On the ground between the far side of the bed and the windows, Maurice lay, face down on the tan carpet as though he'd collapsed forward, unable to brace for his fall. His killer must have struck him as he stood with his back turned between the executive chair and the bed. Her friend would have had no idea the blow was coming.

His white long-sleeved shirt was untucked. His feet were bare under the hem of his black pants. His shaggy, graying hair was matted at the crown of his head as though someone had continued to bludgeon him even after the first blow had rendered him unconscious and dropped him to the floor.

Mo, who hated you so much? 

-- Olivia Matthews, Mayhem and Mass

What a pleasure it was to chat with Olivia Matthews about her new Sister Lou Mystery series, which launches with Mayhem & Mass. Featuring a Catholic sister and a supporting cast of characters ranging from a grumpy fellow sister to an inquisitive reporter, to a protective nephew, the series weaves murder, faith, community and justice into a very satisfying whole.

Olivia writes romantic suspense under the name Patricia Sargeant and contemporary romance as Regina Hart. But you can find all of her multiple personalities right here: http://authoroliviamatthews.com/

Her protagonist in the new mystery series, Sister Lou, is a Catholic sister, not a nun - a distinction I was unaware of until Olivia set me straight. We give a shout-out to another series set in a religious community: the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. The books are fantastic, and I also want to recommend the television series starring the brilliant Derek Jacobi (and especially the first season, with Sean Pertwee as Hugh).

Sister Lou's second adventure, Peril & Prayer, is due to drop on June 26, 2018, and if you can't get enough of Olivia, that's good -- in addition to finishing off her Fire Trilogy (the first, On Fire, was re-released this September), she is part of a 12-book series, Decades: A Journey of African-American Romance. Her novel, Campaign for Her Heart, will finish off the series in December 2018, as each month tells a story from a different decade across more than a century. Intrigued? Check out their awesome Facebook page here.

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!

- Laura

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Transcript of Interview with Olivia Matthews

Laura Brennan: As Olivia Matthews, my guest today has just published her first traditional mystery, but that doesn’t mean Olivia is a stranger to writing. She has a string of successful romances and romantic suspense behind her -- and, I hope, in front of her as well. But her new series is a departure in many ways, not least of which is her unconventional heroine: Sister Loui...

My name is Miller Brinkman and I am—or rather, I was—a private investigator. That message was recovered in March of 1948, from a former top-secret area known as Location 2208-C. Two years have since passed, but part of me is forever stuck in that case, analyzing my actions and second-guessing myself. Could I have done anything differently to change the outcome?

Jane Emmett’s story began in Ashley Falls and ended some four thousand miles away.

-- David Hulegaard, Icarus

For those who like their noir with a dash of sci-fi, you are in luck: David Hulegaard has published his Noble Trilogy. Think Sam Spade meets the Men in Black. High-octane with a lot of heart, this genre-blending series delivers on both mystery and thrills, and it all starts with Icarus. Comparisons include Philip K. Dick and Stranger Things.

Be still my heart. 

Check out David's website here, because The Noble Trilogy is not his only rodeo. He has not one, but two podcasts, one where he interviews authors (hey, just like me!) and the newly launched Nerdz of a Feather, where he and his wife discuss all things pop culture. He has also written a book with Tony Healey, a YA space opera, Planet of Ice, in the Broken Stars series. 

Can't keep up with him? Whew, join the club! But we can try: here's David's Facebook page, Twitter handle, and Instagram. And if you're interested in the Oregon Ghost Conference he mentioned, next one up is in March 2018.

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of Interview with David Hulegaard

Laura Brennan: My guest today is an genre-bending author who blends classic noir with science fiction and a healthy dose of the paranormal. In his Noble Trilogy, David Hulegaard pits a small town private eye against a powerful and corrupt former mentor -- and an even more powerful mastermind, with humanity’s future in the balance.

David, thank you for joining me.

David Hulegaard: Thank you so much for having me.

LB: So, The Noble Trilogy is your first foray into fiction writing?

DH: Yes. I began the project about six years ago. It took me many,

I peeked over the stairs and saw my sister Jenna's reflection in the glass. I considered ignoring it and sneaking back into my office until my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket. My family and the Borg from Star Trek had a lot in common. Both demanded complete assimilation and resistance was definitely futile. 

