The other day, my family and I went to the seaside, where I spotted objects floating in the water. “See those buoys!” I said, pronouncing the word like boys, whereupon the rest of my family looked at me oddly. They corrected me, stretching “buoy” into two syllables, more like boo-ee. (To be fair, after some online digging, it seems like the latter is the American … Continue reading Readers Who Mispronounce
We’re happy to welcome Melissa to the blog! The Abbey and its cozy community is such a great setting! Community Matters in Dropped Like a Bad Habit A favorite cozy mystery trope of mine is a close-knit setting where everyone knows each other. I feel like I’m right in the mix when watching a sleuth work their way through familiar territory to solve whatever crime … Continue reading Guest Chick: Melissa Westemeier
Happy Halloween! 🎃I’m a chicken Chick when it comes to spooky things. But I like surviving exploits and mildly scary happenings. Take, for example, my recent Fairbanks, Alaska trip. (Spoiler: I did not see the aurora, which would have featured amazingly spooky spectacular lights.) Scary Airplane Experiences ✈️ If I didn’t know before that I would be an #AmazingRaceFail, I know now. On the way … Continue reading Semi-Scary Alaskan Shenanigans
We’re excited to welcome new guest, Skye, to our blog! She sets her Archaeologist Aideen Connor Mysteries in the American Southwest. Just check out the gorgeous photos below! Back Country Adventures It’s late afternoon and we’re driving down a dirt road from the Kane Gulch Ranger Station heading for Grand Gulch, a vast serpentine canyon in southeast Utah. It’s late spring, and the cactuses are … Continue reading Guest Chick: Skye Griffith & #Giveaway
Jen here, and I’m thrilled to welcome Amanda Chapman (a.k.a. Amy Pershing) to the blog. As you know, I’m an avid Christie fan, so I’m delighted Amanda is our guest and that she’s written a mystery with a huge nod to Dame Agatha. Plus, our very own Ellen Byron blurbed the book! Take it away, Amanda/Amy! Getting to Know the Queen of Crime In Her … Continue reading Guest Chick: Amanda Chapman
Let’s give C.B. a very warm welcome to the blog! I love how she shares about her unique journey in finding her author voice. And the dog pics are too adorable!! Finding Your Voice: An unexpected journey Early in my writing career, a mentor shared wisdom that puzzled me at the time: “To find your voice, you must write what moves you.” I thought I … Continue reading Guest Chick: C.B. Wilson & #Giveaway
I’ve been asked many times in a panel whether I’m a plotter or pantser. I generally land in the middle. (Although since my publisher prefers having a synopsis, I’ve veered more toward plotting.) For traveling, though, I’m a serious plotter. I’ve tried before to be more “spontaneous,” and it just ends up with people sitting around staring at each other and doing nothing. To maximize … Continue reading Travel Style: Plotter or Pantser?
Happy to have Molly back on the blog! I’m always excited to hear about origin stories, and Molly has a great one! Clouds in My Bathroom Sink – An Origin Story and a giveaway Origin stories are great. Though the origin of the phrase is a bit nebulous, first appearing in print sometime between 1910 and 1915, origin stories themselves are as old as human … Continue reading Guest Chick: Molly MacRae & #Giveaway
Hey! Jen here with a personal update… It’s been said that you’ve gotta kill your darlings when writing. Now, I get to do it in real life. While I’m not killing a darling, I do generally like keeping my organs around. Sadly, I’ve had this growing fibroid (aka Fran), who’s been lurking and taking over others’ space. Fran has recently been bullying my bladder and … Continue reading Guess I Don’t Really Need This Organ…
It’s always great to have Liz as a guest on our blog! And I’m in awe of how prolific she is–read on and prepare to be wowed! Thanks for having me back, Chicks. I feel like I was just here. Maybe because I was. Anyway. A little over a month ago, I release Shattered Sight, the first book in a new series, The Jackson Davis … Continue reading Guest Chick: Liz Milliron & #Giveaway
The other day, I went down memory lane, thinking about a song from my childhood. It’s one that I hummed as a kid whenever I felt discouraged, like when I transferred elementary schools. Recesses felt so long and awkward back then… For the life of me, I couldn’t remember the exact title. I mean, I hadn’t heard it in decades. Besides, it was an old … Continue reading What’s That Song Again?
As a kid, our field trip to the Capitol was to…Sacramento. I always envied those kids on the East Coast who got to visit DC. And even though I’ve been to Malice Domestic a few times, the closest I got to the National Mall was watching it stream by a window. This past President’s Day weekend, though, we traveled to Washington, D.C. to cheer on … Continue reading Whirlwind DC Weekend
Chicks on the Case 