* With apologies to Carly Simon. We’re all guilty of it. You’ve decided that now is the time to sit down and finally do whatever it is you’ve been putting off: those year-end taxes; that letter to your niece thanking her for a lovely birthday present; or perhaps organizing all those thousands of photos on your computer. But I’m thinking writers have to be the … Continue reading Procrastination… Is Makin’ Me Late*
I know many of the readers of this blog would point to something such as the Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown series as their early loves, but the first book I remember truly adoring as a child is Boats Finds a House, by Mary Chalmers. It’s a picture book about a cat who’s retired from working as a mouser and ratter on a sailing ship, … Continue reading From Boats Finds a House to Miss Marple Finds a Body
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?”
There was a time in my life when I believed that once your manuscript was written, revised, edited, and sent off to the publisher to be made into a real live book, the work of the author was basically done. Then I had an actual book come out. No. It turns out [spoiler alert] that once the book is finished, the work of an author … Continue reading Bloggin’ My Days Away
Congratulations to Leslie Karst, on the release of the fifth book in her delectable Sally Solari culinary mystery series, The Fragrance of Death Restaurateur Sally Solari is a champion, both in the kitchen and on the case, but after getting mixed up in one too many murders, she’s noticed her nonna’sfriends have now taken to crossing themselves when they see her in the street. Adding to … Continue reading Happy Release Day to Leslie Karst
I was reading the Parade magazine that comes with our Sunday paper a few weeks back when Robin happened to see that the page was turned to the “Ask Marilyn” column, in which the author solves puzzles and answers various questions. “Did you know she’s supposedly the smartest person in the world?” Robin said. “What?” I asked. “Yeah,” said Robin. “Look it up.” So I … Continue reading Ask Marilyn About Door #1
We love to laugh. And we love to write funnily. So when looking at this humor Venn diagram, the question is: Do we laugh at ourselves–specifically when writing?
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Do you make yourself laugh?”
We’re excited to share some great savings on books from your favorite authors – us! Here are June specials, listed alphabetically. NOTE #1: prices sometimes fluctuate, so make sure to confirm the sale price before purchasing. Also, check out our other books because there might be sales for them that we’re not even aware of! NOTE #2: The Amazon links may be a bit wonky. … Continue reading Newsflash: Chicks Book Deals
Several weeks ago, I was on call for jury duty. Part of me wanted to be selected for a jury; part of me not. If the trial were only for three or four days, then it would be a fascinating look into our criminal justice system. And—having been retired now for quite a few years from my previous career as an attorney—it would have been … Continue reading One’s Civic Duty
Chicks on the Case readers are some of the most creative folks on the planet so we’re asking you to play Chick Pic with us! Give us a couple of sentences … what happened here? What’s the mysterious story behind this damage? So many ideas come to mind! But you start. Each comment can build on the next until we have a fully fleshed out … Continue reading Time for a Chick Pic!
There’s no denying humor is subjective. One person finds fart jokes hilarious (that would be Ellen) while someone else (well, everyone else) finds them puerile. So, how do we who purport to be “mystery writers with a killer sense of humor” determine what’s funny and what’s not – for ourselves and for our readers?
Continue reading “Chick Chat: Funny or not funny? Hmm…”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on a constant quest towards…something. In school, it was to get good grades. After graduation from college, I formed a rock band and the quest became one for a recording contract (alas, that never happened). Then, once I decided to go to law school, it was to do well enough on the LSAT to get into … Continue reading Like a Shark
Chicks on the Case 