I’ve always been an avid reader. I have a small scar on my forehead from where I walked into a tree as a kid while I was deep into a book. When I gave birth to our daughter, I promised myself two things: she would never be a bully and she would always be a reader. These days, the former is easier than the latter, … Continue reading My daughter the reader.
We invited this year’s nominees for the Agatha Best First Novel award to fantasize about what film or TV stars they’d cast in their mysteries should Hollywood come calling. TESSA ARLEN: Aha, I have already done this exercise with the wonderful Marshal Zeringue over a year ago. It is such a great question. So, for Clementine Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Montfort -my amateur sleuth, who … Continue reading Casting Call for Agatha Best First Novel Nominees
A wonderful benefit of becoming a mystery writer is that you’re exposed to new books in your favorite genre all the time. You meet so many other authors, talented men and women who write books you really want to read. And so you buy them. And buy them. And buy them. And your TBR pile grows. And grows. And grows. (TBR means Too Be Read. … Continue reading So many author friends, so little time.
Some of my favorite events at Left Coast Crime 2016 were the Author-Reader Connections, where authors hosted readers for various activities. I participated in two: a lunch co-hosted with fellow Crooked Lane authors Leslie Karst and Chris Goff, and a Sunday morning “Bagels with Ellen Byron.” And that’s where things got really interesting. I invited my conference roomie, prolific author Linda O. Johnston, to join … Continue reading My Readers Bought a Serial Killer’s House
In 1984, after a friend’s wedding in Texas, I meandered my way through Cajun Country on the way to New Orleans and came upon a lovely small town on Bayou Teche. With its grassy square and gracious old buildings sporting wrought-iron balconies, the place had the flavor of a petite New Orleans. I carried the memory home with me, and years later fictionalized it as … Continue reading Was it Memory or Fantasy?
On a recent trip to Louisiana, I toured several plantations and saw some fascinating nineteenth century artifacts. There was a flycatcher that lured flies with a mixture of sugar and arsenic. (Why-oh-why didn’t I know about this before I used arsenic as a murder weapon in my debut mystery, Plantation Shudders?) A parlor in Houmas House featured extraordinary tapestries that took Ursuline nun novitiates years … Continue reading Magnolia Marie Doucet, Vampire Slayer?
One great thing about being a writer is that you can allow a character to make up for your own personal failings. My case in point… I attended Tulane University in New Orleans, and loved it. But there was a fraternity, Kappa Alpha, which celebrated an event called “Old South.” The guys in the chapter rented Confederate soldier uniforms, and their dates rented southern belle … Continue reading Party Like It’s 1865
Since the publication of my first book, Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery, I’ve learned that I am more than just an author. I am a brand. And I’m okay with that. My late father was a “Mad Man,” and I grew up in a household where a good ad campaign wasn’t just admired, it was revered. But how to create my brand, a look … Continue reading WWDVD? What Would Diane Vallere Do?
I have a confession to make. I’m a little jealous of my Plantation Shudders protagonist, Maggie Crozat. For one thing, she’s a few inches taller than me, and doesn’t need to lose twenty pounds to get off cholesterol medication like I do. She can eat boatloads of her mother’s incredible Cajun cooking and never gain an ounce, the lucky so-and-so. Plus, she’s thirty-two, and I’m, … Continue reading True Confession: I’m Jealous of My Protagonist
While trying to meet a recent deadline, I hit a bit of a roadblock in my rewrite. I needed to come up with a story fix, and fast. So I did what any self-respecting writer would do. I procrastinated. I’ve found that etymology is a great way to stall. Exploring the origin of words gives you the illusion of working, hence less guilt. Since I … Continue reading Who Put the “Dead” in “Deadline?”
sSometimes, you just have to play favorites—and this is one of those times. Today we’re talking about which of our characters we most love to write. (Spoiler Alert: It’s not always who you think it’s going to be!) Continue reading “My Favorite Character to Write is…”
Let’s be honest, there’s always one area we all dread writing. Maybe it’s setting, maybe it’s describing outfits, maybe it’s hair color. Here, the Chicks share their writing bugaboos… Continue reading “I totally hate to write…”
Chicks on the Case 