This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. It seems like yesterday, but it was last summer. I was dutifully working on edits when I got a surprising email. My editor, Juliet, had informed me about a Christmas mystery short story anthology scheduled for October 2017. Soho Press authors writing mysteries set in different parts of … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I thought I was done with babies fifteen years ago. But there’s a baby in our Baltimore house again—a fur-baby. The adventure began when my college student daughter was scrolling Facebook and found a frantic post from a woman overwhelmed with four children and two dogs. The … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. One of my favorite parts of a recent India trip was staying at the City Palace in Udaipur. This is the seat of the Mewar kingdom—a dynasty of Rajput kings who were never conquered by the Moghals or British. Mewar joined with other Rajput kingdoms in northern India … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. As noted recently in The Washington Post, now is a bad time to be afraid of clowns. Because they are everywhere. Pennywise the Dancing Clown features in the film It, based on Stephen King’s famous book. And when I tuned into the FX program American Horror Story Season 7, I found more … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I cannot call myself a native Baltimorean. However, I’ve spent almost two-thirds of my life in this so-called “Charm City,” so I call myself one by conversion. I love my town. When I arrived here fresh off the plane for college, I believed I was going to a … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. In the height of summer, a heap of imperfectly gorgeous tomatoes rest on my kitchen island. They beseech me to touch them and make something great. The obvious thing would be to make a lush sauce—but it’s 90 degrees outside, and I’m not in the mood for cozy … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A week ago Sunday, I sat in a crowded conference room in Bethesda and listened to a few comparison of novels to toothpaste. When you go looking for toothpaste at the drugstore, what would you think if your favorite one was missing—because Proctor & Gamble hadn’t felt inspired … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Summer driving trips are on an upswing. Why not? Gas is cheap, and it’s often faster to drive to nearby state than to fly or take the train. Feeling all these things, plus a desire for a short summer road trip, I packed up the Highlander Hybrid and … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A week ago, I walked down to the consignment shop near my house and picked up a fashion mystery. The mystery came in the form of a long dress of purple-blue printed silk crepe lined in cotton. The stitching was minute and clearly done by hand. Examining … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last week, I got caught in a perfect storm: hot weather and hotter books. I was in New York City for BookExpo—once known as BEA, or Book Expo America. Starting this year, the show’s name was shortened to emphasize the global nature of the event. BookExpo is … Read more