All right, now that it’s November you probably don’t want to hear about Halloween. Too bad. You can go down to your local grocery store and immerse yourself in all the Christmas decor you want, but for now, we’re doing a Halloween debrief. I’ve come to realize writing...
First things first: my Halloween theme this year is pirates. Usually my October newsletter is all about my Halloween theme, but I’m running late this year and it’s not even in good-enough shape to take pictures of my decorating progress. If I get some good...
So I’m interviewing Kyle Prue at an event later this month, and he’s written a book called How To Piss off Men. It’s a collection of a bunch of one-liners you can use to upset your special guy. Made me start thinking, what pisses me off? Not too...
It’s August and I’m ready to tell you about my new book. It doesn’t come out until January 2025, but an author has to start promoting early. From Goodreads giveaways, to website refreshes, to social-media posts, it’s critical for every author to get the word...
I launched my podcast Making It Up nearly three years ago with the goal of interviewing writers not for any particular work of theirs, but to talk to them about their lives. I didn't want to ask them what famous author they want to have dinner with or what their top...
It was early 2021 and I couldn’t stop thinking about the eighties. For you maybe it was the seventies, or early 2000s, or whatever time it was that whisked you back to your youth, what we collectively call the good ole days, even if we can never all agree on when...
You smell that? That’s the scent of a new year, fresh out of the dryer. Crisp and clean, almost like new. So what are you going to do with 2024? Fold it, put it away, and forget about it? Or put it on immediately and get it covered in dirt and sweat before it’s...
I only went to one writer’s conference this year. Ideally I attend two or three, but, you know, that gets expensive! I made the hard decision to forgo Thrillerfest and Bouchercon (my usuals), and instead attend something truly special: Iceland Noir (“A literary...
This was my first Halloween with neither of my two kiddos at home. Wow, how fast it all goes by! Seems like it was just yesterday I was showing the little ankle-biters the proper way to decorate for Halloween. They didn’t listen at first; for the few several years...
Who the hell is Penny Bly? Early in the pandemic, this was the question I couldn't get out of my head. Penny Bly was going to be the driving force behind my next thriller, but I knew very little about her. As most of you know, I don't outline; my books simply start...
