Please help me welcome fellow mystery author K.B. Owen, author of UNSEEMLY PURSUITS (Concordia Wells Mysteries, #2), which just released this month. K.B. Owen taught college English for nearly two decades at universities in Connecticut and Washington, DC, and holds a doctorate in 19th century British literature. A mystery lover ever since she can remember, she drew upon her teaching experiences in creating her amateur sleuth, Professor Concordia Wells. Unlike the fictional Miss Wells, K.B. did not have to conduct lectures in a bustle and full skirts. Thankfully. No doubt, many folks are grateful for that little fact. 😀 A deadly secret
Read moreMystery
Ninja Detectives: Fact from Fiction
When writing historical mystery novels, an author needs to straddle the line between fact and fiction. When the novel involves a ninja detective, that line can grow very thin indeed. By the 16th century, shinobi (ninja) clans held significant power in Japan. Assassins were feared and respected even by powerful samurai warlords, and the myth of the ninja already included “abilities” like the power to turn to smoke by force of will. In truth, shinobi were as human as anyone else–though highly trained in stealth and covert tactics as well as weapons skills. For those who want to know more,
Read moreAn Interview with Annamaria Alfieri
Today I’m honored to welcome Annamaria Alfieri, author of BLOOD TANGO (Minotaur Books, June 25, 2013), a fabulous new mystery that I loved and absolutely recommend! Annamaria Alfieri is the author of Blood Tango, which takes place in Buenos Aires in 1945 and imagines the murder of an Evita Perón lookalike. Kirkus Reviews said of her Invisible Country, “Alfieri has written an anti-war mystery that compares with the notable novels of Charles Todd.” Deadly Pleasures Magazine called her City of Silver one of the best first novels of the year. The Washington Post said, “As both history and mystery, City
Read moreAn Interview With Beverly Swerling
Please help me welcome Beverly Swerling, author of BRISTOL HOUSE (Viking, April 4, 2013). Born in Boston, I went to school in Kansas City MO (don’t ask). After college I moved to NYC and took a job as a file clerk in an insurance company so I could support my writing habit. Eventually I could legitimately call myself a freelance journalist, but it was a good ten years before I managed to write a saleable novel. In the meantime I got married and not long after moved to England. Lived there and in France and Spain for nearly a quarter
Read moreAn Interview with Tracy Grant
Please welcome Tracy Grant, author of the new historical mystery THE PARIS AFFAIR (Kensington, March 26, 2013) Teresa (Tracy) Grant studied British history at Stanford University and received the Firestone Award for Excellence in Research for her honors thesis on shifting conceptions of honor in late fifteenth century England. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her young daughter and three cats, and is on the board of the Merola Opera Program, a professional training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors. Her real life heroine is her daughter Mélanie, who is very cooperative about Mummy’s writing. Tracy is currently
Read moreAn Interview With Shannon Baker
Today we welcome Shannon Baker, author of the Nora Abbott Mystery Series, which debuted this month with the release of TAINTED MOUNTAIN (Midnight Ink, March 2013). Shannon Baker is lover of mountains, plains, oceans and rivers and can often be found traipsing around the great outdoors. Tainted Mountain, the first in her Nora Abbott Mystery Series, is set in Flagstaff, AZ, where she lived for several years and worked for The Grand Canyon Trust, a hotbed of environmentalists who, usually, don’t resort to murder. Shannon now makes her home in Boulder, CO. Tainted Mountain (Midnight Ink), the first book in
Read more