MISS DEMEANORS

I was thrilled to ask the Miss Demeanors this absolutely original and inspired question: What are your writerly New Year resolutions? Keenan Mine is to read more outside of traditional mystery. I’m currently writing a gothic psych thriller, or think I am, so as the year goes by, I will read more of them.  (I’m open to suggestions.) Completely outside of the mystery genre, I’m currently listening to Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes, which is included in the Audible plan. I haven’t read anything by her before but she’s quite popular so I was curious. So far, so good. It’s women’s fiction, about a young Irish woman living in New York City who is packed off to rehab by her family. But funny in a Bridget Jones kind of way. Right now, I could use funny. Also I’m open to suggestions on funny reading. Connie Your writerly question, if not original, is at least traditional. We all make resolutions at this time of year, and most of us break them within two weeks (or am I speaking only of myself??). I am resolving this year to have a finished manuscript in three months’ time, plus a stand-alone pretty well laid […]

As the world continues to implode, I had to postpone my travel plans. Yet again. But nothing can keep me from my vacation reading.

I like receiving books as gifts, and the holiday season was a bounty of books which I am excited to share as good reads to start the year.

Happy New Year! This is my first blog post of 2022. A-n-d…writing it doesn’t feel any different than writing a blog post in 2021. Honestly, so far 2022 does not feel dramatically different than 2021. No earth-shaking revelations, no epiphanies, no existential paradigm shifts. Realistic Expectations and Fond Hopes Luckily for me, I didn’t really expect to wake up January 1 and find the world transformed. I consider myself a hopeful realist. Life is not a movie or a novel. In fact, that’s part of the appeal of fiction. Creating it, we can order the world the way we want it to be and change it at will. Consuming it, we can choose works that offer us worlds that we want to live in instead of the one we actually live in. Moving Forward None of this is to say that I’m depressed or pessimistic about 2022. Rather than a do-over, I see this year as a chance to move forward. I can look back at what didn’t turn out the way I wanted and, for those things that are in my control, I can make the conscious decision to change the circumstances and behaviors that led to undesirable outcomes. […]

I’m not altruistic. I just don’t write well when I am feeling very, very sad.

I’ve always dreamed of celebrating New Year’s Eve in Vienna, listening to the Philharmonic playing Strauss waltzes. Possibly waltzing around myself. Of course, between the pandemic and the difficulty of getting tickets, that’s not looking so good for this year, but a person can dream. (You can, however, listen to the program on WQXR.) I asked my fellow Miss Demeanors what their fantasy New Year’s would look like, and this is what they said. Tracee: I’m not a big New Year’s Eve party person but I did spend a magical New Year’s Eve in St Moritz and would repeat it! Plenty of snow on the ground and everyone gathered around the lake to watch fireworks. Very lovely and fun and peaceful all at the same time! Alexia: I fantasize about going to bed early and waking up January 1 to find that 2022 is less of a 💩 show than 2020 and 2021. Connie: Susan, your fantasy came true for my cousin’s father-in-law, a cardiologist. After his wife of many years died, he met a fascinating woman, the widow of a diplomat, who’d spent most of her life traveling the world. The first Christmas they were married, they spent NYE […]

This New Year’s Eve will be especially exciting for me. First, because 2022 HAS to be better than 2021 was, right? We’ll be getting COVID under control, either through vaccinations or growing immunity, and soon we’ll have more options open for socialization and entertainment—at least I hope so. And there will be a ton of fabulous new mystery novels ready for publication, including Emilya’s Behind the Lie, coming February 8! The second reason I’m excited for 2022 is because book 2 in my Fin Fleming Sea Adventures Thriller series of books is coming out on January 31.  I love the main character in this series. Fin Fleming is a very accomplished underwater photographer, but she has trouble achieving the recognition she deserves because someone stole her work and then accused her of plagiarism. She also struggles with self-esteem and feelings of abandonment.  All the books in the series are rollicking adventures and mystery/thriller books, but the real underlying theme is Fin’s struggle to find acceptance and a sense of family. You’ll have to read the books to find out what sets her heroine’s journey in motion. Here’s the back cover copy for Sunken Death: A few months after a death in her […]

My husband and I awoke early last Monday morning to eight inches of new snow in northern Wisconsin. It happened silently, overnight—a thick white blanket, erasing details and muffling sounds. For a moment, I marveled at the sight. Then, because I’m a writer, I thought about how snowfall can conceal footprints and other evidence of a murder….

Darkness is tough. It’s bleak. Endless.