I love the city I live in, but it doesn’t always love me back. Vista Beach is a beautiful place, no doubt about it. From my house, it’s a short walk to the ocean. I try to get down there once a week or so and spend a little time just staring at the waves. It’s very therapeutic.

My parents and my best friend, Liz, are the most important people in my life. My dad’s a lawyer and my mom owns a store that sells tole painting and scrapbooking supplies.

Crime wise the town I live in is pretty quiet, mostly car thefts and burglaries, though there was that arson spree eons ago—the one my birth parents were responsible for. I don’t know why I mentioned that. I guess it’s been on my mind a lot lately. And then there’s the murder, of course…

You wanted to know about my day. People hire me to create websites, produce apps for their business, stuff like that. Most people would find what I do boring, but to me programming is fun and satisfying. There’s an art to it. Writing an elegant piece of code is a beautiful thing.

Since I work for myself, I make my own schedule. On the average day, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, writing code, calling and e-mailing clients. Sometimes, I’ll take a break and head downtown to my mother’s store or have lunch with Liz. She’s a top producer in the local real estate market and knows everyone, and I mean everyone, in town.

Like me, she enjoys decorative painting. We’ve gone to conventions together, taken classes together and solved a murder together. I told that story to a woman who wrote a book about it. She seemed nice; I think I can trust her. Still, I can’t bring myself to read it. You do it for me, okay?

Oh, I’ve got to go. My mom’s calling. She probably needs my help at her store.

You can read more about Rory in Fatal Brushstroke, the first book in the “Aurora Anderson” mystery series, published by Henery Press.

Meet the author
Sybil Johnson writes the Aurora Anderson Mystery series. Sybil’s love affair with reading began in kindergarten with “The Three Little Pigs.” Visits to the library introduced her to Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and a host of other characters. Fast forward to college where she continued reading while studying Computer Science. After a rewarding career in the computer industry, Sybil decided to try her hand at writing mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mysterical-E and Spinetingler Magazine, among others. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Sybil now lives in Southern California where she enjoys tole painting, studying ancient languages and spending time with friends and family. Visit her at www.authorsybiljohnson.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sybiljohnsonauthor.