Combining Women's Fiction with Romance, Cozy Noir Mystery and Suspense.

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Interior Design

Friends, Fur, and Fun!

Our Cabins

Our Homes

Book Signings

Interior design has always been one of my passions and it’s followed me even after retiring.

We’re in Paul’s Pantry 3-4 mornings a week for breakfast, and we were strong supporters during Covid-19. I knew redecorating wasn’t high on their list but I asked I I could help by changing a few things out to bring in a new look. When Michelle gave me the thumbs up, I was in seventh heaven looking for curtains and new artwork, and here’s what we came up with.

Michelle and Jennifer with Chrysteen and book

Michelle and Jennifer , bringing in their books for me to sign.

You can’t eliminate all the working parts of a busy restaurant, but there was a lot going on on this wall.

I moved some things around and added the large “P”, the Welcome sign, and to the left, a “Let’s Eat”sign, some utensils and a cute sign I found that said “Would Eat Here Again!” Now your eye travels up to the “P” and away from everything else going on.

Workstation before

One of the work stations, with new artwork and collage of tobacco basket and cutting boards

Restroom

Before, and After adding colorful valances and new artwork

Friends, Fur and Fun!

Me with hair and my new book group, OCWriters

This is my high school BFF with her copy of my book! She read it even before it was edited!

Peregrine Book Co., which is mentioned in Book One, when Annie and Noah visit Prescott Az.

Cooper

Demi (short for Demitria, not Demi Moore!)

Granddogs Cooper on the left, and Honey on the right.

Granddog Karma, graduating obedience school

So here’s a peek at where I’ve lived

My career was in Interior Design and Kitchen and Bath Remodeling, so it was only natural my main character for my first three books is an Interior Designer (mirrors life, right?) I’ve always felt everyone deserves a beautiful home, even on a small budget. I love to talk to people about decorating, and have always wondered what other writer’s homes looked like.

Our First Cabin in Lake Arrowhead

I absolutely fell in love with this cabin when I saw photos of it. And I loved decorating it. It’s Noah’s cabin in book 2, and I had a friend draw illustrations for the book.

We bought our first Lake Arrowhead cabin, also Noah’s Cabin, from John and Laurette McCook. John has played Eric Forrester in the Bold and the Beautiful for years, and Laurette played opposite Ron Howard in Happy Days!

They had remodeled the kitchen and painted the floor, which I loved! In Book 1, Annie gives Noah this same idea.

When Laurette found out I’d published the first of the Triology, she bought a book and sent over this selfie! How exciting is that!

Laurette McCook played opposite Ron Howard in Happy Days

John and Laurette McCook

Bold and the Beautiful Erric Forrester and John McCook

Laurette Cook and Ron Howard

The kitchen with the painted wood floor

My Writing Desk - I’d never seen a desk quite like this one, and I loved sitting at it and looking out the front window of the sunroom.

A Reading Nook - A perfect place to either just sit and rock, or quietly read a favorite book.

The Living Room - I found a wonderful old red canoe and Larry hung it from the ceiling

Downstairs Guest Bedroom - The McCooks left us the bed and the wonderful bird print, which has since moved with us to two other houses!

Our upstairs bedroom - I found these pinecones and hung them from the woven wood blinds.

Canoes and fishing lures on woven woods in master bathroom

Our master bathroom - Of course, we decorated with a lake theme, and I had a raw edge piece of wood cut as a shelf for the claw-foot tub.

Pine cones hanging from woven woods in master bedroom

Our second Lake Arrowhead House where I did a lot of writing

Living Room - I saw this setting in a Traditional Home magazine and had everything I needed to create my own version of it!

Inspiration from Traditional Home Magazine

Guest Bedroom - I incorporated a lot of our first cabin into this bedroom – notice the bird print from the old guest bedroom, and the bamboo night stands from the upstairs bedroom.

Living Room

A lot of writing was done in this house too, at the dining room table, looking out at the trees.

Master Bedroom - I pictured Ralph Lauren living here…the smaller bolster pillow is made from an old hunt scene tapestry

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This is our home in Long Beach where I actually wrote my books.

My ideas and inspiration came from the mountains but I wanted to show you where I actually wrote most of my books. My office is off the Dining Room in our home in Long Beach. My office faced our backyard where I could look out at our fountain. Quite inspiring since my main character for my first three books is an Interior Designer (mirrors life right?) I've always felt everyone deserves a beautiful home, even on a small budget. I love to talk to people about decorating, and have always wondered what other writer's homes looked like.

My office was off the Dining Room in our home in Long Beach. It faced our backyard where I could look out and watch birds sunbathe in our fountain.

I loved our old original kitchen, but we added a marble counter top when we had to replace our stove. (My daughter gave me a sign that said, “I only have a kitchen because it came with the house” and to prove it, my stove was five years old and had never been used. To me, it was a beautiful piece of furniture! haha)

Larry’s Study This was where we watched TV and it was one of my favorite rooms. As you can see, we’re collectors of things!

The Entry Hall

The Living Room - I love old books! And armoires!

The Dining Room - I also love Asian Infusion.

Master Bedroom - Built in 1939, I think this was one of the few homes with an en-suite bathroom. And there’s another armoire.

Our New Home in Coto de Caza

We combined our Long Beach Traditional home with our Lake Arrowhead "lodge" home and we love it!

Living Room - This painted ceiling sold the house. I could picture all our old living room furniture filling it up. The pheasants and painting came from the mountains

Family Room - A combination of the mountains and our Long Beach home again. This is where we live. The draperies were already up, and we added the blinds.

Stairway - More mountains, including the English riding boots

My Office - This is where I write.

My Office - This is what my office really looks like. Haha

Library - Who needs a formal dining room when you don’t cook? Now I have a library—notice the combination of mountains and our more traditional home?

Kitchen - I still have a kitchen…so I left enough room for us to eat breakfast. Larry built a frame around my hood and my friend faux painted it to look like a copper hood!

Guest Bedroom We call this our European Bedroom. I love the antique needlepoint and paintings on the back wall.

Guest Bedroom - This is our Nautical or Captain’s Bedroom. We originally put these twin beds together to make our king-size bed, and I was anxious to give them a new look. Everything else is from the mountains.

Larry’s Trophy Room We figured out how to combine the mountain taxidermy with the African mounts Larry has collected. No, he didn’t shoot and kill anything. And we still collect a lot of things!

Who says you can’t decorate a closet? All the décor came from the mountains, and would you believe I only use about a third of the wall that’s not showing? I filled the shelves with shoes from Ebay.

Master Bedroom - We brought the armoire from our Long Beach Home, and the rest of the furniture is from the mountains. I still think it reminds me of Ralph Lauren.