Even when you know that you could fail, failure can really sting. Recently, a smart agent whom I respect requested the first chapter of the mystery novel that I wrote in my challenging MFA program. I have rewritten it three times since I earned my degree. Send chapter one, and then chapter two, the agent […]
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Patricia Flaherty Pagan
In Praise of Kathy Reichs
This week, I managed to corral the whirlwind of energy that is Pamela Fagan Hutchins for a minute or two. Between moving house and bringing out engaging, well-plotted mysteries with impressive speed, she found time to write about her respect for Kathy Reich and her popular heroine. Who is your favorite female detective? Kathy Reichs’ […]
Continue readingTough Women Solve Tough Crimes: A Conversation with Kay Kendall
As the summer heat descends, we’re talking with mystery writers about which female sleuths burn through crime. Today we are honored to host the gracious Kay Kendall, author of Rain Day Women, the next installment in her Austin Starr Mystery series. Ms. Kendall discusses her favorite she-ro, V.I. Warshawski. 1. Who is your favorite female […]
Continue readingDuBois’ Clocks Read Tension
How do you spend your hours? Me, I read a lot. Between my job as an editor, mutual critique with my writing group, colleague’s work, and my own exciting (ever growing) stack of mysteries and thrillers, I am often awash in words. Sitting seductively in a pile of things I need to read for work […]
Continue readingGuest Blog: Silencing Roger
Today I am pleased to present a guest blog post by the talented writer Kate Spitzmiller. She’s learned from experience not to believe the naysayers, whoever and wherever they may be. Dear Roger Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a high school senior who was in an honors English […]
Continue readingReading for Guilty Pleasure
I enjoy school. I tend to understand the rules of going to school: if you attend class and work hard, and don’t have to battle a learning disorder, you do relatively well. If you think outside the box, and write or read something a little different, you don’t do as well, but once you hit […]
Continue reading“Tides of Impossibility” is Fantastically Fun
Today I’m happy to interview C. Stuart Hardwick, the science fiction author and witty coeditor of the recently released fantasy collection, Tides Of Impossibility. (I’ve been writing about this collection lately because I am thrilled to be experimenting with this new genre and to be included in this diverse anthology.) C. Stuart Hardwick is an […]
Continue readingLessons Learned From an Author-a-go-go
It has been four days since I returned from my very first trip to Malice Domestic, and I have almost recovered. My brain is swimming with smiling faces and new ideas. I find myself telling any soul who will listen, including a polite dental hygienist who was trying to scrape off my plaque, that I […]
Continue readingBack Cover Dreams
When I was a tween, mass was a mystical celebration, but the bookstore was my secondary church. The colorful displays of award winners and best-sellers, the crisp pages and new-book smell, I loved them all. I would enjoy the cover art, read the blurbs and then turn over the books to drink in the tempting […]
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