Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 46

Gotcha Covered by Guest Ginger Bolton and a #giveaway

Barb: I’m just back from Malice Domestic where I saw today’s guest, Ginger Bolton, for all of about 40 seconds when we were walking in a hallway. But that’s the way Malice can go!

Ginger is here to tell us about how the cover of her seventh Deputy Donut Mystery, Cinnamon Twisted came to be. And she’s offering a giveaway to two lucky commenters. See details below.

Take it away, Ginger!

How are book covers designed?

It varies from book to book, but here’s how the cover of Cinnamon Twisted evolved.

Before I finish writing a story, my publisher begins working on the cover. My editor asks for a short synopsis and cover suggestions.

Here’s a summary of the story: Emily is serving donuts and coffee at Deputy Donut, her popular café in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. An apparently frightened customer offers Emily’s cat Dep a faux fur catnip-filled donut. One of the people who might have frightened the woman comes through the front. The woman flees through the back, dropping an earring in her panic.

Attempting to return the earring, Emily discovers the woman’s body.

Fallingbrook’s ambitious new police chief sends Emily’s detective friend out of town, ignores Emily’s suggestions about who might have frightened the woman, and concentrates on the envelope he found among the woman’s possessions. Strangely, it is addressed to Emily and contains an old photo of the first owner of Emily’s house and an almost indecipherable letter hinting of hidden treasure.

The new police chief snoops around Emily’s home. He might not be the only one . . .

Before danger can encircle Emily, she needs to untwist the connection between the present-day murder and a long-ago feud.

Knowing that my covers should depict donuts and Deputy Donut, the cat who kindly lent her name to Emily’s café and to the series, I send my editor a few photos and several cover suggestions that more or less match scenes in the book. I say “more or less” because Dep the cat is not allowed where food is prepared and sold. But she can pose there for covers. And she’s been known to accidentally (!) invade Deputy Donut’s dining room and kitchen.

For Cinnamon Twisted, one of my suggestions was: Dep is playing with a faux fur donut. The seam is coming unsewn, and stuffing and catnip are spilling from it. A table of cinnamon twist donuts is nearby, and at least one of the twists is broken and/or crumbled. The view out the window could be a street in downtown Fallingbrook or a wooded scene with a lake in the background.

Now, here’s the funny thing. This is the photo I sent with my cover suggestions:

When I saw the cover, I forgot which photo I’d sent. I figured that I must have sent this one:

After I received the artwork for the cover, I had time to add details from the cover to the manuscript. Mary Ann Lasher drew a menu on a chalkboard, so I revised Cinnamon Twisted slightly, adding some of the donuts on that menu.

I love the cover of Cinnamon Twisted so much that I hope people will judge the book by its cover. For a few years, without conscious thought, I nearly always chose to read books with blue covers.

Readers: What draws you to a book cover? Two commenters will each receive a signed copy of Cinnamon Twisted. US and Canada only, please.

About Ginger Bolton

Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mysteries—coffee, donuts, cops, danger, and one curious cat. As Janet Bolin, Ginger wrote the Agatha-nominated Threadville Mysteries—murder and mayhem in a village of crafty shops. The seventh Deputy Donut Mystery, Cinnamon Twisted, came out April 25. Three more Deputy Donut Mysteries are in the works.

Website: https://gingerbolton.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGingerBolton/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginger.bolton/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginger_bolton

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16834862.Ginger_Bolton/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ginger-bolton

Where to buy:  https://gingerbolton.com/where-to-buy

Ten Years Later with Sherry Harris #giveaway

Ten years! How is that possible? This month for our personal posts we are looking back to when we first interviewed each other. It was fun to look back at this early post where Barb interviewed me and see how things have changed or stayed the same! Look for a giveaway at the end of the post.

Hi All, Barb Ross here. We’re interrupting our week of pet-related posts in honor of Liz Mugavero’s release of Kneading to Die, a Pawsitively Organic Mystery, to bring you the last of our interviews with the bloggers at Wicked Cozy. Today, I interview Sherry Harris. If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Sherry–she’s a delight. As a military spouse, she’s mastered the art of making friends-though I suspect it’s a talent she was born with.

Herewith, the interview.

Sherry Harris

Above is the before picture and here is the ten years later!

When did you start writing?

I always had a wild imagination and remember writing stories about The Man from Uncle (Google it). I starred in the stories — Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo were my guardians but I helped them save the world. I always had long, chestnut-colored hair and cornflower blue eyes in my stories.

