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Kathleen Donnelly is the author of the National Forest K-9 series of suspense novels. Her latest release is Killer Secrets. You can find out more about her on her website, www.kathleendonnelly.com, or by clicking here, read her previous post here, and buy her books here. After working K-9s for nineteen years, I experienced how dogs help solve mysteries every day. So why not in a book? When I decided to incorporate a K-9 into my romantic suspense, there were several decisions to make. What breed of dog should I pick for my fictional K-9? Would they be single-purpose? Dual-purpose? What agency would employ their…

Laurie Buchanan writes the Sean McPherson novels, with her latest, Illusionist: A Sean McPherson Novel, launching in April 2025. You can find out more about her on her website, www.lauriebuchanan.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. When you think of crime thriller writers, you might picture them creating spine-chilling plots and exploring the minds of their dark, twisted characters. While that's a significant part of the job, much more behind-the-scenes work is involved in bringing those stories to life. And no, we’re not just talking about sitting around all day—though, let's be…

Sharon Michalove writes the Global Security Unlimited romantic suspense series. Her latest book is Relatives and Relationships: A Short Story Collection. You can learn more about her on her website, read her last post here, and buy her books here. A volunteer on Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova expedition, Apsley Cherry-Garrard was rejected twice by Scott before finally being accepted as assistant zoologist at the age of twenty-four. His trip to the far side of Ross Island was undertaken in complete darkness, and unable to use his goggles, the functionally blind young man, manhauling sledges with his two companions, Edward…

Colleen Winter is the author of The Gatherer series of speculative thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website www.colleenwinter.ca, or by clicking here , read her last post here and buy her books here. Recently, I held my annual Literary Feast, an event that I have written about previously in this space. The evening involves people coming together to share something with other guests that made an impression on them over the last year. I’ve been hosting these events for over 15 years and it’s a wonderful way to get past the small talk, to know my guests…

Anne Louise Bannon is the author of the Old Los Angeles and the Operation Quickline series. Her latest book is Death of the Drunkard. You can find out more about her on her website, read her last post here, and buy her books here. We lost our power at 5:18 p.m. that night. With the winds roaring like jet engines, my husband, Michael Holland, and I ate dinner by candlelight, then settled in for some reading. We weren’t worried so much as wondering how many days we’d be living in the 19th Century, i.e. without electricity. Around seven or so…

Amanda Marbais writes fiction, reviews, and cultural essays. You can learn more about her on her website, www.amandamarbais.com or purchase her short story collection Claiming a Body here. An MFA instructor once told me: “After you write a book, you won’t be able to read for fun. You’ll always read critically.” It felt like a dire warning or at least a disappointing fact about something I loved dearly–getting lost in a book. For a while, this might have been true. During my MFA program–without a family or full time job–I would lay around and devour books, sometimes without getting out of…

John DeDakis is the author of the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series. You can find out more about him on his website, www.johndedakis.com and read thumbnails of his books at Blackbird Writers. Jimmy Carter, the man who promised never to lie to the American people, the man who confessed to Playboy magazine that he’d had lust in his heart, the man who brought the term “born again Christian” into the political lexicon, lived an exemplary 100 years. I had the privilege of interviewing the thirty-ninth president when I was with CNN and covered him briefly during his presidency when I was…

Victoria Rydberg-Nania is co-owner of Feet Wet Writing, the publisher behind Jeff Nania’s Northern Lakes Mystery series. Learn more about them at feetwetwriting.com.Sometimes when I receive a new book it goes on the TBR pile, unsure of when I will get to it. Sometimes the book is so inviting I begin immediately—as in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.  I was captivated by the epigraph “All flourishing is mutual.” Kimmerer explores the idea of a “gift economy” using the example of a serviceberry, transforming the sun’s energy into small red berries. The…

by Saralyn Richard Saralyn Richard is the author of the Detective Parrot series and several standalones. Look for her newest novel, Mrs. Oliver’s Twist, in the coming months. You can find out more about her on her website, www.saralynrichard.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. This time of year, everyone has holidays on their minds, and authors are no exception. In real life, we re-enact family traditions and start new ones. We cook and eat, we shop and give gifts, we sing and watch movies. We catch up with family members and…