Happy Book Re-Birthday: Terror in Taffeta

Join us in celebrating a very special book birthday with Marla Cooper! Today marks the relaunch of her Destination Wedding Mysteries. Originally published in hardback by St. Martin’s, TERROR IN TAFFETA is now available in paperback for the first time ever! Amazon | Goodreads ABOUT THE BOOK: Wedding planner Kelsey McKenna is just a few hours away from wrapping up her latest job: a destination … Continue reading Happy Book Re-Birthday: Terror in Taffeta

Left Coast’s Author-Reader Connections

I’ve yet to meet a mystery convention I didn’t love. Each offers its own benefits. Thanks to Malice Domestic’s William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, I have a mystery writing career. I have filled my belly with free hors d’oeuvres at Bouchercon parties hosted by publishers. And Left Coast Crime offers something you won’t find anywhere else: Author-Reader Connections. The concept is simple. … Continue reading Left Coast’s Author-Reader Connections

Gone to Left Coast Crime!

Five of the Chicks are currently at Left Coast Crime: San Francisco Schemin’, where our very own Leslie Karst in the toastmaster! (And where Ellen, Jen, and Leslie are all up for Lefty Awards!) For any of you in attendance–or who would merely like to see what we’re up to at this fab con–here’s the schedule for those of us there. (And of course you can find us after hours at the various hotel restaurants–and at the bar!) Continue reading Gone to Left Coast Crime!

Galloping in on a Fire Horse

I don’t know a lot about astrology or the zodiac or even what my rising sign is. (It’s based on the exact time you were born, and no one remembers mine. “I think it was in the morning,” my dad once told me, helpfully.) I grew up reading those horoscopes that were in the back of magazines and newspapers that were wildly general, like “People … Continue reading Galloping in on a Fire Horse

Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!

Season’s greetings, beloved readers! We wish you and yours the happiest of happy holiday seasons and a bright New Year.  We’re bringing you our annual Chicks as Babies or Children holiday post – with some new additions! We’ll be back on January 5th for another year of fun posts! Leslie Karst Ellen Byron Lisa Q. Mathews Vickie Fee Cynthia Kuhn Jennifer J. Chow Patricia Sargeant/Olivia … Continue reading Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!

Patience, Fortitude, and other things a writer needs

Y’all. Y’ALL. I have started five different posts, each with a solid theme. But really what I want to do is put on my cozy pajamas, make a cup of hot cocoa, and sit around the fireplace laptop and chat. Can we just do that? I just got back from a five-day trip to New York — the first time I’ve ever been in December. … Continue reading Patience, Fortitude, and other things a writer needs

Isn’t that name already taken?!

When I was writing my first book, Terror in Taffeta, Kelsey’s best friend and wedding photographer sidekick was named Brody. Just Brody. I wrote the entire book without giving him a last name. Eventually, I realized I needed to fix that. One of the first name combos that popped into my head was “Brody Marks.” Hmm. It sounded good. Too good, honestly. It had the … Continue reading Isn’t that name already taken?!

Guest Chick: Stacie Grey

Marla, here! When Stacie Grey told me she was going to take a whirlwind tour of (almost) all the Barnes & Nobles in the Bay Area in one day to celebrate the release of her new thriller, She Didn’t Stand a Chance, my first thought was, “I want to go with you!” My second thought? “No, I don’t!” I’ve braved Bay Area traffic, and this sort of adventure is not to be taken lightly. So I did the next best thing and asked her to tell us all about it later. Continue reading Guest Chick: Stacie Grey

🎃 Welcome to Spooky Season

Maybe it’s because I was born in October, but I’ve always had a penchant for all things spooky, paranormal, and slightly macabre. When the weather starts dropping and the pumpkin spice lattes appear on menus, when people start decorating their houses with cobwebs and gravestones, it makes me want to dance dramatically in my front yard singing, “It’s the most wonderful time … of the year.” Continue reading 🎃 Welcome to Spooky Season

Grammar Crimes of the Digital Age

It’s hard being a grammar geek in the digital age. When you’re online, it seems like the rules are more like… suggestions. Anyone who spends any amount of time on social media will run across all SORTS of crimes against the English language. And you know what? Some of them, I’m not even mad at.  “I can’t even”? It’s an incomplete sentence, but I know … Continue reading Grammar Crimes of the Digital Age