Archives for September 2026

Split, Croatia: Now & Then

September 26, 2026 By Michal Strutin

My friend Barbara and I traveled to Split, Croatia, where Book 3 in my Blood & Wool 16th-century mystery trilogy takes place. While there, I learned that Daniel Rodriga was such an important real-life negotiator between Venice and Istanbul that now he’ll be a major secondary … [Read more...]

The ME Factor

September 19, 2026 By Michal Strutin

Lisa Towles writes fast-paced, nail-biter thrillers. The Weight of Cold Things is her latest. She’s also a marketing and publicity professional. Thank you, Lisa, for giving Sisters in Crime NorCal a full morning of how-to at the Santa Cruz Community Center. For many of us, … [Read more...]

Welcome to my website. Stories are collaborations among the writer, the editor…and the reader. I love it when readers tell me about insights they’ve had into my writing that I hadn’t even thought of. And, as a reader, I love to fill in details of people and place. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has spawned many movies, yet none of the Lizzys look like the one in my head.

I like writing historical fiction. Why? Researching a period is fun. Plus, people haven’t changed much over the millennia. Joy, jealousy, love, hate, laughter, misery. These are not new. A story seen from a distance in time gives resonance to the human condition. Homo sapiens? I think it’s just as apt to call ourselves Homo storytellers.