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Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop mystery series and the Mischief in Moonstone series. You can find out more about her on her website www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, see her books here, and read her last post here. Scientists conclude rituals are part of our DNA and are used to deal with threats, particularly disease and danger.   That struck home with me—a cozy mystery writer and writing coach—when a reader online said reading cozy mysteries got her through the pandemic years.            Reading often comes with “rituals.”            Here are common reading rituals:           ~ Do you have to…

Valerie Biel is the author of the Circle of Nine series. You can find out more about her at her website, ValerieBiel.com, or by clicking here, see her books here, and read her last post here. Growing up on a farm and in a climate with very distinct seasonal changes, I was always aware of the rhythms of the earth as we progressed through the year--particularly when what often seemed like the never-ending winter finally gave way to spring and the first good-smelling days had us cracking open the windows and shedding our winter coats. You can imagine then when…

G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped series of cozy mysteries. You can find out more about her on her website, or by clicking here, and find her books here. This is her first post for the Blackbirds. G.P. Gottlieb at recital I loved playing piano as a kid, but when I got to the music school at Indiana University, it seemed like everyone else was a better musician. I still liked playing, but I started getting nauseated whenever I had to perform. Still, after I completed a degree in piano and psychology, I stopped playing. I…

Jacqueline Vick is the author of the Frankie Chandler Pet Psychic series and the Harlow Brothers series. You can find out more about her here, visit her website here, see her last post here, and see her books here. There is a vast, dark void that terrifies writers of every ilk. Writer’s Block. The place where elusive ideas taunt the creative mind, deftly avoiding capture. But have you heard of its evil twin, Author Overload? The mental space where new concepts for books and series pelt the author until her idea board looks like it’s been hit by a graffiti…

Rick Treon is an award-winning suspense/thriller author. Read more about Rick here, see his books here, and read his last post here. While at my first few book signings in The Before Times, I was surprised how often I was asked if my book was nonfiction or based on a true story. Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised. In the Texas Panhandle, the name Rick Treon was strongly associated with my background as a reporter and editor of the Amarillo Globe-News. So I had to explain how I’d ventured into the world of…

Laurie Stevens is the author of the Gabriel McRay series of psychological thrillers. You can find out more about her here and on her website, see her books here, and read her last post here. From the laptop of Victor Archwood. Victor Archwood I hope you don’t mind I’ve taken the literary mic away from Laurie Stevens (she talks too much anyhow, don’t you think?). I’m Victor Archwood, someone Laurie has labeled a “villain” in her books. You may think that offends me, but I’ve learned to rise above the petty judgments of people. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?…

Donna Rewolinski is the author of the Novice Mystery series. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. Writing a mystery series is a challenge, but it gets harder when there are two main characters working together. When I was a teenager, I was told that Yin and Yang meant opposites, but in college I took a Tae Kwon Do class. My master was Korean born and raised. He spoke of complements. That the two sides lean on each other. They don’t compete or dominate, but rather balance each other.…

Sheila Lowe is the author of the Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting series and the Beyond the Veil series. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. August 3, 2021 was release day for Dead Letters, the eighth book in my Claudia Rose Forensic Handwriting suspense series. It takes a lot of effort to write, release, and promote any new book, so I gave myself some time to do all that, and then some more time to clear my mind and ready it for the next plot. At least, that was…

Sherrill Joseph is the author of the Botanic Hill Detectives mystery series for children. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. “So, why are you torturing my son by teaching him cursive?” That was the first question I, a staunch proponent of formal Zaner-Bloser cursive instruction, received from the frowning parent of one of my fifth graders at Back-to-School Night in September 2012. Not exactly the auspicious start I hoped for that evening. But the question reveals the ongoing divide in America: Should students be taught cursive handwriting anymore?…