Basecamp Book Bash

 

Basecamp Books will host their first book signing at the event center nextdoor to their bookstore on the east side of Colorado Springs, and we'll be there! Come see us Sunday, August 16, 2026 from noon to 6pm at 3918 Maizeland Road.

 

Pause Tiles

The Pause Tiles app Just So game

A gift from our family to yours:

The new Pause Tiles app is now available free on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. A meditative tile-matching game with four ways to play, it's images are made of hand-cut paper art. It has no scores, no timers, no noise. Designed for when it's all too much: take a pause, then get back out there.

Every tile set is created from hand-crafted paper art, with more sets available in-app and a sticker set included with each theme. Pause Tiles works on iPhones and iPads, and even on the Mac, along with Android devices. Find out all about the new app at PauseTiles.com.

 

Mountain of Authors 2026

 

 

We have been invited to participate in the Pikes Peak Library District's feature event for Colorado authors, Mountain of Authors. It will be held on Saturday May 16, 2026 from noon to 5pm at Library 21C, 1175 Chapel Hills Dr., Colorado Springs CO 80920.

There will be talks, meetings with the authors, and book signings throughout the afternoon. Come by and say hello!

 

Toasted: A Snack-Sized Mystery Wedding

In the fifth book of the amateur sleuth mystery series, Toasted: A Snack-Sized Mystery Wedding, food blogger Murph Murphy's past floods into his present like a tidal wave of sticky caramel he can't escape. Murph and weddings have never been a perfect pairing. A dead body, unexpected guests, and losing his closest ally don't improve his appetite for the lavish Florida destination wedding.

At least the beach will be nice, right?

Ever-hungry food critic and amateur sleuth Murph Murphy rights culinary wrongs and serves criminals their just desserts in the Snack-Sized Mystery series, where Hallmark mysteries meet food TV. Each book in the bingeable series offers readers quick and satisfying dips into the cut-throat world of an inquisitive foodie.

Travel with Murph as he seeks out perpetrators of crimes against food and man.

 

Why YA?

We read across the age spectrum of literature, from children's books to geezer lit. A well-told story transcends categories. YA, short for young adult, is very popular beyond its target audience. People may not realize they have been immersed in YA-story-based movies from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games.

Don't let a book's listed age range put you off. Read what you like—no judgment!

Squashed: A Snack-Sized Mystery

The fourth book of the bingeable Snack-Sized Mystery series is available on Amazon in both eBook and print versions. Read for free with Kindle Unlimited. From the back cover:

Where's Kimber? Does her cryptic message to Murph Murphy signal danger, or is she simply on holiday, as the local constables want to believe?

Murph rushes to ensure his sometimes-assistant is safe. Will he be able to track her down in a land as foreign to him as Quebec City, or is it already too late?

Ever-hungry food critic and amateur sleuth Murph Murphy rights culinary wrongs and serves criminals their just desserts in the Snack-Sized Mystery series where Hallmark mysteries meets food TV. Each book offers readers quick and satisfying dips into the cut-throat world of an inquisitive foodie.

Journey with Murph as he seeks out perpetrators of crimes against food and man.

The Other Side of the Mountain

The fourth anthology of the Tales From the Pikes Peak Writers is now available, with 15 brand new short stories themed to the title, The Other Side of the Mountain. New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry has written an all-new Monk Addison Case-file exclusively for the anthology.

This latest anthology, as well as the previous three, will be available, along with a book signing, at Authorpalooza during the Pikes Peak Writers Conference on May 3, 2025, 6:00-7:00p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Colorado Springs. Authorpalooza will be open to the public.

All of the anthologies will also be available at Pikes Peak Library's Mountain of Authors at Library 21C on May 17, 2025, 12:00-4:30p.m.

Tossed: A Snack-Sized Mystery Cruise

Food blogger Murph Murphy is a fish out of water as a competition judge on a cruise ship filled with celebrity chefs, and at least one murderer (I mean where can you go where there are really no murderers). He's sure the wrong person is in the brig but he's running out of time to prove it. Once the luxury liner docks in the UK, the real killer will slip away.

The Snack-Sized Mystery series offers readers quick and satisfying dips into the cut-throat culinary world of an inquisitive foodie.

Set sail with Murph as he seeks out perpetrators of crimes against food and man.

The third book of the new mystery series, Tossed: A Snack-Sized Mystery Cruise, is available in bookstores and libraries, and on Amazon in both eBook and print versions.

