Yes, it’s another post about virtual appearances. But this one has pictures! And links! Because… if you’re promoting a book these days, it’s gonna be an online experience. Which can actually offer some great opportunities from the comfort of your own home, in pajamas from the waist down. (Then again, I’ve been wearing men’s pajama bottoms as pants for ten years, so I was ahead … Continue reading Virtually Yours, Ellen…
When you write mysteries, you tend to gravitate toward the macabre, which is how I ended up on the Creole Mourning Tour offered by St. Joseph Plantation in Louisiana. Continue reading What I “Borrowed” From a Creole Mourning Tour
Which author’s real name is Kate? Whose is Mary, Marilyn, or Mariella? Pen names are a literary tradition. (Hello, Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.*). The reasons for them are manifold. A publisher may request an author assume a new identity for business or financial reasons. An author might use a pseudonym to write in a totally different genre. (I’m talking to you, J.K. Rowling and … Continue reading The (Pen) Name Game
FATAL CAJUN FESTIVAL, My fifth Cajun Country Mystery, launches tomorrow and I cannot believe I’m saying that. But I am. And it’s awesome. There are people who say covers don’t sell books. I heartily disagree. I know I’ve stumbled upon an author only because I was seduced by a great cover. My series is the lucky beneficiary of some gorgeous art painted by Stephen Gardner … Continue reading Cover Me
When I began writing mysteries, I knew that a lot of the promotion would fall on me. What I didn’t know is that I’d have to pick up some new skills. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are useless if you don’t have cool stuff to post on them. The thing is, I have the attention span of a gnat, which gives me a pretty shallow … Continue reading I can’t believe I know how to…
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.
Notice a familiar face standing next to Martha Stewart? That’s right, I worked for Martha. Continue reading What’s Martha Stewart really like?
When you write mysteries, you tend to gravitate toward the macabre, which is how I ended up on the Creole Mourning Tour offered by St. Joseph Plantation in Louisiana. Continue reading Good Mourning
Social media promotion, which all authors have to do these days, means we spend a lot of time sharing about our lives as well as our books . But this is something I haven’t talked about in years. When I was twenty-five, I had a cramp that refused to go away. I thought it was a bladder infection. It turned out to be a tumor … Continue reading The Tumor That Changed My Life
For my sixteen-year-old daughter and me, the TV show Once Upon a Time is appointment viewing. (To be honest, we both have a crush on Hook, aka Guyliner. He’s so cute!!!!) As we watched the show a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that cozy mysteries have a lot in common with fairy tales. In both, the hero or heroine’s mission is to identify … Continue reading Are cozy mysteries modern fairy tales?
Chicks on the Case 