by Marla Cooper The last couple of weeks, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on “Welcome to Cozy Town” — a comedic mystery short for lovers of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuths. It took longer than expected to write, but honestly I was having so much fun throwing every cozy trope I could think of into the mix that time got away from me. And … Continue reading Feline Detectives: Rating my Cats as Crime Fighters
We’re so happy to be hosting Kerry Peresta, author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense and Back Before Dawn. Please help us give her a warm welcome! When a Character is Cornered, the Claws Come Out Suspense is often mistaken for momentum (short chapters, ticking clocks, escalating perils), but none of that matters if the character at the center remains unchanged. In my own work, I … Continue reading Guest Chick: Kerry Peresta
We had a significant snow dump right after Christmas. winter has been pretty steady for us so far here in the U.P. We’ll continue to have some snow through May, and it’s not at all unlikely that we’ll still have some chunks of ice floating in Lake Superior in June. I’m not complaining. The city keeps our streets ploughed. Our heating works well where we … Continue reading How’s it snowing?
It’s 2026? It’s 2026! I felt like the end of the year kinda bled into the new one. But maybe that’s because I didn’t ring in the new year. Confession: I couldn’t even muster the energy to watch the ball drop. I also didn’t make a resolution or write a one-word goal. But I actually do enjoy the idea of new beginnings. And, clearly, I’m … Continue reading New Year, New Book, New Vision
This great story idea came to me in the shower almost a year ago. I’ve heard stuff like that happens a lot at least to novelists, songwriters and screenwriters. It’s supposedly because our minds are more relaxed in the shower or the bathtub. Continue reading It Sounded Better in My Head
It takes some effort to drag oneself out of bed on the first workday of the new year. But an e-blast from Left Coast Crime made it much easier for a few of our Chicks. Congratulations to Ellen and Jen for Lefty nominations in the category of Best Humorous Mystery and Leslie for a Best Mystery Novel nomination! And congratulations to all the nominees… For … Continue reading A wonderful start to the New Year…
Season’s greetings, beloved readers! We wish you and yours the happiest of happy holiday seasons and a bright New Year. We’re bringing you our annual Chicks as Babies or Children holiday post – with some new additions! We’ll be back on January 5th for another year of fun posts! Leslie Karst Ellen Byron Lisa Q. Mathews Vickie Fee Cynthia Kuhn Jennifer J. Chow Patricia Sargeant/Olivia … Continue reading Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!
One of the things I love most about living in New York City for the past 24 years is that you have an eyewitness view to the past, the present, and the future. Continue reading Guest Chick: L.A. Chandlar
The holidays are now upon us, which means the season of exchanging of gifts. So our question today is twofold: First (and let’s assume for both of these questions that money and realism are utterly irrelevant), what gift would you most want to receive? (Selfishness is totally okay for this one!) And second, what gift would you most want to give (and to whom)? Lisa … Continue reading Chick Chat: ‘Tis the Gifting Season!
Leslie here, with a warm welcome to fab writer Mariah Fredericks, whose most recent mystery, The Girl in the Green Dress, released just a few months ago. Today she brings us a beautiful piece about friendship and loss. Take it away, Mariah: In Memory and Praise of Writer Friends I was all set to write about my dizzy trip down the rabbit hole while researching … Continue reading Guest Chick: Mariah Fredericks
Perched at my kitchen counter with a mug of late morning coffee as I delete endless marketing pleas from every retailer I failed to stroll or scroll past fast enough, I’m in the depths of holiday prep despair. Christmas is indeed coming, and I am…nowhere. Continue reading Cold Case of the Missing Christmas Villagers: 2025 Update
Y’all. Y’ALL. I have started five different posts, each with a solid theme. But really what I want to do is put on my cozy pajamas, make a cup of hot cocoa, and sit around the fireplace laptop and chat. Can we just do that? I just got back from a five-day trip to New York — the first time I’ve ever been in December. … Continue reading Patience, Fortitude, and other things a writer needs
Chicks on the Case 