For the Hard-to-Accessorize Protagonist

So I have this neighbor. Her name is Danielle, and she's really cool. We trade stuff over the fence -- baked goods from her kitchen, half-baked novels from my word processor -- and our respective kids act like brother and sister. We also meet online, Facebooking and Pinteresting especially. And that's where our latest collaboration started.

We both work from home; I'm a mystery novelist, and she's an Avon representative. Recently, Danielle was kind enough to read a draft of my second novel -- Darker Than Any Shadow, debuting March 6 in case you're interested -- and she offered to help accessorize my heroine, Tai Randolph, a little bit. As Danielle explains on her blog, Tai is not a girly-girl. Fashion is a foreign concept. But now that she's dating an Armani clotheshorse, she has discovered that she needs to spiff things up a bit. And while she's a real smart woman, she's kinda clueless about this.

Her boyfriend helps. And now, so has Danielle. Here's her picks for Tai's Must-Have Accessories. I've already written two of them into Book Three. And I'm probably adding them to my own shopping list, since Tai and I do share a certain -- how does one say it? -- ineptitude in all matters of style and fashion. PS: If you like any of these items, check out Danielle's Avon page (which is offering free shipping right now, by the way).

This is my favorite. Perfect for stashing a backpack's worth of stuff and much more fashionable. Six zippered pockets are excellent for cell phones and extra ammo, plus the roomy interior will hold all kinds of clues that might just happen to slip in there when nobody's looking. A detachable strap lets you carry it cross-body, which is the best way to foil would-be snatcher-villains, something every good detective knows. Find it HERE on the Avon page.

This items is as sneaky as they come. It looks like a fancy lipstick, but that's just a clever disguise. It's actually an LED flashlight -- one twist and it comes on. It's going in that bag, that's for sure. Find it HERE on the Avon page.

So simple even a harried, slightly fashion-challenged detective could make it work, even during a high-speed car chase. My hero would appreciate the simple 1-2-3-4 instructions and the impossible-to-mistake placement graphic. Find it HERE on the Avon page.