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!
One of the things I love most about living in New York City for the past 24 years is that you have an eyewitness view to the past, the present, and the future. Continue reading Guest Chick: L.A. Chandlar
I have a confession to make: I’ve never understood fairy tales.
When I was little, my parents read to me each night before bed. Often they read fairy tales, and I liked some of them. (I was especially fond of “The Shoemaker and the Elves.” Who wouldn’t want clever elves doing their work for them at night? Continue reading Guest Chick: Lisa Harkrader
When I first started writing Battered, the first Whipped and Sipped Mystery, Ruthie Rosin, the character of the protagonist’s best friend and pastry chef, appeared before me almost immediately. She cared about the world and had a strong moral compass. Ruthie bears more than a passing resemblance to a real-life friend I adore in Colorado. Continue reading Guest Chick: GP Gottlieb
I used to enjoy The X Files. You probably remember it. It’s the science fiction series that ran from 1993 through, I think, 2004. It starred David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully and Mitch Pileggi as their boss, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner. Mulder and Scully were partners assigned to investigate cases that defied traditional … Continue reading Didn’t See that Coming…
I recently retired as a K-9 handler. The company I co-owned and worked for, Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines, had friendly dogs (usually Labs) that helped detect and deter drugs, alcohol and gunpowder in schools. Sometimes, teachers would ask me to do a guest presentation for the students. During these presentations, one of the questions I was often asked was “Do you have dogs that flunk out and what happens to them?” Continue reading Guest Chick: Kathleen Donnelly
When I was a kid – a mere second-grader, to be precise — the adults in my life labeled me as “unpredictable.” These things tend to stick, of course, and I’m still teased at family gatherings. You can be the judge whether or not it’s deserved. Continue reading Guest Chick: Debra Bokur
Dialogue can make or break a story. Would you agree?
There are so many rules to writing good dialogue. Characters have to sound different enough from each other that readers would know who’s speaking without reading the dialogue tags. Continue reading Talk to Me
Before I became an author, I held the common assumption that authors live seriously cool lives. In fact, I felt pretty darn confident they lived glamorous lives.
It may be true for some authors. As for me, I’ve come to accept the old adage—you can’t fight City Hall. (Okay it sounds a bit off. But seriously, the futility of me reaching for the glamorous life is spot on.) Continue reading Guest Chick: Marie Sutro
When I first sat down to pen my debut mystery novella series, I had a head full of tangled plot threads and characters who wouldn’t stop talking to me. Like many writers, I was driven by an almost compulsive need to get these stories out of my mind and onto the page. But as I reflect on my journey as a mystery author over the years, I’ve come to recognize how much my purpose—my “why”—has evolved. Continue reading Guest Chick: Barbara Howard
Happy Wednesday! Patricia here, and it’s truly my pleasure to welcome Ann Claire to Chicks on the Case. I love her post. As a writer and runner, it especially resonated with me. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a published author with millions of words under your fingers, I think you’ll find it inspiring, too. Welcome, Ann! Take it away! Mid-pandemic, my husband confessed. He’d … Continue reading Guest Chick: Ann Claire
Several years ago at a former job, I was promoted to a supervisory position. The transition was rough. Management was making stupid decisions. Direct reports were (understandably) rebelling. I was in the middle. Fun times. One morning, I was leaving for work. I turned the key in my ignition—and nothing happened. My first thought was, “OMG! Someone planted a bomb in my car!” Yes, that … Continue reading Where’s the Crime?
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