“Going All Zen…” Guest Post by Donis Casey

Since the holidays are almost upon us, I invited my friend and fellow author, Donis Casey, to guest post. Donis is an award-winning Poisoned Pen Press author from… ready… Oklahoma! But this Chicago girl and Donis seem to click, whether we’re talking noir, the dust bowl, or Zen. Probably because, just like me, she has … Read more

When the Going Gets Tough…

One of the best parts about being an indie author is meeting and finding you really like other indie authors. That’s happened to me over and over the past few years, and one of the authors I have come to consider a good friend is CJ West. We like to support each other when we … Read more

Crossing the Rubicon — Guest Post by Rosemary Harris

  I’ve crossed the Rubicon. I’m guessing it won’t be as historically significant as Julius Caesar launching the Roman Empire but it was something of a milestone for me. I made the decision to self-publish. And not just an ebook, format the file, throw it online and see if anyone notices. I self-pubbed as a … Read more

Former Intelligence Officer Admits “Spying Was Easier”…

Those of you who know me well know I am in awe of intelligence officers. Especially when they’re women. Espionage — and all its related activities — is like crack cocaine to me. I can’t stay away. So when Laura DiSilverio told me she was a former intelligence officer, well… I had to have her … Read more

Help for Special Needs Kids — and Their Parents

A very different post today. But just as important as the ones before.   A good friend of mine who lives in the UK just published a wonderful resource for parents of Special Needs Kids. The UK educational system isn’t that different from ours, at least in Chicago, in terms of what hoops you need … Read more

What the Dutch think about hard-boiled American fiction…

I am delighted to have Dutch author Jochem Van der Steen as my first guest blogger. Jochem has a terrific blog, Sons of Spade which is devoted to hardboiled crime fiction. I  just discovered he is also the founder of the Hardboiled Collective, a group of like-minded hardboiled crime writers, including Timothy Hallinan, Bill Crider … Read more