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 9

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Glad Tidings of Comfort & Joy; #MerryChristmas!✨

Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas DayTheir old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeatOf peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken songOf peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublimeOf peace on earth, good-will...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: #RoadTrip to Big Bear; Mountain Air & #Christmas Cheer!

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

― Norman Vincent Peale

We headed to the hills last week for a bit of mountain air and Christmas cheer in Big Bear. The weather was delightfully chilly and warmed this SoCal gal's heart--I got to wear my faux-furry boots for the first time! I was also charmed to see the magic of Christmas in full display on the streets and shops of this quaint mountain town, no surfboards in sight...

The crisp, n...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: #Christmas Tea with a California Twist!

Tea! Bless ordinary, everyday, afternoon tea!

Agatha Christie

Bring on the #holidays! I so agree with Dame Christie's proclamation--there is nothing better than afternoon tea. What a lovely tradition to sooth the soul and let the worries of the day subside. At the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, the view of the sun breaking through the marine layer was the perfect backdrop for a delightful, holiday afternoon. Best yet, the holiday d...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: The #NYT Sparks a Literary Discussion Most Fine!

“I busied myself to think of a story, a story to rival those which had excited us to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature, and awaken thrilling horror . . . to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.” --Mary Shelley

Well, hello December! What better way to begin this final month of the year than with a juicy, literary debate on the origins of the science fiction genre! Twitter went ballistic on November 20th when a book review tweet by the NY...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: The Irish Phantoms Have Returned; Catch Up with #Author Bibiana Krall!

✨"The Divine Feminine is awakening now..." ✨

Happy #ThanksgivingEve! For today's post I'm serving up a fabulous chat with #writer, creative, Bibiana Krall to celebrate her new release, Mont Pelier! This one's a mystical, thrill filled fantasy that will keep you guessing and gasping at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this latest tale; let's catch up with Bibiana:

Bibiana, your Irish Phantom Series is an original take with an eerie paranormal premise mixed with folklore and legends involvi...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Countdown to #Thanksgiving; on the Hunt for Yummy #Recipes!

"When engaged in eating, the brain should be the servant of the stomach."

Dame Agatha Christie

Just a little over a week before the biggest eating day of the year here in the U.S.---who's ready to get their stretch pants on?! For today's post I'm highlighting a few of my favorite cookbooks and the recipes that get my taste buds chomping at the bit. I'm always looking for recipes to add to, or put a new, culinary spin on Thanksgiving classics. These books are filled with culinary delights that d...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: #NaNoWriMo; When Your #Writing Mojo Goes MIA...

"Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing..." Benjamin Franklin

Like many writers this month, I've set my NaNoWriMo goals, slowly but surely achieving my word count objectives. I have to be honest--my challenge is based utilizing the months of planning that has resulted in an outline for book 7; Blood on the Vines: Harvest at Castlewood Manor. I haven't started from scratch, but none-the-less am doing my best to take advantage of the writing momentum this month. I've ...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: #NewRelease: An Evening of #Christmas Mystery & #Holiday Magic Awaits!

Well, hello November, what a weekend! The #spooktacular season of scary ended at midnight Sunday and at 12:01am November 1st, the holidays jingled on in, at least for me, LOL. Christmas Bizarre ❄ Rikkhe St. Claire Hygge & Bisous Holiday Mysteries is here!

Five stories of Christmas mystery and holiday magic are coming your way...

A storyteller tradition continues...

I absolutely love this time of year when everything sparkles and shines. The prep for this collection has once again been a team effort...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Countdown to All Hallows' Eve; What Will You be #Reading?

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs

and whispers,

'tis near Halloween...

Just five more days until the spookiest night of the year, who's ready to get their #Boo on? For this scary night post, I thought I'd give a writer's lift #Shoutout for a few books and stories I've previously read for this countdown to Halloween. These tales from various gen...

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Ode to #ChristmasWeen!

"Keep Calm and Get Your #HoHoHo #Boo On!"

Auntie Pippa

I have to be honest, Christmas-Ween was not a familiar term for me until this past week, LOL. As I googled it to find out more, I also learned that there is a Hallowmas. However, for those of you who might prefer this moniker to describe this holiday consolidated time of year, it is reserved for the day after Halloween, November 1st, also know as All Saint's Day, Feast of All Saints...let's just say, a not so spooky day.

I'm good with Ch...