Summer’s officially here, and students everywhere are out getting their feet wet in the job pool, earning valuable job experience—or at least a few good stories they can tell their grandkids one day. This week at Chicks on the Case, we’re reminiscing about our early employment, from first jobs to summer internships.
Continue reading “Before we were writers: our first summer jobs”
I was getting ready for work this morning when I got a telephone call. In a hurry, I didn’t check Caller ID. Here’s the conversation: Me: Hello? Woman on the other end: Ellen?(Tinkly laugh) Hi, wow, you’re harder to reach than the last cookie in the cookie jar. Me: (Confused) Who is this? Woman: Oh, it’s Jenny and I’m calling from the – Me: CLICK! … Continue reading A Telemarketer Gave Me a Character
So what if our sleuths went off on vacay (hey, even fictional detectives deserve a break every now and then) and left another character in charge of their cases? It’s Freaky Friday at Chicks on the Case–read on to find out who’s saying, “I’m the crime solver now!”
Continue reading “The Protagonist Trap: Our Sleuths Trade Places”
There’s a lot going on in Chick Land right about now, so we’re taking the week off. But rather than just skip one of our beloved Friday group posts, we thought we’d go deep into the vaults and offer up one of our favorite early posts, from around our second week of blogging when we had approximately four readers. We hope you enjoy this Special Edition Rerun!
We invited this year’s nominees for the Agatha Best First Novel award to fantasize about what film or TV stars they’d cast in their mysteries should Hollywood come calling. TESSA ARLEN: Aha, I have already done this exercise with the wonderful Marshal Zeringue over a year ago. It is such a great question. So, for Clementine Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Montfort -my amateur sleuth, who … Continue reading Casting Call for Agatha Best First Novel Nominees
It can be kind of exciting when you meet a celebrity in real life (as long as they don’t give you the old “Do you know who I am?” attitude). But even more fun is when you bump into them in an unexpected place and have a totally random encounter. Today we’re spilling all on our favorite celebrity sightings — and we want to hear about yours in the comments!
Continue reading “Random Star Sightings”
Let’s be honest. We don’t always follow every gem of literary advice we’ve been given, even if we probably should. Today we’re talking about the rule we Chicks break on a regular basis—and we invite you to join the conversation in the comments below!
Continue reading “Which Writing Rules Are Made to be Broken?”
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.”
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!
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.
Chicks on the Case 