In real life, when there’s a horrible, seemingly inexplicable crime, people crowd around the TV to watch interviews with the people who knew the perpetrator best, wanting to know: How could this seemingly normal person do something so shocking? And even more, why did he do it? Did those around him know something was off or was everyone surprised? In real life, we like to speculate about motive and it’s often a key component in criminal trials when it comes to putting the person behind bars. Often, it’s hard to believe someone is guilty until we’re told why he would do it. In fiction, the same thing is true. I’d venture to say that if you’ve ever thrown a mystery against the wall because you don’t buy who the bad guy turns out to be, it probably has to do with motive. You don’t buy into the big reveal because this person didn’t seem to have a strong enough reason to commit the crime. Traditionally, “police procedurals” have really focused on the who and the how, but the why is just as important – and I think, often the most interesting piece. That’s one of the reasons I love writing…

DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT, which released on November 1st, is the first book in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries series. At present, there are three books written in the series. I’ve written many blog posts and answered many interview questions about the first book in the series, but I haven’t discussed the later books. That being the case, I thought it might be fun to take a peek into the future and see where the series is headed. Cass Donovan should have dusted off her crystal ball and taken a peek before leaving her psychiatric practice in New York to open a psychic shop on Bay Island. Maybe then she’d have seen trouble coming her way and nipped it in the bud before it got out of hand. As it is, she foresees the problem a little too late to intervene and ends up the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Now, she has to prove her innocence if she wants to have any hope of making a life on Bay Island. DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT raises the question of whether or not ghosts exist, and it’s often a debate—argument, whatever—between Cass and her two best friends. Stephanie is a…

While the cat’s away… Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy are enjoying their honeymoon, and while they’re away, their family and friends solve a mystery in MURDER ON ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE. But let’s let one of them tell you all about it: Hello! I’m Maeve, Mrs. Brandt’s nanny, and the reason you’re hearing from me is that Mrs. Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy have gotten married and are in Europe on their honeymoon. They left me in charge of the house and the children while they’re gone, so naturally when a lady came to our door just before Christmas looking for help, I couldn’t refuse. A young bride had been accused of murdering her husband, but her mother was sure she was innocent. I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I asked Gino Donatelli for advice. Gino is back with the New York City Police Department now that he’s home from the war in Cuba, and he’s kind of sweet on me, so he was glad to help. Then Mrs. Brandt’s mother got involved, although I’m still not sure how. Mrs. Decker somehow always manages to get her way, though. Then the next thing I know, Mr. Decker was…

One of the things I get asked a lot is what I’d be if I weren’t a writer. I always give a little giggle inside when I hear that. Because that’s part of the fun of being a writer. I can be whomever I want to be, or at least my characters can on the page. And I get to bring the reader along with me on my pretend journey. A few of the occupations that fascinate me are: Archaeologist: I was a history major in college, and I also took some archaeology courses. Studying artifacts that come out of the ground is engrossing. Unfortunately, actually digging those things out of the ground is backbreaking, tedious, dirty work. Turns out I’d much rather read or watch television shows about the process and the findings. Interestingly, though, my son is off to college now to study—you guessed it—archaeology! So at least I know I brought the right baby home from the hospital. Forensic Anthropology and Facial Reconstructions: I’m a big, big nerd when it comes to this stuff. Analyzing bones and teeth to determine what ancient, or even not so ancient, people ate, where they lived, and what diseases they suffered…

Most of us would agree that Christmas can come too soon. We complain (I certainly do) about decorations in the stores and seasonal ads on TV before summer’s even over, never mind before Halloween. But still, a lot of us do our shopping ahead of time. I know people who buy decorations for next year the week after this year’s Christmas, and who start shopping for gifts around the time they put away the New Years’ Decorations. It’s a wise woman (or man) who starts her baking in plenty of time. A traditional Christmas cake or old-fashioned English pudding, full of rum or brandy, or sometimes both, needs to be started months ahead to be perfect for the big day. It’s precisely to help out those early birds that the town of Rudolph, New York celebrates Christmas all year round. Don’t rush to your atlases or Google maps looking for Rudolph because I made it up. It’s the town at the center of my new series, The Year Round Christmas mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. Rudolph wants to be known as America’s Christmas Town and everything in Rudolph is about celebrating the holidays. All year round. They have a Santa…

California Christmas Potatoes ala Kate Carlisle New York Times bestselling mystery author Kate Carlisle is a native Californian who worked in television production for many years before turning to writing. Kate also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Kate’s latest book, DECK THE HALLWAYS (a Fixer-Upper Mystery), is available in paperback and ebook wherever books are sold. Visit Kate online at www.KateCarlisle.com, and be sure to pop into the Secret Room, where she’s giving away a DECK THE HALLWAYS Christmas ornament every day in November! DECK THE HALLWAYS by Kate Carlisle Fixer-Upper Mystery #4 The latest mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Crowned and Moldering. Someone’s been slayed! If contractor Shannon Hammer can’t nail the real culprit in the St. Nick of time, her dad will wind up in the clink… Even at Christmastime, Shannon is more spackle than sparkle, which is why she leaps at the chance to transform…