Sue Grafton loved to explain that she kept her private investigator heroine, Kinsey Millhone, locked in the 1980s so that Kinsey wouldn’t have the luxury of such technology as cell phones and laptops to assist in her investigations. And I have to say, I sometimes wish I’d done the same with my sleuth. In fact, at the time I was writing the first in my … Continue reading The Trouble With Tech
Journeys in publishing (and life) can be rocky. Sometimes we need an extra sprinkle of fairy dust or luck to make it.
Today, we talk about how luck has—or hasn’t—played a role in the publishing and non-publishing aspects of our lives.
My mother, Smiley Cook Karst—who passed away on January 3rd at the grand old age of 91—was perhaps my greatest inspiration as a writer. Sure, my law professor father, author of three books and many dozens of articles about Constitutional law, was far more famous. But notwithstanding that I, too, worked as an attorney, I was never drawn to writing about the law. No, my … Continue reading Like Mother Like Daughter
Season’s greetings, beloved readers! We wish you and yours the happiest of happy holiday seasons and a bright New Year. We’ll see you in January – the 4th, to be exact – but thought we’d celebrate the end of a year by revisiting photos from each Chick’s early beginnings – including our newest Chicklet in the nest, Jen! Leslie Karst Ellen Byron Lisa Q. Mathews … Continue reading Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!
No, we, alas, won’t be hosting meals for twelve people crammed around the dining room table this year, but I imagine most of us will be preparing a Thanksgiving meal for our “bubble” of two or four. And although the get-togethers will be small, they’ll still be joyous and delicious. And come Thursday night, “stuffed” is how the majority of folks in the country will … Continue reading Stuffed
My law professor father used to like to say, “There are only two times I’m miserable—when I’m writing and when I’m not writing.” And I have to agree. Because when you’re in the middle of a book, you’re nervous about getting it right and angsting that you should be working on it whenever you’re not. But when you’re not in the middle of a book, … Continue reading Starting From Scratch
I’m one of the lucky ones. Several of my friends lost their homes to the CZU Lightning Complex fire north of Santa Cruz (so called because it was started by a dry lightning storm) which began in the early hours of Sunday, August 16—and is still burning. The city of Santa Cruz, was thankfully spared. But on Wednesday, August 19, Robin and I awoke to … Continue reading A Values Clarification
We Chicks just love our creative spaces. Really. Can you match the Chick with her writing coop? (It’s easy, actually, since our photos are right next to them…)
Today, we welcome the five finalists for this year’s Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery (three of whom just happen to be Chicks on the Case). Congrats to all! The winner won’t be announced until the Left Coast Crime banquet on March 14th, but in the meantime we thought it would be “humorous” to find out from the nominees which of their characters from their … Continue reading Who Are the Lefty Award Nominees’ Most Humorous Characters?
Season’s greetings, beloved readers! We wish you and yours the happiest of happy holiday seasons and a bright New Year. We’ll see you in January – the 6th, to be exact – but thought we’d celebrate the end of a year with some photos from each Chick’s early beginnings. Leslie Karst Ellen Byron Lisa Q. Mathews Vickie Fee Cynthia Kuhn Kathleen Valenti Becky Clark Readers, … Continue reading Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!
This week, some of the Chicks are attending Malice Domestic. Be sure to join us Sunday at 10 am for the Chicks on the Case panel…featuring Mystery Trivia. And many of us will be attending the Author-Media Mixer on Friday night in the Korby Kitchen bar area as well. Please say hello! We are scheduled to appear in the following places. Ellen Byron Best Mystery … Continue reading Gone to Malice Domestic 2019
We all know what Easter and Passover are really about. Eating! Just kidding. But we do have our favorite spring holiday treats. And a special place in our heart for a holiday that celebrates all things Chick-like! Continue reading Our Favorite Easter or Passover treat is…
