I’m often asked, “How do you find time to do everything?” And I always respond, “I’m just like any other working mom out there.” When I worked full-time in the capitol, no one asked how I juggled family and work, but it’s a common question now that I’m a full-time writer. I also find it odd that male authors with families rarely get asked the same question, but that’s a whole other topic (and one that’s probably a bit controversial, so for now I’ll steer clear. Feed me a few drinks at a conference, and you’ll hear me wax poetic… Read More

One of my favorite workshops to present is on the Villain’s Journey. I took the title from a paragraph in Christopher Vogler’s THE WRITER’S JOURNEY that said, in short, that the villain is the hero of his own journey. When I read that years ago, everything clicked for me. If I always kept that concept in front of me when I wrote, character motivation was clearer. It wasn’t just the villain and the hero who were on a journey, but every other character who crossed their paths.

I’ve been a fan of GRIMM since the first episode. It had a rocky start, but thankfully TPTB gave it more time, and by the second half of season one, the ratings shot up and the show was renewed. Like CASTLE, GRIMM has among the best writers on television today. The actors on GRIMM are not as strong or seasoned as CASTLE, but they’ve improved. (Except for Silas Weir Mitchell, who rocked from the first episode.) They were mostly relatively unknown (unlike Nathan Fillion) with no major leading roles. The beginning was a bit rough, I think, because the ensemble… Read More

Technically, the Northridge Earthquake was January 17, 1994, but I’ve always equated it with Martin Luther King Day because the quake shook L.A. early that holiday morning — twenty years ago today. I was living in Chatsworth, on the border of Northridge, exactly one mile from the Northridge Mall that collapsed. I’m a fifth generation Californian from the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been through many earthquakes. Growing up, we had earthquake drills — get under your desk, hands over your head, until the shaking stops. When your teacher tells you, line up and go to the designated point outside… Read More

Technically, the Northridge Earthquake was January 17, 1994, but I’ve always equated it with Martin Luther King Day because the quake shook L.A. early that holiday morning — twenty years ago today. I was living in Chatsworth, on the border of Northridge, exactly one mile from the Northridge Mall that collapsed. I’m a fifth generation Californian from the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been through many earthquakes. Growing up, we had earthquake drills — get under your desk, hands over your head, until the shaking stops. When your teacher tells you, line up and go to the designated point outside… Read More

Early in my writing career, I was asked to write a short story in an anthology with debut thriller writers, edited by Lee Child. Of course I said yes! But writing short isn’t easy … especially for someone like me who finds it hard to keep my novellas under 25,000 words and my books under 100,000 words. (DEAD HEAT, the book I just revised and turned in, clocked in at 107,000 words.) But I did it, because I love a challenge. “Killing Justice” was originally published in Killer Year in 2008, and again in a 3-story anthology by the same… Read More

A little bit of BSP … “Maximum Exposure,” the Max Revere prequel, will be out 3 weeks from today. It’s available for pre-order for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple, and probably all the other e-tailer sites. Maximum Exposure takes Max to Colorado Springs where she investigates the disappearance of a college student on a camping trip six months before. It takes place a full two years before NOTORIOUS, which will be out in hardcover on March 25. The reason I wanted to write about this now is because I’m fielding a lot of questions from readers, and I thought having a… Read More

Maxine Revere has dedicated her life to investigating murders…

There are a few shows I love so much that I know I’ll watch again, so I buy them through iTunes. And, I’m spoiled — I hate commercials and I love high-quality viewing. CASTLE is one of those shows. The one draw back is that I usually have to wait an extra day before I can see the show, because its not available for download until it’s aired, meaning once Hawaii gets to see it, it’s available for download. That’s usually between midnight and 2 am. Because I was finishing revisions for DEAD HEAT Monday night, I didn’t even remember… Read More

I just saw the newly redesigned Murder She Writes site — it’s clean, sleek, and I love it. I can’t wait to launch it … but it won’t be until next week. But I have a FANTASTIC guest coming tomorrow, Julie Kramer, so you definitely want to visit! Fall and winter are always great movie seasons. I have yet to see SAVING MR BANKS and THE HOBBIT, but both of them are on my to-see list in the coming week or two. However, I was completely thrilled with the last two movies I saw.