by Kathy Waller “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” ~ Mark Twain (or...

By Francine Paino Overall, fiction provides a brief respite from the realities in our lives. In those few precious hours of distraction,...

by Renee Kimball “Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” ― Ray Bradbury “. . . And what, you ask, does writing teach...

by N. M. Cedeño Writers, if you don’t already assess your writing habits at the end of the year, you should consider doing it. Many...

by K.P. Gresham My Go-To Seasonal Escape! When the holidays come around, I can’t help it. Sometimes I get so stressed I just wanna kill...

by Kathy Waller “Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them....

By Francine Paino In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice, December 21, 2020, will happen at the same instant for all of us,...

by Renee Kimball Ex Libris, Confessions of a Common Reader, author Anne Fadiman explains the origin of the term, “common reader”—which...

Try to imagine a mystery without its setting. What? You’re having trouble? Open a mystery and be denied the setting. What? You’re getting...

By N. M. Cedeño If you don’t read short fiction, 2020 is the year to start. Busy, stressed, out of time, out of energy? Then short...

by K.P. Gresham I recently appeared on a “Writing Humor in Mysteries” panel at the Pflugerville, Texas, Library along with fellow authors...

All Hallows Eve approaches, and it’s not just the children who love this holiday, with its ghost stories and the trick-or-treat...

by Renee Kimball “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver “Ten times a day something...

Mystery readers are tetchy. We want an interesting plot with a fair shot at noting each clue—but don’t want to guess whodunnit too soon....

By N. M. Cedeño Most people find it hard to concentrate on work when their stress levels rise. Meeting work goals becomes a challenge,...

by Renee Kimball Meredith Maran decided to write a book about writing to show her “gratitude to writers everywhere.”  To do that,...

I took my grandson to Barnes and Noble yesterday. When we got there, I realized I’d forgotten to take his mask. “Uh, oh,” he said,...

* The first few years I studied Romeo and Juliet with my high school freshmen, when I was in my The way Juliet’s father tells her to...

I know, you’re asking yourself what barbecue has to do with mystery writing, my other beloved topic. Barbecuing, like writing (see K.P....

Do you enjoy books that make a chill dance down your spine by invoking the otherworldly or the supernatural? As a teen, I read all of my...