This is a story of rejection, perseverance, and generosity. A few years back, the mystery writers convention Malice Domestic announced that the subject for their next anthology of short stories would be food and cooking. I’d never penned a short story before, but given my love of all things culinary, I thought, “Great! I’ll try my hand at it and write a one about food!” … Continue reading Long Story, Short
April brings Spring-ier weather (usually), holidays, the Malice Domestic conference for mystery lovers, and…the Agatha Awards! This year the Chicks will be well-represented in Bethesda—can’t wait to see many of you there. Here Lisa takes us behind the scenes as she tries to reason with unsinkable Frankie impersonator Joey Romano from her nominated short story, “Fly Me to the Morgue”… Continue reading Livin’ the Author Dream, Baby: Uncle Joey’s Big Night
We’re so happy to welcome back the inimitable reviewer and author Sandra Murphy. Today she’s offering very wise words for both authors and readers. Take it away, Sandra! Do’s and Don’t’s of Book Reviews I review over 100 books a year for Kings River Life online magazine, cozies and thrillers, set in the present and in the not-too-distant past which means I spend seven or … Continue reading Guest Chick: Sandra Murphy
Hi, Ellen here. I met Francelia Belton when I visited Colorado to teach workshops for the Sisters in Crime – Colorado chapter and we totally hit it off, both as writers and human beings. 😉 I’m thrilled to welcome her to Chicks with this wonderful post… “First Sentences are Doors to Worlds.” First, I’d like to thank Ellen and the other Chicks for having me … Continue reading Guest Chick: Francelia Belton
The Chicks are excited to welcome acclaimed short story author Sandra Murphy today, tackling a question we’ve all thought about… Where Do Ideas Come From? Something happens + a question = an idea for a story or book. Writers say, ‘I couldn’t think of anything to write’ or ‘The Muse wasn’t speaking to me.’ I don’t believe in writer’s block or The Muse. Ideas float … Continue reading Guest Chick: Sandra Murphy
Once upon a time there was a little girl who was afraid of the dark… That was me. I relied on my special star night light for years. Something about the midnight hour spooked me. Who knew what lurked out there in the darkness? That’s why I have a certain fondness for pretty lights and lanterns: One evening, I grew bold and turned off the … Continue reading In the Midnight Hour
Writing comp titles really is an art form. Boiling a story down to “when x meets y” requires a lot of skill. Some tips I’ve heard before are: Nix the bestselling titles (a.k.a. Please don’t think you’re John Grisham) Try to use semi-current works Use ones in a similar genre (some folks recommend using just books, while others are okay with references to short stories … Continue reading The Art of the Elusive Comp
We asked the Agatha Award nominees in the Best Short Story Category the following question: what can you tell us about your title? Art Taylor: “Better Days,” which appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, is the sequel to another story, “A Drowning at Snow’s Cut,” published in EQMM in 2011 and inspired by a boat trip that my dad and … Continue reading Agatha Best Short Story Nominees
The Chicks are extremely excited to welcome Eleanor Cawood Jones, author extraordinaire of short crime fiction, to the blog today. She may just tell us how she comes up with her stories’ amazing settings. Take it away, Eleanor! Continue reading Guest Chick: Eleanor Cawood Jones
Chicks on the Case 