Did I say that out loud? This is what happens when you first start blogging and have no idea what you’re doing. A friend and classmate recently reminded me that in sixth grade during a group writing project, I insisted someone had to die. Perhaps that was an early start on my crime writing career.

Who are your influences?

I loved the Bobbsey Twins and wanted to be Flossie, the blue-eyed, blonde younger and very mischievous twin. And of course I read Nancy Drew but she was a bit too serious for me. What made me want to write was the Maud Hart Lovelace Betsy/Tacy series. They start when Betsy is five and continue through her wedding. Betsy loves writing, and I wanted to be like Betsy. Lovelace’s characters are warm and I wanted to live in her world — small town Minnesota at the turn of the century.  As an adult Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, and Robert Parker.

I want to mention three women who weren’t published when I wrote this ten years ago: Kellye Garrett (her sassy voices and great plots captivate me), Cheryl Head (for her wonderful prose and fearless writing) and Jennifer J. Chow (delightful cozies). I keep thinking but what about Tracy Clark, Kristin Lepionka, Sandra SG Wong, Lori Rader-Day…I’ll stop but I don’t want to.

What’s your day job or career and how does that influence your writing?

Once upon a time in a land far, far away — Cheyenne, Wyoming — I was the Director of Marketing for a financial planning company. I loved writing print, radio and TV ads and articles for the newspaper and our newsletter. I think it taught me to be brief and honed my editing skills. Marrying an Air Force officer and the constant moves made having a career difficult which is why I started writing a novel.

Still no day job!

What’s your connection to New England?

I am the outsider looking in. Bob was assigned to Hanscom Air Force Base near Bedford, Concord, and Lexington, Massachusetts. None of us were particularly eager to move there but we ended up loving it. We lived on base for three years (shout out to my Offia girls) and then moved into Bedford for two. It was a sad day at our house when we left!

This is all still true! And we still miss living in New England.

What’s your favorite thing about New England?

I think you left an “s” off thing and meant to say favorite things. The people — don’t believe all those stories about New Englanders being cold and somber. I love the quirky accents, the funny way they pronounce things — Reading, Peabody, Quincy — nothing is as it appears. What they call things — carriages, pocket books and jug handles. The seafood, Italian food and Italian pastries — it might have been better if I hadn’t discovered them. The town commons with the white churches and soaring steeples.  Okay, I’ll stop — I could write an essay on why I love New England.

In addition to the above, I miss walks on the Minuteman Trail, visiting Orchard House where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, and seeing the Wickeds more often. OH! And Bedford Farms Ice Cream!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I, Sherry Harris, who just almost fell on a man while entering an elevator, took ballroom dance classes with Bob. And I was the teacher’s pet. He always picked me when it was time to demonstrate a step.

Sadly, I haven’t suddenly become more graceful. I banged my knee hard on a table at Malice Domestic last weekend.

What are you working on now?

A cozy set in the fictional town of Ellington, Massachusetts right outside of Hanscom Air Force Base.

Oh, how this makes me smile! I had a three book contract for the Garage Sale mysteries, then two more, two more, and two more! I love that series and how Sarah Winston grew and I was so lucky that my editor wanted me to write a second series! And I have more ideas than time to write.

Why cozies? Do you write anything additionally?

I don’t like to read graphic violence and skip those scenes so cozies work for me. I still haven’t given up on my gemology series set in Seattle. I consider that stack of rejection letters a challenge.

I think maybe I have given up on my gemology series even though it has some great characters. I have a sweet romance out on submission — so please send up your good thoughts and prayers that it sells.

If you were stranded on a desert island what five literary figures dead or alive would you want with you and what meal would you feed them appetizer, dinner, dessert, drinks?

First of all, if I was stranded on a desert island I wouldn’t be thinking about what dinner to fix for literary figures. I can barely cook with a stove and electricity. But I would want Maud Hart Lovelace, Jane Austen, Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton and oh, I’ll throw in a male for good measure — Robert Parker. For food, I can only hope Cafe Luigi’s in Bedford, Massachusetts will airdrop calamari, shrimp verdicchio and a nice chianti. Then Mike’s Pastry will drop a selection of Italian pastries. And right after that a cruise ship — preferably the Queen Mary II — will rescue all of us.

