This may come as a shock to some of you, but we’re in the middle of a presidential race. And it got us Chicks thinking… which of our characters would make the best leader of the free world? Who in our fictional world would we nominate for the toughest job on earth? Continue reading “And our votes for president go to…”
How are these for opening shots? On the left you see Pogo. The white furbaby in the picture on the right is Wiley. Both were adopted from the Amanda Foundation, an animal rescue in Beverly Hills. I tell my husband all the time, “It’s the dogs or anti-depressants.” And I’m not kidding. I love my dogs. Like, crazy love them. Lucy, the first dog we … Continue reading And they call it puppy love
To be honest, I didn’t really do the Romance Writers of America convention. But I couldn’t resist an opportunity to pay homage to the iconic porn movie title, Debbie Does Dallas. Anyhoo, this year I had the great good fortune of having my debut mystery, Plantation Shudders, nominated for a Daphne Award in the category of Best Mainstream Mystery. The Daphne’s are sponsored by Kiss … Continue reading Ellen Does RWA
I was getting ready for work this morning when I got a telephone call. In a hurry, I didn’t check Caller ID. Here’s the conversation: Me: Hello? Woman on the other end: Ellen?(Tinkly laugh) Hi, wow, you’re harder to reach than the last cookie in the cookie jar. Me: (Confused) Who is this? Woman: Oh, it’s Jenny and I’m calling from the – Me: CLICK! … Continue reading A Telemarketer Gave Me a Character
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?
Chicks on the Case 