I semi-joke that I currently have two titles: Ellen Byron, Author and Marketing Director for Ellen Byron, Author. I’m thinking all authors these days can relate to this. Under the guise of my second title, I came up with what I consider a brilliant marketing idea: First Book Fridays. Readers like to start with the first book in a series and since I have three … Continue reading Throwing Promo Spaghetti at the Wall
It’s Release Day for Four Parties and a Funeral, the fourth book in Maria DiRico”s Catering Hall Mystery series. Kirkus says “readers can’t help loving it,” and we agree! Congratulations, Ellen, we mean, Maria! You can pick up a copy through the link below. About FOUR PARTIES AND A FUNERAL… Agatha Award-winning author Maria DiRico returns with the fourth book in the Catering Hall Mystery … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Maria DiRico, aka/Ellen Byron!
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories. Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation–you’ll find them all right here… Hi, Ellen and “Maria” here! You’ll notice I didn’t include the title of Catering Hall Mystery #4 in the header. And the cover image is on the bottom of this post … Continue reading Behind the Book: “Maria DiRico’s” Fourth Catering Hall Mystery
It’s Release Day for Wined and Died in New Orleans, the second book in Ellen Byron’s new series, The Vintage Cookbook Mysteries! Says the Library Journal, “Fans of Byron’s award-winning ‘Cajun Country’ mysteries will enjoy her return to New Orleans with an engaging, fun cast of characters.” Congratulations, Ellen! You can pick up a copy through the link below. About WINED AND DIED IN NEW … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories. Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation–you’ll find them all right here… Hi, Ellen here, pulling back the curtain on my new Vintage Cookbook Mystery. The main plot of Wined and Died in New Orleans is twofold: 1) a valuable cache of 19th … Continue reading Behind the Book: Wined and Died in New Orleans
Will robots write our books in the near future? True, we writers spend plenty of time pounding our heads instead of our fingers on the keyboard. But will we hand over our jobs to artificial intelligence? Lisa asked an AI bot to come up with 2 short mystery plots, just for fun … Continue reading Plotting with Robots
Jennifer here, offering a warm welcome to Denise Swanson! She’s here to share about the fascinating hunt for great names. Thanks, Denise! The Name Game I’ve always been fascinated with names. Maybe because I always hated my first name. Granted, Denise is better than the one my parents first considered—Ernestina after my father. But I would have much preferred a more elegant name like Kathryn … Continue reading Guest Chick: Denise Swanson
Much as I despise admitting it, words don’t always come to me as quickly as they once did. There’s nothing like having a word on the tip of your tongue, then have it dart away and zip around your brain like a fly trying to dodge a swatter. Recently I endured a particularly bad bout of what-is-that-damn-word-I-had-it-a-minute-ago-and-it-went-away-and-then-came-back-and-then-went-away-again-itis. The little devil of a word taunted me, … Continue reading The Most Inane – or Most Useful Writing Tip Ever. You decide.
Today we Chicks share our (mostly) humorous experiences from real life that inspired an element in our writing: books, series, characters, scenes–you name it. Read on and feel free to add a few of your own!
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Seeds of Mirth–or Murder?”
It’s Release Day for Bayou Book Thief, the first book in Ellen Byron’s new series, The Vintage Cookbook Mysteries! Says the Library Journal, “Fans of Byron’s award-winning ‘Cajun Country’ mysteries will enjoy her return to New Orleans with an engaging, fun cast of characters.” Congratulations, Ellen! You can pick up a copy through the link below. And read to the end of this post for … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday, Ellen Byron!
Jennifer here. Please give a warm welcome to Krysti Meyer, a cozy mystery podcaster and an award-winning author! Here’s a fun conversation about her new Get Cozy podcast: How did you get into podcasting? I’ve been a fan of cozy mysteries ever since the pandemic started. They’ve been such a delightful escape from the serious issues we’ve been facing globally in the past few years. Before … Continue reading Guest Chick: Krysti Meyer
Hi, Ellen here! I e-met Jacqueline Vick through Dana Kaye’s Your Breakout Book and we became fast friends – to the point where I have to remind myself we have yet to meet in person! I love her post on where writers find unexpected idea inspiration… Where Writers Get Their Ideas. It May Surprise You. One of the questions I’m most often asked about writing … Continue reading Guest Chick: Jacqueline Vick
