Happy First Day of Advent Calendars to All Who Observe

My love of Advent calendars is well-documented on social media, as evidenced by this photo of last year’s partial haul and yes, you read that right… My love/passion/obsession for this holiday tradition started when I was a kid. Every year, my mother bought a sparkly paper calendar that came from Germany. It looked like this one… As I got older, I generally sought out one … Continue reading Happy First Day of Advent Calendars to All Who Observe

Ellen ByronDecember 1, 2025November 28, 202528 Comments

Ellen Byron

Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

Crescent City Christmas Chaos, the fourth book in Ellen’s award-winning Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, launches today. We’re thrilled for her! About the book… It’s Christmas. It’s cozy. It’s culinary. It’s chaos! It’s the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron. Have yourself a merry little . . . murder? Ricki James-Diaz … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

Ellen ByronNovember 4, 2025September 29, 202533 Comments

Ellen Byron

Recipes From the Grave – Literally.

Hi all, Ellen here! Crescent City Christmas Chaos, my fourth Vintage Cookbook Mystery, launches in a week – 11/4, to be exact – and there’s an important plot point built around protagonist Ricki James-Diaz spotting a recipe engraved on a gravestone. Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover someone had compiled a cookbook devoted entirely to recipes culled from gravestone recipes, To … Continue reading Recipes From the Grave – Literally.

Ellen ByronOctober 27, 2025October 8, 202535 Comments

Ellen Byron

Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha – and California!

Happy National Cozy Mystery Day to all who observe – which is a lot of us. September 15th was chosen to honor the genre because it’s the birthday of the legendary mystery author, Agatha Christie. But there was another birthday last week that I want to celebrate. California, my adopted state, turned 175. If you’re thinking, wait, one of these things is not like the … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha – and California!

Ellen ByronSeptember 15, 2025September 13, 202538 Comments

Ellen Byron

The Perks of “Research”

Ah, the upside of writing series set in beautiful location. I thought that today, I’d share a little backstory on what inspired my Golden Motel Mysteries and how it led to two glorious vacations, I mean research trips, to Cali’s Gold Rush Country. If you drive 4-5 hours west from this spectacular view, you’re at the Pacific Ocean. I love this state! In the late … Continue reading The Perks of “Research”

Ellen ByronAugust 18, 2025August 18, 202554 Comments

Ellen Byron

Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

It’s release day for Solid Gold Murder, the second in the awards-shortlisted Golden Motel Mysteries, a series inspired by Ellen’s prior life as a sitcom writer. Read on for the synopsis… Dee Stern’s Golden Motel promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

Chicks on the CaseJuly 29, 2025July 23, 202515 Comments

Ellen Byron

Mapping out Gold County

My second Golden Motel Mystery, Solid Gold Murder, launches on 7/29 – hello, shameless plug! I like to try something new in terms of promotion with every launch. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have a map of the fictional locations in my series, so I connected with mapmaker extraordinaire Rhys Davies and put him to work. The first step was determining the … Continue reading Mapping out Gold County

Ellen ByronJuly 14, 2025July 11, 202540 Comments

Ellen Byron

Malice Memories – and a Misconception

It’s been a week since I returned from this year’s Malice Domestic convention and I’m still on a high from it. Malice felt exceptional this year. It’s like it got its con battery recharged and reached 100% positive energy. There were a ton of first-time attendees representing a wide range of ages. There were even more guys than usual, which added just the right touch … Continue reading Malice Memories – and a Misconception

Ellen ByronMay 5, 2025May 3, 202561 Comments

Ellen Byron

A Goodreads Giveaway from Ellen

Howdy, all! I noticed a blank space on our calendar, so I’m swooping in to share that Kensington is running a Goodreads Giveaway for 100 copies of the trade paperback edition of A Very Woodsy Murder from now through May 11. You can click here to enter. Good luck and have a great weekend! I’ll be back on Monday to share some memories of last … Continue reading A Goodreads Giveaway from Ellen

Ellen ByronMay 2, 20255 Comments

Ellen Byron

I Heart Friends of Library Sales

On the last Saturday of every month my local library, the Studio City branch of the Los Angeles Public Library system, hosts a book sale. And on every last Saturday of a month that I’m in town, I am there. Studio City Library, from the LAPL website I can’t remember when I realized the sale existed or it became a vital part of my life. … Continue reading I Heart Friends of Library Sales

Ellen ByronMarch 31, 2025March 31, 202536 Comments

Ellen Byron

Mardi Gras Paradin’, Ellen Style

Greetings from New Orleans, where it’s Carnival Season. That’s right, Mardi Gras is one day – Fat Tuesday – but the partying in NOLA starts on the Epiphany, January 6. (Technically, partying is a year-round event here, but I’m talking MG specifics.) When hubby Jer learned this, he said, “Let’s not go for the actual day, when it’s insane there. Why not do the week … Continue reading Mardi Gras Paradin’, Ellen Style

Ellen ByronFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 202534 Comments

Ellen Byron

My City in Ruins

(Once again, Bruce Springsteen’s song is painfully appropriate.) I’m no stranger to cataclysmic events. My first date with Jer was postponed by the L.A. riots. Our wedding venue was red-tagged right after the Northridge earthquake. My father was working in the Empire State Building on 9/11 and my brother worked downtown. Eliza and I evacuated for Hurricane Ida and watched the New Orleans power grid … Continue reading My City in Ruins

Ellen ByronJanuary 20, 2025January 17, 202536 Comments