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
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
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
Marla here, welcoming longtime Chicks friend Tammy Barker to the blog. Tammy has delighted us with her creativity over the years, including when she made us a recipe book of cocktails based on each of our books. She’s a font of ideas, so it’s no surprise that she’s taken a deep dive into nontraditional sleuths. The Ordinary World of Sleuths When you look at the … Continue reading Guest Chick: Tammy Barker
There’s nothing we Chicks love more than great books with a strong dose of humor (even more than coffee!). So of course we’re delighted to welcome the hilarious and massively talented Lois Winston to the blog today. Enjoy, Everyone–and take it away, Lois! Please. Continue reading Guest Chick: Lois Winston
Hi, it’s Ellen! Sorry about the late post. I had four events – three events in one weekend – to shill for, I mean celebrate the launch of A Very Woodsy Murder, my first Golden Motel Mystery. Two out of the three were policed by those of a furry persuasion: bookstore cats. I don’t know why I haven’t paid attention to this phenomenon before. There’s … Continue reading Bookstore cats
Lisa here, literally just off the train from the annual Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda. I’m a little bleary-eyed and haven’t had a chance to process the whole amazing weekend yet, or organize any halfway coherent thoughts, but here are a few annotated photos (with, um, important disclaimers)… Continue reading Dateline: Malice Domestic 2024
Tastes are subjective, they say (whoever they are). What movies and books have the Chicks loved that the critics hated? Read on for our picks:
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Movies/Books We (at least) Loved”
By now, most of us bibliophiles are well aware of Marie Kondo’s admonition that we ought to declutter our homes by purging them of excessive “stuff,” books included. Her notion is that you should pick up each item in your home, hold it to your breast, and if it doesn’t “spark joy,” then you should toss it. But as my wife Robin (who would be … Continue reading Books Spark My Joy
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” —Anna Quindlen
Reading is the best, even if it’s just the back of a cereal box! Today, we talk about what we’re currently reading and enjoying.
I almost cried when I heard my local library was reopening. Not curbside service but actual in-person browsing. Why? Because I’m a bonafide book nerd. I didn’t realize there was a term for this before, but it explains a lot of things. Reasons I know I’m a book nerd? Needing to finish another page, even in the dimmest of light Mispronouncing words because I originally … Continue reading Book Nerd
Dear Authors, While I appreciate you putting mouth-watering food descriptions in your books, I also charge you with making me hungry. Your excellent sensory prose has led to the revival of my sweet tooth, much snacking, and procrasti-baking. My evidence? Exhibit A: Pecan Pralines. I made these after reading Ellen’s Fatal Cajun Festival. Exhibit B: Cinnamon Rolls. These pastries aren’t even typically served at the … Continue reading Your Book is Making Me Hungry
Chicks on the Case 