SANTA CRUZ WEIRD is coming! This new anthology brings you 18 short stories set against the weird and wondrous backdrop of Santa Cruz, California. The big launch will be at the Santa Cruz Art Center, on Sunday, September 16th at 6:30 p.m. Many of the authors, including moi, will be reading. There will also be … Read more
Why do some authors (whose books may not be any better than our own) end up on bestseller lists, while our books languish on the shelf? On August 12th, the NorCal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America invited guru Jane Friedman to unravel a bit of this mystery. Marketing, of course, is a large part … Read more
My writing life is busy, busy, busy. Here’s something new, original, and fun–a playlist to accompany Santa Cruz Noir. Want to see/hear what song I selected to accompany “Miscalculation”? Here’s the link. Some of my upcoming events include: July 27th, my blog Black, Black Heart will appear on Mysteristas. July 28th, the e-version of Lostart Street, my novel of mystery, … Read more
The Big Day, the launch of SANTA CRUZ NOIR, was a resounding success! Santa Cruz showed up in force for a SRO audience at Bookshop Santa Cruz. Editor Susie Bright kept the evening whirling along with her wit. Check out her marvelous gloves. You can win these black leather beauties by writing a review … Read more
I’m still coming down from the sleepless nights and smoky miasma of Left Coast Crime in Reno. A conference attendee would be hard-pressed to find cheaper hotel rates, and I did win $82 playing black jack, but five days at the Nugget murdered my sinuses! I flew into Reno before the official start of LCC. … Read more
One of the latest developments in my writerly life is the formation of Santa Cruz Women of Mystery. We are a group of nine mystery writers from Santa Cruz County: Jenny Carless, Mary Feliz, Mary Flodin, Vinnie Hansen, Katherine Bolger Hyde, Nancy Lynn Jarvis, Leslie Karst, Peggy Townsend, and Nancy Wood. We write a wide … Read more
Here it is, folks! Ready for pre-order. I’m so excited to have my story, MISCALCULATION, in one of Akashic Books’ famous noir series anthologies. The book launch will be JUNE 10th at Skylight Books in Los Angeles. I may or may not be at that event, but I will definitely be at the Bookshop Santa Cruz reading … Read more
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen further than others, but with my writing, I’ve certainly stood on the shoulders of giants. Unfortunately, two of them slipped away in December. The first was the world famous mystery writer Sue Grafton! I discovered Grafton early in her alphabet series. I’d consumed mysteries since I got to … Read more
Before I get to the sale, let me say what a big success the NorCal Sisters in Crime Showcase was on November 4th at Books, Inc. in San Francisco. Even though we had only six books represented, the seats were jammed, possibly because it was our chapter’s 25th anniversary and our out-going president Terry Shames … Read more
It’s hard to keep up with my own life! One important landmark has already come and gone. On September 30th, a group of local mystery writers officially formed Santa Cruz Women of Mystery. Our goal is to conspire to support each other in our journey through the world of mystery writing and promotion. We are nine women strong: … Read more