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”
Attention, Hollywood agents: you may not have gotten the memo, but we’ve pre-cast some of your best clients to star in the as-yet-unsigned movie versions of our books. They’ve already begun doing staged readings in our heads, and sometimes they even help inspire us. Get those contracts ready, and see you at the wrap party.
Gentle readers, this post may be a bit short, and bittersweet. But I promise there will be something warm and fuzzy at the end. A little more than a week ago, my husband and I were cozily binge-watching Longmire on the couch with our Golden Retriever, basking in the glow of a recent holiday season spent with friends and family. My latest manuscript was safely … Continue reading Going to the Mattresses
Hard to believe sometimes, but there are other types of writing out there besides mystery novels. This week the Chicks share what we moonlight as when we’re not penning the crime-solving adventures of our beloved main characters.
Continue reading “Write On: What We Write When We’re Not Writing Mysteries”
On a recent trip to Louisiana, I toured several plantations and saw some fascinating nineteenth century artifacts. There was a flycatcher that lured flies with a mixture of sugar and arsenic. (Why-oh-why didn’t I know about this before I used arsenic as a murder weapon in my debut mystery, Plantation Shudders?) A parlor in Houmas House featured extraordinary tapestries that took Ursuline nun novitiates years … Continue reading Magnolia Marie Doucet, Vampire Slayer?
Chicks on the Case 