We are so excited to welcome SG Wong, author of the Lola Starke mysteries and current president of Sisters in Crime! The Lola Starke series is set in 1930s-era Crescent City, a fictionalized “Chinese Los Angeles” in an alternate history in which China established a city-state colony at the start of the Gold Rush. This alternate history also contains ghosts and magic, historically-accurate fashion, and plenty of … Continue reading Guest Chick: SG Wong
By Alicia Beckman aka Leslie Budewitz Our first Christmas together, Mr. Right and I drove over the mountains to spend the holiday with my brother, his family, and my mother. Mr. Right carefully packed two identical long narrow boxes in the car, each with a red bow on top. Into the big apple basket crammed with gifts, he tucked two small identical cardboard boxes, also … Continue reading If a Tree Falls . . .
Journeys in publishing (and life) can be rocky. Sometimes we need an extra sprinkle of fairy dust or luck to make it.
Today, we talk about how luck has—or hasn’t—played a role in the publishing and non-publishing aspects of our lives.
Ellen here, so happy to welcome back the always entertaining J.C. Kenney and help him celebrate his newest release! Life is Too Short… Happy Wednesday, friends! I hope the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing in your neck of the woods. Here in Indianapolis (home of this year’s NCAA Men’s basketball tournament for you sports fans), Spring is in full swing. The trees … Continue reading Guest Chick: J.C. Kenney
We’re starting a new feature here that we’d love to have you participate in! Cozy readers—and especially Chicks on the Case readers—are some of the most creative folks on the planet so we’re asking you to play Chick Pic with us! Give us a couple of sentences … who is this character? What’s their back story? Victim, murderer, nosy neighbor, innocent suspect? The more ridiculous … Continue reading Time for a Chick Pic
Hi all, Ellen here! I’m thrilled to host Laura Jensen Walker today, writing about a topic dear to my heart – the importance of humor in our books and lives, and the frustration we feel when it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Make ‘em Laugh I never planned to write “funny.” I’m a former reporter who always wanted to write books, preferably novels. Writing … Continue reading Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker
When authors are submitting a proposal for a series or for more books in a series, we typically are asked to suggest titles for those books, as well. Sometimes they fly; sometimes they get shot down by the publisher. We think the Chicks have had some pretty cool titles, including The Semester of Our Discontent and Til Death Do Us Party. Ellen’s latest release, Long Island Iced Tina, is a contender for best ever! (Look here for a list of all the Chicks’ books to date.)
But today we reminisce about those titles that didn’t make the cut — or the cover.
Continue reading “Chick Chat: What’s in a title?”
The Chicks are thrilled to welcome back our pal, the always delightful Kaye George. And we’ve stumbled onto an accidental theme this week – where do writers get their ideas? Leslie shared what she goes through on Monday. Today, Kaye gives us her take on it… The Dreaded Question Where do you get your ideas? Why do people always ask this? I got asked just … Continue reading Guest Chick: Kaye George
The Chicks are thrilled to have fab author Marla Bradeen with us today. She talks about the importance of representation in mysteries, beyond the usual suspects, and shares some exciting information about new a grant opportunity through Sisters in Crime for LGBTQIA+ mystery authors! And be sure to check out her wonderful Cozy Cat Caper mystery series (written as Paige Sleuth). Take it away, Marla! … Continue reading Guest Chick: Marla Bradeen
Thrilled to share that today is the book birthday for LONG ISLAND ICED TEA, the second book in the Catering Hall Mysteries series by our very own Maria DiRico who is also Ellen Byron. In the second installment of Maria DiRico’s new Catering Hall Mystery series, Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens, in charge of the family catering hall Belle View Banquet … Continue reading LONG ISLAND ICED TINA Launches Today!
Becky here … I’m so excited to introduce you to Elizabeth Pantley today as she talks about the inspiration and research she magically fell into for her new book Falling Into Magic. When Mountain Climbing becomes Book Inspiration Hayden, my protagonist, is a hiker, and fairly new to the sport, just like me. I used my own experiences trekking through the great Pacific Northwest over … Continue reading Guest Chick—Elizabeth Pantley
Sometimes it’s hard for us authors to believe we are really, truly…well, authors. What an honor and thrill that the words we tap onto our keyboards magically–or not so magically–become books that other people may read. We Chicks still pinch ourselves sometimes, but here are the moments we realized, Hey, this is real!
Continue reading “The Moment We First Felt Like a Legit Author”