-- V.M. Burns, The Plot is Murder

I am so excited to interview debut author V.M. Burns. Her new cozy series begins with The Plot is Murder, as her protagonist, Samantha, starts a new chapter in her own life and opens a mystery bookstore.

Valerie herself is starting a new chapter as a published author with this book, and she's taking the publishing world by storm. Four books in this series are slated for publication over the next two years. In addition to that, she's launching a second series about murders in the dog club arena through Kensington's e-book imprint. In the Dog House, the first in the series, comes out in August of 2018. And if you, like me, did not know what Conformation is, the American Kennel Club is happy to tell you.

Not content with two series, Valerie has a third one coming from Camel Press in July of 2018. Travellin’ Shoes is the first in a series of cozy mysteries where all the titles are from Negro Spirituals. Each book includes unique and original soul food recipes that provide a taste of the African American culture depicted in each book. Oh, be still my heart -- and tummy!

You don't have to wait to find recipes from Valerie: her website already features several recipes, and more are to come. The Plot is Murder also has an eccentric community and Valerie talks about developing the characters, especially Nana Jo, a vibrant woman of a certain age with a circle of equally-intrepid older women friends. Finally, Valerie gives a shout out (in both The Plot is Murder and in the interview) to her favorite writers: Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Gilman. There's just so much to love here.

We also both give a big squee of love to Kellye Garrett's debut, Hollywood Homicide. You can check out my interview with Kellye here. As I write this, Hollywood Homicide has just been named one of BOLO Books Top Reads of 2017. Woot!

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below.

Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of interview with V.M. Burns

Laura Brennan: My guest today is author V.M. Burns, whose debut cozy, The Plot is Murder, launches a wonderful new series about starting over,

The man on the park bench stared at the empty space above the knuckle of Nora Pennington's pinkie finger. 

Strangers were always hypnotized by this gap. They would gaze at the puckered skin stretched over the nub of finger bone for several awkward seconds before averting their eyes in disgust, pity, or both.

Like most strangers, the man's attention could only remain on Nora's pinkie for so long. She had other fascinating scars...

-- Ellery Adams, The Secret, Book & Scone Society

What a treat to get to interview Ellery Adams! And (perk of the podcast!) get to read her new book, The Secret, Book & Scone Society, the first in a new series.

A blend of mystery and women's fiction, The Secret, Book & Scone Society has at its core the developing friendship between four women -- none of whom makes friends lightly. Brought together by an unexpected death and realizing that, without them, it will go unpunished, they bond over books, scones -- and their darkest secrets.

Feeling goosebumps yet?

Ellery Adams and I chat about the new series, as well as her many cozy series (spoiler alert for those who haven't read Killer Characters, the last in her Books by the Bay Mysteries) and the challenges of blending genres. We give a shout-out to Jeri Westerson, who, like Ellery, dreamed parts of a book's plot. Oh, the creative mind of an author...

Ellery is a writer who loves books. That is evident in her Book Retreat Mysteries (new one, Murder in the Locked Library, coming out in the spring!) and also in her new series: "bibliotherapy" is a central concept in The Secret, Book & Scone Society. What is that, you ask? Nora, Ellery's protagonist, helps people overcome problems by giving them a list of books to read. And Kensington, Ellery's publisher, has set up a site where Nora can do that for you. Go ahead, check it out here. But come back, because then you should check out Ellery's Facebook page, where she's running giveaways galore throughout November.

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below, 

Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of Interview with Ellery Adams

Laura Brennan: My guest today is the prolific and beloved author, Ellery Adams. Ellery lays claim to a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals and large bodies of water -- all of which make their way into her mysteries. A New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than 30 novels and has just launched a new series with The Secret, Book & Scone Society.

Ellery, thank you for joining me.

Ellery Adams: Thank you so much for having me.

LB: You are such a beloved author in the mystery world, how did you first get started writing?

EA: Oh, boy! I have been writing since I was a kid, and I was always charging for my work, right from the get-go. I don't know if it was because I was one of three kids,

All I could see was the dress. The ghost of weddings past, it swept above the checkered linoleum floor and rooted me in place. My heart twisted, leaving me breathless.

I jolted into motion. The quiche, forgotten, slipped sideways on my oven mitts. I steadied it and gaped through the kitchen window to the pie shop's dining area. No. No, no, no.

