The word vagabond strolled into my head the other day. I’ve always liked the word so I was happy to see it and to have it stick around for a while. I like the sound of it—full and round but with concrete edges in the G and the D, and with that tiniest buzz you […]

By Meri Allen (aka Shari Randall) I’ll never forget the moment I opened the email from my editor announcing the title of my cozy mystery debut in the Lobster Shack Mystery series. I was sitting across the breakfast table from my daughter who was enjoying a bowl of cereal when I read the title. “Curses, […]

Five Belles Too Many, the fifth Sarah Blair mystery from Kensington, releases June 28th and there still is so much to do. Here’s what’s going on, here’s what needs to still be done, and here’s where you might be able to help: I’m in the middle of a Great Escapes Tour. It began on June […]

By Susan Van Kirk For the past eight years, I’ve written a series called the Endurance Mysteries. Their setting is the small town of Endurance in west central Illinois. The same main characters inhabit each book, so over these years I’ve grown to know these imaginary people quite well. It would be easy to keep […]

By Terry Ambrose  One million words. It’s a big number. Right? Somewhere along the way during my writing journey, I passed that number. In fact, I’m probably closing in on two million now. Originally, I started out writing a psychological thriller. I soon realized I couldn’t do it. My villains were way too wimpy. Unfortunately, […]

By Rosalie Spielman Being a military spouse makes it challenging to have a career. Due to moving often, if you didn’t have a “portable career” like nursing or teaching, it’s very hard to find work when experience is required. I’ve noticed many of my peers have gone into creative endeavors. Myself, I played with the […]

By Saralyn Richard The isolation of the pandemic led to creative solutions, and I was fortunate to have several book club meetings by Zoom or FaceTime. These were exciting get-togethers, given the circumstances, but now being able to get together in person has provided a thrill beyond any gatherings on Zoom. Such was my experience […]

To: You – readers whom I adore From: Me – Debra H. Goldstein When: April 19, May 17, June 21, and July 19, 2022 Time: 7 PM CST/ 8 PM EST (and you can figure out the rest) What: A celebration of each of the Sarah Blair books … let me explain: It appears that […]

I’m writing this from the beach. Ostensibly, I’m on a writing retreat, but while it is a time to hopefully zero in on finishing my newest work in progress, it is far more than that. It is a few days to visit with friends without being bombarded by family and civic responsibilities. And, for me, […]

By Vicki Batman OOH, OOH, Look at This Pretty Thing What draws you to a book–the author, the cover, the back cover copy? Do you read the first page? For me, all of the above, especially for a new-to-me author. Something about the cover is attractive–the colorful picture, the hunky hunk, the author’s name, perhaps, […]