I semi-joke that I currently have two titles: Ellen Byron, Author and Marketing Director for Ellen Byron, Author. I’m thinking all authors these days can relate to this. Under the guise of my second title, I came up with what I consider a brilliant marketing idea: First Book Fridays. Readers like to start with the first book in a series and since I have three … Continue reading Throwing Promo Spaghetti at the Wall
It’s sum-sum-summertime and you know what that means. Family vacays! Growing up, that meant loading up the family station wagon and leaving at 2 or 3 a.m. (my favorite part of every trip) so we’d avoid traffic and start our trip with a full day of activities. I saw the sun rise over many East Coast states. In my family, summer vacation also meant trudging … Continue reading Hambones gotta hambone.
A funny thing happened on my way to post today. I forgot. Okay, that’s not funny, but it makes for a derivatively witty opening. As for forgetting, the theme of my life these days seems to be blockage. The condition that landed me in the hospital for a week has been changed from an ileus (I still don’t really know what that is) to IBS … Continue reading On Blockages, Literal and Figurative.
I’ve had three medical May Days in my life. (I’m not counting an emergency C-Section because the preeclampsia that necessitated it had been rearing its ugly head for weeks.) When I was twenty-five, a cramp that wouldn’t go away turned out to be a rare tumor. (You can read about that particular adventure here.) Five years ago, a routine angioplasty revealed 70% percent blockage in … Continue reading After a Medical Crisis: What They Don’t Tell You.
Ah, the memories… Two weeks ago, I left on a Tuesday for the 2023 Left Coast Crime Convention. (If you haven’t been, put it on your bucket list. NOW!) I love Left Coast for the conviviality, the great panels, and the ARCs – Author-Reader Connections. These are small events authors host that give us a chance to get to know our readers better. I did … Continue reading Reliving Left Coast Crime
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories. Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation–you’ll find them all right here… Hi, Ellen and “Maria” here! You’ll notice I didn’t include the title of Catering Hall Mystery #4 in the header. And the cover image is on the bottom of this post … Continue reading Behind the Book: “Maria DiRico’s” Fourth Catering Hall Mystery
You know the let-down you feel on January 2nd after the holidays? That doesn’t happen in New Orleans. In fact, those wild ‘n wacky New Orleanians get MORE excited after Christmas because the minute the Epiphany kicks in on January 6th, Carnival Season begins. You can eat King Cake until Lent! You can go to parades! You can dress in my favorite colors, purple, green, … Continue reading It’s Mardi Gras Again!
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories. Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation–you’ll find them all right here… Hi, Ellen here, pulling back the curtain on my new Vintage Cookbook Mystery. The main plot of Wined and Died in New Orleans is twofold: 1) a valuable cache of 19th … Continue reading Behind the Book: Wined and Died in New Orleans
Well, hello there! If you’re wondering to yourself,” “Wow, this post is late,” it’s because yours truly dropped the ball. I blanked. While there’s no such thing as a good excuse for flaking, here was my week last week: Tuesday night – cross our beloved dog Pogo over the rainbow bridge; Wednesday – pack for the first MWA board meeting of the year in New … Continue reading When Life Gets Away From You
I’m always surprised when writers say they need music playing when they write. Not me. Music is what I dance or sing to, which is probably a result of my years as a performer. (This is also why I don’t read my drafts out loud like a lot of authors do. I start acting them out and lose all focus on the writing. Once a … Continue reading Ellen’s Extraordinary, Ridiculously Age-Inappropriate Playlist
This photo is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Last week, Jer and I traveled to Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Book Festival, then down to New Orleans for Halloween. Our recent college grad daughter Eliza is back home, and she babysat Pogo, our sixteen-year-old chihuahua mix rescue. Pogo has been on a bit of a downward slide over the last year. In September of 2021, he … Continue reading Trying to define the “Quality of Life”
Much as I despise admitting it, words don’t always come to me as quickly as they once did. There’s nothing like having a word on the tip of your tongue, then have it dart away and zip around your brain like a fly trying to dodge a swatter. Recently I endured a particularly bad bout of what-is-that-damn-word-I-had-it-a-minute-ago-and-it-went-away-and-then-came-back-and-then-went-away-again-itis. The little devil of a word taunted me, … Continue reading The Most Inane – or Most Useful Writing Tip Ever. You decide.
Chicks on the Case 