My Life
Everyone should have a fairy godmother
Everyone should have a fairy godmother. I’ve just rediscovered mine. Catherine contacted me after thirty-eight years, and I received a package addressed to me in her Cyrillic-like scrawl, filled with artwork and my first novel, a handwritten story about a horse. “I...
6 Beautiful Ways to Recharge this Summer
Each season has a rhythm to it, and these 6 beautiful ways to recharge this summer will help refresh you for the fall ahead. Even in Hawaii, where we have “endless summer,” long days, kids out of school, and change in weather patterns signal this season of...
8 practical ways to get happy now
Unmet expectations are the greatest source of unhappiness in life. These 8 practical ways to get happy right now have worked for me and my clients. Try a couple today and let me know what happens! 1. practice gratitude: make a list of 10 things you’re grateful for,...
Father’s Day Mixed Feelings
I have Father’s Day mixed feelings. I married a man who has been a great father—no, not perfect. But he’s been steady, sacrificing, protective, hard-working, generous, committed, always there for the kids through their many stages, phases and challenges. When...
5 Effective Ways to Make Anywhere Home
In Hawaii, people come and go. It could be one reason why we have the word “aloha” which means hello, goodbye, and love, too. We, who choose to make Hawaii home, learn to weather this. We are cautious to connect with newcomers because they so often leave. We steel...
The best #hike on #Maui
The best hike on Maui is the Pipiwai trail to Waimoku Falls in Haleakala National Park, on the coast of Hana. Maui has a lot of great hikes, but having done many of them, including hiking the Crater itself, I've decided this trail has everything, including a spot for...
Cement block decorating in #Hawaii
Cement block. There's a lot of it decorating Hawaii. "I've never seen so much cement block in my life," I said, looking at the barren red dirt of a former pineapple field, held in check by several tiered walls of untreated, unpainted, unpretty cinderblock, the setting...
My Writing
Why this mystery writer writes romance
Why would a mystery writer who’s already successful decide to switch genres? I’m so excited and pleased to get these luscious take-me-away stories out to you, but it’s been a bit of a journey. First of all, the question I keep getting: Why would a mystery writer who’s...
Reef conservation research for Bone Hook, Lei Crime Series #10.
There’s just something magnetic about Bone Hook, Lei Crime #10, the book I’m currently writing. Reef conservation and fish poaching research is bringing me in contact with some of the most interesting people on Maui. My time-tested method for developing a story is to...
New release: Toby Neal shares about Nightbird, a #JetKWorld novella
Readers are raving about Nightbird: "Strong characters, exotic locales, a great read!" "Toby Neal has written another crisp, colorful, dynamic and enticing work in Nightbird." "This short book packs a massive punch!" How did you come to be interested in the JET...
6 Great Reasons to Blog your Vacation #amwriting
Having a little time to myself today to reflect, I considered why I'm blogging in some more depth and thought I'd share 6 great reasons I thought of to blog your vacation, and why I'm doing that with ours. Yes, it's extra work. It can be challenging to find internet....
Passion and Danger Launch Day!
It's Passion and Danger launch day! Stolen in Paradise is included in a box set with the "tantalizing ten" authors of Passion and Danger, a collection of crime/suspense/romance novels in settings ranging from NYC to Hawaii and countries beyond! The full-length novels...
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