-- Kirsten Weiss, The Quiche and the Dead

Kirsten Weiss came to writing via Africa, Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, and a certain metaphysical detective, whom she invented one windy, rainy afternoon. The Riga Hayworth novels were only the beginning; Kirsten has multiple series in a variety of genres, but her books are all mysteries at heart.

Her latest book doesn't just fit squarely into the cozy genre, it nails it. The Quiche and the Dead hits all the high notes. We talk about the new series, the joys of paranormal mysteries, and how transformative micro-loans can be. 

I can't possibly list all of Kirsten's series in order, so I will instead link you directly to her website, where you can find all seven (7!) of her series under the Books tab. Each page gives you the series order. In addition, she has the most fun extras on her site: fortune telling here, kitchen witchery there. And for those who just can't get enough, she and Elizabeth Barton teach an online course on Everyday Magic. 

You can also find her on Pinterest, and I highly recommend that you do.

Kirsten gives a nod to some first-rate authors, among them P.G. Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie, and -- not his usual company! -- Stephen King. When we chatted Steampunk, I had to give a fan-girl shout-out to Gail Carriger, whose books I adore. 

For those who would rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of interview with Kirsten Weiss

Laura Brennan: My guest today makes writing seem effortless. Her multiple series include the Paranormal Museum cozies, the Doyle cozy mysteries, the Doyle Witch cozies, the Pie Town Mysteries, the Sensibility Grey Steampunk Suspense novels, plus other series and stories included in various anthologies…

Kirsten, thank you for joining me.

Kirsten Weiss: Thank you for having me.

LB: One of the themes in cozies, and it's in the Quiche and the Dead, your latest novel and the first in your Pie Town mysteries, is a woman starting over. But that's your story too, right? That's how you first got yourself into writing?

KW: Yes. I had worked overseas in something called microcredit for years and years and years. And I'd been in all these crazy places,

I didn’t believe in ghosts or the supernatural…but that weird noise in the wall was testing my convictions.

The unpleasant scratching sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention had been going on for days. Look, I’m not some scaredy-cat to jump at every sound…But this? Ever since I moved into my shop-slash-house two weeks ago, this noise had been coming from inside the walls.

-- Jeri Westerson, Booke of the Hidden

I am so excited to let you all know about Jeri Westerson's latest series. It's a departure from her Crispin Guest novels in that it's urban fantasy and modern day, but it has the same terrific writing, intricate plotting, and spellbinding characters as her Medieval Noir series. Plus humor! A snarky heroine! A deliciously handsome demon! A Scooby Gang of misfit friends!

My friends, this series is candy.

Booke of the Hidden has its own website, and you can preorder your copy right here. It comes out on Halloween. I don't know what spell was cast to make that happen, but it's perfect.

Multi-talented as she is, Jeri put together her own Scooby gang and the team created a book trailer for Booke of the Hidden. We chat about the trailer, this new series and also about her Crispin Guest historical mystery series, her standalone historicals, and her lighthearted LGBT modern mysteries, the Skyler Foxe series, which she writes under the name Haley Walsh.

When does this woman sleep? Oh, never mind. Jeri actually comes up with plots for new books in her sleep, as she mentions in the interview. I am officially jealous.

Jeri gives a shout out to the historical fiction writers who sparked her passion for the genre, including Anya Seton and Thomas B. Costain. Of course, the noir feel to the Crispin Guest series was influenced by Chandler and Hammett, masters of the genre. Booke of the Hidden, meanwhile, has a definite Buffy flavor (although with grown-ups; this is not YA) and reminds me in the best possible way of Charlaine Harris' wonderful Sookie Stackhouse mysteries.

You can check out Jeri and keep tabs on all her releases (a new Crispin Guest is out January 1st! Happy New Year to us!) on her website. You can also find her on Facebook.

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of Interview with Jeri Westerson

Laura Brennan: When Jeri Westerson combined her love of historical fiction with complex characters and tantalizing mysteries, her Medieval Noir Crispin Guest series was born. Not content to murder people in the middle ages, Jeri also writes a lighthearted LGBT mystery series, historical fiction and short stories, and is about to launch a new paranormal series with her latest novel, Booke of the Hidden.

