Patricia Stoltey

Author

Full-length Mirrors, Morse Code, and Barking Dogs

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I’m off to the Northern Colorado Writers Conference tomorrow and Saturday, so you’ll be hearing about my adventures in late postings tomorrow night and Saturday night (provided I’m not too exhausted to think and type at the same time). Today I went to J.C. Penney to look for something new to wear at the conference. …Read More

Social Media for Writers and Readers: Where Do You Hang Out?

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I’m having serious doubts (again) about the amount of time I spend on social networking sites versus the time I could spend writing and promoting through personal appearances. Blogging is great fun, Twitter’s a blast, and Facebook is entertaining. I love the time I spend visiting other blogs and leaving comments. The writers and readers …Read More

Here Comes the Snow…Again

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Another spring snow is on its way, so the buckets and pots are in place over my daffodils. The low gray clouds edged over the first line of hills this morning so I couldn’t see the hilltops. Now the gray is everywhere, a steady drizzle hinting at the amount of snow we may get later …Read More

Bits and Pieces

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What I’m Reading I finished Stephen J. Cannell’s On the Grind last night. This morning I began reading Vanished by Joseph Finder. This is one of the novels I bought at Bouchercon 2009 in Indianapolis last fall, right after I participated in the small group discussion with the author. I won that opportunity as part …Read More

How to Relieve Stress: Eliminate the Stressor

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I should rethink the phrase “eliminate” the stressor. As a writer of mystery and suspense, I could be accused of suggesting a reader “kill” the stressor. If the source of one’s stress is a human being, for instance, my advice would not be socially acceptable. Speaking to and about writers, however, I suspect most stress …Read More

I Confess — No Snowman

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It’s not that I didn’t try. I couldn’t get a ball of snow to pack hard enough for rolling. I thought the snow was wet and it would be easy. It’s windy, but not unbearably cold. I was sure the relative warmth would keep the snow sticky. Nope, not at my house. I should never …Read More

As Predicted — The Winter Storm is On Its Way

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I mentioned in an earlier post that my crocuses were blooming and the tulips and daffodils were up. Now those daffodils have big buds about ready to bloom. And, as predicted, we have a winter storm warning for Northern Colorado. Between this evening and tomorrow night, we could get between 6 and 12 inches of …Read More

Do Everything Different Day

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Horrors! The schedule is topsy-turvy. My husband got up extra early this morning to keep an appointment. Husband got up and wife (me) stayed in bed. Last one up makes the bed. I had to do that chore this morning. Husband took an early shower, so I stayed in my pajamas until he left. I …Read More

Being a Writer Is Like Falling Down a Lot

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I had a tendency my whole life to stumble and fall. Literally. Always compensating for my bad knees, I’d crash to the ground after stepping wrong on a pebble, rather than risk throwing my knee out (as I called it back then). The first serious knee incident came in 7th grade when I brazenly challenged …Read More