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
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
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”
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!
When I was little enough to still go trick-or-treating, my favorite candy was anything that included chocolate. I still rarely turn down chocolate. In the sixth grade, I won the school-wide spelling bee, which advanced me to the county-wide competition. I believe I finished 26th, which was respectable for a contest with hundreds of competitors. There wasn’t any money on the line. But my school … Continue reading Changing tastes
My second Golden Motel Mystery, Solid Gold Murder, launches on 7/29 – hello, shameless plug! I like to try something new in terms of promotion with every launch. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have a map of the fictional locations in my series, so I connected with mapmaker extraordinaire Rhys Davies and put him to work. The first step was determining the … Continue reading Mapping out Gold County
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
Today the Chicks are happy to present the marvelous Jenny Dandy, author of the Houses of Crime mysteries: The Brownstone on E. 83rd and The Penthouse on Park Avenue. Today she’s talking about characters inhabiting her dreams. Take it away, Jenny! What Are All These Characters Doing in My Bed? Well, more accurately, in my dreams. Yes, I dream about my characters. I don’t mean … Continue reading Guest Chick: Jenny Dandy
Happy Wednesday! Patricia here, and it’s truly my pleasure to welcome Ann Claire to Chicks on the Case. I love her post. As a writer and runner, it especially resonated with me. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a published author with millions of words under your fingers, I think you’ll find it inspiring, too. Welcome, Ann! Take it away! Mid-pandemic, my husband confessed. He’d … Continue reading Guest Chick: Ann Claire
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 