Most of us have driven through town and seen it—paint scrawled across a wall, a bridge, or the back of an abandoned building. Sometimes it’s just a few letters, other times it’s a full mural that makes you hit the brakes and stare. We lump it all together under one word: graffiti.
But not all graffiti is created equal.
Read MoreLet’s chat about a Spokane icon that keeps sneaking into my books: the Monroe Street Bridge.
Read MoreHello again from the world of crime and intrigue! This week, I wanted to share a little peek behind the curtain into one of the guiding principles that often shapes the way my detectives think: Occam’s Razor.
Read MoreI want to take a moment to be fully transparent with you about how I approach the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in my creative and professional work. Here’s what you can expect:
Read MoreFor the last couple of years, I’ve offered my e-books widely across multiple platforms like Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and my own website. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered a significant amount of fraudulent activity, with numerous attempts at processing fake credit card transactions through my store. This has been a frustrating and time-consuming issue, and it’s something that many independent authors are currently facing.
Read MoreIn a recent newsletter, I asked my readers two questions.
1. What is your favorite mystery series and who is it by?
2. Which of my mystery series do you like the best?
“There are three things you can’t do in cozy mysteries,” a well-known author once told me. “You can’t swear, you can’t have sexy stuff, and you can’t show violence on the page.”
Read MoreHere is some interesting news from a recent YouGov poll which proves how awesome my readers are!
46% of American adults read no books in 2023. Zero. Nada. Yipes!
Read MoreAs I write this, it’s currently 4° F. 🥶 We don’t have any snow in Spokane right now. I consider that a blessing. I haven’t skied in years and was never any good when I did. In fact, my first attempt at downhill ended up with me in a hospital and a several-inch scar under my knee.
Read MoreHappy New Year!
Well, the day after the new year. I figured you were busy yesterday and didn’t want to hear from me. Hopefully, you spent January 1st hangover free. I stopped drinking about a year and a half ago. I never drank a lot, but I was getting so many migraines that I was hoping to find a link.
Read MoreSammy Hagar is my favorite singer. I loved his work with Montrose and Van Halen, as well as his solo career. In fact, I paid homage to the Red Rocker by naming the Flip-Flop Detective after him.
Read MoreWriting a book doesn’t always look like a straight line or a race to the finish. Sometimes it’s like hiking up a steep mountain—a slow, steady pace with the hopes you’ll eventually make it to the peak.
Read MoreThe difference between failure and feedback is a willingness to continue.
As an independently published author, I spend a fair amount of time marketing myself and my books. This process includes a newsletter, social media, my blog, and paid advertising. Marketing is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to most folks—me included.
Read MoreHere’s something cool.
I recently finished reading Ross Macdonald’s THE WAY SOME PEOPLE DIE. It’s a Lew Archer novel written in 1951. I loved the book. It’s pace was quick and it had some excellent banter in it.
Read MoreThis is Desert Steve’s Gas ’N Go. Okay, not really.
But it was in the first Flip-Flop Detective novel, STRAIT TO HELL.
Read MoreCozy mysteries captivate readers and viewers alike with their intriguing blend of crime and comfort. They are a sub-genre of mystery novels that typically feature an amateur sleuth solving crimes in a small, tightly knit community, often with a touch of humor.
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I started tracking my annual reading. I did this after learning how important the most successful individuals valued reading. I wrote several posts over on my personal finance blog, The Bumbling Millionaire. When I stepped back from that project to focus on my crime fiction writing, I didn’t want to lose track of the annual reading list. It felt too important.
Read MoreA reader (Bryan) asked a question concerning the Cozy Up series. He wondered if the “Little Sister” nickname that U.S. Marshal Gayle Goodspeed call’s Beau was somehow related to True Grit. The question surprised me, and I asked why he believed it to have originated from there.
Read MoreMy flagship series, the 509 Crime Stories, recently had its covers upgraded. For some, that was a change to the title font. For others, that was a complete redo.
Read MoreIn August 2021, I released a double collection of short stories—Murder by Any Other Name and Black and Blue in the Lilac City. I dubbed both “509 Crime Short Stories” and created a series separate from the 509 Crime Stories.
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