Kassandra Lamb's Blog, page 10

A [Fictional] School Principal’s Day

by Liz Boeger ~ When Kass asked me to write a post about a day in the life of a school principal, (DLSP, because educators love acronyms.)  I had to admit to myself there was no way I could accurately depict the reality of an actual school principal’s day in a few hundred words. So instead, I’ll present a snapshot through the lens of the school principal who is the main character in my cozy mystery series.

photo by Abraham Garcia on Unsplash.comBut first some background.

I was an elemen...

The Fun and Challenges of Writing Holiday Books (an encore ~ Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Not quite a year ago, I wrote this post as a guest post for someone else’s blog. But since the fall/winter holiday season is upon us once more, it seemed like a good time to re-run this post, about writing holiday books (with a few updates at the end).

I’ve always loved reading holiday stories, especially Christmas ones. They put me in the mood for that holiday. And I’ve discovered in recent years that I love writing holiday books as well. They’re a lot of fun.

There ar...

The Thrill of Something New (plus New Releases)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I love new things! Don’t get me wrong; I am not a particularly materialistic person. I don’t want or need expensive things, but I just love the thrill of something new.

Which makes sense.

Our brains are wired to pay attention to the novel things in our environment.

Our senses slide right over the familiar, and zero in on what is different.

Indeed, research has found that novelty stimulates the release of dopamine. This neurotransmitter tends to focus our attenti...

Off-Week Goodies: Book Reviews

by Kassandra Lamb ~ To see my full reviews of these books, go to my website HERE.

Ghost Walking, A Maggie York Paranormal Mystery, Book One, by Ally Shields ~ $5.99

Not believing won’t make the ghosts go away.

This book is a combo of two of my favorite things, a well-written police procedural (with a female cop) and a ghost story.

Unfortunately, it is not discounted, but if you like character-driven police procedurals and ghosts, it’s worth the price. (Or watch for it to go on sal...

Where my research takes me: the Great Blizzard of 1888

by K.B. Owen ~ As a historical mystery author, it’s an absolute thrill to be able to use an interesting tidbit discovered during my research. When I read about the Great Blizzard of 1888, I knew it had potential to add a fun snowbound-thriller element to the mystery I was writing, THE CASE OF THE RELUCTANT WITNESS. (More on my new release at the end).

“Wreck at Coleman’s Station, NY & Harlem RR,” March 13, 1888, nyamcenterforhistory.org

They had no warning.

The late ...

An Interview with a Dog (Plus New Releases)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Have you ever seen or heard an interview with a dog? One of the main characters in my Marcia Banks and Buddy cozies is Buddy, a Black Labrador/Rottweiler mix service dog. Recently, another author interviewed Buddy on her blog. I, of course, had to help by typing out Buddy’s thoughts and feelings. It was really interesting and fun to be part of an interview with a dog!

Below is the first part of this interview with Buddy. Or you can go HERE to see the whole thing.

And...

Don’t Get Invested in the Outcome (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ This autumn, I’m dwelling on the fact that I am old. Don’t worry, I’ll get over myself eventually. Last week, I posted about 17 Things To Do in Your Seventies, and one of those things was to value the wisdom gained with those years. I mentioned, in particular, one thing I have learned — don’t get invested in the outcome.

(photo by Jerry Woody CC-BY-SA 2.0 Wikimedia Commons)

The concept is related to the Serenity Prayer—knowing what we can and can’t control and accepting ...

17 Things To Do In Your Seventies

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Eight years ago, I wrote a post about 15 Things You Should Do By the Time You’re 62. It was well received. That post was about things one should do along the way, while on this journey called Life. Today, 9 days after my 70th birthday, I bring you 17 Things to Do IN Your Seventies.

This post is about making the most of our “golden years.”

1. Live where you enjoy the climate most of the year. The view from the center of my driveway in Maryland in January, where I am...

6 Things I’ve Learned About Labor—An Encore, Again

by Kassandra Lamb ~ This is a re-run of a re-run, but it’s an oldie but goodie—6 Things I’ve Learned About Labor.

Another Labor Day has rolled around. For many of us this is just another three-day weekend, an excuse to have a cookout or make a trip to the department stores to grab some bargains.

Traditionally, beaches are jammed full on the last big weekend of summer. (photo by John Murphy, CC-BY-SA 2.0 Wikimedia Commons)

Or we may look upon this holiday as the bittersweet end of summer....

Why I Don’t Write Romance (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I’ve got romance on the brain right now, because my 46th wedding anniversary was two days ago. Obviously, I’m a believer in long-term relationships; however, I don’t write romance.

I do write romantic suspense (under the pen name of Jessica Dale), but there’s a very good reason why I don’t write romance without the suspense part.

But before I explain that reason, let me set up some background. There are certain reader expectations for each of these genres. But in any...