In my new release, TIL DEATH DO US PARTY (the one with the pink cover), Liv and Di are in Las Vegas for Mama and Earl’s wedding and have to find the killer of an Elvis impersonator to get an aspiring Elvis impersonator, Liv’s cousin, off the hook for the murder. Meanwhile back in Dixie, Liv’s assistant is wrangling plus-size Elvis costumes for a problem-plagued Elvis-themed … Continue reading Me and Elvis
Asking an author to pick her favorite book is a bit like asking a mom to pick her favorite child. An exception to the rule is my mother, because I’m obviously her favorite—but don’t get my sister and brother started on that one. Another exception is the fourth book in my Liv & Di in Dixie cozy series, TIL DEATH DO US PARTY, which comes … Continue reading 5 Reasons New Book Was a Blast to Write
Today is Valentine’s Day—and Ash Wednesday. Kind of an odd mash-up of things that don’t really match. The day we kick-off forty days of fasting and remember we are dust and unto dust we shall return combined with the day we normally celebrate romance, go out to dinner and binge on candy. (For the record, the last time Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day collided was … Continue reading Celebrating VaLENTine’s Day
Most of you may not know (or care), but tomorrow is a banner day for mostly made-up days to celebrate! Here’s a rundown: Tomorrow (January 18) is National Thesaurus Day! Pick a word, any word. It’s National Peking Duck Day! Get Chinese take-out for dinner. It’s National Michigan Day! Raise your hand if you live on the mitten (or above the mitten in the Upper … Continue reading Coffee Day, No Housework Day — What’s On Your Calendar?
Like many people I start each January with a list of resolutions of all the things I’m going to accomplish during this calendar year. You know the list – ambitious, optimistic, unrealistic goals. Most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by March and have forgotten all about them by April. Not me. I stop actively pursuing those goals by March, but I … Continue reading All the things I’m (not) going to get done in November
In her guest post on the Chicks last week, talented author Julie Hennrikus shared some insights about moving past our fears. She posed a question that got me thinking. Do we push ourselves on a regular basis to do things we didn’t think we could do? I’m not as brave as my protagonist Liv McKay, who plans killer parties while tracking down murderers. And I’m … Continue reading Fun, Fearless Scribe?
“So how do you come up with book titles? And how much say do you have about the final title and cover art?” These are questions that often come up at author events. Generally, when you’re under contract with a traditional publisher, they have the final say on the cover art, cover copy and the title, as well as a host of other things. But … Continue reading Mastering the Art of the Title
I don’t know what I’d do without my sisters. I have have only one sister by birth. (My mom having birthed both of us). Pam ranks right up there with the best of siblings, and even hawks my books to her friends and colleagues. I’m also lucky to have some amazing Sisters in Crime—some I’ve met online and at Malice Domestic conferences. And I’m doubly … Continue reading Sister Act
It’s that time of year when “yard sale” and “garage sale” signs are a common sight. One man’s junk is another’s treasure, and I’ve bought my share of both junk and treasure over the years. We all have knickknacks and odd items scattered in our homes, neither beautiful nor particularly useful, which guests could never guess the true value of. My brother bought this cut-glass … Continue reading Priceless Junk
I’m wrapping up my “Sofa-Surfing Book Tour” for One Fete in the Grave, the latest in the Liv & Di in Dixie mystery series. First thing in the morning, hubs and I hit the road heading home to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The trip has taken us southward through Chicago and St. Louis to Memphis, road-tripping and crashing with friends and family along the way. It’s … Continue reading Sofa Surfing USA
I get asked this question and related questions —Why did you become a mystery writer? How did you end up being a mystery writer? — quite a bit. The short answer is that it’s cool, frustrating, exhilarating and infuriating in turns, and sometimes all at the same time. But since I was always better at multiple choice questions than essay, I’ll try to address the … Continue reading What’s it really like to be a mystery writer?
Tomorrow I’ll get on a plane, like many other authors and fans, and make the annual pilgrimage to Bethesda, Maryland for Malice Domestic, which celebrates cozy mysteries. I have exactly 463 things on my to-do list to accomplish before then. I have important stuff I need to do, like write five times my usual daily word count on the manuscript which is due June 1 … Continue reading Does This Boa Make Me Look Cheap?
Chicks on the Case 