So, guess who accidentally bought a house in Austin? That’s right: Me! I say “accidentally” because we didn’t have any plans to move there and we weren’t actually looking for a house. In fact, we’d already lived in Austin back before we moved to San Francisco but a) we needed to branch out and try new things, and b) it got up to 112 one … Continue reading BRB: There’s something I have to go do!

Happy Thanksgiving week, y’all! For several years now, we’ve had a Thanksgiving Day tradition that’s involved a few of our closest friends, comfy pants, bad movies, and, of course, a turkey dinner. It’s fun and low pressure, and while it’s not heavy on tradition, we always take a moment to reflect on what we’re thankful for. It’s a little rude to hog the mic when … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season — for Gratitude

I love a good ghost story. I’ve always wanted some great gather-round-the-campfire story of my own. One time my stepsister told me a story that was my go-to because it really seriously happened to someone I knew. Years later, after dragging it out at every slumber party ever, I mentioned it to her. She crinkled her nose and laughed and said, “I told you that? That’s hilarious.” Continue reading It’s October — Bring on the Ghosties!

Have you ever impulsively raised your hand and volunteered to do something, then later wondered what you were thinking? Yeah? Well, me too! Last January, at our Sisters in Crime chapter’s board meeting, our president asked if anyone would like to be in charge of our bi-annual mystery writing workshop. I thought about it for all of ten seconds, maybe twelve, then raised my hand … Continue reading That time I planned a workshop…

I’ve always had a thing for old cemeteries. (That doesn’t make me weird does it? No? Okay, good. Whew.) And while I’ve visited a lot of fascinating cemeteries, I now officially have a new favorite, and it’s just a few miles from my house. This is the kind of cemetery they give tours of twice a month — yes, it’s that good — and last weekend … Continue reading A Tomb With a View

Lately I’ve become a writing class junkie. In the last six months, I’ve been to three day-long writing intensives as well as a weekend-long writing conference in Austin with nonstop craft classes. What a fun excuse to hang out with other writers and hear really smart people saying really smart things! I end up taking copious notes during the classes. Sometimes I capture brilliant nuggets … Continue reading Writing Conference Wisdom

Occasionally, for fun, I like to browse the real estate listings in cities I’ve thought about moving to. Move back to Austin? See if I can take the rain in Portland? Try out a small town like Auburn in Northern California? That’s how I stumbled across my future mansion. I don’t throw around the words “my future mansion” lightly. I’m not really “mansion people.” Give … Continue reading My haunted mansion/ B&B / writers’ retreat / wedding venue

When you’re planning a wedding, nothing is supposed to go wrong. But when you’re writing a mystery series about a professional wedding planner, you want everything to go wrong. In addition to scouring Pinterest for wedding inspiration, I’ve spent my fair share of time Googling “wedding horror stories” just for fun—errrr, I mean, research. And I’ve noticed that there are some common threads: Minor details. … Continue reading Wedding Horror Stories

It’s no surprise that when I sat down to write about a murder that takes place at a wedding, the first image that came to mind was of a bridesmaid dress. Because let’s face it, they can be awful. 

I’m still not over my first. I was a flat-chested pre-teen with braces and a bad haircut, and I had to wear a powder-blue polyester dress that only exacerbated the situation. Thank God the pictures are tucked away in a box somewhere, because, seriously, no one needs to see that. But not everyone is so lucky. Thanks to the internet, a lot of bad bridesmaids’ dresses are just a Pinterest-search away.  Continue reading Bridesmaid dresses: A motive for murder?