I guess taking The Wickeds isn’t allowed, but I do love spending time with them. Okay, so I’m keeping Maud Hart Lovelace on the list since she inspired my writing. And Jane Austen, but I’m adding Eleanor Taylor Bland, Kellye Garrett, Olivia Blacke. All are fabulous authors!

What are your top five books in your to be read pile?

I’m reading Kati Marton’s memoir Paris, A Love Story — not a typical read for me but a friend recommended it. Next up are Sour Apples by Sheila Connolly, The Hit by David Baldacci, There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron and Death in Four Courses by Lucy Burdette and Don’t Get Mad Get Even by Barb Goffman.

I confess I have no recollection of reading Paris, A Love Story! I’m reading The Librarian of Crooked Lane. Next up are Red London by Alma Katsu, Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai, and Jessie’s Murder on the Home Front!

Readers: Tell me what you’re reading or just say hi for a chance to win a copy of any of books. If you have them all, I’ll send one to a friend or relative!

Wicked Wednesday–The Journey of a Lifetime

Hi Wickeds. We’re celebrating the release yesterday of Jessica Ellicott’s second WPC Harkness mystery, Murder on the Home Front. Read down for a giveaway from Edith.

In this second book in Jessie’s wonderful World War II series, Billie Harkness continues her journey from daughter of a church rector in a small English village to WPC (Woman Police Constable) in the war torn city of Hull. It’s a enormous transition for anyone, much less for a young woman, facing disrespect and suspicion for doing a “man’s job,” in a big city that doesn’t yet feel like home.

Since it’s our tenth anniversary, Wickeds, tell me a little about your writing journey over the last ten years. Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? Have the inhabitants ever been hostile or disrespectful? With your current perspective, how do you feel about the journey?

Edith/Maddie: So many congratulations on the new book, Jessie! You’ve found a great niche in writing historical mysteries, one I also love. As for my writing journey, it has been varied and involved a lot of sweat and worry. Along with dozens of other authors – Julie among them – I did feel disrespected when the publisher of my historical Quaker Midwife mysteries, Midnight Ink, was deemed irrelevant by its parent company. Still, I pulled up my socks and kept going. Like all of us, I’ve had rude or misguided reviews. Failed to earn a starred review here. Was turned down for a contract there, or had one not extended. But I have to say, I have so appreciated this journey. The negatives have been far, far outweighed by the positives, from generous and helpful mentors to adoring fans to supportive blogmates like the Wickeds. And my love for creating stories means I’m living my dream. What’s not to like?

Liz: Super congratulations, Jessie! So happy for you with this new series. I think for all of us the writing journey has had its ups and downs, like Edith said. There are days when everything feels like magic, and others when I’ve wondered, What the heck am I even doing? But overall, it’s been the experience of a lifetime. I’ve made lifelong friends, got to put my words out into the world, have gotten wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) reviews – but the bottom line is, I made my childhood dream come true. How can you not love that?

Julie: Congratulations Jessie! What a great question, Barb. I feel so blessed, now more than ever, to be on my writing journey. I’ve accomplished some things, but have so many other goals I want to reach. I continue to endeavor to be a better writer, and gain inspiration from other writers. My life in general is SO MUCH better because of the writers I know, especially my dear Wickeds. This journey isn’t easy, and isn’t always happy, but there’s joy.

Sherry: Jessie, I’m so happy there’s another Billie book out in the world! I can’t believe we’ve been on this journey together for TEN years. I’ll never forget the joy and anxiety of my first book, Tagged for Death, coming out. I don’t know if I would have made it through without all of you. The whims of the publishing world is the hardest part and it’s something we don’t have any control of. Writing, seeing books in the hands of readers, and hearing from them — that makes any frustrations worth it!

Barb: Congratulations, Jessie! And best wishes for success with Murder on the Homefront. Over the past ten years, I’ve felt like a stranger in a strange land frequently. Publishing is such a weird business, not like any business I recognize after thirty years in the business trenches. And it’s particularly weird being on the outside, after being an insider all those years. BUT, I’ve had my friends, and supportive fans, and organizations like Sisters in Crime with me on the whole ride, which has made it not only bearable, but truly wonderful.

