Me, Myself, and My Characters
It’s said that writing is a solitary pursuit. Or is it? Continue reading Me, Myself, and My Characters
Playing favorites
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
Guest Chick—Debra H. Goldstein
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
Happy Book Birthday, Ellen/Maria!
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!
Frightfully fun
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
How Do You Sign Your Emails?
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?
Guest Chick: Mary Angela
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
Ciao! Meet Ellen’s Italian Family
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
Chick Chat: Amusing Ourselves in an Alternate Universe
Ask us readers and writers what we do for fun, and we’ll probably tell you we…read. Or write. Or stream favorite shows, or cook, or take long walks, or hang with our families, friends and pets. But how do Not Us amuse ourselves in our free time? You may be surprised…
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Amusing Ourselves in an Alternate Universe”
Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker
The Chicks are super happy to welcome back Laura Jensen Walker, author of the wonderful Bookish Baker Mysteries. She’s sharing an honest, inspiring post with us today… It’s All About Timing Thanks, Ellen for having me back again! It’s always fun to visit the Chicks. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more philosophical and accepting I become. In my younger … Continue reading Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker
Apologies, dear readers!
Hi, it’s Ellen, who apologies profusely for putting the wrong date on Micki Browning’s post and accidentally sending it out today instead of 11/10 when it’s supposed to go out. Please stop by on Wednesday, November 10th to read her terrific post. And if you already read it, it’s worth a second read – trust me. So sorry for the confusion. In the meantime, here’s … Continue reading Apologies, dear readers!
Judge ‘Em By Their Covers
I probably don’t have to tell you that a lot goes into a book cover. There’s psychology, design aspects, color theory, font decisions, genre considerations, and much more. When it all works, you probably can’t say why. You just know it pleases you and makes you want to take a second look at the book. But when it doesn’t work, it’s usually obvious why it … Continue reading Judge ‘Em By Their Covers
