Today the Chicks are pleased to host the 2025 nominees for the Lefty Awards, mostly in the Best Humorous Mystery category (to be awarded at Left Coast Crime: Mountain High Jinks in Denver), with a special guest nominated for Best Mystery Novel. Hurrah that we have three nominees who are part of Chicks on the Case! We’ve asked each nominee to share a little bit … Continue reading Lefty Award Nominees-Rocky Mountain High Jinks
(Once again, Bruce Springsteen’s song is painfully appropriate.) I’m no stranger to cataclysmic events. My first date with Jer was postponed by the L.A. riots. Our wedding venue was red-tagged right after the Northridge earthquake. My father was working in the Empire State Building on 9/11 and my brother worked downtown. Eliza and I evacuated for Hurricane Ida and watched the New Orleans power grid … Continue reading My City in Ruins
Season’s greetings, beloved readers! We hope you enjoy the yearly sharing of our holiday baby Chicks cards. We’re very sad this will be our last Christmas card post with our dear pal Kathy Valenti. We’ll miss you, Kathy! We’re taking a break for the holidays, but we’ll be back on January 6th. Until then, we wish you and yours the happiest of happy seasons and … Continue reading Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!
Hi, it’s Cammie, ruler of the Byron-Remillong household. Last week I heard Mom going on and on about how this dog Lily was “soooooo cute,” and not gonna lie, I got kinda jealous. So I hijacked Mom’s computer to tell you about another pooch who is “sooooo cute.” ME! First, a little backstory, as my mom calls it. I wound up as a pregnant stray … Continue reading My turn, Lily!
Hi! Ellen here, on the road from Chicago to L.A. after a lovely day spent at the Midwest Mystery Conference and long weekend in this awesome city where many of hubby Jer’s college friends live. (He went to Marquette in Milwaukee, if you’re wondering, and is from St. Louis. He’s got some serious Midwest bona fides.) I never intended to be on and off the … Continue reading Big Tree Energy
I’ve been promoting FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT all over the place, which has brought up the irony that I wasn’t a fan of Halloween growing up. I have one photo of me in a costume from my childhood and I can barely muster up a smile. Partly because my mother pulled my hair into the tightest, most painful bun of my life, and partly because … Continue reading Memories of Halloween
When I joined SoCalMWA, the local chapter of Mystery Writers of America, I lucked out. Every year, the chapter kicks into gear in the fall with a gumbo party, hosted by chef extraordinaire Bill Fitzhugh and his lovely wife Kendall. If you know my connection to New Orleans, you know how happy this makes me. (Bill is from Mississippi, but his gumbo is so good … Continue reading It’s Gumbo Season… in SoCal?
“The worlds of Hollywood and New Orleans collide in a fantastic whodunnit.” J.C. Kenney, author of the Elmo Simpson Mysteries It’s release day for FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT, the third book in Ellen Byron’s Vintage Cookbook Mystery series! Halloween isn’t just a day, it’s a month of celebrations in New Orleans. Ricki James-Diaz and her friend at Bon Vee Culinary House Museum are ready to … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday to FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT!
Hi, Ellen here, writing from my hotel room. I know Lisa gave you a taste of Bouchercon Nashville. I’m here to give you the whole meal today. I thought I’d do this day by day but honestly, it’s hard to keep the days straight at a con, so there will be some guesswork involved. Here goes nuthin’! WEDNESDAY: I kicked off the day by meeting … Continue reading Greetings from Bouchercon! (Although I’ll be home when you read this)
Hi, it’s Ellen! Sorry about the late post. I had four events – three events in one weekend – to shill for, I mean celebrate the launch of A Very Woodsy Murder, my first Golden Motel Mystery. Two out of the three were policed by those of a furry persuasion: bookstore cats. I don’t know why I haven’t paid attention to this phenomenon before. There’s … Continue reading Bookstore cats
It’s release day for A Very Woodsy Murder, the first book in Ellen Byron’s new Golden Motel Mystery series. What happens when Dee Stern, a burned-out sitcom writer, impulsively buys a retro rustic motel in California’s Gold Rush Country with her best friend-turned business partner who also happens to be her short-lived first husband? And their very first guest checks in but doesn’t check out… … Continue reading Happy Book Birthday to A VERY WOODSY MURDER!
Through the years since my first mystery was published in 2015, I’ve developed a finely honed approach to marketing my books, something we are all tasked with these days. Let me bullet-point my approach for you: Yup. That’s it. One poor, lonely bullet point. Like all authors, I’ve blogged, guested on podcasts, and done in-person and virtual appearances at bookstores. My overall goal is to … Continue reading The “Throw Spaghetti at the Wall and Hope Something Sticks” Approach to Marketing
Chicks on the Case 