Mary Elizabeth Flaugherty is the mother of twins Pat and Patty. She appears in many, but not all, of the stories. Mary Elizabeth is a widow and single mother in her mid-forties when the stories begin. Her husband died tragically when the twins were only two years old. She has never sought to remarry. Mary Elizabeth was born Mary Elizabeth Kelly, and I swear, I did not realize at the time I named this character, that the name I chose was the name of my actual paternal grandmo

My first sketch of the twins. When I first created my characters over 50 years ago, I pretty much knew what I wanted them to look like. I had a picture in my “mind’s eye,” but I still wanted to be able to see them with my actual eyes. My first step to accomplish that was to sketch them myself. I am not by any means an artist, but I have enough talent to create something that is not altogether ugly, so I did my best to start by coming up with a sketch of Pat and Patty. I like

Cathy Brent is Pat’s sometimes girlfriend. She does not appear in every story, but is usually mentioned in most. The image you see above is a composite photograph created to show what I believe Cathy should look like. Catherine Melissa Brent is an attractive girl, considered by many to be the most beautiful girl at Temple High. Her long, wavy hair is coppery-red and her skin is like porcelain. She has large green eyes. Cathy is the only daughter of Howard Brent, the wealthy

Although Bob Daily is technically one of my secondary characters--he doesn't even appear in all the books--I consider him more like one of the main characters at times. His personality is such that he tends to balance out where the twins seem to be lacking. Robert Samuel Daily is 17 years old at the beginning of the series. He first appears as Patty's boyfriend, looking to take their relationship to a new level by giving her a promise ring. He is very much in love with her, a

When we writers create our characters, they tend to represent facets of our own personalities. Of all my characters in the Flaugherty Twins Mysteries, I believe Pat most closely resembles me, yet at the same time, there are so many things about him that are not at all like me. Pat’s full name is Patrick John Flaugherty. He was named after his father, but because his parents did not want him to be a “junior,” his middle name is John rather than Joseph, like his father. He is 1

I’ve heard it said that when we create characters, they each reflect something about ourselves. They are, in a sense, part of who we are. As I have written more and more about the Flaugherty twins, I am beginning to get a real sense of each of the characters—how much they are like me, and yet, how very different they are as well. I’d like to look first at Patty. Her full name is Patricia Ann Flaugherty, named after her father and her maternal grandmother. Patty is 17 years ol

In the past, I have shared a little bit about my writer’s journey, but I don’t believe I have ever shared the testimony part of it. My faith has been a central part of my writing and I would like to now share how that happened.   Please read my blog [ https://www.pauldmcdonald.com/post/to-be-an-author-my-writing-testimony ] and get the full story.

Words are powerful. The Scriptures tell us in the book of James, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” We should always be aware of the words we use and how they affect other people. I have spoken in a school assembly about the power of words. Check out my blog [ www.pauldmcdonald.com/post/the-power-of-words ] and see what I tell the students.

Some of you have asked me about the process that I use to write my books. In the last newsletter, I described how I actually write the...

Some of you have inquired about the process of writing a book, what steps are involved in it, and how long it takes. Let me share my...

The Flaugherty Twins Mysteries are similar to the Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew mystery stories in style and format. You’ll see the same type...

In the first two installments of the Flaugherty Twins Mysteries, we met Pat and Patty Flaugherty, fraternal twins who have a penchant for...

The third installment of the Flaugherty Twins Mysteries, Lost on Black Mountain , is coming soon. A preliminary version of the Lost on...

Lost on Black Mountain, the third book in the Flaugherty Twins Mysteries series, introduces some new characters that will appear...

Join the Flaugherty Twins for a summer camp experience like you’ve never had before.