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.

One of my writing loops, which has both aspiring and published authors, had a recent thread about editing. Some of the writers had lamented that words and sentences had been added by their editor and they were appalled. I suppose I would be, too, if there was no reason for the change. One of the common themes I’ve heard from those who plan to self-publish is that they don’t want an editor to mess with their book. To me, a good editor doesn’t mess with the story. They make the story as strong as it can be. I’m working on… Read More

Three years ago, I discovered a new show that I absolutely loved. GRIMM. What if fairy tales weren’t fiction? What if there were people who could change into monster-like creatures? What if they weren’t all monsters but, you know, the resident clock repairman or the bridge builder? After six episodes, ratings were low and every television reporting website I frequent (there are many) said it was on the cusp of being cancelled. That it could go either way. I thought for sure it would be gone — networks do that, you know. If a show they demo doesn’t meet XYZ… Read More

I love a good action movie, and more than just for the adrenaline rush. I use action movies as guides to choreograph action scenes in my books. For example, ARROW. Okay, backtrack a minute … ARROW is one of those shows I really didn’t like when I started watching it, but I was compelled to watch. It’s really a rather simple show on the surface — billionaire presumed dead returns home after five years a changed man. He becomes a vigilante to avenge his father’s murder and rescue his city from the clutches of evil. It’s a quasi-super hero show,… Read More