Guest Post

Guest Chick: Mariah Fredericks

Leslie here, with a warm welcome to fab writer Mariah Fredericks, whose most recent mystery, The Girl in the Green Dress, released just a few months ago. Today she brings us a beautiful piece about friendship and loss. Take it away, Mariah:

In Memory and Praise of Writer Friends

I was all set to write about my dizzy trip down the rabbit hole while researching The Girl in the Green Dress, which features Morris Markey, a once famous writer who died in mysterious circumstances. Murder or suicide? He had two writer friends who could not agree on the matter: James Thurber, who believed his old pal died accidentally, and James M. Cain, who was pretty sure he was murdered.

But then one of my writer friends, Triss Stein, died. And it felt only right to write about her.

I didn’t know Triss for that many years. We were part of a Queens mystery group that met for dinner about once a month. Triss kindly traveled from Brooklyn. At that time, I was barely published in adult mystery, and she was the author of several well-regarded novels with Poisoned Pen. She told me to join Sisters in Crime. I said I didn’t like groups. She said join anyway. She was right. She told me to attend Malice Domestic. I said I didn’t like conferences. She said Malice is different. She was right. (It was actually after my first Malice when we were at the train station that she told me about her battle with cancer.) Regardless of whose career was going “better” at any given time, she was unfailingly kind and supportive and funny. Many people remember her as that welcome presence in an otherwise chilly hotel space where no one seems interested in letting you join their group. Triss was always ready to let people in.

Triss and Mariah

Her passing has led me to reflect how much I value my “writer friends.” It’s a funny relationship. You don’t necessarily each other all that often, Some of the friendships grow to include talk of family, health, movies. Some don’t. But the ties can be deep, because they’re founded on one thing we’re all deeply passionate about: the writing (and yes, selling) of stories.

Which might sound calculating, but over and over, I’m stunned by people’s generosity towards one another. It goes beyond the blurbs and the social media shout outs. Writer friends listen, commiserate, give advice. They read your work, they make it better. There are certain “Am I crazy” emails you can only send a writer friend. I am a neurotic, glass half empty kind of gal. I wouldn’t make it without my friends and colleagues.

In memory of Triss, I will remember to let people in. If someone’s hovering at the edge, I will shift to make room. I’ll remember to be generous to newcomers who have questions—and to my old friends who have always been there for me.

And if I ever end up dead in suspicious circumstances, I authorize all of you to write about it. I hope you make a mint.

Readers: What do you appreciate in your writer friends? Share a memory or a thank you!

Mariah Fredericks was born, raised, and still lives in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series, which has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. The Lindbergh Nanny, her first standalone novel, was nominated for the Agatha and Anthony Awards. Her most recent novel, The Girl in the Green Dress, was named one of Sun Sentinel’s Best Mysteries of 2025.

About The Girl in the Green Dress: New York, 1920. Zelda Fitzgerald is bored, bored, bored. Although she’s newly married to the hottest writer in America, Zelda is at loose ends while Scott works on his next novel. Meanwhile, Atlanta journalist Morris Markey has arrived in New York and is lost in every way possible. Returned from the war, he hovers at the edge of the city’s revels, unable to hear the secrets that might give him his first big story.

When notorious man-about-town Joseph Elwell is found shot through the head in his swanky townhouse, the fortunes of the two southerners collide when they realize they were both among the last to see him alive.  Markey has his story. Zelda has her next adventure. As they investigate which of Elwell’s many lovers―or possibly an enraged husband―would have wanted the dapper society man dead, Zelda sweeps Markey into her New York, the heady, gaudy Jazz Age of excess and abandon, as the lost generation takes its first giddy steps into a decade-long spree. Based on the real story of the unsolved deaths of Joseph Elwell and New Yorker writer Morris Markey, Mariah Fredericks’s new novel is a glittering homage to the dawn of the Jazz Age, as well as a deft and searing portrait of the dark side of fame.

28 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Mariah Fredericks”

  1. I appreciate my writer friends because they give me insights into their world and bring a lot to the table to understand the intricacies of the publishing industry. Also, they are a great people to know. Thanks for your memories about Triss, she was a great friend.

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  2. Writer friends are the only ones who understand things like, “This character won’t behave” or “They won’t let the book end.” Non-writers think we’re in control. Writer friends understand that, at times, we’re only scribes for the voices in our heads.

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  3. Oh my gosh, Mariah, this post hit me right in the feels! I’ve been thinking a lot about community lately. Writing is so solitary, but things like conferences and Sisters in Crime and blog friends make it all worthwhile. Thanks for sharing your beautiful memories of Triss. I had met her before but didn’t know her well, and I appreciate the glimpse into her life. xoxo

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    1. I’m very grateful to have the space to remember her. It is funny how I insisted I was not a conference person—my earlier experiences with them pre-mystery were not positive. But I’ve really enjoyed the mystery conference scene.

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  4. Mariah, this is such a beautiful, beautiful post. Thank you for sharing it with us. I loved reading about the ways Triss helped guide and encourage you. She sounds like she was a beautiful soul. It helps to have someone who understands the boundaries of our comfort zone while nudging us past those boundaries.

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    1. That is exactly what she did! When her daughters spoke at her funeral, I thought, Hm, she didn’t let the young women in her life get away with the old “I can’t” or “don’t wanna.” happily for me and I’m sure them.

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  5. Mariah, thank you for this beautiful post and tribute to Triss. Community is much needed, and I agree that writer friends are filled with generosity.

    I’m, of course, thankful for my Chickies here, who have been so kind and supportive. And a shout-out to SinC, the first mystery writing organization I joined!

    P.S. Your book cover and summary are both amazing!

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  6. Hi Mariah, and many thanks for visiting Chicks today. What a beautiful tribute to Triss and writerly friendship in general. I tell myself often how very lucky I am to have such good writer friends. It’s a joy to see many of them in person at conferences, and I’m always amazed at how, with writers, it’s so easy to converse as if we saw each other every day. It’s also wonderful to have best buds who always (well, almost always) know EXACTLY what you’re talking about and nod or jump in to add onto or even finish each other’s sentences. Congrats on The Girl in the Green Dress–the cover is truly stunning, and what a story!

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  7. What a wonderful tribute to friendship! I love meeting writers whose books I love at conferences and author events, they are always warm & happy to interact with fans. One of my closest friends is someone I met when we were both attending a poetry writing class & reading each other’s work. Some of the students I taught in my high school creative writing classes are still in touch with me. Writing and friendship are a good combination!

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  8. Such a lovely, lovely tribute, Mariah. I met Triss at Malice too, and enjoyed some of her books.

    And what you say about our mystery community is spot on. When we recently learned our daughter was facing a health crisis, I turned to my Chicks and Cozy Mystery Crew members before we even told my family. They sent support, encouragement, and even wonderful gifts that were deeply appreciated. My only family stepped up less, lol!

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    1. Ellen, I did not realize. I hope the crisis is now past. But I can very much imagine doing the same thing in that situation. Chosen family…

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  9. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my writer/reader community. My wife Robin tells me she thinks the only reason I keep putting out books is because of the community it brings, and I think she may be partly right, lol. You all truly are the only people who really understand me.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, Mariah, and I’m really looking forward to reading “The Girl in the Green Dress”–it looks terrific! And congrats on all the rave reviews it’s getting!

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    1. Thank you, Leslie and Chicks! I know—at one point I thought of writing something that was not a mystery. Then I thought, Nah, I’d miss everyone too much!

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