It's time for my annual assessment of the current year before I make plans for the new one. Click here to read my goals and hopes for 2022.  I did well, overall. Fatal Reunion came out on schedule in May, although too late for Malice Domestic or Pennwriters. But I did attend both conferences and had a blast. It just came out in audiobook too! The NaNoWriMo project not only found a title, but a home, and is coming out next month from One More Chapter/HarperCollinsUK! Where the Guilty Hide will release in digital on January 20. It comes out in print in the UK on March 2. I don't have a print release date yet for here in the US.  The 12th Zoe Chambers mystery, Helpless , is with my Level Best Books editor, awaiting its May 2023 release. It's a bit of a departure for me. More suspense than whodunit mystery. It was a wild ride to write and hopefully will be the same for my readers! My "mini book tour" included a trip to Florida for Sleuthfest in July, where I had a ...

Once again, I’ve been remiss in posting here. To be honest, until last week, I didn’t have a lot to blog about. Where The Guilty Hide is still with my publisher as is Helpless .   I’ve made great progress on the second Detective Honeywell Mystery, as yet untitled. Beginning next week, I’m going back into Book Jail to finish the first draft, hopefully before my developmental edits on Helpless come back from my editor.   So I’ve been busy writing. Except for last week.   I mentioned back in June that Death By Equine had been named a finalist for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. Last week, Thursday, November 3, was the cocktail reception at Castleton Lyons Farm for the award presentation. Most of a writer’s life is taken up by the stuff I just shared. Drafting a new book, editing another, waiting to hear from publishers. Getting nice reviews is often what keeps us plugging onward. And PLOTTING onward. To be nominated or named a finalist is nothing short of a dre...

Greetings from my writing cave.  I'm making great progress on my Book Jail projects. Only ten days in and I've completed copy edits on Where The Guilty Hide . Unless my editor determines my fixes still need more fixes, it will be off to proofreading next!  I've also completed the second draft of the next Zoe Chambers Mystery and shipped it off to my beta readers. That means two of my three goals have been met.  Now I have the big one to work on. I'm happy with the way the outline is shaping up for the second Matthias Honeywell Mystery. And I have opened a new Word doc and typed "Chapter 1" as well as an opening paragraph. To be honest, the opening paragraph sucks but it's a first draft. For me, all that first opening paragraph has to do is give me a starting point from which the story can flow.  The other BIG THING that's happened is Where The Guilty Hide is now available for pre-order with a release date of January 20! So far, only digital is listed,...

I've planned for this month all summer. By "planned" I mean I've been saying NO a lot. No doctor appointments, no speaking engagements. No days off.  All I'm doing is writing.  Before I go any further, let me catch you up on Rule of Thirds , the first in my new Lake Erie Mystery Series. First, it's no longer " Rule of Thirds ." The sales and marketing teams at One More Chapter (HarperCollins UK) have changed the title to Where The Guilty Hide . My first reaction to the new moniker was "OooOOooo..." Which is precisely what they were going for. Second, it's no longer the Lake Erie Mysteries. It's now the Detective Honeywell mysteries. Matthias (Honeywell) is overjoyed to get top billing and, in my fictional world, is flaunting it over Pete Adams, who has been miffed about not sharing the billing with Zoe Chambers all these years.  Good thing these two characters live in different parts of the state.  Anyway, I'm okay with this sec...

Once again, I've fallen behind on my posts, but I have a good excuse. Several, actually. June was a busy month.  In case you missed it, there was my interview with James Patterson.  In addition to a bunch of appearances throughout the month, I was working on the next Zoe and Pete mystery, tentatively titled Helpless . It's proving to be quite the challenge.  At the end of the month, I received word that Death By Equine had made the cut and has been named one of THREE finalists for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award! I'll be traveling to Lexington, Kentucky, in November for the announcement of the $10,000 winner.  I also received my first editorial letter from my new UK publisher for the first book in my new Lake Erie Mysteries series. I wasn't sure what to expect. New editor. New publisher. The United Kingdom. But I couldn't be more pleased with her insights and suggestions. So for several weeks, I put Helpless on the backburner and focused my full attention on revisions...

Late last year, at the urging of one of my readers, I submitted Death By Equine for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. I filled out the application, sent in the required copies of the book, and promptly put it out of my mind.  Then early last week, I received an email notifying me that my novel had been named one of six semi-finalists for the award! I was over the moon! The three finalists will be announced later this month. Cross your fingers! At least I'll be so busy that I won't have much time to obsess over whether Death By Equine makes the cut. Fatal Reunion may have been released on May 10, but the launch events begin in earnest with my launch party at Mystery Lovers Bookshop on Sunday, June 12, followed by Lunch with the Author at The Gathering Place on Wednesday, June 15, the James Patterson event on Thursday, and a publishing panel at the Kittanning Library on Saturday.  For details and even more events, check out my website .

