As you may know, the “Orchid Isle” is the nickname for the Island of Hawai‘i, where my new mystery series is set and where I’ve lived half time for the past seventeen years. a Big Island beach It gets its moniker, “the Big Island,” for two reasons: First, calling it by its official name, “Hawai‘i,” would be confusing, since that’s also the name of the … Continue reading 10 Things You Might Not Know About The Orchid Isle
The coming of autumn heralds Robin’s and my annual return to Hilo, Hawai‘i, where we hunker down for six months avoiding the brutally cold and wet Santa Cruz winters. (Yes, that was a joke. But seriously, the weather is far more pleasant in the islands this time of year than in Northern California.) As I write this, we’ve been back on the Big Island for … Continue reading Aloha, Hilo!
Bob Dylan famously proclaimed to the world that “he not busy being born is busy dying,” thereby dividing life into two segments: the period when we consistently make the most of our life and move forward, after which we merely exist and begin marching towards our grave. But having just celebrated my 68th birthday this past weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about our human … Continue reading Busy Living; Busy Dying
Happy book birthday to Leslie Karst—for today her first Orchid Isle Mystery, Molten Death, erupts into the world! Here’s the synopsis: Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have come to the Big Island of Hawai‘i to treat themselves to a well-earned tropical vacation. After the recent loss of her brother, Valerie is in sore need of a distraction from her troubles and is … Continue reading Release Day News: MOLTEN DEATH
Tomorrow, April 2, you’ll get to read on the fabulous Dru’s Book Musings about a day in the life of Valerie Corbin, the protagonist of my new Orchid Isle mystery, Molten Death. The day she’ll be describing is one while on vacation on the Big Island of Hawai‘i—a trip that doesn’t end up going exactly as she’d planned. As many of you know, my wife … Continue reading A Day in My Life in Hilo
Welcome to “Chicks Celebration,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share what we’re currently celebrating (book release, new idea, recent read…). 1. Which Chick is celebrating? Leslie 2. The reason for the celebration? The launch of the first book in my new Orchid Isle mystery series, Molten Death, which releases this coming Tuesday, April 2. (Buy link here.) 3. What have … Continue reading Chicks Celebration: Launch of “MOLTEN DEATH”!
Where do you get your ideas for characters? Are they based on people you know? Are they based on you? Such are the questions authors are often asked. And for me, the answers are: everywhere, yes, and yes. But it’s not quite so simple as that. None of my characters are based solely on any one person. Rather, they’re mostly an amalgam. Or perhaps the … Continue reading A Rainbow of Characters
Inspired by Lisa’s enchanting post last Monday about decorating for the holidays and her adorable Christmasville village-turning-into-a-metropolis, I thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse of what the holiday season looks like across the continent—as well as half the Pacific Ocean—from New Hampshire, in my little Hilo Town on the Island of Hawai‘i. Like our fellow Americans five hours ahead of … Continue reading A Very Hilo Holiday
Chicks on the Case 