It’s hard being a grammar geek in the digital age. When you’re online, it seems like the rules are more like… suggestions. Anyone who spends any amount of time on social media will run across all SORTS of crimes against the English language. And you know what? Some of them, I’m not even mad at. “I can’t even”? It’s an incomplete sentence, but I know … Continue reading Grammar Crimes of the Digital Age
When I first sat down to pen my debut mystery novella series, I had a head full of tangled plot threads and characters who wouldn’t stop talking to me. Like many writers, I was driven by an almost compulsive need to get these stories out of my mind and onto the page. But as I reflect on my journey as a mystery author over the years, I’ve come to recognize how much my purpose—my “why”—has evolved. Continue reading Guest Chick: Barbara Howard
It’s always a special day when our fabulous author friend Leslie Budewitz is our guest here on Chicks. Today Leslie discusses “the other” stuff that makes good stories great–and she’s giving away a signed copy of her Spice Shop mystery LAVENDER LIES BLEEDING to one lucky winner! Continue reading Guest Chick: Leslie Budewitz & #Giveaway
We are thrilled to be hosting a special guest today: Randal Brandt is Head of Cataloging and Curator of the California Detective Fiction Collection at The Bancroft Library (University of California, Berkeley). Randal has also been announced as the Fan Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime in 2026 (where our own Leslie Karst will be the Toastmaster). Please join us in giving Randal a … Continue reading Guest Post: Randal Brandt
Happy Wednesday! Patricia here, and it’s truly my pleasure to welcome Ann Claire to Chicks on the Case. I love her post. As a writer and runner, it especially resonated with me. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a published author with millions of words under your fingers, I think you’ll find it inspiring, too. Welcome, Ann! Take it away! Mid-pandemic, my husband confessed. He’d … Continue reading Guest Chick: Ann Claire
Spring has sprung, and if you are a gardener–or someone who appreciates gardens–do we ever have the perfect guest with the perfect book for you (and she has kindly agreed to give away an autographed copy to one lucky commenter)! Please help us give a warm welcome to Deborah J. Benoit, author of The Gardener’s Plot… Anyone who knows me knows that two of my … Continue reading Guest Chick: Deborah J. Benoit
Cynthia here–at Left Coast Crime, I had the great fortune to meet the wonderful Jason Powell, who kindly agreed to visit us and answer some questions about his book No Man’s Ghost, which is out now. Please join us in welcoming Jason! What made you interested in writing this particular story? I’m always glad to answer this question because it gives me the opportunity to … Continue reading A Visit with Jason Powell
Happy Wednesday, my friends! Patricia here, and I’m grinning from ear-to-ear. I’m excited to be hosting my first-ever Guest Chick. Barbara Nickless is a bestselling and award-winning author of thrillers novels. She’s joining us to explore the concept of “failing” with grace. Barbara, thank you so much for visiting with us. Take it away! I was a few minutes late meeting my cousin at a … Continue reading Guest Chick: Barbara Nickless
Happy hump day! One of our favorite guests is visiting today, the hilarious Libby Klein. Libby’s launching a terrific new series, the Layla Virtue Mysteries. What inspired it? Think sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll! Plus, Libby is doing a giveaway for Vice and Virtue, the first book in the series… If you’re my age, you have certain superpowers that the younger generations know nothing … Continue reading Guest Chick: Libby Klein #giveaway
This doesn’t come along very often…it’s a real-life mystery. Your turn to sleuth, if you want it. 🙂 Here’s the situation. A friend is an avid puzzler–she always has one in progress on its own table. Lately, something strange has been happening: when she wakes up in the morning, the puzzle looks different. Usually less completed, as if someone or something has undone what she … Continue reading A Real Mystery
For a million boring reasons, I have decided to step away from regularly contributing to Chicks on the Case. I have so enjoyed my time here, goofing off with you in the henhouse, squawking with the other Chicks, getting to know everyone so much better. But I’m leaving you in excellent hands. It’s my absolute delight to have as my swansong the Passing of the … Continue reading Goodbye to Becky, Hello to Patricia
Marla here, welcoming longtime Chicks friend Tammy Barker to the blog. Tammy has delighted us with her creativity over the years, including when she made us a recipe book of cocktails based on each of our books. She’s a font of ideas, so it’s no surprise that she’s taken a deep dive into nontraditional sleuths. The Ordinary World of Sleuths When you look at the … Continue reading Guest Chick: Tammy Barker
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