Jessie: Aww, thanks everyone for the well-wishes and kind words! For me, the journey has been so engaging and educational. I have learned so much worth knowing along the way about others as well as myself. As has been remarked upon by other WIckeds, it hasn’t all been easy, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

In keeping with celebrating Jessie’s latest historical mystery, Edith will send one commenter a copy of her new Quaker Midwife short story collection, A Questionable Death and Other Historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries, as well as an advance copy of Murder at a Cape Bookstore, the fifth Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery.

Readers: Same questions for you. Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? Have the inhabitants ever been hostile or disrespectful? With your current perspective, how do you feel about the journey?

Murder on the Home Front Launch and a Giveaway

Jessie: In New Hampshire where there is a flood warning!

Today is the official launch day for my second WPC Billie Harkness mystery, Murder on the Home Front. To tell you the truth, I find myself a bit shocked by it. This is my seventeenth published novel and it seems like only yesterday that I wondered if I would ever see my very first one in print.

Here’s a taste of what it is all about:

Disrespect, disdain – and dead bodies! It’s all in a day’s work for WPC Billie Harkness, a pioneering female police officer protecting the home front in this gripping WWII British historical mystery.

“A fresh and different take on WWII stories with an appealing young heroine” New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen on Death in a Blackout

1940. It’s been a month since rector’s daughter Billie Harkness left her rural village to make a fresh start in the northern city of Hull. Now she has a new home and an exciting new job as one of only two female police constables in the whole city. But Hull still feels like a foreign country, and some people are less than impressed by the idea of a woman doing a ‘man’s job’.

Facing disrespect from her colleagues and suspicion from the public, Billie throws herself into her work. The tasks she’s assigned might be menial, but she’s determined to do her bit for the war effort. The chance to prove her worth comes when during a search for a missing air raid shelter inspector, she makes a shocking discovery: his dead body, in a shelter that’s been stripped of all its valuables. 

The officers summoned to investigate the scene believe it’s an open and shut case, but Billie’s not so sure. Asking questions means making enemies though – and little does she know that vile rumors about her are spreading, with the power to spoil everything she’s tried so hard to achieve . . .

Murder on the Home Front is the second stunning mystery in the new WPC Billie Harkness series. It’s a great choice for readers of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Susan Elia MacNeal.

This series is near and dear to my heart. I have loved the chance to write about life in England during such upheaval. Creating a character who was a country mouse who finds herself in the big city was a change of pace for me and one I truly enjoyed. The research into the setting, Kingston Upon Hull was tremendously moving. All in all, it has been a delightful experience.

I hope that you will celebrate with me, as well as continuing our month-long 10-year anniversary celebration by leaving a comment for a chance to win a hardcover copy of the novel!

Readers, are you more of a country mouse or a city mouse?

We’re 10! (and a #giveaway)

by Barb, somewhere on the drive home from Malice Domestic

And there’s a giveaway! To celebrate our tenth anniversary, we’ll be doing a giveaway to a lucky commenter almost every day this month, with a super-big giveaway at the end of the month. Today is my day to give away. There’s more info at the end of the blog.

Yes, the Wicked Authors Blog is ten years old today! Our first post, Wicked Wednesday–How Did We Meet? was published on this date in 2013.

The idea was Sherry’s. I can’t figure out where or how it came up. I was convinced it was at our annual retreat, but I looked it up and the retreat wasn’t until June that year. However it happened, I do remember it was March and when I heard the idea and I thought, “Why not?” But then someone said, “Can we do it by May?” (I don’t remember who it was, but it wasn’t cautious, conservative me.) Liz and Edith both had first in series books coming out in May, 2013, Kneading to Die on May 7, and A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die, on May 28, respectively and we wanted to launch in time to celebrate them.

And we did it.

At our Wickeds, Retreat in June of 2013 at Jessie’s house in Old Orchard BeachWickeds by the Numbers

At the time we launched, we had three books published among us: Edith’s Speaking of Murder, Jessie’s Live Free or Die, and my The Death of an Ambitious Woman, all published by small presses. (Though some are available now from other sources.)

To date, we have traditionally-published 93 books, with 10 more available for pre-order on the various retail sites, including Jessie/Jessica’s Murder on the Home Front, which releases tomorrow. (And several other manuscripts completed and turned in but not yet available for pre-order.)

When we began, we had seven names: Jessie Crockett, Sherry Harris, Julie Hennrikus, Edith Maxwell, Liz Mugavero, and Barbara Ross. Edith was already Tace Baker as well, due to the publication of Speaking of Murder.