Teddie Matson had a golden life, until her path had the misfortune of crossing mine. I sat staring out the window of my office, k.d. lang playing in the background. It was a while till the sun would set, that golden hour when everything takes on a gilded glow.

Golden hour is the time when the light hits just right in the early morning or late afternoon. The time when movie cinematographers most like to shoot. The light is tawny and warm. Gentle. It makes the stars shine brighter.

Golden hour is the time when Teddie Matson was killed.

-- Paul D. Marks, White Heat

I had so much fun talking to author Paul D. Marks about his novels, his short stories, and his encounters with the LAPD. Paul's noir sensibility and love of Los Angeles come out in everything he does, but nowhere more than in "Ghosts of Bunker Hill," his short story which was nominated this year for the Macavity Award and which you can read right here.

Paul has his own website, where you can keep tabs on his current and future projects. He also blogs at Criminal Minds and SleuthSayers. Social media buffs can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Paul gives a shout-out to classic authors, including Raymond Chandler, David Goodis, Ross MacDonald and John Fante, as well as masters of the short story genre, Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Cheever. As a fan of classic noir myself, I have to say I see the connection between Raymond Chandler and Paul's work. The mean streets of L.A. may have gotten more congested, but there's still a dark side to sunny California, and Paul explores it in much of his work. 

Transcript is below. Enjoy the interview!

-- Laura

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Transcript of Interview with Paul D. Marks

Laura Brennan: My guest today is the author of the Shamus Award-winning mystery/thriller, White Heat. But Paul D. Marks is perhaps best known for his short stories. He was voted #1 in the 2016 Ellery Queen Reader’s Award Poll, and his work, which tends towards Noir, has been widely published, recognized with multiple awards, and anthologized. His story, Ghosts of Bunker Hill, from the November 2016 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, is currently nominated for a Macavity Award.

Paul, thank you for joining me. 

Paul D. Marks: Well, thank you for having me, Laura. I'm glad to be here.

LB: In the reviews of one of your novels, one of the reviewers said that, essentially, you are the master of all things noir and Los Angeles. So, you do, you really seem to love Los Angeles.

PDM: I do like Los Angeles, probably partly because I was born here and grew up here. My mother and family -- her side of the family goes back ...

Spider John Rush resigned himself to the hard truth--he was returning to a world of cut and thrust, hide and pounce, blood and smoke, pitch and tar. 

He had been foolish to think of leaving that world; Spider John belonged in no other.

-- Steve Goble, The Bloody Black Flag

Debut author Steve Goble takes on murder, mayhem -- and pirates! The Bloody Black Flag is a swashbuckling adventure with mystery at its heart. Criminal Element gives it a crackerjack review right here, and you can keep tabs on Steve as he writes the second -- and third! -- Spider John adventures by checking out his blog. You can also follow him on Facebook. 

Steve and I chat about mysteries, but also about pirates and the great books out there for those of us who love nautical adventures. The gold standard is, of course, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, with Patrick O'Brian's work a close second. In nonfiction, Steve also gives a shout-out to David Cordingly and his book, Under the Black Flag; Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea; and Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare by John Toohey.

And the term "Pirate Noir"? He credits that to mystery writer Craig McDonald, who used it in a review of The Bloody Black Flag. Well said, matey!

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, a transcript is below. Enjoy!

-- Laura

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Transcript of interview with Steve Goble

Laura Brennan: Steve Goble may be a journalist and a mystery writer, but at heart, I suspect he may be a pirate. His debut novel, The Bloody Black Flag, has been dubbed “pirate noir,” and the swashbuckling is only matched by the multiple mysteries that surround the pirates and our hero.

Steve, thank you for joining me.

Steve Goble: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this.

LB: Okay, "pirate noir." I have to ask, did that come to you in a dream? How did you come up with pirate noir?

SG: Honestly, the phrase belongs to Craig McDonald, one of the authors who blurbed my book. I generally described it as Robert Louis Stevenson meets Arthur Conan Doyle. But he came up with pirate noir and, you know what? I kind of like it.

I guess the inspiration for the book came from my own love of seafaring fiction, pirate stories, Patrick O'Brian, Robert Louis Stevenson, all that kind of stuff. But I also grew up reading Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe, Travis McGee and tons of mystery fiction, too. I don't know exactly where the idea hit me to combine these two loves into one great mashup book, but once the idea hit me, I couldn't stop myself. I had to write it.

