At Christmas, many re-watch Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. On the 4th of July, visiting national monuments is a common tradition. Halloween’s approach puts a lot of people in the mood to dive into some horror, and for my money, reading a scary novel is the best way to do that. I’m going to…
A Note from Alice Blanchard Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover? I love this cover. It combines all the elements of my Natalie Lockhart mystery series in a single image. A lake cloaked in mist and snow. A woman determined to uncover the string of murders that has crippled her…
Fiction writers (which includes film writers) complain that there is nothing new to write about. Apparently all the storylines, characters, plot points, and scenes have already been invented. Which I agree does sound dire. But the situation is even worse than that—they forget to mention that there is only one narrative plot. One story. I’ll…
It’s hard to fathom the confusion of an old west gunfight until you’ve seen a firearm loaded with a full black powder charge spit a round downrange. It’s a full-body experience—shockwaves from the controlled explosion punch your chest, ears ring from the weapon’s report, and billowing thick smoke obscures everything. Only when this haze clears…
A cozy mystery offers a comfort read that allows you to tap into your inner sleuth. It also includes a close (and usually quirky) community. Is there anything better than a pleasant whodunit? Yes, a cozy with a food theme. Culinary cozies, as they’re known, have mouthwatering descriptions and sometimes include tantalizing recipes in the…
In my next book, The Lies I Tell, I explore the world of con artist Meg Williams. However, I also dive deep into the mind and professional desires of investigative journalist Kat Roberts, a woman whose career was derailed by Meg, and who now wants revenge of her own. I spent a lot of time…
For decades, patrons of the New Orleans landmark restaurant Commander’s Palace were greeted by the beaming smile of proprietor Ella Brennan. Prompted by her leadership, the quaint Victorian eatery perched on a picturesque corner of the Garden District across the street from a centuries-old cemetery became an award-winning purveyor of Creole haute cuisine. Ella was…
Writers use many things to subtly establish a character’s personality in a story. The type of clothing a character chooses to wear can paint a vivid picture of the character’s persona, as does the way they style their hair, the type of car they drive, where they live, and how they decorate their home. Their…
All the titles in my Kinship Mystery Series, inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff in 1925, have co-narrators. In each novel, Sheriff Lily Ross shares her investigations from her point of view. She’s joined by a co-narrator in each novel who might just have a different perspective on Lily and on Lily’s case and,…
Curfew was a strange book to write. When I told people what I was working on—that I was writing a novel about a near-future Britain in which all men are electronically tagged and not allowed out after 7 P.M.—women would laugh, and men would turn pale and ask me if I was serious. Like so…
