Chicks on the Case

Sleuth, Author, Villain, Brat: Where are Your Fave Kid Characters Now? Lisa here, with exclusive life updates on 8 bratty but beloved characters from kid lit classics. Many of them grew up to be (spoiler!) bona fide members of the mystery community. Did your childhood…

Ever wonder what your first favorite main characters are up to now? Ramona Quimby? Eloise? Lizzie McGuire? Bess from Nancy Drew? Check out Lisa Q Mathews adorable homage to the fictional heroines we grew up with, today at Chicks on the Case! 👇

Guest Chick: Mariah Fredericks Leslie here, with a warm welcome to fab writer Mariah Fredericks, whose most recent mystery, The Girl in the Green Dress, released just a few months ago. Today she brings us a beautiful piece about…

Today at Chicks on the Case: Mariah Fredericks talks about the importance of having writer friends and remembers mystery author Triss Stein in a super touching post that makes us want to have group hug. #amwriting #amreading #mysteryreads @mariahfredericks.bsky.social

Cold Case of the Missing Christmas Villagers: 2025 Update Perched at my kitchen counter with a mug of late morning coffee as I delete endless marketing pleas from every retailer I failed to stroll or scroll past fast enough, I’m in the depths of hol…

How's *your* holiday prep going? Chick Lisa talks about her favorite holiday obsession -- er, I mean, decoration, and how her village seems to be missing some villagers.

Guest Chick: Melissa Westemeier We’re happy to welcome Melissa to the blog! The Abbey and its cozy community is such a great setting! Community Matters in Dropped Like a Bad Habit A favorite cozy mystery trope of mine is a …

Today on the blog: Guest Chick Melissa Westemeier @mwestemeier.bsky.social talks about settings — and nuns! — in her new release, DROPPED LIKE A BAD HABIT. (Great title, Melissa!)

Guest Chick: Catriona McPherson Leslie here, with a very grand welcome to our beloved Catriona McPherson, whose Last Ditch Motel series, set in a fictional–not Davis at all!–Northern California town has tickled this C…

Today on the blog, the funny and fabulous Catriona McPherson talks about the serendipity of travel. Come along for the fun as she introduces book 8 in her Last Ditch Motel series!

Guest Chick: Cynthia Ellingsen Please join us in welcoming Cynthia Ellingsen, bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper and The Lost Letters of Aisling. Her latest book, The Cut of the Moon, is out now! Lately, I’ve spent much…

Today on the blog, author Cynthia Ellingsen: "People say, Don’t live in the past. I don’t – I like being right here – but at the same time, I do love the freedom to skip back and forth while writing and reading dual timeline novels."
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The Best Book Hardly Anyone Reads There’s a meme going around Facebook these days showing a sign in a bookstore that says “Shoplifters will be forced to read James Joyce’s Ulysses.” I get the joke; really, I do. (Even Louise Penny …

What is the best book hardly anybody reads? Today on the blog, author Leslie Karst makes a strong case for more ambitious reading! chicksonthecase.com/2025/11/17/t...

Isn’t that name already taken?! When I was writing my first book, Terror in Taffeta, Kelsey’s best friend and wedding photographer sidekick was named Brody. Just Brody. I wrote the entire book without giving him a last name. Even…

Have you ever seen a character in a book whose name is suspiciously familiar? Like, pop-star familiar? Today on the blog, Marla Cooper, author of the Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding Mysteries, spills about this seldom-talked-about phenomenon that really should probably have *its* own name.

Guest Chick: Mindy Quigley How excited are we Chicks to host amazing author and friend Mindy Quigley today? Mindy’s fifth title in the delicious Deep Dish Mystery series, AT DEATH’S DOUGH, has just been published…

Book giveaway!! Stop by Chicks on the Case to win a copy of Mindy's Quigley's latest cozy mystery, AT DEATH'S DOUGH, part of the Deep Dish Mystery Series.
#cozymystery #bookgiveaway #booksky #cozyreads
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Recipes From the Grave – Literally. Hi all, Ellen here! Crescent City Christmas Chaos, my fourth Vintage Cookbook Mystery, launches in a week – 11/4, to be exact – and there’s an important plot point built around pr…

"Where'd you get that yummy carrot cake recipe?"
"Ummmmm.... funny story...."
Would you make a recipe you saw on a headstone? Today on the blog, Chick Ellen Byron talks to Rosie Grant, author of To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes. #amreading #cozymystery #recipes #booksky #cozyrecipes

Chick Chat: Characters can surprise you! We Chicks have created – and continue to create – a vast array of characters. We think we know them pretty well. But sometimes a character is more fun to write than we thought they&#821…

Ever have one of those characters who surprise you because they're just so fun to write? We have! The Chicks reveal their favorite characters — today on the blog! #cozymystery #booksky #amreading #amwriting #mysteryreads #cozyreads

Guest Chick: Kathleen Donnelly I recently retired as a K-9 handler. The company I co-owned and worked for, Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines, had friendly dogs (usually Labs) that helped detect and deter drugs, alcohol and gunpo…

Today on the blog, romantic suspense author Kathleen Donnelly talks about her work with Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines — and she's giving away a copy of her Harlequin suspense release, COLORADO K-9 RESCUE! Check it out and drop a comment to enter! #bookgiveaway #romsus #harlequin

Guest Chick: Skye Griffith & #Giveaway We’re excited to welcome new guest, Skye, to our blog! She sets her Archaeologist Aideen Connor Mysteries in the American Southwest. Just check out the gorgeous photos below! Back Country Adv…

Today on the blog, Skye Griffith talks about the American Southwest — plus, she's giving away a copy of BONE HASH to one lucky reader! Come check it out and leave a comment to enter to win. #mysteryreads #booksky #bookgiveaway

Go As Alice: Ghosts of Halloween Costumes Past Whether you fill giant bowls with candy in hopes of trick-or-treaters at your door—or hide in your living room with the lights off—you know they’re out there: gleeful, greedy goblins dressed in cos…

Today on the blog, Lisa reminisces about her favorite go-to Halloween costume. (Hint: it involves a flamingo.) What's yours?

