Talking About My Story in Alfred Hitchcock's Magazine

I did a guest post at the mystery writers blog, Sleuthsayers, this week, on the subject of the origins behind my latest short story in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

The story is called “The Detective Who Stopped By Bedford Street,” and it appears in the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of the popular mystery magazine.

But as usual, the story behind the story reaches back (in part) to my childhood growing up in New Jersey. The other part has to do with thriller movies, an old John Cheever story, and a particular New York City shop I used to walk past on my way to work at Scholastic back in the day.

The link to the blog post is here.

If nothing else, you’ll get to see an old postcard I found of my hometown back in the day. Check it out, if you have an interest in such things.

***

Just a reminder: the e-book versions of both of my two most recent books, Murder on Book Row and the fantasy novel, Sorceress Kringle, are available at almost every online retailer. You can order print copies at the usual suspects online, or autographed copies from Malaprop’s, the bookstore in my nabe.

That Time I was 15 and Wrote a Novel

Today I’m guest-posting at the mystery writers blog, Sleuthsayers, talking about two things—how I became a writer, and the curious path to publication of my latest novel, Murder on Book Row. Yes, believe it or not, the two are heavily intertwined, although separated by the span of some 40 years!

I don’t usually talk about my childhood, but the only way to talk about my obsession with mystery novels is to jump back in time to 1979, when I thought I could just sit outside on my parents’ patio and bang out a novel in the course of a summer. The results, as you’ll see, were not what any of us expected.

The link to the blog post is here.

If nothing else, you’ll get the inside scoop behind this photo of me, taken in my parents’ garage in New Jersey back in the 1970s.

***

Just a reminder: the e-book versions of both of my two most recent books, Murder on Book Row and the fantasy novel, Sorceress Kringle, are on sale until the day after Christmas. You can order print copies at the usual suspects online, or autographed copies from Malaprop’s, the bookstore in my nabe.

Pre-order Now: Murder on Book Row

Pre-order available now for December 1, 2019 release.

Murder on Book Row, my new murder mystery, is up for pre-order wherever fine e-books are sold.

She sells books, eats well, and has a very large brain. Criminals fear her.

Meet Beatrice Valentine, a larger-than-life bookshop owner with a penchant for three things in abundance—delicious Italian food, wine, and murder. For decades she has sold used and rare books from her stylish-but-cluttered domain on New York City’s legendary Book Row.

“Murder on Book Row” is the first in a delightful series of light-hearted whodunnits set in the world of rare books and abundant snacks.

Written by a winner of the Derringer Award for Short Mystery Fiction.

If you like charming puzzle mysteries, witty banter, and fiendishly clever solutions, you’ll love getting to know the Book Lady.

I hope you’ll choose to pre-order, since the more pre-orders a book gets, the more the bookstores notice and start promoting it on their end.

The best reason to order now? The pre-order price is a mere 99 cents. (Most online stores do not charge you until the day the book is released, and the book is delivered to your e-reader.) The day the book goes live, December 1, the price will rise to $4.99.

All the pre-order links are here.

At that link, you’ll be able to choose your preferred online store.

Please take advantage of the pre-sale price. Yes, go ahead and share this information with any mystery-loving friends you may have. Thanks for supporting a writer.

If you prefer to read on paper, stay tuned. I’ll let you know soon when the paperback comes out. If you’re interested, you’ll even be able to order autographed copies from my local bookstore.

Until then, happy reading!

---

Yes, I am trying to post here more often. Thank you for noticing. If you want to sign up for my newsletter and claim your collection of free ebooks, go here. Thanks!