WWK--Better than ever--Look for the return of blogs by Linda Rodriguez! She's back--on 1/4. Watch for our new blogger Tammy Euliano--debuting on 1/17
*************************************************************************************************
Margaret S. Hamilton's short story, "Killer Weeds," appears in the January 20 edition of Texas Gardener's Seeds: From Our Garden to Yours. Congratulations, Margaret, who, if you follow Facebook know, is a superb gardener herself!
Congratulations to Jennifer J. Chow for garnering a 2021 Lefty Nomination for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. We're crossing our fingers for Jennifer!
Congratulations to Paula Gail Benson whose "Reputation or Soul" has been chosen for Malice Domestic 16: Mystery Most Diabolical anthology to be released this spring.
KM Rockwood's "Stay Safe--Very Safe" appears in this year's 2020 BOULD anthology. Congratulations, KM!
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Dealing at the Dump" appears in Cozy Villages of Death Fall 2020.
Margaret S. Hamilton's "Black Market Baby" and Debra H. Goldstein's "Forensic Magic" appear in Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories Fall 2020.
Jennifer J. Chow's Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines (interview on WWK on 11/11) released on November 10.
Annette Dashofy signed with agent Dawn Dowdle of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Congratulations, Annette!
KM Rockwood's "Secrets To The Grave" has been published in the SinC Chesapeake Chapter's new anthology Invitation To Murder, released by Wildside Press on 10/6.
Susan Van Kirk's Three May Keep A Secret has been republished by Harlequin's Worldwide Mystery. The WWK interview about the book can be accessed here. We're so glad another publisher picked up this series.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, February 28, 2013
STARTING SOMETHING NEW
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Donnell Ann Bell's Deadly Recall Released!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Novel Pets
In books, a pet can be a confidant, cause trouble or be a savior. I recall few unusual pets in mysteries--dogs, cats and horses are usually featured. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum character has a pet hamster, although I don’t think Rex ever helped solve a crime. I have read one murder mystery with a pet parrot but don’t remember the title. I do remember that the parrot mimicked human language and said words that led to the killer.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Blank Page
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Writer's Yard Sale
Today on Salad Bowl Saturday we welcome author Ellen Kennedy. I love the setting she chose to talk about "writing techniques."
EE Kennedy (aka EEK) is a former award-winning TV/radio copywriter and public speaker. Her mystery, Irregardless of Murder, was published in August by Sheaf House and the sequel, Death Dangles a Participle, will be released next September. Her Christian novella, The Applesauce War, will be featured in Barbour’s upcoming anthology, The Farmer’s Bride. She lives with her husband near Raleigh, NC.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Signs of the Times
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Remembering a Great Poet
On January 29th of this year it was the 50th anniversary of Robert Frost’s death. America’s favorite poet died several months before his 89th birthday. Two years before Frost’s death, John F. Kennedy requested this poet he greatly admired to read one of his poems at his Inauguration. Thus Robert Frost became the first inaugural poet of many to follow including Richard Blanco for Obama’s Inauguration this year. It was a cold, blustery January day when Frost tried to read the introduction he’d written to precede his poem, but he had trouble seeing the words from the glare of the sun and holding on to the papers in the wind. After putting them aside, his voice gained assurance as he recited a poem he’d written two days before Pearl Harbor, “The Gift Outright.” He made one change to the original poem in the last line. Instead of “such as she would become” he changed it to “such as she will become” referring to our land.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Getting Into the Role
I did this more as a kid riding in the back of my mom's car, and not so much as an adult, but a couple weeks ago, I found myself treating a car that was behind me as though it were actually following me; like they were my "tail" or something.
As a kid, my brother and I would duck our heads down in the seat, so any car "following" us couldn't see us. Sometimes we'd even pretend they were shooting at us, and we'd shoot back through the window with the "hand" guns that every kid uses. We would keep an eye on the car behind us, and when they turned off, we'd pretend that we had successfully evaded them.
In my teen years, this morphed into some sort of spy game whenever I was home alone. Except for the killing part, I always thought I'd make a great spy, and I would enter rooms in the house with my arms outstretched, the hair dryer my gun. I would scan the room efficiently and then back myself against the nearest corner or wall, like you see in cop and spy shows.
I haven't done either of those things in over 20 years, so it was interesting that I reverted to my childhood game recently.
It was really early in the morning this time, rather than at night, and I was on my way to work. The sun had risen, but it was early enough that the road hadn't become too clogged with parents driving children to school. In fact, I had a mile-long stretch of back road all to myself, until the car began following me.
Now, in truth, it probably wasn't following me at all, it just happened to be going the same way I was, but each time I made a turn, so did my tail. When I finally encountered another car and passed it, so did the car behind me. In fact, the driver kept so close that at one point the conspiracy theorist in me stopped thinking it was a game.
As I neared the last stoplight before my office, I saw it turning yellow. I made sure I went fast enough that I sailed through the light, and my tail had to stop and wait. Then I even decided to take a different path through the parking lot, in case my pursuer caught up before I could hide my car among the others already parked.
In truth, if said car really HAD been following me, I'm sure s/he would've gotten my license plate, which would've exposed my ruse for the child's play that it was. However, the kid in me reveled in the thought that I'd successfully ditched my pursuer. I felt that same elation that I had in the back seat of Mom's car whenever my brother and I would successfully evade the bad guys. It probably ties in somehow with the notion of "You never feel more alive than when you've faced death" (I probably don't have the wording right, but you get the gist). Even an imaginary accomplishment like that can make you feel great about yourself.
I'm sure I'm not the only mystery writer who does that sort of thing. So please share your adventures with us.