Maybe it’s because I was born in October, but I’ve always had a penchant for all things spooky, paranormal, and slightly macabre. When the weather starts dropping and the pumpkin spice lattes appear on menus, when people start decorating their houses with cobwebs and gravestones, it makes me want to dance dramatically in my front yard singing, “It’s the most wonderful time … of the year.” Continue reading 🎃 Welcome to Spooky Season
We’re so happy to welcome back Laura Jensen Walker, who will put you in the holiday spirit, even if it’s still September! Thanks so much for having me back on the Chicks, Ellen! “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Ebenezer Scrooge said this in the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Christmas is my favorite holiday, … Continue reading Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker
The Booker Prize longlist for 2025 has been announced. It’s a selection of 13 top-drawer works of fiction, chosen from over 150 titles written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. I’ve become very interested in books nominated for the Booker List over the past two years, especially this year. The 13 nominated books are: Love Forms by Clair Adam, The South by … Continue reading Eyes on the Booker Prize and other books
Marla here. I’m thrilled to welcome Michelle Chouinard to the blog today as she celebrates the release of book two in The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco series, starring Capri Sanzio, the fictional founder and co-owner of SF Killer Crime Tours. I recently caught up with Michelle at Bouchercon in New Orleans, and, yes, we took a ghost tour together! Hello, my name is Michelle, and … Continue reading Guest Chick: Michelle Chouinard
Please join us in giving a very warm welcome to today’s guest chick: Elle Marr, author of The Missing Sister, Lies We Bury, Strangers We Know, The Family Bones, The Alone Time, Your Dark Secrets, and The Lie She Wears! Art museums have always entranced me. I’ve visited a fair amount (though never enough, in my opinion!). From the Crocker Art Museum located in my … Continue reading Guest Chick: Elle Marr
So I just spent the better part of an evening looking for a form to submit feedback to a very large company. Surprisingly, this is not a new scenario. You’d think that the bigger the company, the more important it is to have a way for your customers to provide feedback. Even if Le Company does not care what we all think, it should at … Continue reading Ideas Welcome
Lisa here, honored along with my fellow Chicks to welcome debut author Adrian Andover as our guest today. His cozy mystery WHISKEY BUSINESS just pubbed–and we know you’ll enjoy it as much as you’ll enjoy meeting Adrian! Continue reading Guest Chick: Adrian Andover
When I was a kid – a mere second-grader, to be precise — the adults in my life labeled me as “unpredictable.” These things tend to stick, of course, and I’m still teased at family gatherings. You can be the judge whether or not it’s deserved. Continue reading Guest Chick: Debra Bokur
Happy National Cozy Mystery Day to all who observe – which is a lot of us. September 15th was chosen to honor the genre because it’s the birthday of the legendary mystery author, Agatha Christie. But there was another birthday last week that I want to celebrate. California, my adopted state, turned 175. If you’re thinking, wait, one of these things is not like the … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha – and California!
Dialogue can make or break a story. Would you agree?
There are so many rules to writing good dialogue. Characters have to sound different enough from each other that readers would know who’s speaking without reading the dialogue tags. Continue reading Talk to Me
We’re tickled to have fab author Cindy Goyette as our guest Chick today. Cindy admits that she still gets a bit nervous at book readings and podcasts. (As a side note, she also gets nervous around chickens). But, I’m sure that doesn’t extend to Chicks! Take it away, Cindy! But Did You Die? Fun fact. I’m afraid of chickens. No, a wayward chicken didn’t nearly … Continue reading Guest Post: Cindy Goyette
The biggest annual crime writing convention in the US (attracting some 1,500 attendees) is Bouchercon, named for the famed writer, reviewer, and editor, Anthony Boucher (rhymes with “voucher”). The first one was held in Santa Monica, California, in 1970. Little did I suspect as I started the ninth grade at Lincoln Junior High in Santa Monica that same year, that just minutes away was the … Continue reading Bouchercon Recap-Blood on the Bayou
Chicks on the Case 