You Give Me (Spring) Fever
With Winter finally saying goodbye, the Chicks share what we’re most looking forward to now that Spring is upon us.
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Guest Chick: Nancy Cole Silverman
My Mystery Mantra -Smart, Sassy, and Fearless Growing up, I was a tomboy. My Canadian grandmother would have said, a terrible tomboy. Grammie was born at the turn of the last century. In memory, she reminds me a lot of Maggie Smith’s character Violet Crowley, in fact, she came from a world much like Downton Abbey. And, I think she feared I’d never grow up … Continue reading Guest Chick: Nancy Cole Silverman
Inspiration Strikes When You Least Expect It…
Whether it’s a chance meeting in an elevator or an unexpected image as you’re walking down the street, inspiration can strike in the weirdest ways. The Chicks share some of the life moments that created fictional ones. Kellye Garrett I actually got my idea for Hollywood Homicide from a billboard. At the time I was basically broke and trying to figure out the next stage … Continue reading Inspiration Strikes When You Least Expect It…
Giving It Up For Lent
Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, the all-you-can-eat buffet of calories, as well as any bad habits we’ve been clinging to. This is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Today many of us fast, abstain from meat, get ashes crossed on our foreheads and kick off a season of reflection and a spring-cleaning of the mind and soul. A bit of trivia: Lent is 40 days, if … Continue reading Giving It Up For Lent
Announcing our newest Chicks release: The Art of Vanishing
Happy book birthday to The Art of Vanishing, written by fellow Chick Cynthia Kuhn! This is book two in the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries, and it’s available today at Amazon and other fine retailers. What else do you need to know? Just the fact that it’s awesome—as is Cynthia! Continue reading “Announcing our newest Chicks release: The Art of Vanishing”
Mardi Gras Memories
I went to school in New Orleans for a couple of reasons. One, I was a huge Tennessee Williams fan. And two, well… it was New Orleans. Beautiful, atmospheric, a culture unto itself. And a big part of that culture revolves around Mardi Gras. My first Mardi Gras was memorable mostly because a guy friend from SUNY Binghamton, which I’d left only a month before, … Continue reading Mardi Gras Memories
Agatha “Best First” nominees share their favorite research tidbits
Ellen: Last year, I was lucky enough to be nominated for an Agatha Best First Novel Award, along with the wonderful Julie Hennrikus, Cindy Brown, Tessa Arlen, and Art Taylor, who took home the prize for On the Road with Del and Louise: a Novel in Stories. This year, I jumped at the opportunity to host the nominees — Alexia Gordon, Nadine Nettman, Renee Patrick, and … Continue reading Agatha “Best First” nominees share their favorite research tidbits
Win a Free Book Filled with Nothing
UPDATE: The response was so great that I decided to give away all five books! Congratulations to the following winners. Send your address to marlacooperauthor @ gmail.com to collect your prize. Green Stripey. Kathy Gonzales Red Literary. Marcy Konecny Japanese. Katharine Kan Be filled with joy. Kim McMahan Davis The Kiss. Beth Peters Lately, we’ve been trying to reduce our household book collection to only what will fit on four … Continue reading Win a Free Book Filled with Nothing
Don’t Go Breakin’ Our Hearts…
Yes, we Chicks may have checked in a time or two at the Heartbreak Hotel–and like that other famous hotel in Cali-FOR-nee-a, it can be hard to leave. From aloof boys in mirrored sunglasses to writerly rejection to magic shoes and lost engagement rings to killer dolls in the night, read on as we reveal our achy breaky hearts…
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The Bookshelves: A Complicated Case
When Ikea opened in our town a number of years ago, I thought it would be fun to check it out. What I didn’t know was that the store is set up so that you are shuttled through every single section until you reach the end. You are swept along in one relentless flow through department after department, with no sense of When It Will … Continue reading The Bookshelves: A Complicated Case
Valentine’s Day: Pick A Team
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner — and some of the Chicks are more in the mood for romance than others. Read on as we wax poetic about why we’re Team Romantic, Team Non-Romantic, or somewhere in between.
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And the winner is…
Kathleen Costa is the lucky winner of Leslie Karst’s terrific new mystery, A Measure of Murder, the second in her Sally Solari Mystery series. Congratulations, Kathleen! Email your contact information to ellenbyronla(at)outlook(dot)com. Thanks to everyone who commented on Leslie’s post. And thanks to Leslie for sharing a fun story and delicious recipe! Continue reading And the winner is…
Chicks on the Case 