Nice Week in My Back Yard

My backyard is a constant source of delight for me--thanks to Wayne's green thumb and hard work.  This week was filled with several beautiful moments. 

We have new baby birds, cardinals and sparrows, flapping their wings and demanding food for their overworked parents. 

A Brown-headed Cowbird pair has taken up residence.  The male displays a subtle beauty--glossy black feathers on its body and a warm, cocoa brown head.  Notorious for their lazy parenting, the female Cowbird lays her eggs in nests built by others--turning over the care and feeding of her babies to another bird.  A female Cowbird in peak production can lay as many as three dozen eggs in one year.

Most fascinating of all, this week, was our sighting of an Indigo Bunting.  The male of that species appears to be the most vibrant hue of blue of any bird.  In actual fact, this bird is really black.  The unique structure of its feather create an optical illusion of color caused by light defraction.

Interestingly, the Brown-headed Cowbird has a preference for using the nest of the Indigo Buntings, explaining why the two showed up in the same week.   If the Cowbird is a bit premature and deposits an egg before the Bunting has laid any, the Bunting will abandon the nest and build another.  But if the Cowbird times it right, after the Bunting starts laying its own eggs, the Bunting pair doesn't object to their role as foster parents.

Caylee Anthony's Autopsy Photos

Yesterday, prosecutors presenting the case against Casey Anthony submitted paperwork to the court that listed the items of evidence the state intends to introduce at trial.  Included in those documents were the autopsy photos of Caylee Anthony.

When I saw that I cringed.  The thought of that beautiful child reduced to a pile of bones, rot and duct tape turned my stomach.  I suspected the defense team might do at trial what many do: show the photo over and over in order to desensitize the jurors to the horror of the image.

Personally, I want to remember Caylee as she is in the happy photos--the ones where her mother isn't glaring or grimacing behind her back.  I don't want to struggle to sleep at night with the imprint  of her bones festering in my mind.

After giving the matter a bit of thought, though, I can understand the need for the state to put the autopsy photos on exhibit.  The defense is positing that Caylee was not murdered because the medical examiner could not determine a specific means of death. 

Nothing will bring home the cold reality of this homicide more than those horrific photographs.  No words.  No testimony.  No arguments.  Nothing will help the jury understand more.

Those photos have the potential for ensuring justice for little Caylee.  I just wish there were another way.

Branson Perry is Still Missing

Today is the anniversary of the disappearance of Branson Perry.  He has been missing for ten years.  I first heard of Branson five years ago when I sat in the kitchen of his grandmother, Jo Ann Stinnett.  Since that day, I have never stopped hoping that the family would get answers to their questions about the young man torn from their lives.

Branson was last seen at his home at 304 West Oak Street in the small town of Skidmore, Missouri.  He was twenty years old.  He is presumed to be the victim of foul play. 

His mother, Becky Kilno, passed away last February without ever knowing what happened to her son.  Family and friends have vowed to continue the quest for this young man in Becky's name.

Somewhere out there, someone knows what happened to Branson.  Ten years is too long to carry the burden of that information.  Whoever you are, it's time to tell what you know.

You can submit a confidential tip to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to Detective Roger Phillips, (816)387-2345 or through the CUE Center for Missing Persons, (910) 232-1687. 

You can also submit a tip online.  The link and further information is posted on the website for Branson and on his Facebook page.

I orginally wrote about Branson in my book about the murder of his cousin Bobbie Joe Stinnett, Baby Be Mine.

Dancing in the Streets with Kindle in my Hand



First book in series

 Yes indeed! I am excited! My four novels in the Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce series are now on Kindle.


second book in series



THE TROPHY EXCHANGE introduces the Virginia homicide detective with her internal and external scars visible as she tracks down the man who killed 8-year-old Charley Spencer's mother--and many others.

Now just $2.99 on Kindle.

PUNISH THE DEED takes Lucinda Pierce on the trail of a killer who is murdering the head of non-profit agencies up and down the East Coast.  It introduces FBI Special Agent Jake Lovett.  Charley Spencer makes a return visit as she and Lucinda grow closer.
Now just $2.99 on Kindle.

Third book

Lucinda Pierce walks into a quirky mystery in MISTAKEN IDENTITY.  She untangles lies, delusions and a killer's manipulative master plan while helping a young orphaned boy.

Now just $2.99 on Kindle.

TWISTED REASON, the latest book in the series,  Lucinda Pierce investigates the unexplained death of a man missing for six months before being found dead on his son's front porch.

Fourth book

His death sends her to other missing person cases involving people with dementia. Publisher's Weekly wrote: Edgar-finalist Fanning skillfully illuminates the heartbreaking challenges facing Alzheimer’s victims and their families in her fourth mystery featuring Virginia homicide detective Lucinda Pierce.

TWISTED REASON now only $7.99 on Kindle.

I am now busy working on the fifth Lucinda Pierce novel, tentatively called FALSE FRONT.  And my Severn House contract calls for a sixth book after that. 

I love Lucinda Pierce and I bet you will, too.

Jane Velez Mitchell tonight

With everything happening in the Casey Anthony case lately, you need a tour guide to straighten it all out. From defense attorney Cheney Mason calling a reporter names to a Michigan inmate submitting a motion for the removal of Jose Baez from the defense team, there's always something happening.


I'll try to make sense of it all tonight live on Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell on HLN (Headline News). I should be on the air at 7:15 pm Eastern/ 6:15 pm Central.