I'm about to hit the road to Lancaster, PA, for the first in-person Pennwriters Conference since 2019. This weekend I'll be on a publishing panel and teaching one or two workshops (one for sure; another is on standby in case another instructor can't make it). I'm less anxiety-ridden about this trip, having survived the one to Bethesda for Malice three weeks ago. My people skills aren't so rusty this time! Before I leave, though, I wanted to share the rest of the BIG NEWS in my life and career.  First, last week I signed a two-book contract with HarperCollins UK (One More Chapter) for a new series set along Lake Erie!  If you look back at one of my more frustrating posts , you'll read about my ongoing battle with proposals. THIS new series was one of those. Thanks to my fabulous agent, Dawn Dowdle, it has found a wonderful home. You'll be hearing more on it in the near future. And finally, next month I'll be sharing the stage at the Steamfitters Event Cen...

I confess I was a nervous wreck prior to Malice Domestic this year (April 22-24). Did I remember how to drive anywhere more than a couple hours away? Did I remember how to behave in a group setting? I sure didn't remember how to pack. At least I had my travel buddy, Liz Milliron, alongside. I hoped whatever one of us forgot, the other would remember. The moment we pulled up at the hotel, we encountered two of our favorite blogger/reviewer friends, Dru Ann Love and Kristopher Zgorski. We exchanged BIG, long-overdue hugs. At that moment, I knew I would be fine.  It was a crazy busy weekend of fun, food, and lots more hugs.  Thursday dinner with friends With Liz Milliron before Malice Go Round Lunch on Friday My panel: Sleuths & Their Animals Writers Who Kill The book room   Ramona's Sprint Club  before the banquet

I feel like I've spent the last three months, maybe more, WAITING for stuff. Waiting for cover art. Waiting for pre-order links. Waiting for Malice Domestic. Waiting for a couple of other exciting items to become official. And now all of those things have happened and I can breathe a little.  The big one for today, of course, is the release of FATAL REUNION! I finished the first draft of this novel back in November of 2020, so it's been a long time coming.  You can purchase it for your Kindle through Amazon by clicking here . They haven't merged the paperback and Kindle versions yet, so you have to click HERE if you want the print book.   Or you can order from Barnes and Noble . Or even better, you can order from Mystery Lovers Bookshop or your favorite indie bookseller. Always my preference. Plus, if you order from Mystery Lovers, you can request a signed copy.   More on Malice and the other "things" I've been waiting on coming up tomorrow and Thursday.

I have a very busy few weeks ahead. Malice Domestic next weekend. The release of FATAL REUNION. Pennwriters Conference. And everything that comes with real, live events.  But first, there's the preparation. Since I'm often asked about what it entails to be a writer and published author, I thought I'd post a diary of sorts here, and share what's going on behind the scenes.  Yesterday, I received my proof pages AKA galleys AKA PDF ARCs. That's a lot of letters. Basically it's the PDF file of the book with the pages laid out the way you'll see them once it's bound. Or on your e-reader.  The galleys aren't just a sneak peek for me. This is the final chance I have to fix things. Not big things. That ship has sailed. But typos, missing words or punctuation. That sort of thing. The sneak peek is one of my favorite parts of the process. Trying to find those nitpicking errors is one of my least. I've enlisted a couple of eagle-eyed friends to help, but th...

It's here! The cover for Fatal Reunion, the 11th Zoe Chambers mystery! I have to share a secret. In my mind, it's now the Zoe Adams mystery series. After all, Zoe has a new job, a new home, and a new husband in this one. But I didn't want to confuse everyone too badly with a name change. So for the sake of continuity, Zoe is keeping her maiden name.  "What's this one about?" you ask.  Here's the back cover copy: As Monongahela County’s new coroner Zoe Chambers-Adams gears up for a third day searching for a missing woman, she receives the news she’s been dreading: a body has been found. What she discovers at the scene leaves no doubt—the missing woman was violently murdered. Worse, the manner of death mirrors the Monongahela Strangler case that terrorized the county when Zoe was in high school. Those murders stopped, but the case was never satisfactorily solved. And with people arriving in town for Zoe’s twentieth high school reunion, the memories of those ...

Uneasy Prey was another book that came from a very personal place in my heart. The story of con artists talking their way into elderly victims' homes in order to steal from them is one that hit a little too close for me. What happened to Mrs. Kroll really did happen to my mother.  But another part of the book is the introduction of Lauren Sanders, who has become a regular character in the series. I knew all along that Lauren would be back but had no idea how close she and Zoe would become. Zoe had no idea either, which you can probably guess from the hint of jealousy she exhibits in this Uneasy Prey scene.  Voices drifted in from the atrium drawing Zoe’s attention. The reporter who’d been snooping around Sylvia’s place last night appeared in the doorway. While the woman still carried the large leather bag, tonight she wore makeup. Zoe was right. She was a knock-out. Plus she wore a dark skirt, showing a flash of leg below the hem of her coat. Lauren Sanders spotted Pete and ...

