Well, another Malice Domestic is officially in the books! It was my first time at the mystery conference since 2017 and it was so, so much fun to see old friends and meet new ones. Here are just some of the highlights: 1. Seeing Old Friends Malice truly is like summer camp where you get to see all your old friends. And hey, look! It’s … Continue reading A Few of my Favorite Memories of Malice 2026
Scrolling around on my phone, I suddenly realized I have a birthday coming up very soon. Since I’m at an age that I don’t celebrate birthdays anymore, it’s not a big deal. The only reason it is a SEMI big deal is that it reminds me that my mom’s birthday is coming up kind of soon. She’s someone that I do still celebrate birthdays for. … Continue reading Just remembered that it’s not my birthday
Let’s give a warm Chicks welcome to Guest Chick Lina Chern, author of tarot card mysteries PLAY THE FOOL and TRICKS OF FORTUNE. Lina is giving away a copy of PLAY THE FOOL to two lucky winners! Read on, and leave a comment before midnight April 25 to enter. May the cards fall in your favor. Take it away, Lina! Do Tarot Cards Work? I … Continue reading Guest Chick: Lina Chern #Giveaway!
Hi all, Ellen here! Well, due to last week’s accidental publish of this post, it didn’t go out again today as your regular Monday blast. But I had fun writing it and I want you to read it, so I came up with a workaround – I hope. Click here or click on the photo below to read the post. Thanks for your patience! (And … Continue reading A link to “Swag from my TV Past”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone in the mystery community who knows me that the minute I heard about authors making trading cards – authors Raquel V. Reyes, Daphne Silver, and Nicole Asselin to be specific – I was all in the idea. I made and ordered my own cards in about twenty minutes. Thus, I’ll soon add them to a supply of … Continue reading A Swag Blast from my TV Past
You just got an e-blast that went out accidentally due to a WordPress change in the way we schedule posts. Unfortunately, it was new to me and resulted in my post being released ahead of schedule. Thanks to some tech magic from my Gen Z daughter, the post has been returned to its regularly scheduled date of Monday. I’ll see you then! Continue reading Apologies from Ellen
We’ve planted gardens in the past—usually perennial flowers that come back year after year. We had this one rock garden that made me so happy every spring, the way that the flowers just magically appeared when it was time. I still miss it. We have also had vegetable gardens that flourished. We didn’t do much besides plant the seeds and install a drip line. (Since … Continue reading Garden Dreams
Friends, I did it. I finally relaunched my Destination Wedding Mysteries on Tuesday, starting with book one, Terror in Taffeta. Now that the dust has settled and the flurry of last minute duties is over, here are some thoughts I wanted to share. I loved the cover design process as much as I thought I would. About a month before launch, I had a perfectly … Continue reading Behind the scenes of a book relaunch
Join us in celebrating a very special book birthday with Marla Cooper! Today marks the relaunch of her Destination Wedding Mysteries. Originally published in hardback by St. Martin’s, TERROR IN TAFFETA is now available in paperback for the first time ever! Amazon | Goodreads ABOUT THE BOOK: Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination … Continue reading Happy Book Re-Birthday: Terror in Taffeta
I usually glance at the next day’s weather forecast on my phone, so I have a general idea of what’s supposed to be coming our way. For about a week recently, I was constantly checking the weather. As most of you know, I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We get more snow than most people, and I’m accustomed to that since we moved … Continue reading Snowpocalypse comes to town
Hi, Ellen here, welcoming Laura Jensen Walker back to Chicks. Enjoy her journey from inspiration to publication for her latest mystery – and a giveaway! Authors, have you ever been told, “It won’t sell?” Laura was. But it didn’t stop her… Senior Sleuths – A Look Behind the Scenes of my New Cozy (Giveaway) Thanks so much to Ellen and the Chicks for having me … Continue reading Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker #giveaway
I’ve yet to meet a mystery convention I didn’t love. Each offers its own benefits. Thanks to Malice Domestic’s William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, I have a mystery writing career. I have filled my belly with free hors d’oeuvres at Bouchercon parties hosted by publishers. And Left Coast Crime offers something you won’t find anywhere else: Author-Reader Connections. The concept is simple. … Continue reading Left Coast’s Author-Reader Connections
Chicks on the Case 