Now we’ve had thirteen names: Jessie Crockett/Jessica Estevao/Jessica Ellicott, Sherry Harris, J. A. Hennrikus/Julianne Holmes/Julia Henry, Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day (Tace Baker is on semi-permanent sabbatical), Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte, and Barbara Ross. I can’t tell whether Sherry and me having only one name represents a stroke of luck, or a lack of ambition. A little of both, I think.

Despite all the names, we’ve had a remarkable, and I think unusual, stability in the group over time.

For a while, we had three Wicked Accomplices, people who posted on a monthly basis, but who weren’t involved in the running of the blog. They were Kim Gray (The Detective’s Daughter), Jane Haertel, and the late Sheila Connolly. They are no longer with the blog, but are not forgotten.

At Malice Domestic in May 2013. Liz is on a stick!

We began as the Wicked Cozy Authors, claiming the occasionally pejorative (at least in those days) “cozy” as our own. We changed our name in 2018 to embrace the full range of what we were writing by then: cozies still, but also historical, paranormal, and traditional mysteries.

The number of views of that first post has scrolled off into the maw of WordPress statistical history, but we do know that first month of our existence we had 1500.

To date we’ve racked up

785,000 views300,000 visitors2,700 posts87,500 comments

Our all-time top posts by views are

Maps in BooksMissing Sheila ConnollyA Visit to the Biltmore EstateBalanceAsk the Expert — Marc Cameron, Chief Deputy US Marshal (Retired)Audiobooks: How Are They Made and What Makes Them Good? An Expert Tells UsAt Bouchercon in September 2013. This time Sherry’s on a stick.Thank you!

Doing any of this wouldn’t make sense if it weren’t for you, dear readers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Whether you’re a regular commenter, or a quiet lurker, or anything in between, we embrace you and we adore you.

We’ll be celebrating all month with lots of giveaways and other opportunities!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m giving away two books. Comment below to win a hardcover copy of the collection Irish Coffee Murder with novellas by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and me, and an Advance Reader Copy of Hidden Beneath, the eleventh Maine Clambake Mystery, coming on June 27.

PS–Friend of the Wickeds and frequent commenter Liz Milliron has some Very Important Meetings this week. We are sending her our very best wishes! Please send your best her way.

Readers: Why do you read the blog? What brings you here? Do you have a particular post that you remember?

Gifts for Book Lovers

Jessie: In New England, holding down the fort whilst the other Wickeds are at Malice.

With the upcoming gift-giving occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduations, it occurred to me that some of us just might have enthusiastic readers to buy for. So, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite ideas, in no particular order. I hope that you find something wonderful on it for loved ones or even for yourself!

Book DartsA cozy throw to read beneathBookplates or a Book StampLiterary-themed t-shirts, throws, jigsaws, etc…Agatha Christie-themed pajamasA Storytelling Card GameA custom-created mug, sticker, poster, etc… depicting a shelf of favorite booksA hammock for lazy afternoons spent readingNoise-canceling headphonesNotebooks featuring quotes by famous authorsLiterary Witches Oracle CardsA tray for reading in the bathtubA book-themed scented candleSome snazzy bookendsA poster

Readers, do you have a favorite gift to give or to receive?

Truth is ALWAYS stranger than fiction…

By Liz, wishing for that glimpse of spring to return…

Sometimes we all need a little inspiration when we’re writing, am I right? And what better place to find that inspo than in the truly depraved world of true crime? Because truth is usually much stranger than anything we can come up with in the fiction world.

I was talking to a friend about his love for true crime stories and one that had inspired a new project. It reminded me that I had always loved true crime and had been neglecting that particular infatuation. But since there is only a limited amount of hours in the day to consume content and I’d been so focused on business-related and self-help podcasts, I’d kind of fallen off the true crime bandwagon.

Boy, I forgot what I was missing! The IRL stories can really spark some good stuff. I mean, some of it even hits that note of, no one will believe this if I write about it even though a version of it really happened.

Yeah, people can do heinous things to each other.

My infatuation with true crime goes back to my early obsession with serial killers. You know, the one that alarmed my parents. The first true crime book I ever read was The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule’s book on Ted Bundy. But it wasn’t just them. When the Charles Stuart case was making headlines all over Massachusetts and beyond, my 15-year-old self was fascinated. I even turned it into a research paper for one of my classes. The Scott Peterson case had me hooked too. But all we had then were TV reports.

Now, we have true crime podcasts.

