M.L. Hamilton

☕✨ I’m back in the world of Zion Sawyer!

After the heavy themes of Escaping Enemies, it’s a breath of fresh air diving back into cozy mysteries. There’s just something about the quirky characters in Zion Sawyer’s world. 💛🔍

#CozyMystery #ZionSawyerMysteries #BookCommunity #MysteryAuthor #Booksky

I'm still struggling with time after moving the clocks. I hate it.

Two words. One letter. A whole journey. ✨📖

My titles aren’t just alliteration—they mirror the emotional path of my characters.

A title shouldn’t just sound good… it should feel right.
(Finding the right one can take forever 😅)

#BookTitles #Booksky #WritingLife #AuthorCommunity #CharacterJourney

There’s a location in Escaping Enemies that’s rooted in a macabre real-world history. 🗺️👁️

Think you know the place? Drop your guess! 👇
Let’s see who spots it. 😉

#booksky #EscapingEnemies #ThrillerBooks #MysteryReaders #DarkHistory #StoryInspiration #CrimeFictionCommunity #AmWriting #BookMystery

Heroes are great… but give me a charismatic villain any day. 😈
Crafting a three-dimensional antagonist is one of the most rewarding parts of writing.

Writers — which do you love bringing to life more: your hero or your villain?

#booksky #writingcommunity #authors #characterdevelopment #villains

They absolutely do.

Mystery writing is all about the twist 🔄. My dad gave me my first one—he told me to swap the “obvious” killer in Murder on Russian Hill for someone who seemed innocent but had the deeper motive. 💀📚

#booksky #MysteryFiction #WritingCommunity #CrimeWriters #PlotTwist #AuthorThoughts

As a mystery writer, I find myself doing some weird research.

For instance, Dorothea Puente still haunts Sacramento. She murdered 9 people and buried them in her backyard.

Modern DNA testing has helped close the book on killers like her. 🕵️‍♀️

#TrueCrime #Booksky #Justice #TrueCrimeHistory

Sunday Gratitude 🎃

I’m so thankful to spend my retirement from teaching with my four puppers—they’ve mastered the art of the Halloween party. 🐾👻

#Gratitude #RetirementLife #DogLovers #HalloweenVibes #booksky

Even after fifteen years and countless pages, I still wonder if this book might be the one I can’t finish. 😅
Yet somehow, the words always find their way.
Typing “The End” never gets old. 💻❤️

#booksky #writingcommunity #amwriting #authorlife #writersjourney #storytellers #creativeprocess

🎉 First draft of Escaping Enemies is complete!
Editing starts now — and I’m thrilled to share it with you soon.
Available December 1st in ebook, print, and audiobook formats. 📚🎧

#amwriting #amediting #writingcommunity #bookannouncement #comingsoon #EscapingEnemies #booksky

One chapter left in Escaping Enemies! 🖋️
Next stop: editing — the sedimentary layers every author must dig through to find the diamond beneath. 💎

#amediting #writingcommunity #authorlife #EscapingEnemies #booksky

Curious what everyone’s reading!

I’m reading Down in New Orleans by Heather Graham — it felt like the right pick after spending time in NOLA.

#CurrentlyReading #HeatherGraham #DownInNewOrleans #AmReading #BookChat #booksky

Answers: 1 and 3 are false, 2 is true.

Truth or Fiction? 🔍
I’ve posted three statements — one’s real, two might not be.

Think you can spot the truth?

Comment your best guess, and check back later for the reveal.

#TruthOrFiction #WritingCommunity #WritersOfBluesky #BookTalk #StoryGame #ReadersOfBluesky #booksky

The next Christmas Mystery novel, Escaping Enemies, will be published in all formats: eBook, print, and audiobook on December 1st.

Place your preorder now: www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXN62QJT

When I teach my From Plot to Print class, I always tell writers: start with the ending.

You don’t have to draft it yet—just know exactly how your story concludes.

A clear ending anchors your plot and keeps every scene on course.

#writingtips #writerslife #writingcommunity #storystructure #booksky

Gratitude moment 🌸 My backyard is my favorite spot — flowers in bloom, sunshine on my face, and the feeling of being home. I’m grateful for this small patch of earth I get to care for. 🌿

#Gratitude #NatureLover #PeacefulSpaces #HomeAndGarden #BloomSeason #SimpleJoy #booksky

Weekly writing progress: 2 more chapters complete! Caught a bunch of pesky little mistakes and rewrote a high-stakes action scene four times until it felt right. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

#Booksky #WritingCommunity #WIPUpdate #EditingLife #AuthorJourney #WritersOfBluesky

"Isaac Stern left his career in law enforcement when Natalie Mathews died in a motel room. Her killer escaped, but Isaac never stopped looking for him. When he hears that Atlas Finn is operating again, Isaac goes after him, but Finn also wants revenge on the man who pursued him for eight years."

I start my From Plot to Print class with one thing: an elevator pitch. 🛗

Authors should try to summarize their book in 100 words or less — it’s a lesson in precision and clarity. ✍️

Writers — do you use elevator pitches to sharpen your storytelling? 💭

#WritingCommunity #AuthorsOfBluesky #booksky

Subplots are where my stories start to breathe. Many of them quietly grow until they’re ready to step into the spotlight as main plots later in the series. I love letting conflicts unfold across multiple books
.
#WritingCommunity #WritersOfBluesky #StoryCraft #PlotDevelopmen #BookDiscussion #booksky

Wizards. Definitely wizards.

The littles have spoken: the recliner is theirs. I didn’t stand a chance. 😂🐾

#dogs #writinglife #authorlife #booksky

Wow! Absolutely gorgeous.

Blurbs are the hardest part about writing a book. Ugh.

Teaser Tuesday: a moment from Escaping Enemies where everything changes.

#TeaserTuesday #Mystery #Thriller #WritingCommunity #BookTeaser #booksky

Choosing a main character’s name can take days. For my Christmas Mystery series, I wanted something original yet meaningful.

Everleigh is a combination of Evelyn and Leigh, two women who inspired her life.

#ChristmasMysterySeries #CharacterDevelopment #EverleighBeckett #AuthorLife

Wow, that's such a good question. I still love the City and consider it home, and when I'm back in Pacifica, I'm reminded of how beautiful it is. I wish the City could find a humane, empathetic solution to the homeless problem, but I'm still proud to call it my City. What do you feel about it?

Exactly. I always get five stars with them.