposo set about video editing and gave me one to preview.

Which I promptly deleted.

I don’t like seeing pictures of myself, but hearing my voice was HORRIBLE! What is it about seeing yourself on camera or hearing your voice recording makes us want to throw up? It’s more than simply being overly critical of myself–it was a visceral NOPE!

Needless to say, when the other anthology announced the need for a brief video clip, I said no. I wasn’t the only one. Instead, the authors that don’t want to do videos can provide a graphic for their story. Thank you, Baby Jesus!

Both anthologies are coming out in April or May. I don’t have specific dates yet, but keep your eyes peeled here for the announcements.

T

A Few Texanisms

My last post regarding Texas weather seemed to interest many people, so I thought I would share a bit more.

Groundhog Day doesn’t mean squat in Texas. We have prairie dogs and armadillos that thumb their noses at ole Phil. All the beginning of February means in Texas is that we have about six more weeks of unpredictable weather that leads into another two months of unpredictable weather. And then it gets (predictably) hot.

One important detail when writing about Texas weather–NEVER let your Texas characters complain about rain. EVER. Texas know that we are starving for rain from June through September. When we do get rain during those months, it’s only a temporary relief thanks to the humidity. It’s unpleasant when all your body parts glue themselves together, and your eyebrows sweat. Air conditioning is a must, but it can only do so much. But if you want to torture your characters, have their AC or their electricity go out on the hottest day of the year and it’s on a weekend. They will love you for it.

Y’all = You all, may be singular or plural, eg. “Y’all comin’ to the barbeque?”

All y’all or Y’all all= all of you, collective y’all, eg. “Y’all all better get on outta here!” (rough translation “Get off the grass!”)

Y’all’ve = you all have, y’all have, eg. “Y’all’ve got too much time on your hands.”

Y’all’ve’d = you all have had (pronounced y’all olived), eg “Y’all’ve’d too much time on your hands.”

Whole ‘nuther – a whole other, another, eg. “Y’all’ve got a whole ‘nuther thing coming.”

Bless your/his/her/their heart = multiple meanings determined by tone of voice, inflection, facial expressions, and reference material. I should probably save this for it’s own post.

That outta give you a few things to work with for the time being. In the meantime, Casa Seitz is trying to stay healthy–without much success. We keep passing around the crud. Mi esposo is down with it at the moment. The cough that preceded the plague was almost as deadly. He coughed so hard, he fell back and crashed through our glass shower door. At midnight thirty, Myrtle the Younger and I were cleaning up glass and bandaging his multiple lacerations, including one on the back of his head. Fun times. Fortunately, he’s got a hard head.

Later,

T

Winter–Texas Style

Texas has what I call “pogo-stick” weather. One day, we have temperatures in the 70s, the next, temps are in the 30s. Those are the highs. The lows can vary from around 10 degrees Fahrenheit to the 40s. There are some days when you have all four seasons in the same 24-hour period–you wake up to winter, go to work in spring, sweat at work during summer, drive home in fall, and go to sleep as winter sets in again.

This is an important detail for writers to understand if they have Texas as the setting. It’s equally important for readers to understand. Yes, the writer is talking about Christmas and a heat wave in the 80s. Next page–yes, it’s January and the car slid off the road on black ice and the main character is now going to die of hypothermia if the cold front doesn’t move on in the next thirty minutes or so.

It’s a little irritating for me to read a story set in the Dallas area that talks about a white Christmas or a blizzard at any time. It’s rare that we get actual snow (you know–the fluffy white stuff) because we get ice (you know–the hard white stuff). Snowball fights in Texas often result in an ER visit. And don’t even THINK about snow tires or chains–I’m not sure the tire shops even carry them around here. Oh! And writer’s–make sure your character has a 4-wheel drive, or better yet, an all-wheel drive. They can still get stuck in a ditch, but then things can get really interesting.

Doth endeth mine writing advice for today.

So…what’s up in my world? A lot of hurry up and wait. My gardening story appeared in Texas Gardener’s Seed newsletter on January 10. I haven’t heard any feedback. I’ve sent back one set of edits for the Sisters in Crime North Dallas anthology, and sent the contract back for the Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors anthology (both should be out later this spring). Beyond that, I haven’t had much time to do anything. I’m trying to re-edit If You Touch My Mind. I hope to get that updated and republished by the end of January (cross your fingers).

That be all for now, folks. Stay warm!

T

Out with 2023, In with 2024

Another year, another opportunity to figure out what I’m doing.

Like many, I have seen my fair share of ups and downs over the past few years. The biggest up of the year was my two-year-old granddaughter becoming a big sister. In addition to keeping her momma busy, she now has a baby brother to entertain.

Workwise, I have gone from full-time occupational therapist to independent occupational therapy contractor. In many ways, this is a plus. I’ll have more control over my schedule and where I go. The flip side is that there are no benefits and my income is much less stable.

On the writing side, 2023 was a good year–the biggie being the March publication of And They Danced. I learned a lot from having a traditionally published book. I’ve participated in some fun promotional events including listing my five favorite mystery and suspense novels based in Texas at Shepherd.com, matching a beverage to go with And They Danced at KerryFryarFreeman.com, participating in my first book blog at Lone Star Literary Life, and two presentations for writers on ergonomics and health for writers. I took on the role of secretary with Sisters in Crime North Dallas, and I moved from the role of member at large to president of Writers Guild of Texas. Last–but not least–my short story, Song of the Siren, received Honorable Mention in the 2023 Writer’s Guild of Texas Kathryn McClatchy Flash Fiction Contest. It will be posted on the WGT website sometime in the next few months.

2024 is looking promising with two of my short stories scheduled to be published in the coming months. My short story, Healing Seeds, will be published in Texas Gardener Magazine on January 10, 2024, and I learned that my 1940s noir was accepted to the 2024 Sisters in Crime North Dallas anthology. I don’t have any details on that publication yet but stay tuned.

I keep writing. There are too many projects to count. The Tess Corona Chronicles is expanding as I continue to work on book three. I’m to the point that I need to know what happened in the past to make sense of how the characters respond to upcoming events–which means there will be a prequel. It’s too early to tell if it will be a full novel, a novella, or a series. Also in the works is a second edition of If You Touch My Mind. After ten years, I think it deserves a fresh new look. Don’t you?

May 2024 be a year of more ups than downs for all of us. Challenges are good for the soul and help us grow, but let’s keep them under control, shall we?

T

Just Another Insane Year

I’ve done the math–in 2023, I have held six jobs, left two, am leaving one at the end of the year but possibly adding another, and one of them rarely calls me in to work. I’ve worked with five documentation platforms (one platform in two different configurations). I’ve been in multiple settings: outpatient hand and upper extremity, outpatient geriatric care, outpatient orthopedic (similar but not the same), skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, memory care, and home health care (again, all similar but different). I can say–with some certainty–that I still have all my hair, but I’m missing most of my marbles. If found, please take care of them. They like wine and dark chocolate.

Shocker surprise of the day: I sold three books this month–so far and that I know of. These were my older works. Yea! I keep plugging away at my scribblings in hopes that someone will enjoy them. I’ll insert a subtle plea here: please write a review! (See, I can do subtle.)

I’ve got a quickie, thumbs-up book recommendation if you like historical mystery romances. The Bow Street Duchess series is different from others I’ve read. Five of the seven books in the series are out, the other two are due out in January and March of 2024 so I don’t have to wait too long.

That’s all my single remaining brain cell has for today. Later!

T