When Serial first came out with the Adnan Syed case in Baltimore, I devoured it. I remember listening to it during long commutes, sometimes sitting in the car once I’d arrived home because I was so hooked on the reporting and the story that I couldn’t bear to turn it off. And Serial started a whole slew of true crime podcasts, so now you never have to be without a show that will destroy your faith in humanity.

But hey – you may get a great nugget for a plot or plot twist from one.

So here’s what I’ve been listening to as creative jumpstarts:

Paper Ghosts – this is one of the shows that devotes an entire season to one episode. The first season is about a number of girls who went missing near where I used to live in Connecticut, so of course I was hooked. M. William Phelps is a true crime author and investigative journalist and hosts the show, which gets into the nitty gritty of the investigation.

Crossing the Line – another Phelps podcast, this one focuses on one case per episode. Great for a quick fix (and some fast ideas!)

Crime Junkie – I got into this one last summer and now I’m hooked. It’s the same model as Crossing the Line, with each episode focused on one case, and it’s done in a conversational style between two hosts. It’s hugely popular and I don’t know how I wasn’t listening already. There’s even a fan club if you want bonus content…but the best part is, this one is part of the audiochuck network – which has multiple true crime podcasts. You can find it all – long-form investigative pods and and short-form like this one.

The Deck – also on audiochuck. This one has an interesting premise – it focuses on cold case playing card decks, a tactic law enforcement uses to try to solve “the coldest of cases.” They put faces on playing cards and pass them out in jails in hopes that someone knows something. I thought that alone was fascinating – but wait until you listen to some of the cases!

Morning Cup of Murder – this one is wild because it is released daily, and it covers a crime that happened that day. I’m sure we’ll see some of these on the cold case podcasts in the future!

And, a bonus for my cult fanatics out there – A Little Bit Culty. If anyone has heard of NXIVM, the Keith Raniere cult that was taken down a few years ago, the hosts of this podcast were two of the whistleblowers. I love this show because it can give you so many ideas on how to write real villains – people who are experts at coercive control and hiding their real selves in order to create widespread mayhem.

So there you have it – a few places to go for inspo. Just don’t get so sucked in you forget to write! Not that I would ever do that…

Readers: Do you have a favorite true crime TV show or podcast? Tell us in the comments!

Wicked Wednesday-Prose and Cons

Jessie-In New Hampshire, enjoying the garden coming to life!

We all read and write a lot of prose, but I thought I would ask if you also enjoy poetry. If so, do you have a favorite poem or poet?

Edith/Maddie: I was stunned and so impressed by Amanda Gorman reading/performing her “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration. But the poem I turn to most often (and have nearly memorized) is “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver. It ends, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” That line speaks to a deep place in me. After a poetry workshop I took in 2001, I wrote a prose poem for my father.

Julie: Faye Snowden, a wonderful writer, pointed me to the Poetry Foundation’s site, and I signed up for a poem a day. I will confess, poetry is not a natural go-to for me, but as a writer I marvel at the beautiful economic use of words, and how effectively they can trigger emotions.

Liz: I also love Mary Oliver. Her poem The Journey was the backdrop for a huge transformation in my life and I still get chills when I read it. I also really love Rupi Kaur, a Canadian poet who shares a lot of her work on Instagram.

Barb: I say I don’t love poetry, but then I end up at a spoken word event or similar and I’m enthralled. I’d rather hear it aloud than read it. As for favorites, I must confess, the poems I memorized in childhood, the fragments still there in my aging brain, are the ones I go back to: The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, and, of course, The Cremation of Sam Magee by Robert W. Service.

Sherry: Edith, I loved The Hill We Climb too! And Julie, I think I need to have a poem a day in my life. I’ve always loved Emily Dickenson’s poem If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking. I had it on the bulletin board in my bedroom growing up. Barb reminded me of two poems I love Stopping by the Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe.

Jessie: I am feeling so inspired by your responses! Julie, thanks for mentioning the Poetry Foundation’s offerings! I have to confess, I am not someone who turns to poetry with any frequency. I admire it when I feel it is meaningfully written, but I don’t seek it out. I will say that as a child I was a huge fan of Shel Silverstein’s poems and read them to my own children. Perhaps it is time to add something new to my reading list!

Readers, how about you? Are you a poetry lover?

Welcome Back Julie Mulhern!

