I always tell folks that I rarely write short fiction. For whatever reason, my ideas seem to come in novel length, like MISSING MOM, which I’m excited to share won the 2025 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Award in the YA mystery category. But last month, I was invited…
Having spent considerable time dealing with intrigue and warring faculty on college campuses, I’ve never been able to resist mysteries set in academia, like those penned by Kelly Brakenhoff. I loved learning about Kelly’s latest release, her career and children’s writing as an ASL interpreter, and her favorite writing advice. First off, congratulations on the…
As authors, we think about setting as a major aspect of our characters’ lived experience, but setting also matters for us as we do our writing. In her guest essay, Carol talks about the places she writes and where she created her new series, the Coyote Canyon Mysteries, which begins with her recent release, Exposure.…
I’m delighted to welcome paranormal mystery author Margaret Morse as a guest essayist on my blog. Margaret’s mysteries feature an attorney with magical abilities. Add a Witch or a Ghost to Your Story by Margaret Morse Are you ever temped to include a ghost or haunted house in your stories? If yes, you’re…
It’s a pleasure to host J.H. Jones today as she discusses the central importance of community: Walking Your Path with Your Tribe By J.H. Jones Writing can feel like a solitary path—just you and your story idea. It’s personal work, often quiet and internal. But the truth is, while the writing itself might begin alone,…
In addition to the pleasure of learning more about wonderful authors and their works, I also love learning about things I’d never even known existed. In her debut mystery, Elle Jauffret features a character with a rare neurological condition, Foreign Accent Syndrome. Jauffret skillfully uses this condition as a way to explore issues of identity…
As a huge fan of 1940s movies, it’s always a pleasure to interview Elizabeth Crowens: First off, congratulations on the release earlier this year of BYE BYE BLACKBIRD, the second book in your Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Series. Can you share with our readers a bit about the novel? In the summer of…
I love DK Coutant’s description of her second Cleo Cooper mystery as an “edgy-cozy” and am delighted to get to interview her again as she releases ELEGANCE AND EVIL: First off, congratulations on the release of the second Cleo Cooper Mystery, ELEGANCE AND EVIL. Can you share with our readers a bit about the novel?…
I went to high school with a wonderful writer, Elizabeth Cooney, who went on to write scores of best-selling young adult novels, including THE GIRL ON THE MILK CARTON. When I recently corresponded with her, I was shocked when she told me she’d “retired” from writing and was now happily living in a retirement…