Jen here, and it’s always a pleasure to have Michelle on the blog. I’ve been on some recent trips, and I love collecting travel tips. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Michelle! What Travel Guidebooks Don’t Tell You I love to travel, and with a big trip planned for this fall — part book tour, part visiting friends, part vacation — I’ve realized how much I … Continue reading Guest Chick: Michelle Cullen
A couple of weeks ago, I made a dangerous discovery at my local Dollartree. I was picking up the stick pretzels that I often buy there when I turned around and saw this… And this… And this and this… It’s like every candy from my childhood suddenly burst to life in front of me. I couldn’t resist purchasing a sample of them to see which … Continue reading I took a deep, sugary dive.
A heartfelt salute to all. Enjoy the three-day weekend. You earned it! Continue reading Happy Labor Day from the Chicks!
Ellen here, and I’m so happy to welcome my friend Alyssa Maxwell, author of the enormously popular Gilded Newport Mysteries. As someone who grew up fascinated with the “cottages” of Newport, Rhode Island and even toured them on family vacays, I loved learning more about the inspiration behind Murder at Rosecliff, the latest edition to Alyssa’s series. And what a cool giveaway! Read on… The … Continue reading Guest Chick: Alyssa Maxwell #giveaway
We have been told that new technologies are helping companies serve customers better, but is that actually the case? Here is some evidence from the past week… Example 1: Place order online for a set of two items. Receive one item. Go to website to find out when the next item will arrive. See the order is marked “delivered” even though the delivery picture clearly … Continue reading Is It Really Better?
Dolly Parton died Aug. 25, 2026, from cancer. May her soul rest in peace. She was a businesswoman, a performer, an actor, an author, and a philanthropist. But, of course, her greatest impact on the world was through her songs. This is my modest tribute to a singer/song writer I admire—never past tense—so much. I hope I don’t mess this up. Continue reading The Indelible Dolly Parton
We are delighted to have author Laura Jensen Walker visit us on Chicks today . . . please join us in giving her a warm welcome! Confessions of a Genre Butterfly Thanks for having me. It’s always fun to be back with the Chicks! Recently, a writer friend called me a “genre butterfly because I flit from one genre to the next. That flitting has … Continue reading Guest Post: Laura Jensen Walker
Consider these two sentences: I bet you had two completely different visceral reactions to the word “moist” in those sentences, am I right? moist cupcakes So what is it about that word—moist—that causes such varied reactions? Because supposedly some twenty percent of people shudder when they hear the word (though I’m guessing the number is actually higher). And what about other similarly hated words such … Continue reading What Is It About the Word “Moist”?
Today we Chicks are talking about writing rules. First, are they even real? If so, which are our personal faves–and which might we prefer to ignore? Continue reading Chick Chat: Rules of the (Writing) Road
It’s mid-August here in the Phoenix area and if my brain hasn’t completely turned to mush from the heat and humidity, just give it a few more days. Continue reading Guest Chick: J.C. Eaton & #Giveaway
These days, every time we venture online–or open our email–we’re bombarded with information. True or false, all those details must be processed by our frazzled brains and sorted into a cerebral in-box system: Keep, Ignore, Discard. But what happens when SOME people’s brains refuse to let go? Continue reading Trivial Pursuits
I’m a huge proponent of getting out in nature, whether it’s to relax or remove oneself from digital devices. I find it literally grounding, and though my family opted to travel to Leslie’s stomping grounds this summer (the Big Island), it was my first time, and I wasn’t sure what I’d discover. We did plan for nature-y things like hikes (that journey to Papakōlea Green … Continue reading Waiting on Hope
Chicks on the Case 