Do you feel more isolated each day, even with email and TikTok and the rest? Does it seem like everyone you meet is more interested in their phone than in you? Do you often wish you had one contact that really cares about what you have to say?

Wouldn’t it be nice if you were certain that new friend could never, ever pass on anything you reveal?

PenPalz Anonymous has put a modern twist on an old idea. Members choose a “pal,” someone who thinks like you,...

I have three projects (plus a book) going right now.

1. Updating several of my books to better present them: new covers, correcting mistakes, etc.

2. Narrating and producing my first audio book, which will save LOTS of money if I'm successful.

3. Learning how to produce a hard-cover, large-print version of my newest, Leaving the Tribe.

Each of those presents a problem, often more than one.

For #1, it's the process of finding things. I keep a file of mistakes I find (or hear about), but fixing a...

As I reported earlier, I'm looking back at my books: series, covers, blurbs, etc. and giving them an upgrade where appropriate. I hated the cover I'd used for the boxed set of the Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries, so I made a new one. It's simply the covers of the four books in the series, which makes it clear what a reader is getting. Here's the LINK for Amazon.

I will eventually be updating non-Amazon sites, but this is a big job. I've done only e-books on Amazon, which means I have to do the...

I've been reading and listening, trying to decide how to go about making my own audio books. Here's a summary of what's happened since the idea was proposed to me by a fan.

Where I began:

I downloaded Audacity, a free audio program that lets me make each chapter of the book into an audio file. I chose a Maggie Pill book as my first, since they're shorter, with shorter chapters and generally easier reading.

What I bought:

a chair that doesn't squeak when I move

a good microphone with a sturdy...