Shelly Jones (they/them)

Amazing!! Congrats!

Proud to have a little weird, heartfelt piece in this issue. “Float. Sink. Tread. Swim.” is all about transformation, grief, and family. ❤️

Missing out on Left Coast Crime this weekend, but looking forward to AWP and Malice Domestic!

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A stack of Agatha Award Best First Novel nominees.

What great company! Many thanks to @maddieday.bsky.social for this great photo of the #AgathaAward nominees for Best First Novel. Looking forward to meeting everyone at #MaliceDomestic ❤️

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#GodotEngine #boardgames

Cover of "Trail Gone Dark" By Sophie Lyon and a granny square to match.

The book blanket continues with a K-9 mystery, "Trail Gone Dark" by Sophie Lyon. So far I've done a dozen squares and had to bust out a spreadsheet to keep things organized.

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There's a matter of a dead body and Chief Beth Cruise is taking it very seriously...

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #Mystery
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Thank you so much! Looking forward to my first Malice.

A book titled Something Prowling in Paradise Park has a rising moon behind the sharp stems of an agave, with a purple background, saguaro cacti, cliffs, and faint pawprints. Text says: Out March 2. Filled with twists, humor, and heart, Something Prowling in Paradise Park delivers the perfect blend of cozy mystery, female sleuth suspense, and found-family crime solving. Fans of J.A. Jance, Elly Griffiths, and Ann Cleeves will love this page-turner set against Arizona’s sunbaked secrets.

Former war correspondent Kate Tessler will be back soon!🕵️‍♀️
Three cases. One body. Zero chance of staying out of trouble.
With humor and high stakes, The Accidental Detective mysteries prove that danger and friendship don’t retire quietly.
tulepublishing.com/series/the-a...
#ReadzTule #books #mystery

The weird and wonderful things that come to life out of my husband's brain. Such cool art!

I would absolutely play a game featuring this cutie. #art #gameart #HumanArt

Love his little nose. <boop>

Board game of Clue

Had my students play #Clue today in preparation for their Clue(re)do assignment in which they modernize the classic game featuring a setting/cast/weapons of their choice. One group marveled at the older copy I had bought at the thrift store (which is the same version I played as a kid).
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Oh awesome! Thank you so much!

Charlie’s Pick - Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective - A deep dive into Victorian London! Solve the case by doing what Sherlock does best: interview suspects, search newspapers for clues, and use your wits to put it all together.

Esther’s Pick - Mysterium - In this cooperative seance-themed game, one player takes on the role of a ghost, giving cryptic clues to the other players so they can solve the ghost’s murder. A delightful deduction based party game.

Pip’s Pick - The Animals of Baker Street - A cooperative deduction game featuring the real detectives of Baker Street: the cute animals! With six cases to solve, there’s a lot of replayability here in this game for the whole family.

#PlayMoreGames

Wren Winters and her friends love to play games, and maybe even solve a mystery or two... Check out these great mystery-themed board games to play with your besties today!

Wren’s Pick - The Sherlock Files - Three mysteries to solve in one little box! Draw clues to learn about the case, but be careful! Some might be red herrings... A quick and satisfying mystery that can be played solo or with with your fellow detectives.

Jo’s Pick - MicroMacro - Solve crimes by studying a dizzying Where’sWaldo-esque map to find the clues. A great pick for those who love pouring over a puzzle on a rainy day.

What could be cozier than reading a mystery on a chilly winter's day (especially with six more weeks of winter in the forecast...)? Playing a mystery themed board game, of course! Here are some great recommendations that will have you playing detective in no time.

#boardgames
#gamenight
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Thanks so much for the suggestions! Adding them to my ever growing TBR pile.

I just asked a librarian friend and apparently the "Notify Me" tag in Libby also functions as a "Recommend this title to your library to consider" tag. So maybe with enough tags, we can make it happen! 😊

January Reads with 6 book covers

January Reads with 6 book covers

Started off the new year with a slew of mysteries and thrillers. I've been reading some slightly darker/less cozy mysteries to help get me into the mindset as I write my next novel, which (spoilers!) isn't a cozy. Any good suggestions out there for my February reads?

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Thank you for writing it! :-)

Granny squares are super quick to whip up...but I'm not looking forward to weaving in the ends (my least favorite part of any fiber arts work in progress!). 😆

2026 Book Blanket Beginnings - a granny square with the cover of "A Borrowing of Bones" by Paula Munier

Decided to create a #bookblanket this year! Here's one of the first granny squares I've made to correspond with "A Borrowing of Bones" by @paulamunier.bsky.social - a thrilling mystery that had me itching to lace up my hiking boots and hit the Lye Brook trails again. #ReadingIsResistance

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Hey Cuties, Your favorite research queen here. If you ever need more information about a game, www.boardgamegeek.com is a great resource. From how long the game takes, to how many players it supports, this site has all the info. You can even ask other gamers in the forum for their recommendations or clarifications on rules. This is also a great place to discover what new games are trending. See you at the Cardboard Sheep soon! Mwah, Esther

At the end of my books, I include blog posts by the characters, sharing real-life boardgame resources. In "Player Elimination" research queen Esther had to post about @boardgamegeek.com - the ultimate source for finding out more about a specific game and so much more!

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Thanks, Liz, for all that you do! ❤️

YouTube video by Beyond Solitaire Thoughts from a Minnesota Gamer

I don't like being this vulnerable in public but I also felt like I had to say something. youtu.be/1qlEn8ob2ns

Board Game Beat LLC | W. Eric Martin Tabletop and board game journalism with deep-dive news, reviews, interviews, videos, and essays, plus rulebook writing and editing services.

Board Game Beat is officially launched & loaded with content...with more to come as I report on Spielwarenmesse!

If you're into independent board game journalism—articles, videos, interviews, news, reviews & more—please check it out and share.

www.wericmartin.com

#boardgame #spielwarenmesse

Love everything about this. Super cute!

A red background with white text listing the Agatha Awards for 2026.

The mystery writing community has been so welcoming and continues to amaze me. I am so proud to be part of this community. I can't wait to write the next book, cheer on my fellow writers, and welcome future new voices into the genre. Congrats to all the #AgathaAward nominees!

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Don't forget to leave a review for the indie games you've enjoyed! Also non-mass market authors.

Blue background with snow. "Snowed in? Cozy up with a new mystery series" - the covers of the Wren Winters mystery series

Snowed in this weekend? Why not curl up with a new book or two? It's the perfect time to check out the whole Wren Winters cozy mystery series. Bonus! "Murder, She Rolled" e-book is on sale until 1/25.

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#snowedin #ReadNowShovelLater #cozymystery

tulepublishing.com/series/a-wre...