Marla Cooper

Make it a double: Two signature cocktail recipes for Dying on the Vine

When I was writing the second book in the Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding Series, I attended a wedding fair in downtown San Francisco, and one thing that stood out to me was the idea of having a signature cocktail at a wedding. I ended up using that in the book, but instead of being at a wedding, the signature cocktail ended up being served at … Continue reading Make it a double: Two signature cocktail recipes for Dying on the Vine

Unknown's avatarMarla Cooper17 Comments
Cynthia Kuhn

When The Characters Are In Charge

Over the years, I’ve heard many authors describe their books as having come into being by some variation of this: “A character appeared and I followed.” Once upon a time, I found such explanations slightly frustrating: I had always longed to write a novel, and I even had the basic idea for a mystery in mind, but no characters were manifesting themselves and beckoning to … Continue reading When The Characters Are In Charge

Unknown's avatarCynthia Kuhn23 Comments
Lisa Q. Mathews

Big Little Writer Lies–and Truths

Okay, mystery fans, raise your hands if you’ve seen that meme of a hot beverage mug that says, “Please do not annoy the writer. She may put you in a book and kill you.” Yep, that’s just about all of you. And you thought the quote was clever and adorable, right? Of course you did. Maybe you bought the very same mug for a favorite writer … Continue reading Big Little Writer Lies–and Truths

Unknown's avatarLisa Q. Mathews11 Comments
Group Post

Greetings from Malice!

Today is a special day here at Chicks, because for the first time ever, all six of us will be in the same place at the same time. We’re a far-flung group representing California (both NorCal and SoCal), New Jersey, Colorado, New Hampshire and Michigan. But for two glorious days, the planets will align and we’ll come together in a burst of Chicky goodness. With any … Continue reading Greetings from Malice!

Unknown's avatarChicks on the Case7 Comments
Vickie Fee

Does This Boa Make Me Look Cheap?

Tomorrow I’ll get on a plane, like many other authors and fans, and make the annual pilgrimage to Bethesda, Maryland for Malice Domestic, which celebrates cozy mysteries. I have exactly 463 things on my to-do list to accomplish before then. I have important stuff I need to do, like write five times my usual daily word count on the manuscript which is due June 1 … Continue reading Does This Boa Make Me Look Cheap?

Unknown's avatarVickie Fee23 Comments
Ellen Byron

Malice Bound! Or Unbound???

On Thursday, I take off for the Malice Domestic mystery convention. Four years ago, I didn’t know what the h-e-double hockey sticks Malice was. This year, I’m a nominee and a mentor – along with author Susan Van Kirk – to some poor, unsuspecting author. (Hi, Mary Feliz!) As my mother would say, “Go figure.” Now that I’ve discovered mystery conventions, I’ve been traveling so … Continue reading Malice Bound! Or Unbound???

Unknown's avatarEllen Byron59 Comments
Group Post

Kindergarten Dreams

If there’s one question you need to have an answer to when you’re in kindergarten, it’s “What do you want to be when you grow up?” In fact, it’s practically impossible to make it out of grade school without being questioned about your future plans. So did we know early on that we wanted to be mystery writers, or did that come a little later? This week, the Chicks are talking about our early ambitions.

Continue reading “Kindergarten Dreams”

Unknown's avatarChicks on the Case23 Comments