Ellen here, and I’m so happy to welcome back one of my favorite authors and people, M.E. Browning. And boy, does she have some valuable tips to share… Ten Things I’ve Learned About Writing By M.E. Browning Writing 90,000 words is easy, it’s putting them in the proper order that’s challenging. Occasionally, I unearth some of my earliest writing… and cringe. But those early words … Continue reading Guest Chick: M.E. Browning
I’m guessing that, as you read the title of this post, every single one of you did a mental double-take. “No,” your brain surely rebelled (perhaps even with a shudder). “That word order is not right. It should be ‘big brown’ cow, not the other way around.” But why? Why is one wrong, the other right? And why is the “wrong” one so exceedingly disturbing … Continue reading How Now, Brown Big Cow?
Chicks on the Case readers are some of the most creative folks on the planet. Come play Chick Pic with us! Who is this character? What’s their back story? Victim, murderer, nosy neighbor, innocent suspect? The more ridiculous, the better! Each comment can build on the next–or, start a new one. Writing is all about rewriting, after all. Continue reading Time for a Chick Pic!
The Chicks are so happy to welcome Liz Ireland, author of the delightful Mrs. Claus Mysteries, to the blog today. Take it away, Liz! A Cake Walk Thank you, Ellen, and to all you Chicks for having me as your guest today! Growing up, November was my favorite month. I loved that it fit snugly in the middle of Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas time. Also, four out of … Continue reading Guest Chick: Liz Ireland
It’s said that writing is a solitary pursuit. Or is it? Continue reading Me, Myself, and My Characters
In the advertising world, we’re discouraged from falling in love with our ideas in case the client hates them or they die on the cutting room floor. (And by “cutting room” I mean “creative director’s.” And by “die” I mean “squashed like grapes made into a post-work glass of wine.”) Despite decades of adherence to this edict, I didn’t apply it novel-writing, not because I … Continue reading Playing favorites
We Chicks are thrilled to have the fab Debra Goldstein visit us today to talk about her Sarah Blair series and her newest book! The Culinary Evolution of a Character and an Author When my first two books were orphaned by their respective publishers, I knew I wanted to try my hand at writing a cozy mystery series. As I analyzed the genre, I realized … Continue reading Guest Chick—Debra H. Goldstein
It’s Release Day for It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, the 3rd book in the hilarious Catering Hall Mystery series, written by our very own Ellen Byron under her pen name, Maria DiRico! You can pick it up at your local bookstore or buy it through the links below. Congratulations, Ellen! IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE MURDER Astoria, Queens, is decorated … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen/Maria!
It’s October, which means, well I guess it means a lot of things, but one of those things is Halloween! Here’s one from back in the day, with little sister and baby brother. If you look closely you can see sponge rollers in my hair, which means Halloween fell on a Saturday that year. Mama always rolled our hair into sausage curls for church. When … Continue reading Frightfully fun
I’ve been messing around with my email signature lately. Sometimes I get signature envy when I scroll to the bottom of people’s emails and see how much effort they put into personalizing the end of their messages. I’m honestly in awe of others who offer excellent quotes (maybe some Lasso-isms for Lisa?) I don’t know what quote I would choose. Growing up, we even had … Continue reading How Do You Sign Your Emails?
We are so excited to welcome back Mary Angela, author of the Happy Camper cozy series and the Professor Prather mysteries. Mary has kindly brought a giveaway: commenters today will be entered to win an ebook of Midnight Spells Murder! Halloween is a holiday that allows you to be someone else, if even for one night, and maybe that’s why it’s popular with kids and adults … Continue reading Guest Chick: Mary Angela
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, the third book in my Catering Hall Mystery series, launches in two weeks and I was wondering what to write for my last Chicks post before the launch. I figure most of you have been inundated with my Shameless Shilling Campaign. (And if you haven’t, have I got some graphics for you!) And then I thought, hmm… … Continue reading Ciao! Meet Ellen’s Italian Family
Chicks on the Case 