Day Two of Mysti being a Comic Con widow. All this pointless melancholy will fade once I start writing.
Read moreComic Con Widow, Day One
There are many things I cannot make my husband understand. Math. The fact that microbes and diseases do not have a five-second rule. How computers work. The thing I have most failed at getting him to understand is how hotels work. They do not like checking you in at 8am. They will if they can,…
Read moreShoutout to the Daily Kos
Thank you for mentioning LOW DOWN DIRTY VOTE! Daily Kos
Read moreThe people have the power
Just got back from a demonstration at San Francisco’s City Hall, which is kitty-corner to one of the Federal Buildings. We had chants. We had choppers overhead. We had local news anchors shooting B roll, and I assume, chatting with people on the street. But mostly, we had each other, and the knowledge that with…
Read moreBouchercon 2024: It’s the books, stupid
I hope you all recognize the James Carville quote from 1992–I’m not calling anyone stupid! Bouchercon 2024 was about the books in so many ways: Despite the issues, it was grand to see everyone! The organizers worked very hard in some very challenging circumstances and I’m grateful for their efforts. To follow up on a…
Read moreBetter than Boycotts: human rights offset
Have you been sad because your favorite conference is being held in a state that has outlawed healthcare for trans people, restricted voting rights, or attempted to outlaw perfectly safe and sane reproductive healthcare medications and procedures? Do you feel like you can’t go without supporting the fascists intent on dismantling American democracy? Yeah, me…
Read moreFarewell, Left Coast Crime 2023
My husband snores gently on the hotel bed behind me. The hotel hallways are mostly empty, the staff still cheerful after four days of writers and readers running them ragged. In a small room off the main hall, organizers are already prepping for next year. And I am having all the feels. * Grateful for…
Read more…And (1/72 Of) The Award Goes To…
A book with my one-page contribution is now a 2022 Macavity, Anthony, and Agatha award winner for crime non-fiction! How to Write a Mystery, edited by Lee Child and Laurie R. King, is not an EGOT but definitely an MAA. Kudos to the writers and editors of this MWA handbook. I think this makes me…
Read moreThe Party’s Over: ThrillerFest 2022
Folks are streaming out of New York and back to their home towns this bright Sunday morning. The maids work hard cleaning the rooms up and down the hall as I type, sequestered away from the world for one more day, waiting to see if these are allergy symptoms or a Covid infection coming on….
Read moreTravel: when your love for something dies
After family, there are two things I absolutely love most in the world: travel, and San Francisco (and cask-strength single-malt whiskey). With this latest trip to New York City for the Thrillerfest conference, my love of travel is on life support. Or, maybe it’s dead and I just can’t admit it. I feel a sort…
Read more