Welcome to Election Week, where there are big questions to be answered! In the meantime, here are a few tiny and random ones. Please feel free to answer any or all of the following: What is your favorite (Halloween or otherwise) candy of all time? What is something you’re watching on tv right now? What is one food or drink you’ve recently discovered and would … Continue reading Just Wondering
Hi everyone: (My mom Cynthia is busy working on a book right now, so she said I could take this post.) I’ve had a great time over the past few weeks teaching my family how we should do things. And in addition to the usual snuggles and puppy toy requirements, I have some other ideas. For example, here I am playing Grab The Water Bowl … Continue reading A Little Something Different
Please join us in welcoming M.S. Greene, author of There’s No Murder Like Show Murder, to Chicks on the Case! We’re so happy to be hosting him today. There are two things I’ve been for as long as I can remember: a theatre nerd and a mystery lover. (And if you count “pizza eater,” there are three things.) So, when I set out to write … Continue reading Guest Chick: M.S. Greene
Here at Chicks, we talk a lot about books—particularly mystery, obviously—but it’s been a minute since we’ve discussed film. It’s on my mind since I’m currently teaching a course that explores the rise and influence of film noir (which has of course adapted numerous crime novels for the screen, so perhaps it’s not that far from our usual beat). We’ll sidestep the whole is-it-a-genre-or-a-style scholarly … Continue reading a slight swerve
With the Olympic Games starting soon, the excitement is palpable. Athletes coming together from around the globe is an amazing thing–conceptually, emotionally, and logistically. And even though the main goal is competition, so many other aspects can be marvelous to witness. The races, matches, and events themselves can be thrilling to watch, of course. The demonstration of talent and determination can be impressive and inspirational. … Continue reading Olympics Week is Here!
The Chicks are thrilled to have Valerie Burns (aka VM Burns aka Kallie E. Benjamin) visiting us today! Valerie writes multiple wonderful series, so she has to come up with many interesting things to write about. If you’ve ever wondered how authors manage to generate plotworthy ideas, here is your answer! Where do Authors Get their Ideas? I’m often asked where I get ideas for … Continue reading Guest Chick: Valerie Burns
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about difficult long-term projects: how much endurance they require, how there are points where the desired outcome seems impossible, and how giving up may actually seem like the logical (and more attractive) option. For example, in my teaching job, it has been necessary to produce scholarship. Here’s how that process has tended to go. Have jolt of awareness that … Continue reading a marathon, not a sprint
Dear Kit Maker: Just found this picture in my photos and had a minute of confusion. Then it all came flooding back… Ah yes, the Great Cape Kit Conundrum. Initially, when I saw this at the store, I thought: hey, a cape kit seems like a cool idea! It could come in handy for costumes! (The kids seemed to have endless opportunities for dressing up … Continue reading Just a Friendly Note (kit edition)
The day of the total eclipse has arrived! It has been suggested that eclipses affect us psychologically: the moments of darkness can be deeply unsettling but thrilling–and enhance our sense of being human/connected to others. I have been registering varying levels of interest both online and offline, ranging from great enthusiasm to shrugs. One news channel has had a countdown clock going for days while … Continue reading It’s Here…
The sequel to In Good Company, a previous compilation of quotes, follows…many of these offer advice that could apply to more than writing! There is no perfect time to write. There’s only now. ~ Barbara Kingsolver You fail only if you stop writing. ~ Ray Bradbury Actually, every time we begin, we wonder how we did it before. Each time is a new journey with … Continue reading In Good Company Again
Let’s begin by establishing that I am a person who wonders about things quite a lot. My husband, who is much calmer than I am in practically every way (unless he’s watching sports), has helped me realize that not everyone has the need to question, like, everything. It’s useful in some ways–I believe that being curious about something is a genuine path to discovery. And … Continue reading Just wondering. Again.
Mysteries happen all the time. Even to mild-mannered college professors. At work. (This is a true story.) After class one day, I went to my office to catch up on some grading. On the floor in the hallway, there was a small, saucer-shaped pod with what looked like a puddle of oil underneath. I yelped at the sight of it, and my neighboring colleague came … Continue reading Mysteries Everywhere
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