Happy First Day of Advent Calendars to All Who Observe

My love of Advent calendars is well-documented on social media, as evidenced by this photo of last year’s partial haul and yes, you read that right… My love/passion/obsession for this holiday tradition started when I was a kid. Every year, my mother bought a sparkly paper calendar that came from Germany. It looked like this one… As I got older, I generally sought out one … Continue reading Happy First Day of Advent Calendars to All Who Observe

Ellen ByronDecember 1, 2025November 28, 202528 Comments

Mysteries

Guest Chick: Daryl Wood Gerber

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

Ellen ByronNovember 26, 2025November 20, 202543 Comments

Guest Post

Guest Chick: GP Gottlieb

When I first started writing Battered, the first Whipped and Sipped Mystery, Ruthie Rosin, the character of the protagonist’s best friend and pastry chef, appeared before me almost immediately. She cared about the world and had a strong moral compass. Ruthie bears more than a passing resemblance to a real-life friend I adore in Colorado. Continue reading Guest Chick: GP Gottlieb

patriciasargeantNovember 12, 2025November 11, 202520 Comments

Marla Cooper, Mysteries

Isn’t that name already taken?!

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?!

Marla CooperNovember 7, 2025November 7, 202529 Comments

Ellen Byron

Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

Crescent City Christmas Chaos, the fourth book in Ellen’s award-winning Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, launches today. We’re thrilled for her! About the book… It’s Christmas. It’s cozy. It’s culinary. It’s chaos! It’s the fourth book in this fabulous mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron. Have yourself a merry little . . . murder? Ricki James-Diaz … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

Ellen ByronNovember 4, 2025September 29, 202533 Comments

Chick Chat, Group Post

Chick Chat: Characters can surprise you!

We Chicks have created – and continue to create – a vast array of characters. We think we know them pretty well. But sometimes a character is more fun to write than we thought they’d be. Today we share the characters we didn’t expect to enjoy writing as much as we do. Lisa Q. Mathews I think I knew as soon as Gladys Rumway appeared … Continue reading Chick Chat: Characters can surprise you!

Ellen ByronOctober 24, 2025October 24, 202527 Comments

Lisa Q. Mathews

Go As Alice: Ghosts of Halloween Costumes Past

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

Lisa Q. MathewsOctober 6, 2025October 5, 202542 Comments

Mysteries, Vickie Fee

Eyes on the Booker Prize and other books

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

Vickie FeeSeptember 29, 2025September 24, 202515 Comments

Guest Post, Mysteries

Guest Chick: Adrian Andover

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

Lisa Q. MathewsSeptember 19, 2025September 18, 202527 Comments

Vickie Fee

Gather your clan, large or small for a family reunion

If you have a union job, you may make a bigger deal out of Labor Day than hubs and I do each year. In the U.S. Labor unions brought us the weekend. Working most of the past 30+ years for newspapers, and not for union presses, my husband and I haven’t always had the pleasure of having Labor Day off. Or, even weekends, for that … Continue reading Gather your clan, large or small for a family reunion

Vickie FeeAugust 25, 2025August 23, 202524 Comments

Ellen Byron

The Perks of “Research”

Ah, the upside of writing series set in beautiful location. I thought that today, I’d share a little backstory on what inspired my Golden Motel Mysteries and how it led to two glorious vacations, I mean research trips, to Cali’s Gold Rush Country. If you drive 4-5 hours west from this spectacular view, you’re at the Pacific Ocean. I love this state! In the late … Continue reading The Perks of “Research”

Ellen ByronAugust 18, 2025August 18, 202554 Comments

Ellen Byron

Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!

It’s release day for Solid Gold Murder, the second in the awards-shortlisted Golden Motel Mysteries, a series inspired by Ellen’s prior life as a sitcom writer. Read on for the synopsis… Dee Stern’s Golden Motel promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!