Kassandra Lamb's Blog, page 5

10 Surprises on Jury Duty ~ An Encore (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ As I’m about to release the book, Felony Murder, that this experience inspired, I figured it was a good time to re-run this post ~ about several things that took me by surprise on jury duty.

In early December, 2021, I was tapped for jury duty. This is something most people try to get out of, but I was delighted. And I was also a little surprised by several things I didn’t expect.

Why was I delighted? Because I’m a mystery writer, so this was an excellent chance to rese...

Great Winter Reads

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Winter is a great time to be a reader!! There’s nothing like curling up in a comfy chair with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. Here are some great winter reads I’ve read recently and can definitely recommend…

Web of Lies, A Detective Sebastian Clifford Mystery #1, by Sally Rigby ~ Free on KU or $2.99

A British P.I. story with some interesting twists…

When former London police detective, Sebastian Clifford gets a call from his cousin asking him to investigat...

Winston Churchill, Nazis, and the (almost) exploding chocolate bar (Plus a New Release)

by K.B. Owen ~ In honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow, we thought you might enjoy an encore presentation of this post about an exploding chocolate bar.

Because even on the most romantic day of the year, we mystery writers are still focused on murder and mayhem.

The year was 1943, and those crafty Nazis had come up with another plan to assassinate Winston Churchill.  They decided to prey upon the Prime Minister’s fondness for expensive chocolate, and began work on a bomb hidden in a pound...

A Health Scare Gives New Meaning to “I Resolve…”

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Every year, I resolve to strive for better work/life balance (an ongoing theme for lots of writers). Some years I’ve done better than others with this goal. But this year coming up… Well, let’s just say there are likely to be a few more adjustments.

Because there’s nothing like a health scare to shock one into getting one’s priorities straight.

And to give a whole new meaning to those two words, “I resolve…”

For some time now, I’ve been resigned to the reality that a...

Songs of The Season!

Our blog is on hiatus for the Holidays, but here are a few of my favorite holiday songs for your listening pleasure, or if you’d like to sing along while doing holiday prep chores.

Starting with the irrepressible Muppets!

And for those of us of a Christian persuasion, my two favorite holiday hymns…

This one gives me chills, in a good way.

Mary, Did You Know has supplanted O Holy Night as my all time favorite holiday hymn, but I still love the latter, an...

Book Reviews of Some Fun Christmas Reads

by Kassandra Lamb ~ This is such a busy time of year, so I always love to see novellas and short novels with a holiday theme. Fun Christmas reads that are easy to tuck in between chores or when winding down from a long day of prep, and they get one in the mood!

Here are two fun, and short, Christmas stories I’ve read and enjoyed lately… both from series for which I have already reviewed Book 1.

Christmas in Branden Bay: A Festive Ghost Cozy Mystery Novella (#6 in the series), by Kelly Maso...

What Is a Pre-Crastinator? And Are You One? (an updated encore)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ We just had Thanksgiving a little over a week ago here in the U.S., so Americans are now all focused on CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!! Only, since I am a pre-crastinator, I am done already. What is a Pre-Crastinator, you might ask…

(A mall in Toronto actually; photo by Benson Kua, CC-SA-BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)

There really wasn’t a word for what I am, so I made one up. I’m the opposite of a procrastinator; therefore, I am a pre-crastinator.

Some people might say that I’m or...

All Our Gratitude to Every Veteran (and Especially my 92-Year-Old Stepfather)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Today is Veteran’s Day, and we at misterio press feel such gratitude to every veteran. But I am especially grateful to one particular veteran.

Today is also the 92nd birthday of the man my mother married when I was 28, a year after my son was born.

He gave her 22 years of happiness, until she passed in 2003. And he’s always added something special to our family.

But it wasn’t until this year that I learned he had served in the military, seven decades ago (around...

More on Our Characters’ Furry Sidekicks (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb (on behalf of the whole group) ~ I recently did an interview about one of my protagonists’ furry sidekicks, Buddy, the Black Labrador. It was so much fun, I thought a group post about all of our furry sidekicks was called for.

First up is Vinnie Hansen, with the story behind Lola…

In the Carol Sabala series, I gifted my cat, Lola, to my sleuth. Lola was a tortie—enough said about personality. Smart (she learned to open the cupboard with her food in it), independent, an...

Why Is Being Scared Fun (an encore) ~ Plus a New Release!

photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Happy Halloween, You All!! ~ I wrote this post ten years ago, but I believe the science is still sound. Why is being scared fun for us human beings?

It all has to do with our nervous systems.

As a psychologist, I had my theories about this, but since it’s not my specific area of expertise, I did some research as well.

As I suspected, it revolves around the part of our nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. This system ...