Mount Tam, as it is known locally, is the center of Marin County. Not geographically, but being the highest peak of the Marin Hills, it is like a beacon leading us Marinites home from San Francisco.

The mountain is surrounded by national park areas offering up to forty miles of publically accessible open space. Mt. Tam was create by the uplifting, and folding of the North American plate as it slides along the Pacific plate near the San Andreas Fault. Does this mean we could one day loose our beacon?

Being a fan of buff men without shirts, I recently started watching The Musketeers on BBC. (d’Artagnan looks a lot like Rafael Nadal’s second cousin) In a recent episode, Marie de Medici appeared as an ex-queen of France. I wasn’t sure if the writers had made a mistake and meant Catherine de Medici who was known as a ruthless mother of three French kings or was there perhaps, some type of de Medici incest rampant in French history. Anything was possible when trying to maintain a monarchy. Just ask Marie Antoinette. Oh wait, she’s dead.

In Bolinas Bongo, Briana Kaleigh is back in Marin County for another adventure. Her best friend’s high-strung poodle, Fifi, joins in the fun. After The Belvedere Club, so many people asked me why I was so mean to Fifi. I’m Not! I love Fifi, but I can’t help it if my main character, Briana is more of a pet turtle person than a dog person.

For the last six weeks I’ve been in VA taking care of sick parents. VA is an interesting place. The capital, Richmond, is divided by the James River. Although your history books will tell you VA was a southern state the truth is that on the north side of the James River the people think of themselves as Northerners. On the south side, people speak with a twang. As I was often on both sides of the river, I’ve made a list of what I hate and love about the South. So here goes:

There is a lot of ongoing discussion about healthcare in this country, and we have all had our personal experiences with it, good or bad. But aside from all the political debate, I always thought there was a crucial discussion missing, and it is the one about prices.

Coming from a country where the raw unsubsidized healthcare prices are easily 5 to 10 times cheaper than here for the exact same quality of care, I was always astonished that it never really came up in any of the debates. These are always about the structure and who will pay for what, but never adress what looked to me like the core issue, The Prices!

Of course along the way over the last 10+ years, and after many medical bills, I started to have some ideas of my own…

So I was thrilled when recently Time Magazine published a report called “Why medical bills are killing us”  stating within the first few paragraphs:

Branding. You hear it everywhere. At the coffee shops, at conferences, in the stables. Okay, that might be a different definition, but the word “Branding” is as popular as “Platform” was five years ago. First off, I want to say that Branding is NOT marketing. Same nose and chin, but no relation.

I recently saw David Muir speaking with Diane Sawyer about buying American this Christmas. I was intrigued and then astonished when David Muir said we could create 260,000 jobs in America if each one of us bought one $64 present this Christmas that was made in America. This means checking the labels because most of our products aren’t made in America. In the 1960s, 9 out of 10 Christmas presents were made in America. Last year less than half our gifts were made here.

The reason I haven’t updated this blog in the last few weeks is because I’ve been rambling through France. One thing I enjoy doing in France is visiting cemeteries. I love reading the strange names on the plots and examining all the diverse burial plots and mausoleums.

This brings me to my post. What’s in a name?

Writers often hear remarks like: you haven’t found your voice, or you need to develop your voice, or preferably, I like the voice of this piece.

So what is voice? Think of all the contestants of American Idol singing the same song, for example Otis Redding’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

What’s worse than a table full of mystery writers at a Mystery Theatre Dinner? Answer: Six tables of mystery writers.

While at the Left Coast Crime Convention last weekend, I attended the Mystery Theatre Dinner that took place on a 1920’s riverboat, The Delta King. I’ve always wanted to participate in one of these events—what mystery writer doesn’t want to test their skills. I’ve even been tempted to buy one of the games and host one at my house.