 

Hooked on Books

For those of us who don't want to send all our money to Amazon and like to support local businesses, we are happy to say that one of our local bookstores, Hooked on Books, carries the first two titles from our Snack-Sized Mystery series: Smoked, and Cracked.

Hooked on Books is located in downtown Colorado Springs at 12 E Bijou St, 80903, (719) 419-7660. It might be a good idea to give them a call to make sure they have them in stock (or just drop in and browse their many other titles) as I have found them to sell out—what a problem to have!

 

Cracked: A Snack-Sized Mystery

Food blogger Murph Murphy's goose may be cooked, this time—there's a fresh murder, Irma is in lockup, and that stalker knows where he lives. Murph's shattering world endangers everyone around him. He could make a run for it, but can he leave the life he's built behind?

The Snack-Sized Mystery series offers readers quick and satisfying dips into the cut-throat culinary world of an inquisitive foodie.

Ride along with Murph and Irma as he seeks out crimes against food and man.

Book two of the new mystery series, Cracked: A Snack-Sized Mystery, is available in bookstores and libraries, and in both print and eBook versions at Amazon.

And there's more to come in Tossed: A Snack-Sized Mystery Cruise.

Book Signing at Hooked on Books, Saturday, May 27, 2023

Catherine Dilts, Jeff Schmoyer, CS Simpson and Robert Spiller will be signing the third Pikes Peak Writers anthology, Journeys into Possibility, along with others of their books, at Hooked on Books,12 E Bijou St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 on Saturday, May 27, 2023 from 12-3p.m. Please join the authors for select readings and cookies! You may bring your own copies of the books, or purchase or order them from Hooked on Books.

Smoked: A Snack-Sized Mystery

Why do so many of food blogger Murph Murphy's restaurant reviews go sideways? All he wanted was a good plate of BBQ. All he got was one lousy scallop and a demand not to leave town. Then there's that stalker...

The Snack-Sized Mystery series offers readers quick and satisfying dips into the cut-throat culinary world of an inquisitive foodie.

Ride along with Murph and Irma as he seeks out crimes against food and man.

Book one of the new mystery series, Smoked: A Snack-Sized Mystery, is available in bookstores and libraries, and on Amazon in both eBook and print versions.

And stay tuned for book 2, Cracked: A Snack-Sized Mystery.

Journeys into Possibility

The third Pikes Peak Writers anthology, Journeys into Possibility: Tales from the Pikes Peak Writers, is now available from the usual suspects, like Amazon.

Nineteen short stories and a couple of poems from a variety of authors, including Steven Anderson, Bowen Gillings, Robert Spiller, and yours truly, will take you on journeys near and far, internal and external. Sci-fi, romance, western—it's all here. Explore the possibilities.

A happy customer!

Don't Just Stand There...

...get to Thespiana 2019!

A reluctant hitman, an ambitious, amateur pianist who might be too good for his own good, and a giant from a futuristic freak show are among the amazing characters you'll meet in the fourth annual outing of Thespiana.

Thespiana is a staged-reading play festival showcasing the talents of local actors, directors, and playwrights (including yours truly). This year it features three performances of seven all-new and original rehearsed play readings. The dates for this year's performances are:

Friday, September 13, 2019, 7:30PM

Saturday, September 14, 2019, 7:30PM

Sunday, September 15, 2019, 2PM

***Opening Night Reception Friday after the show!***

Millibo Art Theatre
1626 S. Tejon St.

Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Tickets and lots more information at Thespiana.com.

It Would be a Crime to Miss Our Shorts Are Showing 7

We are thrilled to have had our latest 10-minute play, Crime Scene, selected for 2019's Our Shorts Are Showing 7!

Our Shorts Are Showing, a fully-staged presentation of original short plays, will once again be held at Springs Ensemble Theatre (SET) the first two weekends in August (Thursday-Sunday, August 1-4 and 8-11). Show times are at 7:30pm on Thursday-Saturday, and 2pm for the Sunday matinee.

Tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.

It was a fairy-tale summer with last year's production of Snow White - Alternate Ending and we look forward to having a criminally good time this year. Come join us!

Our Shorts Are Showing 6 Cast and Crew

Oh My Disney, Our Shorts Are Showing!

Thespiana 2018 was well received with sold out shows featuring one of our works, And the Winner Is..., among its six plays and many musical numbers. Thank you all for making it a success!

