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Sheila Lowe is the author of the Forensic Handwriting series of psychological suspense and the Beyond the Veil series of paranormal mysteries and knows how to do a book launch. You can find out more about her on her website, www.sheilalowebooks.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and find her books here. Launch /lôn(t)SH,län(t)SH/ To set in motion by pushing it… In 2007 when my first mystery was published, I might never have thought about giving a party to bring it into the world were it not for Bruce Cook. Bruce, a terrific thriller writer, was one…

Joy Ann Ribar is the author of the Deep Lakes Cozy Mystery series. You can find out more about her on her website www.joyribar.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and find her books here. In 2020, my commuter husband John started working remotely, which turned into a permanent situation, since his job as a software engineer could be accomplished via home and a lot of Zoom meetings. Sound familiar? We loved the savings in time and money because my hubby cut his commute from over an hour to just a dozen steps upward to the office:…

Laurie Buchanan is the author of the Sean McPherson series of thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website www.lauriebuchanan.com, or by clicking here, read her latest post here, and buy her books here. In fiction books, redemption arcs are tied to a character—the protagonist, antagonist, or even a secondary character—and vary by the author’s intention, genre, plot, and characters. The dictionary defines redemption as “An act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake.” In the definition, the word “act” implies action. Choices create action. A redemption arc is when a character performs a heroic…

Sharon Michalove is the author of romantic suspense novel Dead in the Alley. You can find out more about her on her website, www.sharonmichalove.com, and see her books here. This is her first post. I think of writers as readers first. This is the story of a writer’s journey. A long journey, since I’ve been reading on my own since I was four and published my first novel on my seventieth birthday. Maybe my progression will inspire some of you to try your hand at writing too, or at least to look at your own reading in a different way.…

Sherrill Joseph is the author of the Botanic Hill Detectives mystery series for middle-grade students. You can find out more about her on her website www.sherrilljoseph.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and find her books here. Some people do or do not celebrate Halloween because of their religious beliefs. Regardless, many of us love Halloween, and I am no exception. As the sun sets each October 31 and darkness overtakes our souls and neighborhoods, we—children and adults alike—are afforded the opportunity to address the mysteries that frighten us and even celebrate or poke fun at them.…

Tracey S. Phillips is the founder of the Blackbird Writers, as well as the author of Thriller Best Kept Secrets. You can find out more about her on her website, www.traceysphillips.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and find her books here, and here. Sixteen years after Fay Ramsey was murdered, Morgan Jewell is still obsessed with finding the killer of her high-school best friend. They were supposed to move into the Indiana University dorms together. They were supposed to enjoy the best years of their young adult lives together. Morgan lead the search party right to…

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 or by clicking here, and buy his books here. This is his debut post. Wolf Blitzer credits Saddam Hussein for his fame. Wolf had just joined CNN in 1990 as the network’s Pentagon correspondent. But his background was print, not broadcast, so — in a story he tells often — he said to his wife, Lynn, that CNN didn’t feel like a good fit. John DeDakis “Just give it a little more time,” he says she told him.…

Jeff Nania is the author of the Northern Lakes mystery series. You can find out more about him on his website, www.feetwetwriting.com, or by clicking here, read his last post here, and see his books here. Democracy has been defined and redefined countless times, often the definition used will be to the best benefit of the speaker. Abraham Lincoln On November 19, 1863 at the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Edward Everett gave a two hour speech. The next speaker quietly took the podium and looked out on the simple grave markers loudly proclaiming a story great sadness and…

John Hoda is the author of the Marcia O'Shea police/FBI procedural series, and the new Gwendolyn Strong cozy mystery series. You can find out more about him on his website at www.johnhoda.com, or by clicking here, and see his books here. This is his debut post. I’ve been an investigator for over forty-six years. I still have two open files on my desk, even though my son and a part-timer do all the heavy lifting for Hoda Investigations, LLC these days. This year marks my twenty-fifth anniversary owning my own PI business. During all this time and in college, I…

Saralyn Richard, who is sharing her thoughts on the five best things about series, whether writing or reading them, is the author of the Detective Parrot series and thrillers Bad Blood Sisters, A Murder of Principal. 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. When I wrote MURDER IN THE ONE PERCENT, I was completely focused on telling a story about a group of old college friends who gather for an elegant birthday party weekend in the lush Brandywine Valley, a place so…