This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Why would anyone travel to the United States’ most visited location during the December holidays? I’m the ‘off the beaten track’ type, so this question crossed my mind several times last weekend. I’d traveled with four good friends who’d once all lived close to each other. Now, one … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. On September 16, a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Jini Amini traveled with her father and brother from Iran’s Kurdistan region to visit Tehran. Mahsa had covered her hair and wore a long black burqa over her body. However, a strolling group of morality police glimpsed trousers they considered … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last week, I had the pleasure of celebrating Diwali, an Indian holiday that threatens to become as well-known in the U.S. as Halloween is now in Asia. Diwali awareness has risen to such a level that Amazon sells Diwali lights, and the New York Times published a Diwali … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. It’s been raining for approximately one week in Maryland. First came the side effects from Hurricane Ian, and now we are in the windy grip of a Nor’ Easter. So much rain is tedious, but getting my head wet on a dog walk is nothing compared to the situations suffered … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’m filing this dispatch from Minnesota, where I’ve arrived early for a mystery convention. The last two Bouchercon gatherings of 2020 and 2021 were virtual, making this year’s gathering in Minneapolis especially tempting to me, not only to see mystery friends but to revisit the beautiful “City of … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. The longer I spend as a writer, the more the profession teaches me. It’s only recently that I’ve figured out that the more important part of building my novels happens when I’m editing them. That’s not to say I want rather be an editor, rather than a creative … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I consider myself tolerant of heat. Yet over the last few days, I’ll admit that the air in Baltimore, Maryland, has felt like a poison gas sauna. And it’s not just me. Even Daisy, my energetic Yorkshire terrier, refuses to take a walk. At the same time, the … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. What makes a perfect writing room? Or better yet—an ideal writer’s house? Because I love rooms almost as much as books, this is a question I’ve pondered for years. In my childhood in Minnesota, and during college in Baltimore, I could think of nowhere better to write than … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. About two years ago, I started work on a new book in the Perveen Mistry historical mystery series. The beginning is a lot of fun. Searching for historical events and themes to explore is typically a magical period of big dreaming. To coax out story ideas, I reach … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. This week, I request the pleasure of your company for tea and conversation at The Bangalore Detectives Club. This ‘club’ is a gathering of sleuths who populate Harini Nagendra‘s dynamic historical mystery set in 1920s India. If you fancy the idea of tracking a murder mystery through a … Read more