Advice Column #1
Marketing and Self-Promotion
A Strong Pitch & A Good Hook
How Can We Get Our Novels in the Door of a Publisher? I recently interviewed Anne Brewer, a Harvard grad, who has worked as an editor and...
The Writer's Responsibility
Question: I am writing my first novel and have a question about dialogue. I am finding conflicting advice about the use of ‘said.’ Some...
One Essential Ingredient
While writing Death at the Day Lily Café, the second in the Rosalie Hart mystery series, I spent endless hours in my kitchen testing...
The Making of a Book Trailer
The pub date for Death at the Day Lily Café was just a few months away and the promoting strategy was in full swing. This being the...
Yellowed Recipe Cards
In Murder at Barclay Meadow, after retreating to her late Aunt Charlotte’s farmhouse to recover from learning of her husband’s affair,...
The Philosopher Cook
Death at the Day Lily Cafe, the second in the Rosalie Hart mystery series, begins with Rosalie celebrating the grand opening of her new...
Why food?
Last spring, at Malice Domestic, I was on an author panel entitled: Murder on the Menu. I shared the floor with three other cozy writers...
When a Character Takes Over...
How a character takes over your keyboard and thus, your story. Most authors plot out their books before they sit down to write. I respect...
The Lost Art of Using a Bread Maker
I’m on my third bread machine. They are one of the greatest yet most unappreciated inventions ever made. Okay, maybe I got carried away...
