I write two mystery series, one set in the 1950s and one in current times. In plotting the mysteries, I start digging-researching actual events at the time and location of my story’s setting. For example, my upcoming Sydney Lockhart mystery, Murder at the Pontchartrain, is set in New Orleans, a city rich in culture and […]

Aah, who doesn’t love a good wedding? The flowers, the cake, and most important of all, the beautiful bride in her gorgeous dress. But then there’s the multitude of things that can go wrong on this most sacred of traditional days. The meddlesome mother-in-law, the groom still hungover from last night’s bachelor party, the photographer […]

By Judy Penz Sheluk There’s a word that authors use to describe themselves if their publishing contract has been terminated: orphaned. The technical term is “reversion of rights,” which means the publishing rights granted under the terms of the publishing contract are reversed and returned to the author. Once a reversion of rights is complete, […]

By Debra H. Goldstein Today, May 1, is often referred to as May Day. Traditionally, it is associated with celebrating flowers and spring, although at one point, it was put on calendars as being the first day of summer. Rituals associated with May Day flowers include leaving friends and strangers cone-shaped baskets of flowers attached […]

By Debra H. Goldstein Once again, my TBR (to be read) stack is out of control. I know I shouldn’t buy anymore books, but I can’t help myself. It seems that every time I’m on a panel, I need to buy at least one or more of the books written by the authors I appear […]

By Erica Miner “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”                          — Henri Bergson During my 21 years as a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, I often thought I would be playing that fiendishly difficult but most splendid of instruments […]

By Anne Louise Bannon Knowing how many of my writer friends genuinely struggle to get their novels completed, it would not be politic, as they say, for me to complain about getting stuck. After all, I am rather prolific. I attribute this to my obsessive nature and my background in journalism, which means that I […]

By Sandra Benson When you imagine an author, what do you see? Is it someone bent over a desk, passionately scribing out a story? Perhaps the author holds a pen over paper, or tattoos a rhythm intently on a keyboard. They are in a small room in an attic. Or, maybe in a shabby-but-charming apartment […]

By Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell Thanks so much for inviting me over, Debra! It’s been such a delight to be on this publishing path with you for the last however-many years. When I thought about what to write for a coveted guest spot on Debra’s blog, I rolled the title of her web site around in […]

By Donnell Ann Bell Because Donnell’s hand is in a cast, we agreed for this guest post to be an oldie but goodie. Focusing on a human emotion that rarely goes away, Donnell and I hope That Devil Called Doubt proves useful. I’m sure you also join me in hoping Donnell’s hand heals quickly. Ever […]