LB: Fantastic. Well, let's talk a little bit about you. So you always did want to write fiction?

SG: Oh, yes. I fell in love with books at a very young age and always had that in ...

The copy was straight to the point. Wanted: Information on the hit-and-run murder of Haley Joseph. Tuesday, August 18th, 11:30 p.m., Vermont Ave near Hillside St. And across the bottom, right over her press-on French manicure, $15,000 reward.

I peered closer at the billboard, looking for a hint that this was a brilliant marketing scheme for some new movie. I was tempted to call the number, sure I'd hear some prerecorded message letting me know what time and day it would be airing on Lifetime. But I realized this was real. The address was right up the block. They wouldn't put the cross streets on there if it was for some silly movie. Haley Joseph had died.

-- Kellye Garrett, Hollywood Homicide

Such a delight to chat with Kellye Garrett, whose marvelous debut, Hollywood Homicide, launches the investigative career of Dayna Anderson, a semi-famous, mega-broke black actress. A cozy sensibility combines with a fresh voice and an insider's look at Hollywood to create a terrific new series.

Kellye will, in the near future, be giving away an annotated copy of the novel -- and in the meantime, she's posting the annotations online. So if you needed another reason to visit her website, well, that's a fun one. ;)

We talk about a lot of authors we like, including Alexia Gordon, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing. You can find our chat right here. Kellye gives a shout out to her fellow Chicks on the Case, where she blogs, including Ellen Byron (whose Destination Mystery interview you can listen to here), Cynthia Kuhn, Vickie Fee, Lisa Q. Mathews, and Marla Cooper. She also admires Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, and one she terms "an old-school favorite," the beloved Joan Hess. Me, I give a shout out to Steph Cha, who also has a series about a woman who grows into being a private eye, and set in Los Angeles, although her series has a far more Noir sensibility, as does Danny Gardner's debut novel. Kellye also mentions V.M. Burns, whose book is not yet out (though you can pre-order) and I am thrilled to say that I have an interview scheduled with her for her launch day in November, so stay tuned!

So many books! So little time!

As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below.

Enjoy!

-- Laura

I looked out the plane’s window at Los Angeles, and it looked like any other airport. No palm trees in evidence. No movie stars strolling across the tarmac toward private jets. No surfboards. The only difference between LAX and LaGuardia was the lack of snow...

If I had been in a high-powered all-human law firm I would have been flying on the firm’s private executive jet, and I wouldn’t have had to get up at ugh o’clock to catch a commercial flight. But I was with a white-fang, vampire-owned firm, so we flew commercial.

-- Melinda Snodgrass, Box Office Poison

I can't tell you how excited I am to be chatting with Melinda Snodgrass. Not only is Melinda (writing as Phillipa Bornikova) the author of the fabulous Linnet Ellery urban fantasy series, she wrote for several of my favorite television shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reasonable Doubts (with the fabulous Marlee Matlin), and Profiler. She is also the author of space operas and adventure novels, and the co-creator (with George R.R. Martin) of the Wild Cards series. My fandoms all merge today!

Melinda's most recent novel just launched: In Evil Times, the second in her planned five-book Imperials Saga. Having a hard time keeping up with all her accomplishments? You're not alone. Happily, you can keep up to date by checking out her website, blog, and -- where she prefers to hang out -- Facebook page.

Also, there are (mercifully) few interviews in which I get punked, but lucky you, today's is one of them. Wild Cards goes to Broadway! Click on the link (which will take you to George Martin's blog) and tell me you if you dare that you wouldn't have been taken in by the joke as well.

The shared universe of Wild Cards is rich and complex -- too much so for me to attempt to list all the novels here. Luckily, there's a gorgeous website for all things Wild Cards. If you're interested in this tapestry of storytelling, created and edited by Melinda and George, and enriched by dozens of individual authors, check it out here.

Alas that her first series, about a Federal Court judge riding circuit in the solar system, is out of print. Here, however, are the rest of series, in order:

Linnet Ellery (urban fantasy)

1 - This Case Is Gonna Kill Me

2 - Box Office Poison

3 - Publish and Perish (due out April 2018)

The Imperials (space opera)

1 - The High Ground

2 - In Evil Times

Edge Of... series (paranormal adventure)