Inspired by Lisa’s enchanting post last Monday about decorating for the holidays and her adorable Christmasville village-turning-into-a-metropolis, I thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse of what the holiday season looks like across the continent—as well as half the Pacific Ocean—from New Hampshire, in my little Hilo Town on the Island of Hawai‘i. Like our fellow Americans five hours ahead of … Continue reading A Very Hilo Holiday
James Joyce famously declared of Ulysses, his masterpiece love-letter to Dublin, that if that city “one day suddenly disappeared from the Earth it could be reconstructed out of my book.” But what’s fascinating is that, although Ulysses was written between 1914 and 1921, the last time Joyce actually set foot in Dublin was two years before he started writing, in 1912, after which he never … Continue reading Writing From Afar
City of deaming spires. Birthplace of Stephen Hawking, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, and P.D. James. Creator of the most celebrated dictionary of the historical development of the English language. And home to almost 200 pubs. Not to mention that comma. But one of the things I most love about Oxford—where I’ve been staying the past three weeks—is its wealth of whimsical signs. They’re everywhere: … Continue reading Forget the Comma; Oxford Rocks its Signs
Today is the release day of A Sense for Murder, the sixth book in the Sally Solari culinary mystery series–huzzah! It’s the height of tourist season in Santa Cruz, California, and Sally Solari has her hands full, both juggling crowds of hungry diners at her French-Polynesian restaurant Gauguin, as well as appeasing her father, who’s distressed at the number of homeless people camped out in … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday to Leslie!
Tomorrow marks the release day of my sixth Sally Solari mystery, A Sense for Murder. Just wow. When I set fingers to keyboard to begin composing what would end up being the first in the series, Dying for a Taste, I had no idea I’d be lucky enough to publish six books about the intrepid, stubborn, snarky, bourbon- and Giants baseball-loving, restaurateur Sally. But here … Continue reading A New Sally Solari Adventure–and a Recipe!
One of the first songs I remember listening to as a child is “Put Another Nickel In…Music, Music, Music” (aka “The Nickelodeon Song”), released by Teresa Brewer in 1950. From there, I moved on to “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” and “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (whose lyrics now seem embarrassingly creepy, I must say). Then, once the Beatles arrived in America and performed … Continue reading A Musical Journey Through Life
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories. Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation–you’ll find them all right here… You may notice that the cover of my most recent Sally Solari mystery, The Fragrance of Death, depicts artichokes. No, it’s not the murder weapon (though that’s there, too), but the noble … Continue reading Behind the Book: “The Fragrance of Death”
In addition to many wonderful memories and a stack of terrific books, the other thing that I brought home with me from the mystery writers’ convention Malice Domestic this year was a case of COVID. Not a bad case–it felt pretty much like a garden variety head cold. But I had to quarantine myself, nevertheless, and therefore spent a lot of time hanging out at … Continue reading What’s In a Name?
This week marks the 35th Malice Domestic, the convention celebrating the traditional mystery. If you’re attending, please say hello–we’d love to see you! Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico “Cozy Or Traditional – What’s The Difference?” panel (Friday at 2 pm) “Simply the Best: Our Agatha Best Contemporary Novel Nominees” panel (Friday at 4 pm) Book Signing (Saturday at 10 am) Kensington Multi-Author Book Signing Event (Saturday … Continue reading Gone to Malice Domestic 2023
Most of you likely know by now that I had the good fortune to host an intimate dinner party for the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an event now chronicled in my new memoir, Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. Well, you readers of the Chicks on the Case blog are in for a treat today, as I’m about … Continue reading An Inside Peek Into My Dinner With Ruth
Leslie here, and yes, the day has finally arrived—today marks the official release of Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG! In this true-life Julie and Julia meets Notorious RBG mash-up, former attorney Leslie Karst recounts how finagling her way into hosting an intimate dinner party for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sends her on a journey of … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday to JUSTICE IS SERVED!
One of the notes I got from my editor after turning in the manuscript for my very first Sally Solari mystery, Dying for a Taste, was this (paraphrased): “I want to know what Sally feels about the conflicts she’s facing. You need to show us more of the emotions she’s experiencing, especially with regard to her father and her ex-boyfriend, Eric.” Right. More emotions; bring … Continue reading Conflicted About Conflict
Chicks on the Case 