Thank you, kind sir! 👻🎃🍁

🎃 Welcome to Spooky Season Maybe it’s because I was born in October, but I’ve always had a penchant for all things spooky, paranormal, and slightly macabre. When the weather starts dropping and the pumpkin spice lattes appea…

That time I blogged about how I love Spooky Season and most of the responses were, "Nah, pass." WHAT?!? Where all all my fall / October / Halloween / Spooky Season lovers out there? WHO WILL DEFEND MY HONOR?!#spookyseason #cozymystery #booksky

Guest Chick: Laura Jensen Walker We’re so happy to welcome back Laura Jensen Walker, who will put you in the holiday spirit, even if it’s still September! Thanks so much for having me back on the Chicks, Ellen! “I will…

Today may be the first day of spooky season, but author Laura Jensen Walker is already getting into a whole other holiday spirit! Come join us on the blog at Chicks on the Case to hear about her fabulous new holiday release, All The Christmas Feels!
#cozymystery #holidayreads

Follow Michelle at @michellechouinard.bsky.social and learn more about her series, her obsession with walking tours, haunted toilets and more over at Chicks on the Case! And now for some hashtags: #cozymystery #amreading #booksky #cozyreads #mysteryreads #amateursleuth

Guest Chick: Michelle Chouinard Marla here. I’m thrilled to welcome Michelle Chouinard to the blog today as she celebrates the release of book two in The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco series, starring Capri Sanz…

"Hello, my name is Michelle, and I’m addicted to city walking tours—an addiction that recently delivered me into the waiting clutches of a haunted toilet." Come hear the rest of the story from the fabulous Michelle Chouinard, author of the Serial-Killer Guide to SF series!

Guest Chick: Elle Marr Please join us in giving a very warm welcome to today’s guest chick: Elle Marr, author of The Missing Sister,  Lies We Bury,  Strangers We Know, The Family Bones, The Alone Time, Your Dark Se…

Book giveaway alert! Today on the blog, thriller author Elle Marr takes us behind the scenes of her new book,THE LIE SHE WEARS — and one lucky reader will win a copy! #mystery #cozymystery #booksky #bookgiveaway

Guest Chick: Debra Bokur When I was a kid – a mere second-grader, to be precise — the adults in my life labeled me as “unpredictable.” These things tend to stick, of course, and I’m still teased at family gatherings. You c…

Today on the blog, author Deborah Bokur confesses why she got kicked out of Girl Scouts -- and how it helped her become an author! Stop by and say hi and learn more about her dark paradise mysteries!

Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha – and California! Happy National Cozy Mystery Day to all who observe – which is a lot of us. September 15th was chosen to honor the genre because it’s the birthday of the legendary mystery author, Agatha…

Happy Cozy Mystery Day — AKA Agatha Christie's birthday! Ellen Byron talks about the Queen of Mystery and shares some fun facts about the State of California, the setting of Ellen's own fabulous cozy series, the Golden Motel Mysteries. @ellenbyronla.bsky.social #cozymystery #cozyreads #amreading

Talk to Me Dialogue can make or break a story. Would you agree? There are so many rules to writing good dialogue. Characters have to sound different enough from each other that readers would know who’s speaki…

Today on the blog, Patricia Sargeant talks opening lines, dialogue rules, and, how "I was promised chocolate" ended up being the first line of the first book in her Peach Coast Library Mysteries. #cozymystery #booksky #amreading #amwriting #cozyreads Follow her at: @patriciasargeant.bsky.social

Guest Chick: Susan McCormick A warm welcome today to Susan McCormick, fab author of the Fog Ladies mystery series. Today she’s talking mothers and sons, the subject of her new suspense book, The Room at the End of the Ha…

Today on the blog, Guest chick Susan McCormick talks about mother/son duos and her new book, The Room at the End of the Hall.
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Follow Shelly at @shellyjones.bsky.social

Guest Chick: Shelly Jones #Giveaway Today we Chicks are excited to welcome fabulous debut author Shelly Jones and their just-pubbed mystery PLAYER ELIMINATION, set in the world of–board games! Lisa enjoyed meeting Shelly in per…

Book giveaway alert! Come check out Guest Chick Shelly Jones, and enter to win a free book and cute swag! Shelly is the debut author of PLAYER ELIMINATION. Check out her book and comment to win! #mysteryauthor #debutauthor #bookgiveaway #booksky

The Case of the Last-Minute Conference Attendee Why I almost skipped the biggest mystery conference in the U.S. — and why I changed my mind. (Spoiler alert: it’s about the community!) Now, who’s with me?

Pack your bags, the Chicks are headed to New Orleans! Marla Cooper dishes on why she bought a last minute ticket to one of her favorite #mystery conferences. If you're looking for writing community, Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime and Malice are where to find it! #booksky #cozymystery #cozymysteries

Go follow Christina at: @christinaestes.bsky.social

Guest Chick: Christina Estes Today the Chicks are pleased to welcome back Christina Estes, winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in The Southwest for Off the Air. The sequel, The Story That Wouldn’t Die…

"When I wrote The Story That Wouldn’t Die, I never imagined it might make my real job awkward. But here we are." Christina Estes shares how her series about a reporter who uncovers secrets tied to City Hall took on new meaning once she started working at... City Hall.
#mystery #cozymystery #booksky

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