Ask any mystery author what books she read as a kid, and there’s a 99.79 percent chance she’ll answer, Nancy Drew. But after everyone else grew up, I was still hanging out—every day—with the intrepid girl detective and her chums. It was my job, because I was a Nancy Drew book editor. Nancy was the perfect crime solver. Maybe a bit too perfect: uber-intelligent, brave, … Continue reading Partners in Crime Solving
Happy Book Birthday to PERMANENTLY BOOKED by our own Lisa Q. Mathews! In Book #2 of The Ladies Smythe & Westin series, odd-couple co-sleuths Summer and Dorothy start a book club to lure the killer of a dedicated librarian. To celebrate its release, we’re sharing our own book club experiences, which thankfully don’t involve murder!
Continue reading “Better Read Than Dead: Our Book Club Stories”
Weddings: Love ’em or hate ’em, they often make for a good story—especially when things go wrong! To celebrate Marla Cooper’s entertaining debut mystery, Terror in Taffeta (in which things go really, really wrong) we’re sharing a few of our favorite real-life “I do’s.”
A wonderful benefit of becoming a mystery writer is that you’re exposed to new books in your favorite genre all the time. You meet so many other authors, talented men and women who write books you really want to read. And so you buy them. And buy them. And buy them. And your TBR pile grows. And grows. And grows. (TBR means Too Be Read. … Continue reading So many author friends, so little time.
When it comes to planning weddings in dream locales, Martha Stewart and The Knot have nothing on us Chicks. To celebrate the impending release of Terror in Taffeta—Marla Cooper’s debut novel about a destination wedding planner—we’re sharing the places we’d love to walk down the aisle. Read on, because we’ve got those nuptials covered!
I promised my fellow Chicks a recap of my first “live” author promo event on Saturday, and since it’s my turn to blog, I thought I’d share my experience with everyone. Maybe it will be helpful to some newbie authors out there, especially those with e-book series. If not, well, there is a cute animal pic at the end. This was the eighteenth New Hampshire … Continue reading Adventures in Promo Land – Part 1
Some of my favorite events at Left Coast Crime 2016 were the Author-Reader Connections, where authors hosted readers for various activities. I participated in two: a lunch co-hosted with fellow Crooked Lane authors Leslie Karst and Chris Goff, and a Sunday morning “Bagels with Ellen Byron.” And that’s where things got really interesting. I invited my conference roomie, prolific author Linda O. Johnston, to join … Continue reading My Readers Bought a Serial Killer’s House
Though it may not feel like it in some places, Spring Break is right around the corner. The Chicks decided to celebrate by sharing our favorite beach reads, which include everything from Whodunnit to Who Wore it Best?
Continue reading “Our Favorite Beach Reads”
There’s enough writing advice floating around to fill six or seven of those “101 Tips For The Aspiring Writer” listicles. But only the best ideas stick with you, and work their way into your daily practice. What works for us? Keep reading…
Continue reading “The Best Writing Advice We’ve Ever Gotten”
Everyone needs a little romance in their life, but what about in their books? With Valentine’s Day this weekend, we thought it would be a perfect time to weigh in on the subject.
In 1984, after a friend’s wedding in Texas, I meandered my way through Cajun Country on the way to New Orleans and came upon a lovely small town on Bayou Teche. With its grassy square and gracious old buildings sporting wrought-iron balconies, the place had the flavor of a petite New Orleans. I carried the memory home with me, and years later fictionalized it as … Continue reading Was it Memory or Fantasy?
You’ve seen the movie Groundhog Day, right? The 1993 classic, with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? It’s the story of TV meteorologist Phil Connors, who relives February 2 over and over again—until he gets it right. In honor of next Tuesday’s Groundhog Day, we’re talking about writing do-overs. What would we do differently? And what would we keep trying until we get it right? Continue reading “Groundhog Day”
Chicks on the Case 