The Val & Kit Mystery Series

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Roz Advises: Don’t Try This If You Share a Bedroom with Your Little Sis



When we were growing up, I shared a bedroom with my little sister, Jill. Every night, as the bedtime hour approached, I began lobbying my mother for permission to stay up at least thirty minutes longer than Jill (thirty was an arbitrary number that seemed to encompass the rest of the evening and might get me through till morning). The main thrust of my argument emphasized that Jill was only three, but at six I was much more equipped to handle the night life. However, my genius mother out-negotiated me every time with her devious plan. She suggested that we should go to bed at the same time, but then, as soon as Jill fell asleep, I was free to get up and join the wild nightlife that I was so sure my parents were relishing while watching the nine o’clock news in the living room.

It was too late when I figured out this plan had holes in it. For me—not my mother. I usually fell asleep before my sister, or we both dropped off around the same time. When I woke the next morning, I was once again a victim of my mother’s evil plot. And Jill was left wondering how many times I was going to fall for it. Yep, my little sister was, and still is, smarter than me.

We’re all grown-up now. But that’s the thing about good sisters: mine is still always there for me and ready to explain what I don’t get. She’s my tower of strength, my totally biased supporter, my hero. Plus, she’s the soundest sleeper I know. She hits the mattress like a statue and wakes up eight hours later fully refreshed. I, on the other hand, grab as much shut-eye as I can between old episodes of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote. And it’s not much.

In our soon-to-be-released Palm Desert Killing, the latest in The Val and Kit Mystery Series, we introduce Nora, Kit’s sister. Nora has no problem sleeping, despite the alarming circumstances surrounding her life. But like me, Kit loves her sister, and there’s nothing she won’t do to help her out.

Jill and her husband, Alan, looking well rested.