We stopped in the left lane a few cars back from a red light. A woman, perhaps forty or maybe fifty years old, wandered between the vehicles. Her thin gray shoulder- length hair, clean but wispy refused to stay tucked behind her ears in the light wind. Her clothes, worn but unstained hung loose on a frame that once was not so painfully spare.The gray eyes in her tanned, weathered face peeked into each car. My husband and I both scrambled for our wallets. He extracted a five d

This is a copy of my 20June 2026 guest blog at the most excellent blog site, Ladies of Mystery. I was graciously hosted by the murder mystery and western romance author Paty Jager. https://ladiesofmystery.com/2026/06/20/guest-blogger-julie-e-eble/ I sit at my desk, thinking, researching and tapping out intriguing stories when my brain freezes, and not from eating ice cream too fast. I’m mired, stymied, frustrated. I’m trapped in a lonely, silent space crowded with self-doubt

This is a copy of my guest post on Lucinda Gerlitz blog on ettiquette. You can find the original here: https://lucindagerlitz.substack.c...