Social distancing mode may continue for awhile–and while it’s admittedly difficult, it may be the perfect time to develop some new hobbies. For those of us working from home (especially with added homeschooling duties) who may find ourselves with far less time than we had before, these are decidedly not the kinds of wonderful projects that others may have time to engage in, like planting … Continue reading Tiny Hobbies for Social Distancing
As I write this, we’re hours away from the Oscars. The excitement around my house is palpable–by which I mean I’m breathlessly counting down the minutes until showtime and no one else gives a hoot. They had their Super Bowl last week, so they’re good. Anyway, by the time you read this, we’ll know who walked away with statues. Hope the films and nominees you were cheering … Continue reading Fave Movies About Writers
Today, we welcome the five finalists for this year’s Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery (three of whom just happen to be Chicks on the Case). Congrats to all! The winner won’t be announced until the Left Coast Crime banquet on March 14th, but in the meantime we thought it would be “humorous” to find out from the nominees which of their characters from their … Continue reading Who Are the Lefty Award Nominees’ Most Humorous Characters?
The Study of Secrets (Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries #5) finds Lila on sabbatical in a charming Victorian mansion, where she is drawn into a new mystery. In keeping with the title, I’m going to share a few secrets… First, although the covers in the series look alike at first glance, do you notice that each one has a slightly different collection of items on the right? … Continue reading Cover Reveal: The Study of Secrets
Hi, I was just here an hour ago. This receipt shows that I was charged for three of these things, but I only bought two. No, I didn’t notice until I got home. But then I came right back. Since I was charged for three instead of two. Um, I’m not sure how to prove that. Here are the two I bought, still in the … Continue reading Adventures in Shopping: A Monologue
There are plenty of delightfully scary haunted library stories. But it’s one thing to read about a haunted library and quite another to be in one. So many of the libraries I visited in my youth seemed to have some sort of … presence. Now I’m not saying there was definitely something there. But I’m not saying there wasn’t. They were all in old buildings, … Continue reading Haunted Libraries
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
Chicks on the Case 