Over the last few years, I’ve found myself on the road or in the air a lot for various professional and personal reasons. Since March, I’ve been in Wisconsin, Phoenix, New York, and Seattle. I leave a week from Thursday for Maryland and Malice Domestic. Given how stressful traveling can be, I’m always on the hunt for gadgets that will the journey make easier. Since … Continue reading 5 Handy-Dandy Travel Gadgets
NOTE: I’ll be at Left Coast Crime when this publishes, so my response to comments will be slow today. Bear with me! When I finished the draft for The Witless Protection Program, I wrote to my agent, “This is a screenplay masquerading as a book.” I’m a very visual person. I don’t know if it’s because of my years writing theatre and TV but I … Continue reading Behind the Book: The Witless Protection Program
Happy book birthday to Leslie Karst—for today her first Orchid Isle Mystery, Molten Death, erupts into the world! Here’s the synopsis: Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have come to the Big Island of Hawai‘i to treat themselves to a well-earned tropical vacation. After the recent loss of her brother, Valerie is in sore need of a distraction from her troubles and is … Continue reading Release Day News: MOLTEN DEATH
Welcome to “Chicks Celebration,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share what we’re currently celebrating (book release, new idea, recent read…). 1. Which Chick is celebrating? Leslie 2. The reason for the celebration? The launch of the first book in my new Orchid Isle mystery series, Molten Death, which releases this coming Tuesday, April 2. (Buy link here.) 3. What have … Continue reading Chicks Celebration: Launch of “MOLTEN DEATH”!
Yippee, it’s release day for The Witless Protection Program, the 5th book in “Maria DiRico’s” Catering Hall Mysteries. For readers wondering if Mia Carina’s philandering, presumed dead husband Adam Grosso would ever make an appearance in the series, this is your lucky day. And he couldn’t be showing up at a worse time for Mia! “An incredible cast of characters, starting with our lead, Mia … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday to THE WITLESS PROTECTION PROGRAM!
Hello, intrepid Chick pals! Did you do a doubletake when you saw our post yesterday and think, “Wow, is it Wednesday already? I could have sworn it was Tuesday.” Well, you were right. A certain Chick I won’t mention – okay, it’s me, Ellen – got the post dates wrong on Korina Moss’s post, which is super bad on my part because it’s her debut … Continue reading Guest Chick, Take Two: Korina Moss, #giveaway
The Chicks are thrilled to welcome Korina Moss, who’s making her debut as a Chicks guest. Today, she’s going to tell us all about her Agatha award-winning Cheese Shop Mysteries and give away a copy of her first book, CHEDDAR OFF DEAD. THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT: A SCOOBY DOO HALLMARK MOVIE WITH CHEESE Since this is my first time at Chicks on … Continue reading Guest Chick: Korina Moss and #Giveaway
2024 came in like a battering ram for me. As many of you know, my mother died on January 3rd, the day after her 97th birthday. Despite her age, her death was unexpected and up-ended my life a bit. Okay, a lot. I haven’t even had time to grieve, to be honest. I’m guessing that will come at the end of March when I’m staring … Continue reading A L’il Help From the Hive Mind
It’s Oscar season–and you know what that means, readers! Time for us Chicks to spill on the celebs we’d most love to hang out with this year–and maybe a personal award nom or two…
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Stars in Our Eyes”
It seems my home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is receiving what lots of people across the nation were hoping to hear from Punxutawney Phil, the world’s most well-known groundhog — that there’s going to be an early spring. As Joni Mitchell famously said, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Hey, Phil, can we take it back? According to the news, Punxutawney … Continue reading Don’t Know What You’ve Got
Where do you get your ideas for characters? Are they based on people you know? Are they based on you? Such are the questions authors are often asked. And for me, the answers are: everywhere, yes, and yes. But it’s not quite so simple as that. None of my characters are based solely on any one person. Rather, they’re mostly an amalgam. Or perhaps the … Continue reading A Rainbow of Characters
Chicks on the Case 