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
Hi all, Ellen here! I’m thrilled to welcome back popular author Daryl Wood Gerber, who I am also lucky to call a good friend. I think you’ll find her post as inspiring as I do. And she’s hosting a giveaway for two books! Why Do I Write What I Write? By Daryl Wood Gerber Savor the Mystery! People ask me all the time: why do … Continue reading Guest Chick: Daryl Wood Gerber
Lisa here, just back from the weekend’s amazing-as-always New England Crime Bake 2025 conference. Since it’s my day to post here on Chicks, and I’m still bleary-eyed (in a good way), I thought I’d share a few of my terrible but heartfelt photos. (Apologies to all up front.) Continue reading New England Authors on a Roll: Crime Bake 2025
When I was writing my first book, Terror in Taffeta, Kelsey’s best friend and wedding photographer sidekick was named Brody. Just Brody. I wrote the entire book without giving him a last name. Eventually, I realized I needed to fix that. One of the first name combos that popped into my head was “Brody Marks.” Hmm. It sounded good. Too good, honestly. It had the … Continue reading Isn’t that name already taken?!
Whether you fill giant bowls with candy in hopes of trick-or-treaters at your door—or hide in your living room with the lights off—you know they’re out there: gleeful, greedy goblins dressed in costumes funny, frightening, or foxy. Not a dress-up fan? Bet you remember at least one costume you wore as a kid (or more recently)… Continue reading Go As Alice: Ghosts of Halloween Costumes Past
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
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
We Chicks would like to wish all of our author and reader friends a fantastic holiday as we celebrate workers everywhere. See you on Wednesday! Continue reading Happy Labor Day!
It’s July, and most of us are baking. No, not whipping up fabulous snacks in our kitchens. Just…in general. Some of us Chicks have had it up to our feathery necks with the soaring summer temps, smoky skies and endless rains of the New Normal. Grab an ice pack from the freezer and read on… Continue reading Your New Go-To Summer Recipe: Pre-heat Oven to 4000 Degrees
The Chicks are thrilled to have Delia Pitts as our guest Chick today. The Library Journal touts Death of an Ex as “a literary, absorbing whodunit encompassing murder, human compassion, and grief.” It was just released this month from Macmillan books. Below Delia gives us the author’s scoop of “dropping the body” — a key moment of any whodunit. Take it away, Delia. Where Do … Continue reading Guest Chick: Delia Pitts
It’s always a special day when our fabulous author friend Leslie Budewitz is our guest here on Chicks. Today Leslie discusses “the other” stuff that makes good stories great–and she’s giving away a signed copy of her Spice Shop mystery LAVENDER LIES BLEEDING to one lucky winner! Continue reading Guest Chick: Leslie Budewitz & #Giveaway
Welcome, world-weary (wary?) Chick friends. News got you down? Sometimes it’s the little things that can help us feel better when life gets tough… Continue reading The Little Things: Authors and Readers Survival Edition
Chicks on the Case 