posted by Sheila Connolly

A few years ago my husband accepted a new job on Cape Cod, but home prices on The Cape (not to mention the horrors of summer traffic, as described by residents) drove us to look further north, and we ended up in buying a house in a town about half an hour from my husband's job. We had no personal connection with the town, but it was convenient, and we fell in love with a particular house.

This year the town has been turned topsy-turvy by the…

Posted by Guest Blogger Dean James

Some mystery writers have only one job - writing. Many others, like me, have either full-time jobs or part-time jobs in addition to writing. I spend five days a week as a medical librarian (cataloging and metadata, if you really want to know), and readers very often ask me, "When do you write?"

The short answer is "on the weekends." My schedule has been like this for more years now than I care to count. Full-time job during the week, sometimes…

When I was learning to write, someone made a comment about tension in a story. Well, I recognized tension when I saw it, but wasn't really sure how to go about creating it. I had one clue, though, from my husband. When he tells a story, he always gets to the good part, the part where you just have to know more and he stops. So you either have to ask a question and look a little bit dumb, or be patient and wait. I hate waiting.

So I went looking through all the writing books…

"Before there was Hollywood, there was Fort Lee."

I was wandering around the meeting room, waiting for the appointed hour for my presentation, and stumped by the supersized photos on the wall. I thought I recognized some of the faces in the pictures: Fatty Arbuckle and Lillian Gish. But what were they doing hanging in the Fort Lee Public Library?

Bill Camal, special events coordinator for the library, explained. Fort Lee, now known as the last stop before the George Washington…

and it is.

You would think that someone who really desires to make her living writing about murders would realize that, wouldn't you? But no. It takes a slap in the face to realize it.

I found out this week that author Susan Smily has an extremely aggressive breast cancer. I met Susan and her writing partner, Honora, at Mayhem and hit it off with both ladies. This is one of those things

that reminds me not to take any day for granted.

Keep Susan and Honora in your…

posted by Leann Sweeney

Disclaimer: Serious and sefl-absorbed post by someone who prefers to remain essentially neither non-serious nor self-absorbed.

I recently had one of my books, A Wedding to Die For, discussed on a cozy list for two …