My mother would have been delighted with this blog post. Three of her favorite things in life were: Mystery books Baking Christmas She was an avid reader of all things mystery, but she vastly preferred cozy mysteries over the psychological thrillers I was writing at the time. (Although to her credit, and much to my […]
Michele's Musings
The Story Behind the Story: “The Murder Before Christmas”
I never dreamed Charlie Kingsley would become such a major force in my life. I was in my twenties when I first had the glimmering of the idea that would eventually become It Began With a Lie. At the time, I thought it was going to be a one-off, standalone book, focused mainly on Becca […]
The Story Behind the Story: “The Third Nanny”
Once I finished the bulk of the work for The Reckoning so it would be ready for a December launch, I found myself at a bit of a loss. I wasn’t sure what my next project would be. I had a couple of ideas but they didn’t feel ready yet. For me at least, once […]
The Story Behind the Story: “The Reckoning”
I never planned to write this book. That isn’t to say the story wouldn’t have been told—it definitely would have. But it would have been wrapped up in one book in my Secrets of Redemption series rather than two. However, the moment the story downloaded into me back in April 2020, I knew Charlie’s story […]
The Story Behind the Story: “The Summoning”
After I published The Evil That Was Done, I got to work on a new series. While I had a vague idea for a fourth Secrets of Redemption book, it was still a little hazy, and I thought it would be smart to write a new series. Alas, I found myself really struggling with the […]
The Writer’s Journey: Your Guide to Writing During a Global Pandemic
Shakespeare allegedly wrote King Lear while under quarantine. (And he didn’t even have a typewriter back then, much less a computer. He had to write everything by hand!) So, you should have no trouble getting that book done, right? (You know–the one you’ve been talking about forever.) You’re stuck at home anyway, so why not […]
5 Reasons Why We LOVE Ghost Stories
Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned ghost story? Whether it’s something scary around Halloween, or a frightening tale shared late at night around a campfire, ghost stories have been around for as long as humans have been telling stories. In fact, I’m such a fan of ghost stories that I created a whole series that combines […]
The Story Behind the Story: “The Evil That Was Done”
The Evil That Was Done is the third book in my award-winning Secrets of Redemption series (it also had the title “What Was Done,” more on that below). It has the distinction of being the first third book in my first series. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like writing a series, I […]
Quiz: What Does Your TBR Pile Say About Your Personality?
TBR – To Be Read. Every reader has one of these piles. Maybe it consists of stacks of books on your nightstand, or hundreds of eBooks in your Kindle, or audio files in your iPhone. What does yours say about you as a person? Let’s dig in and find out. 1. Which of the following […]
Top 5 Reasons Why Mixed-Genre Novels Are Best
Before I was an author, I was a reader. I read A LOT of books over the years. (In fact, I taught myself to read at three years old because I wanted to write stories so badly.) And, one of the things I realized early on is that I prefer books that mix genres over […]