Well, another Malice Domestic is officially in the books! It was my first time at the mystery conference since 2017 and it was so, so much fun to see old friends and meet new ones. Here are just some of the highlights: 1. Seeing Old Friends Malice truly is like summer camp where you get to see all your old friends. And hey, look! It’s … Continue reading A Few of my Favorite Memories of Malice 2026
Let’s give a warm Chicks welcome to Guest Chick Lina Chern, author of tarot card mysteries PLAY THE FOOL and TRICKS OF FORTUNE. Lina is giving away a copy of PLAY THE FOOL to two lucky winners! Read on, and leave a comment before midnight April 25 to enter. May the cards fall in your favor. Take it away, Lina! Do Tarot Cards Work? I … Continue reading Guest Chick: Lina Chern #Giveaway!
Friends, I did it. I finally relaunched my Destination Wedding Mysteries on Tuesday, starting with book one, Terror in Taffeta. Now that the dust has settled and the flurry of last minute duties is over, here are some thoughts I wanted to share. I loved the cover design process as much as I thought I would. About a month before launch, I had a perfectly … Continue reading Behind the scenes of a book relaunch
here are two distinctly different approaches to getting things done: There are the noble early birds who like a good lead time and believe that if you’re five minutes early, you’re ten minutes late. And then there are the clutch performers who thrive under pressure and love a good deadline, especially if they get to do jazz hands and yell “Ta-Da!” as the clock strikes midnight. Where do the Chicks fall on the spectrum? Let’s find out! Continue reading Chick Chat: Are you an early achiever or a deadline sprinter?
I don’t know a lot about astrology or the zodiac or even what my rising sign is. (It’s based on the exact time you were born, and no one remembers mine. “I think it was in the morning,” my dad once told me, helpfully.) I grew up reading those horoscopes that were in the back of magazines and newspapers that were wildly general, like “People … Continue reading Galloping in on a Fire Horse
Having a Chick serve as toastmaster at a mystery conference is big news. But in 2026, not one but TWO Chicks will step up to take center stage, at two of our favorite mystery conferences, and we couldn’t be more excited! First up, at the end of the month, Leslie Karst will serve as Toastmaster for Left Coast Crime in San Francisco. Then, in April, … Continue reading Toasting the Toastmasters
by Marla Cooper The last couple of weeks, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on “Welcome to Cozy Town” — a comedic mystery short for lovers of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuths. It took longer than expected to write, but honestly I was having so much fun throwing every cozy trope I could think of into the mix that time got away from me. And … Continue reading Feline Detectives: Rating my Cats as Crime Fighters
Y’all. Y’ALL. I have started five different posts, each with a solid theme. But really what I want to do is put on my cozy pajamas, make a cup of hot cocoa, and sit around the fireplace laptop and chat. Can we just do that? I just got back from a five-day trip to New York — the first time I’ve ever been in December. … Continue reading Patience, Fortitude, and other things a writer needs
When I was writing my first book, Terror in Taffeta, Kelsey’s best friend and wedding photographer sidekick was named Brody. Just Brody. I wrote the entire book without giving him a last name. Eventually, I realized I needed to fix that. One of the first name combos that popped into my head was “Brody Marks.” Hmm. It sounded good. Too good, honestly. It had the … Continue reading Isn’t that name already taken?!
Maybe it’s because I was born in October, but I’ve always had a penchant for all things spooky, paranormal, and slightly macabre. When the weather starts dropping and the pumpkin spice lattes appear on menus, when people start decorating their houses with cobwebs and gravestones, it makes me want to dance dramatically in my front yard singing, “It’s the most wonderful time … of the year.” Continue reading 🎃 Welcome to Spooky Season
Why I almost skipped the biggest mystery conference in the U.S. — and why I changed my mind. (Spoiler alert: it’s about the community!) Now, who’s with me? Continue reading The Case of the Last-Minute Conference Attendee
It’s hard being a grammar geek in the digital age. When you’re online, it seems like the rules are more like… suggestions. Anyone who spends any amount of time on social media will run across all SORTS of crimes against the English language. And you know what? Some of them, I’m not even mad at. “I can’t even”? It’s an incomplete sentence, but I know … Continue reading Grammar Crimes of the Digital Age
Chicks on the Case 