I’m so happy to welcome Julie back to the blog! I am a big fan of Julie’s books and her as a person. She’s generous, innovative, and thoughtful. I’m looking forward to her upcoming release — Fire and Rain!

Julie: The sixteenth Country Club Murder will release next Tuesday. I would say it’s the sixteenth murder, but if you’ve read the series, you know the heroine Ellison Russell Jones finds more than one body per book.

This book, more than any I’ve ever written, has been a challenge. And as I approached my deadline, I grew increasingly unhappy with the ending.

If I wasn’t happy, how would my readers feel?

I drank way too much coffee. I lost sleep.  There may be a correlation between those two. I agonized. And last Friday, on the day the book was due to be uploaded, I made the decision to rewrite the last several chapters.

This meant changing the release date and disappointing readers who’ve been eagerly awaiting Ellison and Anarchy, Max and Mother, and Grace and Aggie. I am truly sorry for the delay.

When I hit the buttons to change the date, I cried. Relief? Stress? Disappointment with myself? Caffeine jitters? Maybe a combination of them all.

The whole experience got me to thinking about perfectionism, and how, as women, we pressure ourselves to reach near unattainable goals, then beat ourselves up when we fall short. I fully admit to falling short most of the time. And I am definitely beating myself up over this.

Can a book ever be perfect? Not one written by me. That said, the new ending is so much better! There are new characters to love, as well laughter, shenanigans, and a dastardly murder.

Thanks to all who read Ellison’s adventures. I am more grateful to you than I can ever say!

Readers: Do you beat yourself up when you don’t do something as well as you expect yourself to?

Bio: Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders and the Poppy Fields Adventures.

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

The Future is Now

Edith writing north of Boston, where the tulips are blooming despite dismal weather.

I am so frantically packing for Malice I forgot today was my day on the Wickeds (thanks for the heads up, Jessie). But I do have something to say.

I grew up in the fifties and sixties (yes, I am that old) not far from Disneyland. My schoolteacher father got some kind of deeply discounted family yearly pass, and we went a couple of times a year. I brought a friend for my birthday once. My mom, so she could spot us, put all us kids (four) and JoAnn in red sweaters.

I remember when the Monorail went in. There was no longer any rapid transit in southern California except slow buses by then, and that fast sleek train was dreamy.

Attribution to Editor ASC at English Wikipedia

One of the most fascinating sections was Tomorrowland. There was a revolving house, and amazing electrical appliances, and something like a television-phone, so you could see the person you were talking to. Plus rockets, of course. And robots. All very futuristic and hard to imagine.

Attribution to Chris 73 at Wikimedia Commons

Now, of course, physical robots help find mines and do other dangerous or highly repetitive tasks. We’ve had robotic assists in factories for decades. But I want to talk about a different kind of “robot” – artificial intelligence.

Computers interpreting what you say (hi there, Siri and Alexa; hey, Google) have been around for a while. Online searches come from AI. Those emails from the yellow giant about if you liked BOILED OVER by Barbara Ross you might like RUM AND CHOKE by Sherry Harris do too. And so on.

If you’ve been hiding under a rock lately (I don’t blame you, by the way, if that’s the case), you might be missing the current furor over ChatGPT and AI that now can write passable text after being fed many digital chunks of written material. High school and college teachers are already having to deal with this, asking students to handwrite their first drafts, using the AI assist as a teaching moment, and more.

Authors and screenwriters are starting to get very nervous about the possibilities. If someone feeds my 11 published Country Store Mysteries into the application, would it write a passable book #13? (I’ve already turned in book #12, DEEP FRIED DEATH, so there, ChapGPT.) Can it write a decent – that is, funny – comedy sketch for a sitcom? I’ve read tales of passages it has written that include wrong or stupid stuff, but that might improve over time.

In view of all these changes, I drafted the following paragraph to include in MURDER IN THE RUSTY ANCHOR, the manuscript I’m working on and the sixth Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery.

Note to readers: the ideas and words in this novel were generated entirely by the author without contribution from an AI application. Hard to believe I have to say that, but it’s the truth, and you should know where your fiction comes from.

I hope my editor will let it stand. Or maybe Kensington is already drafting a similar paragraph to go on the copyright page. I just thought it was time to take a stand, draw that proverbial line in the sand.

Readers: what say you? Would you read an AI-generated cozy mystery? How would you know? What are your thoughts on the topic? Writers, feel free to use my paragraph!