Secrets and back story
My job as a mystery writer may include making up ways to kill people (on paper), but I don’t have the nerves to be a criminal in real life. Continue reading Secrets and back story
Our Favorite Fourth of July Memories
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen colonies of America were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain and were now united, free, and independent states.
Of course, these days, many of us also associate the holiday with barbecues, fireworks, parades, baseball, and other festive, beginning-of-summer activities. So we thought it would be fun to reminisce today about some of our favorite memories celebrating America’s birthday, or whatever makes the day special to us. Continue reading “Our Favorite Fourth of July Memories”
Things Mystery Writers Do*
*Not all mystery writers. Not only mystery writers. Not all the time. Not without good reason. Discuss mysteries. We never tire of this subject. Read new books, then proceed to tell the author and everyone else how much we love them. See #1. Talk at length about ways to murder people–and by people, we mean characters, though this has caused startled glances more than once, … Continue reading Things Mystery Writers Do*
That doesn’t make SENSE!
We Chicks live to solve mysteries, but there are some mysteries in this world that are unsolvable because they simply don’t make sense to us. Oh, for example, like… Continue reading “That doesn’t make SENSE!”
Guest Chick: Dianne Freeman
We are delighted to welcome Dianne Freeman, author of the award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mystery series! A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder is out this week, and Dianne will give away one hardcover copy to a lucky commenter. I Wrote a What? There was never any question that when I wrote a novel, it would be historical fiction. I love history. There’s something magical … Continue reading Guest Chick: Dianne Freeman
“Cozy” is not a four-letter word.
Not long ago, mystery author and Sisters in Crime president Sherry Harris wrote a wonderful post decrying a disdainful attitude on the part of some in the mystery community toward the cozy genre. The post hit home for a lot of cozy authors, including yours truly. https://wickedauthors.com/2019/05/09/can-we-just-stop/ Since embarking on a career writing mysteries, I’ve noticed there are organizations and conferences that don’t seem to … Continue reading “Cozy” is not a four-letter word.
I’ll Take ‘What’s Annoying Becky’ for 500, Alex
I’m normally a very sunny person. No wild mood swings. Ridiculously optimistic. Annoyingly chipper very early in the morning. Able to see humor in everything, mostly myself. But like any sapling nibbled by beavers, sometimes I just have to yell, “Dam!” So, forget politics, genocide, racism, misogyny and all the rest. Let’s talk about important stuff … the things that are currently annoying me. The … Continue reading I’ll Take ‘What’s Annoying Becky’ for 500, Alex
Guest Chick: Edith Maxwell
We’re so happy to welcome back Edith Maxwell, she of the numerous award nominations and books too numerous to count. Read on for a fun post about her latest entertaining Country Store Mystery… Robbie Jordan: A Chick on the Case Recently, there was a discussion on an author list about the term “chick.” When I was thirty, I would have been offended at a man … Continue reading Guest Chick: Edith Maxwell
California Crime Writers and a Long-Awaited Meeting
A little over a week ago, I had the pleasure of attending and participating in the bi-annual California Crime Writers Conference in Culver City, Los Angeles. Culver City is soaked in movie-making history, with its MGM lot dating back to 1924 and Sony Pictures taking up multiple acres of the now uber-trendy city. So it was appropriate that this year’s CCWC highlighted movie and television … Continue reading California Crime Writers and a Long-Awaited Meeting
Guest Chick: Jodi Rath
We’re so happy to host Jodi Rath, author of the Cast Iron Skillet Mysteries, for the first time. And she’s sharing a tasty recipe… Spicy Plots and Twists Book one of The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series was a bit sweet. How could it not be with a title like Pineapple Upside Down Murder! For book two, coming June 21, 2019, I wanted to spice … Continue reading Guest Chick: Jodi Rath
Guest Chick: Elizabeth Wilkerson
We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Wilkerson, author of Tokyo Firewall–and she’s offering a wonderful giveaway! Read on for more… Poisoning my dinner party guests wasn’t my intention… I moved to Tokyo in the late ‘80s to study butoh dance. I didn’t speak Japanese, but I figured I could learn the language by osmosis just by being in the flow of everyday life. I was … Continue reading Guest Chick: Elizabeth Wilkerson
Thoughts from a Second Class Citizen
Recent news in the mystery community has sparked a conversation about male authors using female pseudonyms for books specifically targeting women readers. While pseudonyms have been around for years – I’ll be using one myself on my next series – using them to lure a specific gender of reader is a textbook case of false advertising. Worse, though, is the message it sends… Women aren’t … Continue reading Thoughts from a Second Class Citizen
Chicks on the Case 