Elise M. Stone

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Bruce C...
508 books | 596 friends

Molly J...
2,015 books | 2,729 friends

Leila M...
745 books | 1,972 friends

H.L. Burke
1,019 books | 481 friends

Irene S...
2,231 books | 15 friends

Michell...
327 books | 667 friends

Melisa ...
73,661 books | 1,350 friends

J.E. Grace
3,771 books | 1,479 friends

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Elise M. Stone

Goodreads Author


Born
January 31

Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
March 2011

URL


Elise M. Stone was born and raised in New York, went to college in Michigan, lived in the Boston area for eight years, and most recently moved to sunny Tucson, Arizona, where she doesn't have to shovel snow. Her first degree was in psychology, her second in computers. She's worked as a pizza maker, library clerk, waitress, social worker, programmer, and data jockey.

Retired now, she spends her days doing her two favorite things: writing and reading. Agatha and Spenser, her two cats, keep her company while watching birds and lizards outside her office window. Like the sleuth in her African Violet Club mysteries, she also raises African violets, although not with as much success as Lilliana, who has been known to win the occasional prize ribbo
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Elise M. Stone Write more.

I don't actually believe in writer's block. That doesn't mean I don't get stuck. The worst thing I could do would be to walk away from my d…more
Write more.

I don't actually believe in writer's block. That doesn't mean I don't get stuck. The worst thing I could do would be to walk away from my desk and start worrying about not knowing what to write next. It's much better to keep writing.

First, I try plunging ahead with the scene I'm currently attempting to write. I keep typing and, sometimes just the right words come out on the screen to inspire the next idea. It doesn't matter that a bunch of them are crap. A first draft is supposed to be crap.

If that doesn't work and I find myself staring at the screen with no idea of how to even get started, I close up my laptop and pull out my journal and a pen. Writing by hand uses a different part of the brain than typing does and sometimes that's the part that has the answer. I start by freewriting, just letting the words flow about what my problem is. I'll go back to basics and ask myself what my character wants in this scene, what do the other characters want, what's wrong with my concept for the scene, or how could I make things worse for my character.

If all else fails, I go for a walk. Getting outside, stretching, working off that angst over what happens next, usually results in my muse coming up with a solution.(less)
Elise M. Stone Recently my family got together to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. It's been quite a long time since I've seen most of my cousins in one place, a…moreRecently my family got together to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. It's been quite a long time since I've seen most of my cousins in one place, and the conversations were interesting. My brother has pursued the genealogy of both sides for a number of years, and on this occasion, I found out two of my cousins had also tried to find out the origins of our family (on two different sides).
The mystery is one of my grandfathers, who apparently was an illegitimate child. We know this because he was born in a home for unwed mothers. Who his father was is the mystery. This is compounded by the fact that his name was changed, either by his mother or himself, several times. Why all the name changes? Who was the missing father? What secret was his mother keeping?(less)
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Writing Progress 10/31/2025

I’ve been sailing away on Jingle, Jangle, Jingle , the next book in the Rainbow Ranch Mysteries series, making good progress and really enjoying writing this book. It’s one of those rare stories that pretty much all I have to do is sit at my computer, watch the movie that starts playing in my head, and then type very fast. Of course, I did some preplanning, but not nearly as much as I’ve been doin Read more of this blog post »
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Published on October 31, 2025 15:19
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Mail-Order Bride Secret by Linda Ford
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Mail-Order Baroness by Misty M. Beller
Mail-Order Baroness (Brothers of Sapphire Ranch)
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5 copies available, ends on January 31, 2026 Enter to win »
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Quotes by Elise M. Stone  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Everyone should have someone who is willing to stand up for them. I decided to be that someone”
Elise M. Stone, The Case of the Mysterious Madam

“try to be patient. But hurry, won’t you?”
Elise M. Stone, The Case of the Angry Artist

“Everyone should have someone who is willing to stand up for them. I decided to be that someone.”
Elise M. Stone, The Case of the Mysterious Madam

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Making Connections: 1415. FAITH, HOPE, AND MURDER by Elise M. Stone 17 87 Jan 22, 2014 10:33PM  
Cozy Mysteries : This topic has been closed to new comments. Title and Author Game, Round 2 15570 1207 Mar 21, 2016 09:15AM  
Nothing But Readi...: Jewelled Umbrella Squids READ Books 932 331 Dec 02, 2016 11:05AM  
Cozy Mysteries : This topic has been closed to new comments. Title and Author game, Round 3 13653 560 Apr 03, 2017 09:53AM  
Cozy Mysteries : This topic has been closed to new comments. Mystery ABC's, Round 3 13220 638 Apr 24, 2017 10:00AM  
Game Night: This topic has been closed to new comments. April challenge of the month - Boggle 102 177 May 03, 2017 04:31AM  
A Million More Pages: Irish Blessings and Proverbs 105 149 May 09, 2017 10:50AM  
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis

“I don't think that you have any insight whatsoever into your capacity for good until you have some well-developed insight into your capacity for evil.”
Jordan B. Peterson

“Trust is not an obsession, it's an extension of love. When we truly love someone, we give them our heart to hold in their hands. And when that love is returned, that very trust is balm to our souls.”
Julie Lessman

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Comments (showing 1-2)    post a comment »
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message 2: by Beth

Beth Hi Elise,
Thanks for sending a Goodreads friend request to this fellow mystery author!


message 1: by Kris

Kris Neri Thanks for adding this mystery & paranormal author. We like some of the same books, so I'm looking forward to reading your reviews. I love SAVE THE CAT, and I don't even write screenplays.

Kris Neri
Magical Alienation: A Samantha Brennan and Annabelle Haggerty Magical Mystery


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