(gratis image courtesy of Pixabay) One thing I’ve learned in L.A. is that certain cars reflect and even possess certain personalities. I can pretty much count on BMWs to zoom in and out of freeway lanes like a soccer forward moving down the field. Pickup trucks seem to revel in exceeding the speed limit and bullying people out of their way by tailgating. (Hence my … Continue reading My Love Affair with a Vintage Car
Diane Vallere is a powerhouse. Not only does she write four — that’s right, FOUR — mystery series, she’s served in a variety of volunteer positions, culminating in her current gig as national president of the renown organization, Sisters in Crime. How does Diane do it all, and what tips does she have for fellow authors? Read on… EB: How on earth do you write four series? … Continue reading Chicks Interview: SinC President Diane Vallere
For my sixteen-year-old daughter and me, the TV show Once Upon a Time is appointment viewing. (To be honest, we both have a crush on Hook, aka Guyliner. He’s so cute!!!!) As we watched the show a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that cozy mysteries have a lot in common with fairy tales. In both, the hero or heroine’s mission is to identify … Continue reading Are cozy mysteries modern fairy tales?
Sick of negative election vibes? Dragging yourself to the polls like Charlie Brown to the pitcher’s mound? Cheer up, the Chicks have some fun write-in propositions for you!
Continue reading “Vote YES on Proposition GR8!”
One thing I love about writing my series is how someone’s off-the-cuff comment can inspire a subplot or even an entire plot. I’ll give you two examples straight out of my newest release, BODY ON THE BAYOU. (How’s that for a smooth segue into shameless shilling?) When I was mulling over a plot for the second book in my Cajun Country Mystery series – available … Continue reading Gifts from the Writing Gods – that’s you!
Lisa is still (yes, still) in book jail, but she’s going to be sprung very soon (and she means it this time!). Hope you’ll enjoy this encore presentation on one of her favorite subjects: Nancy Drew. Nancy, of course, always finishes her assignments ahead of time. But someone else might be just a teensy bit slower… I’m no expert on Nancy Drew—but in the early 90s, it was (literally) … Continue reading Bess Marvin Lives! (Again.)
Labor Day looms, and we Chicks are bidding our sad good-byes to Summer. (Except for Lisa, because that’s her sleuth’s name.) So it’s time for that September ritual: the back-to-school vacay recap, in 250 words or less. Here are the Chicks’ essays (and no, our parents don’t have to sign them)… Continue reading “What We Did on Our Summer Vacations”
Dear Mom and Dad, How are you? I am okay but I want to go home. Can you please come get me soon? Every time I ask you keep telling me that writing camp will be good for me. But you are wrong. I would rather be doing something more fun like reading or cleaning my room. This will be a short letter, because it’s … Continue reading This Summer, at Writing Camp: A Letter Home from NaNoWriMo
I was getting ready for work this morning when I got a telephone call. In a hurry, I didn’t check Caller ID. Here’s the conversation: Me: Hello? Woman on the other end: Ellen?(Tinkly laugh) Hi, wow, you’re harder to reach than the last cookie in the cookie jar. Me: (Confused) Who is this? Woman: Oh, it’s Jenny and I’m calling from the – Me: CLICK! … Continue reading A Telemarketer Gave Me a Character
A wonderful benefit of becoming a mystery writer is that you’re exposed to new books in your favorite genre all the time. You meet so many other authors, talented men and women who write books you really want to read. And so you buy them. And buy them. And buy them. And your TBR pile grows. And grows. And grows. (TBR means Too Be Read. … Continue reading So many author friends, so little time.
Sorry I’m late writing this intro, but good news – Mr. Darcy is my BBC husband! Yep, those quizzes that pop up on Facebook all the time are a great way to procrastinate. But we Chicks have found oh, so many other ways to put off our writing. How many? Let us count the ways… which, come to think of it, would be a great way to procrastinate.
Continue reading “Procrastinate Much? Let Us Count the Ways”
It’s a brand new year, time for black-eyed peas, the Rose Bowl Parade, and new year’s resolutions! Today, the Chicks are ringing out the old and ringing in the new as we talk about our intentions for 2016.
Continue reading “Resolved: The Chicks’ New Year’s Resolutions”
Chicks on the Case 