Here I am at Bouchercon 2002 in Austin, TX.



These are my babies Belle (left) and Buster (right).



I just attended the 3rd Annual Fiction and Script Writers Seminar in Las Vegas. This was sponsored by Academics For The Second Amendment and the Second Amendment Foundation to instruct us writers on proper gun lore. Our hostess was Peggy Tartaro, editor of Women And Guns Magazine, (I offered to pose with a pistol in a very low-cut dress to be on the cover. But I was somehow not considered for this honor.) The sponsors paid for our airfare, our rooms at the Imperial Palace, and meals. I learned a lot about different weapons and laws pertaining to them and even how to fire a rifle and actually hit the target! The most fun part for me was hanging out with curmudgeonly Warren Murphy (above).



My husband and I have finally reached a point in life wherein we could buy our own 72-acre country estate with a staff of landscapers who keep the vegetation trimmed and the lawn manicured.

I guess I should stop there. It will be much less impressive if I admit that our "country place" is just a little cow farm in Turkey Creek.



The best part is that I now have my own private lake to swim in.



Here I am supervising some of the landscaping staff.




The best-looking member of the family, our registered Beefmaster herd bull.