Lunch on Friday followed the agents and editors panels. There I am seated between James W. Hall and Randy Rawls. As Chapter President, I went up to the podium and gave a warm welcome to the crowd. I thanked our conference chairs, Vicki Landis and Joanne Sinchuk, for their superb job in making the conference … Read more
Friday morning at SleuthFest began the editor and agent panels. Here’s a summary. AGENTS Kristyn Keene likes women’s fiction, thrillers, crime fiction. Mel Berger likes an “important” book or one that has potential for being a commercial success, including romance and thrillers. Victoria Skurnick is looking for “great” books with a unique voice. No sf/fantasy. … Read more
SleuthFest Thursday, February 26, 2015 Thursday at SleuthFest is a day of special workshops. I got there after lunch and ended up at The Art of Embalming talk by George Rafaidus from Ford Funeral Home in Michigan. Attendees were treated to slides and descriptions of the embalming process, plus other behind-the-scenes details of how funeral … Read more
My husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day in downtown Fort Lauderdale. We strolled by a display of art for sale near the Riverside Hotel. It was an event called “Hearts on Parade” as a benefit for Children’s Home Society of Florida. These hearts are available to buy at http://www.ebay.com/usr/heartsonparade We ate dinner at the French … Read more
One of the topics I’d researched for Hair Raiser was pre-need funeral plans. I firmly believe people should address this issue before their demise. It saves your loved ones from having to make these choices during a difficult time. You get to choose what you want, and when the time comes, all your heirs have … Read more
Last weekend, we attended a family wedding. It was a lovely affair at a country club. Look at this cake. Isn’t it worthy of the one in Shear Murder? And note the floral centerpieces have orchids that play a central role in my story. I got to see my cousins, and my … Read more
Back in 2000, when I wrote Hair Raiser, I was interviewed about the story. I’m repeating it here so you can see some of the thoughts I had at the time. First tell us anything you want us to know about Hair Raiser. Here’s the story blurb: When hairstylist Marla Shore volunteers for a fund-raiser … Read more
HAIR RAISER A Bad Hair Day Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen Hairstylist Marla Shore volunteers for Taste of the World, a fund-raiser sponsored by Ocean Guard. It’s a decision she soon regrets. First Chef Pierre’s rum-soaked Bananas Foster goes up in flames, making her wonder if sabotage caused the incident. Her suspicions deepen as more … Read more
When designing a book cover, a number of items need to be considered. What is the genre? The mood of the story? The background setting? What type of “look” do you want to get across? Is this best done with photography or illustration? Do you like people on the cover? Can you describe a particular … Read more
Our festivities for the Mystery Writers of America national board meeting began at a signing event on Friday night at Mysterious Bookshop. Here we chatted with other authors, fellow board members, and fans while sipping wine. A good time was had by all. Dinner followed at Sammy’s Noodle Shop. It was great to … Read more