In addition to many wonderful memories and a stack of terrific books, the other thing that I brought home with me from the mystery writers’ convention Malice Domestic this year was a case of COVID. Not a bad case–it felt pretty much like a garden variety head cold. But I had to quarantine myself, nevertheless, and therefore spent a lot of time hanging out at … Continue reading What’s In a Name?
Most of you likely know by now that I had the good fortune to host an intimate dinner party for the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an event now chronicled in my new memoir, Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. Well, you readers of the Chicks on the Case blog are in for a treat today, as I’m about … Continue reading An Inside Peek Into My Dinner With Ruth
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
No, I have not, alas, been offered a contract or even an option for a movie or TV show based on my Sally Solari mystery series. But I thought it would be fun, nevertheless, to fantasize about who I would cast as the characters, were that ever were to occur. Let’s start with Sally: She’s a fourth-generation Italian, part of the community of fishermen who … Continue reading Casting Sally Solari, the Movie
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
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
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
When readers reached the epilogue in Cajun Kiss of Death, my 7th Cajun Country Mystery, they realized it was the last book in the series. Many emailed me to share their sadness about the series’ demise. I thanked them and shared that I was sad too. While sometimes authors make the choice to end a series, often the choice is out of their hands. This … Continue reading How to Help a Book Series Thrive
During a gathering at my house not too long ago, my sister Laura mentioned how as a kid she often wondered what a “donzerly” light looked like, having always heard the first line of our national anthem as “Oh say can you see, by the donzerly light…” “I always imagined it to be some sort of amazingly beautiful kind of illumination,” she told us, “and … Continue reading The Donzerly Light
Writing (and finishing) a manuscript is a big deal. And so is finding a publisher to get it out into the world for others to read. But once you’ve secured that contract, the next big question is, What will my cover look like? Because as we all know, people do in fact judge books by their covers. It’s the first thing that makes someone pick … Continue reading Sally’s Cover Reveal!
Chicks on the Case 