A young girl drops something from the upstairs window of an abandoned pie shop. As it flutters to the ground Marcus, a homeless boy, realizes it’s a hundred-dollar bill and someone has written the words “HELP HER” on it in bright orange ink. Convinced that the girl is in some sort of danger, he walks by her window every afternoon to check on her. When she disappears suddenly, … [Read more...] about Now Available – SWINDLE by Cynthia Rogan
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CRIME ABOUT IT! #1–Glenda the Bad Witch
Glenda’s name may have meant good and kind, but she was the supervisor from Hell. Her most famous words were, “Rules are there for a reason,” but after a while, it became clear that the rules were for everyone but Glenda. She arrived one morning looking like she’d walked out of an 80s Whitesnake video—without the cloud of smoke. But we didn’t need smoke to warn us. … [Read more...] about CRIME ABOUT IT! #1–Glenda the Bad Witch
The Hearts of the Matter
I'm an accountant by trade. I'm a writer by heart. I've loved to write since before I was ten years old, (although, back then I wrote mostly poetry and I imagine it was pretty awful). Roses are red.Violets aren’t blue. They’re purple.There are birds in that tree.I can tell by their chirple.Terrible Poem by young cynthiarogan These days, I'm always on the lookout for … [Read more...] about The Hearts of the Matter
Seedy Characters
I've always been in awe of seeds. To me they seem like the perfect tiny, sealed container of energy. Within them is everything they need. Just add water and light and presto chango—you get an entire plant. Sometimes that plant is a tree. Sometimes it gives us flowers, or fruits, or vegetables, or even something we humans have labeled a weed for one reason or another. There … [Read more...] about Seedy Characters
Cliffhanging
I couldn't decide what to blog about this month and it didn’t become clear to me until I started working on the graphics. I started out with a background. But what would make the picture more interesting? An old house? Who do you think lives there? An old man or woman with lots of stories to tell? Or maybe someone who enjoys the isolation—a retired celebrity, perhaps. … [Read more...] about Cliffhanging
Don’t Dog the Hot Days
Happy sauna day. It’s hot. In fact, where I live, we’ve had weeks of temperatures over 100 degrees. But it is almost July 23 after all—the exact middle of Dog Days. As a kid, I heard stories about Dog Days from my dad and his siblings. The one I remember most had to do with my dad stepping on a nail and having to soak his foot in kerosene because—as if stepping on a nail … [Read more...] about Don’t Dog the Hot Days
Dangerous
I can’t remember how old I was when I decided to roller skate down our steep driveway. In retrospect, it was a bad idea and I have the facial and emotional scars to prove it. Then there was the time (a few years later) that I decided to try crossing my arms while riding my bike. “What could go wrong?” Well, everything. For some reason, my brain didn’t connect that my left hand … [Read more...] about Dangerous
It Ain’t Just a River in Egypt
Several years ago, I wrote a short story called “One Last Time” about a young woman who couldn’t seem to stop lying. Whenever she lied, she promised herself it would be the last time—that she would always tell the truth going forward. But if someone asked her a question, she couldn’t seem to resist the urge to fabricate a life she wished was really hers using a story she made … [Read more...] about It Ain’t Just a River in Egypt
Trusting Your Instincts
Have you ever let fear keep you from doing something? If that something is physically dangerous, then fear might be the first step toward your survival. But what if the something you’re afraid of can’t physically hurt you? What if the fear of it holds you back—keeps you from moving forward or enjoying life to its fullest? Shortly after I started my first novel, I saw an ad … [Read more...] about Trusting Your Instincts
When the Time is Right
I love spring. Especially after a cold winter. It’s not so much the milder temperatures. It’s the birth—the rebirth. The trees—their leaves turned brown and fell off. So they spent the fall and winter having nothing to clothe them and keep them warm except the memory of the sun and the leaves. The flowers went to seed, fell off their stalks. Some of them will … [Read more...] about When the Time is Right
DANGEROUS HAVEN by Cynthia Rogan
The WITSEC house remodel is complete, but before Minnie has a chance to start welcoming witnesses in hiding she discovers a tunnel beneath the safehouse that has been the site of a recent murder. As she begins going over the list of people who have had access to the safehouse during the construction, she realizes that even though they’ve all been vetted by the FBI, WITSEC and … [Read more...] about DANGEROUS HAVEN by Cynthia Rogan
DANGEROUS MEMORY by Cynthia Rogan
A young woman with amnesia is discovered on the dock one morning. In her palm someone has written the words many and chance, so Minnie is summoned to help. Once at the hospital, the woman remembers that she must stop someone from doing something, but she doesn’t know who or what. The clock is ticking, and every avenue Minnie tries turns into a dead end. Who is this woman trying … [Read more...] about DANGEROUS MEMORY by Cynthia Rogan
