What is it about chocolate that captures the popular imagination? From Charlie’s Golden Ticket to happiness having him running a Technicolor chocolate factory, to young John Midas, who suddenly finds that everything his lips touch turn to chocolate, children’s books portray chocolate as an object of greed and obsession, as a relief from poverty, at […]
Here it is, the night before the release of Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark. I’ve done a blog post just before each of my books, reflecting on what I’ve learned from writing each title. I think this time, I want to talk about how connecting with even just a few readers is such an amazing […]
Check out this video clip of me reading from A Study in Chocolate. This is a scene near the beginning of the book, where Felicity has accepted an invitation to a tea party at Wobble House, a (very fictional) historic home in Galveston. She has been invited by the party host, an art collector, to […]
Here it is, the night before the release of A Study in Chocolate. This makes eight novels – and there’s still an element of anticipation and excitement in the fact that tomorrow, a story I wrote goes into the hands of mystery fans. As always, I feel like I’ve had a chance to grow personally […]
Hola!!! I’m Botas, the corgi from the Chocoverse. Today I wanted to talk about second chances. I believe everyone should have one – especially dogs. Due to circumstances beyond my owners’ control, I wound up surrendered to a shelter – twice. And each time was the start of a new life. Not that I’ve forgotten […]
There are far too many great fictional detectives to list all of them. I had to settle for a top ten list. These are just my personal faves from the detectives who shaped the genre, defining some of the subgenres and explorations of what mysteries could be. I’m giving you the first appearance of the […]
If you’re marketing your writing, you know that growing your audience is the most difficult part. One powerful tool: leveraging other people’s audiences. If someone a potential reader knows and trusts has you on as guest, that reader will be more likely to trust that your work has quality too. One fun way to do […]
The more I think about it, the more I realize that some of my favorite movies involve writers and writing. (Which, as an author, is only natural.) I thought I’d share some of my favorites. This is not an exhaustive list. It’s just the ones I could watch over and over. You may have already seen many of these films, […]
Here it is, the night before the launch of A Shot in the 80% Dark. It’s the fourth book in the Bean to Bar Mysteries series, so it feels like everything should be routine by now. But each one of these books has come together in a different way and presented its own challenges. This […]
Let’s talk books! Specifically writing craft books. As writers, wanting to improve our art is natural, and learning from the insights – and the mistakes – of others is one of the quickest ways to do that. It’s no surprise that my own writing manual is my favorite. Obviously, it reflects the way my mind […]