Another one of my favorites of the Zoe Chambers series is No Way Home . Partly because I had a blast researching it, exploring New Mexico, learning about the Navajo people, but because the character Billy "Pony Boy" Yellowhorse really took on a life of his own. Created not by me, but by one of my dearest friends, Leta Burns of Aztec, NM, Pony Boy leaped from the page. Enigmatic, stoic, and with a super dry sense of humor, Billy left Zoe puzzling over his motives for much of the book.  “I hate to keep asking the same question,” she said, “but where are we going?” “You want to see that your friend’s son is safe. I’m taking you to him.” Allison half turned to Zoe with an eager smile. “I told you Pony Boy would take care of him.” Zoe didn’t reply and didn’t return the smile. Allison might trust the Navajo, but Zoe still did not. Here they were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles and miles of nothing in a truck driven by a man who knew the area and no doubt knew where to...

Continuing this stroll down memory lane, I'm thinking back to the second book in the series. Lost Legacy remains one of my favorites of all I've written. And this scene is one of my favorites from it.  Pete tucked the phone into his pocket as Zoe and his father appeared in the doorway. She gave him a guilty grin. Pete held up a hand. “I don’t want to know.” “But—” “You didn’t lose Pop. That’s the main thing.” In fact, his old man looked almost—perky. Harry nudged Zoe. “Do I still get something to eat? I’m starved.” “Sure. What’ll you have?” “A milkshake. Chocolate.” Pete snorted. “That’s not exactly a healthy lunch.” Zoe planted her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s still too early for lunch. This is...brunch.” Harry nodded in fervent agreement. “Yeah.” “Chocolate milkshakes for brunch?” Zoe dropped her stance and leaned down to Pete’s ear. “At his age, if he wants a milkshake, I’m buying him a frigging milkshake.” Why is it one of my favorites? Simple. Th...

Two months from today, a new Zoe Chambers mystery, Fatal Reunion, will launch into the world! I'm currently working on the red line edits and have proclaimed I hate commas and hyphens. Thankfully, I have an editor who keeps me on track. I'm eager to show off my cover art. However, I haven't seen it yet, so I'm waiting and trying to be patient...not my strong suit.  So until I have cover art and pre-order links to share, I thought we could look back on the stories and characters that have brought Zoe and Pete to this point.   Remember when...   We first met Monongahela County Police Detective Wayne Baronick in  Circle of Influence ?    Detective Wayne Baronick of the Monongahela County Police Department grinned from the doorway. Young, good-looking, and cocky, Baronick was a constant source of irritation to Pete. Most annoying was the fact that he reminded Pete of someone. Himself. “Relax, Chief. I come bearing gifts.” He held out a venti Starbucks. “I know ...

For all of my audiobook fans, it's finally here! Death by Equine is now available in audio! Once again the incredible Romy Nordlinger has given voice to my characters (yes, there's a reason Dr. Jessie Cameron sounds a lot like Zoe!).   To purchase, you can click on the image to buy from Audible, or go to your favorite audiobook seller. 

Having grown up in a farming family, it’s inbred in me to keep an eye on the weather forecast. When the meteorologists started posting maps showing my location solidly in the pink range (meaning freezing rain) of the upcoming storm, I took action. I always keep bottled drinking water (our well water isn’t fit for consumption), but I also started filling the empty jugs with tap water. I moved stuff from our refrigerator’s freezer section to the chest freezer in the basement. My husband made sure our generator was in good working order. I worked frantically on several writing projects that were almost due and sent them off. I also worked frantically on my tax prep and printed out my spreadsheets. I made sure all of my electronics were fully charged.   My husband even took a vacation day on Friday in case the roads were impassible.   I rescheduled a workshop I was supposed to teach Saturday on Zoom. Just in case.   The rain started Wednesday. By lunchtime on Thursday, ...

We had our first real snow of the season Friday morning. While regions to our south got hammered, our accumulation was minimal--an inch locally--just enough to be pretty. It is January, after all. This is Pennsylvania. We're supposed to get snow! I busied myself with writing and self-care this first week of 2022, so I didn't have time to fuss over a little white stuff outside anyway.  After a talk with my agent, we decided to set The Hit List aside. This was the second of two new series proposals we'd had out on submission last year. I'd already gone back to the first of the proposals anyway. That was the project I completed for NaNoWriMo. ("Completed" meaning very rough first draft.) I spent much of last week giving the first three chapters another polish and the entire manuscript a new title. I also updated the synopsis and sent the entire package back to my agent. She'll be sending Rule of Thirds out on its second round of submissions next week. Whil...

Happy New Year.   I'm whispering the greeting for two reasons. One, I'm feeling a little trepidation, remembering how happy we were to see 2020 go and how quickly we realized nothing had changed. Two, I have laryngitis on the heels of a nasty cold (negative Covid test).  Moving on to my goals (not resolutions) for the coming twelve months. Once again, there are things I can control and things I can only hope for.  Under my control:  1. Complete revisions on Fatal Reunion and celebrate its release this coming May! I am thrilled to bring Zoe and Pete back to my readers.  2. Complete rewrite of my NaNoWriMo manuscript (as yet in search of a title) and get it back out on submission. 3. Outline, research, and write the 12th Zoe Chambers Mystery.  4. Set up a mini book tour for this summer. Hoping for: 1. Attend Malice Domestic. I'm more optimistic about this actually happening this year. As long as the fabulous people running the convention proceed with their p...