Veronica Cline Barton's Blog: Mistletoe and Mayhem: Yuletide at Castlewood Manor listed as, "One of the best suspense books of all time." - BookAuthority, page 3

Veronica's #WritersDiary: January Wrap, The 3 Faces of V

“Lots of people go mad in January. Not as many as in May, of course. Nor June. But January is your third most common month for madness.”

Karen Joy Fowle

Howdy-ho! One month down, eleven to go... How was your January? Hopefully not filled with too much madness, LOL---but I must say, 2024 has been living up to the roaring 20-twenties mantra of never a dull moment! Weather extremes, pithy politics, celebrity snubs (Headline: Barbie Kencotts Oscars), and the unexpected US/UK tea controversy has ma...

Veronica #WritersDiary: 2024 Sabbatical Bliss

“You never know what you are going to want until you see it clearly.”

Shirley Jackson

Happy New Year 2024! I have to say, I am welcoming this new year with open arms and the hope it brings. I'm making some changes this year to cleanse the mind and open up new channels for adventure. #CreativityFirst

2024 will be a year of sabbatical bliss for me. I'm taking time to overhaul my plans and goals for my writing projects. It's been six years since I published my first book (#Wow) and I'm looking fo...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: My Top Reads for 2023!

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”

Mortimer Adler

Well, here we are, another year comes to a close and what a time it has been! In this post, I'm continuing my end-of-year tradition and highlighting the authors and their books that captured my reading attention in 2023 with that little something extra!

This year's picks include a chilling collection of ghost stories; a heartwarming, tug at your h...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

HO-HO-HO! Just a few more days before the merriest day of the year arrives. For this special edition Christmas post, I wanted to share a holiday favorite poem penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Its words reflect the angst and beauty of this turbulent world, and brings to me the hope of the season. Wishing you and yours a peaceful, joyful, loving day. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I heard the bells on Christmas DayTheir old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeatOf peace on ...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Holiday Treks!

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

Henry Miller

Well, hello December! It's that most wonderful time of year once again and I am all in to see the sights of Christmas! The OH and I have begun our holiday trekkin' with a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend that started with family fun in Paso Robles. We stayed once again at the Allegretto resort, bedecked with Christmas finery and an oenophile flair. Red and white wine teased the tastebuds---the perfect accompaniment t...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Thanksgiving Wish

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

Melody Beattie

Happy day before Thanksgiving--the biggest travel day of the year here in the U.S.! I hope those of you who are venturing out into the skies and onto the rails and/or roads for the upcoming feast day have safe and smooth travels. The OH and I are heading up to Paso Robles tomorrow on the off chance we'll have a little driving relief traveling on the holiday...this story is developing.

This year I am grateful for the many blessings we have...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: And We're Off, November Countdown to the HOLIDAZE!

“Goodbye spooky October, Hello November! We are hurtling toward the end of the year. The holidays are arriving, and there are many things to celebrate!”

Bring on the HOLIDAZE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIqSFna1RTY

Well, hello November! What a whirlwind of seasonal change it has been, LOL! Halloween and all things spooky one week, and the jingle and mania of the holidaze (that time of year where we are inundated with all things Christmas even though we haven't had Thanksgiving yet) playin...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Halloween Is Coming, Time to Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!

"Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!"

William Shakespeare

BONE APPETIT!

The Halloween countdown is on--just six more days until the most spooktacular night of the year is upon us! Are you ready to get your #BOO on?

Halloween's not all about the costumes and candy you know. For some of us, it's time to get the cauldrons bubbling and cocktail shakers shaking to keep those hangry, monster pangs at bay.

For this post, I've been perusing a few, recent additions to my c...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Like You’ve Seen a Ghost: The Rising Popularity of the Supernatural

“Actually, I do have doubts, all the time. Any thinking person does. There are so many sides to every question.”

Edgar Allan Poe

For this post, I wanted to discuss another Bouchercon panel I particularly enjoyed: exploring the rising popularity of the paranormal and supernatural in stories.

The unexplained, the spooky, the ghostly, the arcane–there are so many different types of added excitement that can be added to a story. These authors will discuss how they brought in their own special touch...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Browsing at the BOO-tique

"There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand."

Mary Shelley

Happy Fall!

I thought Ms. Shelley's quote was quite appropriate for those of us who adore this spooktacular time of year, and all the chills of the unexpected it brings. We have just under five weeks 'til the arrival of Halloween. I know for some, it's still a bit early to be thinking of pumpkins and skellies #GASP, but when Roger's Garden in nearby Newport Beach opens their Halloween Boutique, I cannot wait to se...