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. 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. Jamshedi Navroz Mubarak! According to the old Persian calendar, March 20 or 21 is the day that the new year named Navroze, Navroz, Nawrooz, and various other spellings is welcomed. This observance mostly celebrated by Zoroastrians—the group inside known as Parsi; Bahai worshippers; and Sunni Muslims with roots … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Throughout December, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are always in my shopping cart. I first wrote about this peculiar passion three years ago, yet I couldn’t resist returning to the topic this year. And the nuts made me contemplate whether traditions can shift a bit and still feel comforting. This … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. A Thanksgiving movie is as much of a tradition for me as the cooking. When I used to return from Baltimore to St. Paul, Minnesota, in November, my sisters and mom and I always endeavored to find a special film to watch at an art house theater like … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Mixed families often double their holidays. Which means the culinary options are rather excellent. Take Christmas. I grew up the daughter of a German mother who still makes hundreds of beautiful cookies each year. I have learned to bake some of these cookies, but I can’t hold a … Read more
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. A few decades ago, when I was on a father-daughter trip to India, I came fact to face with my future. Not my sweet husband (although plenty of people I met on that trip offered to find me one). That fateful evening in March, 1989, I suddenly … Read more