But we're not done yet. Another of our works won a spot in Craft Production Resource's Our Shorts Are Showing 6. Snow White - Alternate Ending will be staged with costumes and everything over eight performances in August. The venue this time around is Springs Ensemble Theatre (SET), 1903 East Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs Colorado 80909.

Our Shorts Are Showing 6 opens August 16 and runs through August 26 and will feature 7 different short works by local authors. More show information can be found at Craft Production Resource. Online ticket sales are at Brown Paper Tickets.

We hope to see you there!

It's Time to Play!

Thespiana, the short play festival, is back for 2018 with all-new play readings and music to entertain and enthrall you. New works from Sue Bachman, Chuck Cabell, Warren Epstein, Phil Ginsburg, Judith McKay, and Jeff Schmoyer will be read and new songs from Lauren and Mark Arnest will echo from the stage of the Cottonwood Center for the Arts.

This marks the third year of Thespiana performances for Colorado Springs audiences. Play lengths run from 5 to about 15 minutes, ranging from one-man performances to a stage full of actors playing multiple roles. It is sure to be a good time.

There are two show times: Saturday, June 30 at 7PM, and Sunday July 1 at 2:30PM. Tickets, play, and actor information are available at Thespiana.com.

How to Zazzle

Among other things, Jmars Ink creates POD (print on demand) items like shirts and mugs. We use Zazzle.com to produce those items once they have been ordered by a customer. That way, there is not a pile of unsold inventory laying around waiting for someone to order them.

While there are many companies that make POD goods, we have chosen Zazzle to produce ours, as they offer a wide variety of high-quality products along with good support. However, their prices may not the lowest you might find for a T-shirt, for example. To offset the price, there are almost always coupon codes to be found that offer between 15% and 50% (!) off a given category, like those T-shirts. These discount codes are sometimes shown on the front page of their web site and added automatically to the items in your cart. To get the best deals you probably want to join their mailing list (yeah, I know, one more set of junk mail).

There are other things that are beneficial to know when purchasing items on Zazzle, the biggest of which are color selection and changes to the item itself. For example, let's say you found T-shirt that has a cute saying on the front, but you don't like the style or color. Don't Panic! You can fix it! First select the item (click on the pictures below to make them bigger).

Cute, but you don't wear red. Click on the black square on the lower right to change the color.

Nice, but maybe a tank top would be a little cooler. Click on "More (100)" in the "Style" section on the right.

A window pops up on the right with lots more styles to choose from. We'll pick a basic tank top.

And there we are. No longer a red T-shirt--now a black tank top, unique to you. Press "Add to Cart" or choose yet another color. Note that colors are dependent on the particular item chosen. The first item was only available in three colors while the tank top offers several more. You may need to scroll down to see all the colors. A further note is that some images will look better on a light shirt versus a dark shirt. Finally, you can see a discount offer below the price. I'm sure that particular one will no longer be valid at the time you are reading this.

"But," you say, "I'm a GUY. How do I get this awesome shirt for me?" Remember that "More (100)" in the "Style" section? Click on it and then the "For" drop down and select "Men".

Now we can pick a nice warm, men's sweatshirt in navy blue.

One final hint. Once you add an item to your cart, Zazzle doesn't make it easy to get back to the store you were shopping in. Towards the lower right of the screen you can find a small link that will take you back.

See that tiny "View their Store" above? Click on it to return to where you selected the item in the first place. And that's it--Zazzle made easy! Well, maybe not easy...

Write? Right!

The 26th annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference at the Colorado Springs Marriott starts next week! It is two and a half (three and half with the Thursday Prequel) days of opportunities for learning and interaction with authors, editors, agents, and your peers, along with food and fun in the foothills of Colorado.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference kicks off April 27, 2018. All the deets, including registration, are at PikesPeakWriters.com.

See you there!

Play It Again

Thespiana, the "gray comedy" short play festival, is back with with all new productions for 2017. And yes, we will be represented.

Last year, Thespiana 2016 played to full houses with new plays from local playwrights. That tradition continues this year with more new plays from Mark and Lauren Arnest, Chuck Cabell, Warren Epstein, Phil Ginsburg, and Jeff Schmoyer.

Please join us at Cottonwood Center for the Arts Saturday, February 25 at 7PM, or Sunday, February 26 at 2:30PM. Tickets are available online or at the door (though it might be best not to wait as it was sold out last year).

More info can be had at Thespiana.com.