Ann Eichenmuller's Blog

The Lies Beneath , the third book in the Lies series, will be out this July. As I did with The Lies We Are , I tried to incorporate contemporary issues while still crafting a fast-paced "whodunit"--this time looking into the use of biological weapons and potential threats to our country's food supply. I also listened to readers on this one--especially those who told me Sandi needed to "stop looking out for everyone else and do something for herself." The novel begins (of course) with a murder, but this time Sandi is on the move, sailing from her small town marina to Norfolk and points south, in search of a new life. So yes, expect a "side of romance" this time!

Flying Like the Wind (originally published in longer form in Chesapeake Style Magazine ) Our sailboat is slow. There, I said it. We have a full keel, a nearly 12-foot beam, and a solid 2” thick fiberglass hull. We could run through a dock—just not quickly. This has been hard on my husband. He is a racer at heart. If we are on the same tack as another sailboat, he will adjust the sails to within a millimeter of their lives so we can pass them. And he’s good. We have actually passed much sleeker, faster boats, though in the spirit of full disclosure, I am not sure they were aware we were in a competition. I take the helm, and he loosens and tightens lines, ponders telltales, and optimizes…and tweaks…. I know how this all started. In the days before we could afford an actual boat, Eric raced windsurfers. At one point, his name even appeared in Windsurfing Magazine as holding third place in the Mid-Atlantic standings. He had a full quiver of sails and four different boards, w...