WHAT a treat I have for you today. But before I hand you over to someone far more capable than I of entertaining you, I have to share a picture I got the other day…..it’s my absolute-favorite-bar-none shot from Istanbul….and the only proof I have of just how spectacular the Bosphorus is at night, viewed […]

WHAT a week it has been. You cannot even begin to imagine. Some good, lots bad, but I’ve been getting a lot of writing done. I do have to sigh a bit, though, when I consider that this time last week I was in Ft. Lauderdale at the Broward County Literary Feast, an event to […]

Bear with me today, will you?
I’m more than a little mellow, sitting here on my balcony at some fabulous resort in Florida, feet up on the rail, Pearl Jam’s Come Back on the iPod. I’m well fed and content, contemplating how lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing. There’s nothing better than this […]

So I’m mile-high in Denver today for Left Coast Crime, wondering, frankly, why I’m already awake. But today’s Virtual Cocktail Party guest is so spirited and energetic that she can motivate even a sloth like me to take action. No small feat. Worthy of a major prize, in fact. Nobel level.
C.J. Lyons’ debut novel,Lifelines, came […]

So whaddya think? Did we need an extra day this February? Or could you just as soon have done without it? Me, I haven’t decided yet. Check back after midnight.
I’ve been ensconced in the writing cave all week, pounding through my latest book, although I got a bit of a slow start, being more than […]

Well, not exactly sponsors. Between travel and writing I’m swamped and left with nothing but poetry for you today. .
Words
Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous ones we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be good as fingers.
They can be trusty as the rock
you […]

Yes, yes, yes, I’ve got Istanbul for you today. But first, something much more important! HUGE congratulations to my wonderful friend, the immensely talented, generous, and all-around lovely J.T. Ellison, for signing a second three book contract with Mira to continue her amazing Taylor Jackson series. Let the list-hitting begin!
Obviously, the drink for today […]

Catchy title, eh? Betcha thought I was going to sweep in here and tell you all sorts of sordid tales of my adventures in Istanbul. Maybe next week. Because while, yes, it was the trip of a lifetime, rife with more stories than you can possibly imagine (and more stories than I would ever own […]

Part the Second
Welcome to week two of Tasha’s Cocktail Party!!!
Fitting really, that we couldn’t get it all in during one Friday. Tasha and the rest of the Chicago contingent are at Love is Murder this weekend, yucking it up with the likes of Lee Child, Barry Eisler and Tess Gerritsen, among others. I wish I […]

Part the First
by J.T. Ellison
It’s been a long time coming, but at long last, Miss Tasha is the focus of her own cocktail party. And that’s not much of a stretch, because for those of us who know her and love her, every day is a party.
Tasha is one of those rare individuals […]