Have you been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try the Lexy Cooper mystery series? There's no time like the...present. From December 7 through 11 the digital version of Schooled (Lexy Cooper 1) is absolutely FREE! What's Schooled about? Lexy Cooper is a Community Manager at Xenon Corporation, maker of the Xenon24/7 videogame console and... Continue Reading →
My new book is out!
This is a proud moment for me seeing the first three Lexy books under one cover. Also new: this one released in eBook and paperback simultaneously. The book is a big 'un: it runs over 600 pages and weighs more than 2 pounds. Slip one under the tree of your favorite reader. Super duper thanks to... Continue Reading →
Free Books!
In honor of the return to school, the first Lexy Cooper mystery is free this week. Download the Schooled eBook through September 6 for the price of sunshine! Here's what readers are saying about Schooled: “Filled with great characters, and a twisty-turney perfect murder mystery plot.” “Witty, empowering, and deeper than you think.” “Lexy is... Continue Reading →
Bringing out your dead: When to drop the first body.
Conventional wisdom dictates that mystery/crime novels offer up a body early on. Think about every episode of every incarnation of Law & Order. There's the discovery of the victim, then the iconic "DONK DONK" (also called the "clang") followed by the theme song/opening credits. Then the detectives are on scene and the process of discovering... Continue Reading →
Course Correction – When a work-in-progress isn’t working
Last week I wrote a long post lamenting the shitty state of my new novel Summer Wind. If you want to read the whole boohoo thing it's here. The short version is: It sucked. My main character Detective Mike Malick was stiff and uninteresting. One of the solutions I pondered was "Try switching to the... Continue Reading →
Why is this book taking so long to write?
My first novel, The Sleepless Nanny, took nine months to write. It wasn't a long book, or particularly complex. I wrote it for one hour each night, most of the time with a toddler on my lap. Second novel (Schooled)? Three months. Ditto with the third (Pwned). This, the fourth book, should be the quickest/easiest... Continue Reading →
Breadcrumbs: the art of leaving clues
Writing is hard. Anyone will tell you that. Just sitting down and squeezing your brainthoughts onto a page via your fingers freaking HURTS. And I'm sure that non-fiction has its own hellish idiosyncrasies and each genre no doubt has its unique challenges. Sci-Fi writers probably struggle to think of cool names for non-existent tech, and... Continue Reading →
Casting the Novel: Herding Your Characters
I always knew that at some point I would need to create some system for tracking characters in my Lexy Cooper series. I just didn't know it would happen this soon--by the third book. Actually if I'm honest, it would have been helpful to have something in place while I was writing Pwned, the second... Continue Reading →
Bad as I Wanna Be – Character or Heroine?
Lexy Cooper is the protagonist of my mystery series set in the videogame business. You'll notice I didn't use the word "heroine." There's a reason for that. She's not heroic. She's not a role model. I don't want Lexy to be a good girl. To always do the right thing. To know all the answers.... Continue Reading →
The side-effects of being a mystery writer
I write mystery novels. This is a fairly new occupation. I published the first book in the Lexy Cooper mystery series in November, the second is now in the process of being edited by the fabulous Marti McKenna and will be available in June, and I’m writing number three right now. (Okay, I’m procrastinating writing... Continue Reading →
