Confession time: I’m an addict. Every morning, I have to scratch my mental itch. My coffee doesn’t taste right and I don’t feel properly awake until I’ve worked through the Sudoku in the newspaper. My family knows, and fortunately they’re supportive. My Mother’s Day gift was a book of Sudoku puzzles with a handy slot …
Why Sudoku is the Perfect Puzzle for Mystery Lovers Read More »
Pull up a beach chair and join me at Island Confidential for today’s stop on our blog tour. My fellow mystery author Frankie Bow from Hawaii is hosting me for a guest post all about my philosophy of writing, plus a book excerpt and a recipe for Mottley’s favorite cocktail. Come chill out with me …
Cheers! Mottley’s Favorite Cocktail Recipe, the Gimblet Read More »
Growing up, it just wasn’t Thanksgiving without my mom’s pecan pie. Over the years, I’ve found that most people who say they dislike pecan pie have never really had one. They’ve had Karo-syrup-and-egg-custard pie with a few pecans sprinkled on top. Ew, gross. (Honestly, I couldn’t even find a picture of a really proper pecan …
Thanksgiving Dessert Mashup: Chocolate Molasses Bourbon Pecan Pie Read More »
Mottley & Baker’s second adventure, Mister Mottley and the Dying Fall is set in October of 1932, six months after Book 1. My stories always have a lot of humor in them, but since his one was set just before Halloween, I wanted to bring in an element of spookiness, danger, a moody atmosphere and …
It’s simple, they told me. Writing a book is like any other goal – consistent effort over time. Crap. I’m doomed. How do you keep going in a creative life when the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” are coming at you from all directions? Cuz I don’t know about you, but fortune can get …
For a while now, folks have been asking me “How’s the new book going?” Seems like it’s time for a real update. The first draft of “Mister Mottley and the Dying Fall” was my NaNoWriMo project last year, and it was a great learning experience. I learned, for example: The “fast draft” approach is …
![By Silar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://ellenseltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/01464_vintage_Russian_Soviet_silver_cup_tea_holder-224x300.jpg)
Along with Sirop de Cassis, cocoa at breakfast, and other drinks considered by Hastings to be “noxious”, Hercule Poirot is often seen drinking his tisane, to which he attributes health and the acuity of his “little gray cells”. This recurring theme led me to wonder, what flavor of tisane would Poirot like best? I often …
The smooth, flowing lines and glossy finish of Art Deco style turn up everywhere in the Golden Age period – even in hairstyles: For writers and re-creators, Swing Fashionista gives some useful background on the role of the salon in the period, how women of different economic means prioritized their hairstyles, and tips from a …