Kate Collins's Blog, page 338

Guest Blogger Deborah Sharp

Deborah Sharp writes the funny Mace Bauer Mysteries. The third book in the series, MAMA GETS HITCHED, came out July 1 from Midnight Ink.


Here's one of those classic good news-bad news situations. A regional magazine is coming out with an article about my latest Florida-set mystery, accompanied by an author photo. Great, right? The bad news: I've just seen a proof, and the author has what appears to be bright pink lipstick all over her teeth.

Some days, you just can't get a break.

Before I blathe...

"It's not as bad as you think!"

By Lorna

"It's not as bad as you think."  That's what the receptionist said to me yesterday when I FINALLY made my appointment for oral surgery.

See, I was at Malice Domestic back in April, and my friend Avery Aames gave me a homemade goat-cheese brownie.  It smelled heavenly, but I'd just eaten a big dinner and decided to save it for later.  Later turned out to be about seven the next morning.  It was a big day!  I was nominated for an Agatha for best novel 2009 for my third Booktown Mystery B...

Small naughty dogs: are they the gifts that keep on giving?

By Mary Jane Maffini

First, let me say how excited I am to be here at Cozy Chicks, a happening place. Many thanks to Heather Webber for inviting me to be a guest. Then let me confess right up front that I am wild about small naughty dogs: a pair of miniature dachshunds to be precise. Daisy and Lily bring fun and amusement and exercise into my life every day. Thanks, girls for getting me off the sofa or away from the computer on a regular basis.

Maybe I go on about them a bit too much. For one ...

When Free Stuff Isn't Free

Dear Cozy Chicks Readers,

We love you!  That's why we have been offering to send free bookmarks to our readers.  But unbeknownst to us, earlier today someone posted this offer on a website called Totally Free Stuff.  Since then we have been INUNDATED with bookmark requests.  We'd love to be able to honor them all, but the fact is we simply can't afford it.

In addition to the bookmarks, we have to pay for the envelopes, the labels, and the most expensive part, the postage.  One hundred requests ...

Writing Our (Food) Region

Thanks so much to Jennifer for letting me blog during her spot this week!

I've been thinking about barbeque a lot lately. My Delicious and Suspicious released last Tuesday, July 6, and it's centered around Aunt Pat's barbeque restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee. Plus the fact that it's summer, which is prime grilling season…and we just had the 4th of July last week (a day which is kind of like the barbeque Holy Day.)

Writing about barbeque in Memphis was a no-brainer. If there's one food...

Soap Opera Addict Speaks Up!

Yesterday, I watched my first daytime soap opera since college. Catch what I said? Daytime. I've always been a sucker for nighttime soaps like Dark Shadows (remember that one?), Peyton Place, Dallas (loved JR), Falcon Crest, Dynasty, and the humorous Soap, to name just a few. And the new ones - Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives (don't even try to fool yourself. Those two are soaps!).

But what really tickled me is that so many of the oldie goldies are still out there - As the World Turns,...

Celebrating the Fourth

Wow. . .it's good to be back home in Colorado. I found heat waves during most of my June travels in the Midwest and Back East. Colorado has high summer temps, too, only there's one big difference----humidity. Colorado has low humidity which means you don't feel the heat as much. And definitely not the stickiness.


I arrived home late, late July 1st and spent all of July 2nd (it felt that way) on the computer trying to catch up on two days of missed emails. Yikes! Those things pile up fast...

When You Were Eighteen

My daughter was home this weekend and decided to clean out her dresser, which was still stuffed with her high school things. She came across an essay she'd written for a senior high class assignment asking her to write about where she'd be in twenty years.

She's just three years out of college, so she has a way to go before she'll know how accurate her predictions are, but she was amazingly dead on so far. However, she doubts she'll ever move to New York, produce a Broadway play, and marry a s...

Staying Away to Stay on Track

by Leann

First of all, happy July 4th! America rocks. On to my problem now.

I love my online friends and the Internet--the discussion lists, Facebook, the instant news, even watching hurricanes on Doppler. For me, who spends a majority of time alone, the online world keeps me connected. But these things are a huge distraction and could probably best be called Procrastination Alley.

To finish the book I am writing, I have had to scale way back on interacting online. It's been tough, especially wh...

June's $10 B&N Gift Card Winner!

Congratulations. Annette, you have one week to contact me at jbstanleyauthor@comcast.net with your email address to claim your prize (gift cards are sent electronically). If I don't hear from you in a week, another winner will be chosen. Congratulations!