Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that writing can be very challenging. There are days when it seems extremely difficult to create something from nothing…or even downright impossible to wrangle words effectively. In such cases, the words of others who have engaged in the business of writing may be helpful, whether as commiseration or inspiration. “I think the hardest thing about writing is writing.” — Nora Ephron … Continue reading In Good Company
The Subject of Malice by Cynthia Kuhn–book 4 in the Lila Maclean Academic Mystery series–is now available wherever books are sold!
*Not all mystery writers. Not only mystery writers. Not all the time. Not without good reason. Discuss mysteries. We never tire of this subject. Read new books, then proceed to tell the author and everyone else how much we love them. See #1. Talk at length about ways to murder people–and by people, we mean characters, though this has caused startled glances more than once, … Continue reading Things Mystery Writers Do*
Well, tax day has arrived. Following protocol, I already blared the song “Taxman” as loud as possible. Now letting go of that for another year and turning our attention gently toward other topics to ponder… Dear Restaurants: Could we please have more names that are direct and fewer that string together what seems like an excessive number of words? For example, “toast and jam” versus … Continue reading Just a Friendly Note (more of this please edition)
Pedicures: good for your feet or gateway addiction? The title of my work in progress. The title of this post, for that matter. My ability/desire to add in more vegetables today (by which I mean every day). Whether I should just go ahead and buy the thing already. Frozen yogurt: healthy alternative or devil in disguise? Which Bravo show is my favorite and it might actually … Continue reading Some Things About Which I Am Indecisive
Neighbors up and down the block put up their lights over the weekend. We did too. It’s one of our favorite holiday things, along with driving around to see everyone else’s lights and going to local sites (e.g., gardens, zoo, parades) to see even more lights. Long story short: we like lights. We don’t go overboard at home: icicle strands along the eaves, some spiral … Continue reading Time to Hang the Lights
Please welcome special guests Cindy Brown and Alexia Gordon! Last year, unbeknownst to us at the time, all three of us were writing books set in theaters. Not just theaters but specifically opera houses. And not just opera houses but haunted opera houses. We must have been plugged into the same cosmic channel while we were drafting…or perhaps the spirits had a little something to … Continue reading Three Hauntings
The Spirit in Question by our very own Cynthia Kuhn–book 3 in the Lila Maclean Academic Mystery series–is now available wherever books are sold!
The day I began writing my first mystery followed the typical routine. I’d dropped the kids at school and was headed to work. But during the drive, I mused about the novel I had wanted to write forever. I had come up with the premise fifteen years earlier, but teaching and parenting seemed to take up all my time. Was I ever going to write … Continue reading Time for Sisters in Crime
(Dedicated to all the teachers heading back into classrooms right about now.) What We Talk About When We Talk About Going Back To School (Sliver of open door.) How the summer went by like lightning. How much we miss the summer already. (Hallway of good intentions.) Whom we’ve seen and not seen. Whom we want to see and not see. (Charts and more charts.) Which … Continue reading What We Talk About When We Talk About Going Back To School
Unveiled for the first time anywhere, here’s the cover of the next Lila Maclean Academic Mystery: The Spirit in Question!* As you can probably guess from the orange and black, it’s set during Halloween. If you’ve read the first two books, you already know that there are holiday celebrations depicted within–(also) Halloween for The Semester of Our Discontent and Valentine’s Day for The Art of … Continue reading Cover Reveal: The Spirit in Question
Last week, edits for the third book in the Lila Maclean series were due (and by “edits,” I mean big revisions) AND final grades were due (and by “final” grades, I mean multiple stacks of projects to be commented on plus final calculations for four classes). I stumbled across the finish line somehow (it’s a miracle, frankly) but I couldn’t form sentences for awhile, and … Continue reading Regarding the Spark
