OBSERVATION and DESCRIPTION, Part III by Leigh Lundin Psych and The Mentalist Two recent television shows are Psych and The Mentalist. The main characters pretend to be clairvoyant, but use powers of observation to make the gullible believe they’re psychic. If not an original premise, it’s damn clever for television. Mystery novels have used phony psychics […]

OBSERVATION and DESCRIPTION, Part II by Leigh Lundin Sherlock Holmes, mentor to all of us, lectured Watson about the necessity of observation. The power of observation shouldn’t be limited to characters; my favorite writers routinely examine their surroundings in unusual ways. As I’m using it, observe has two meanings: to examine with insight and articulate that […]

OBSERVATION and DESCRIPTION, Part I by Leigh Lundin Lacrosse Purposes I found myself sitting in a new fast food restaurant looking through glass at a multi-level kid playroom with gerbil habitat tubes tykes are supposed to crawl through, slides, a basketball hoop, and other structures designed for kids– but not by kids. As I watched, little children– […]

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE: Setting a Story in Europe by Leigh Lundin I recently finished an international thriller that reminded me of a novella I’d read. Both were set in Europe, but I came away with the feeling grand European cities were all patterned on Dayton, Ohio. The novella was set near Lake Como in Italy, […]

DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS by Leigh Lundin By now, most of us are aware of a criminal element that wishes to separate us from our money. Florida’s traditionally been a hotbed of sharpsters, hucksters, telemarketers, and con artists, probably because politicians are more worried about policing lawns rather than bad guys. Criminal enterprise requires a […]

AGGIE by Leigh Lundin Whew! After a week of solid rain from Tropical Storm Fay, I glimpsed the sun! My house is a disaster, but I see sun. With UPS battery backup, I took advantage of the storm to write and edit, which was gratifying since I felt drained after last week’s article. Unfortunately, T.S. […]

DEAR PRUDENCE by Leigh Lundin I’ve been watching Dear Prudence, a TV mystery movie that, with a ‘sequel’ promised, could potentially become a series if they tighten it up. Prudence McCoy is a Martha Stewart type (cast considerably nicer) who winds up in Wyoming instead of Connecticut. She’s cute but a bit ditzy. As mystery […]