Entries by Bethany Maines
Side Track to Success
Countdown! I’m on the countdown to book 2 – Forged in Flame – of my contracted 4 from Varus Publishing. And if that seems fast to you, well, I agree. But it is what I signed up for. But the publishing schedule for four books in one year does mean that while one is getting […]
Sisterhood of the Traveling Book
Traveling to… Vegas Baby! In a time where AI can make a lot of things appear to be real, I’ve come to value the real life photo that may or may not have the best lighting and might just have some goober tourist in the background. So recently, when a friend of mine traveled to […]
Guest Author – Eva Shaw, Ph.D.
Where do original ideas come from? Eva Shaw, Ph.D, author of Jane Won’t Quit In addition to being a mystery writer, I’m a writing instructor, teaching remotely through Gale Courses/Education to Go, I thrive on mentoring emerging writers. It’s fun and serious business. As we all know, words have power and can encourage. And […]
How Does a Dragon Work?
Working Dragons In my 2026 series of paranormal romances, each stand-alone novel is linked through the character of Dante Montanari—a mysterious dragon shifter whose interference in the lives of other characters causes the romances of each book to develop. Ultimately, the plan is to have a book devoted to Dante and his own romance, but […]
Sisterhood of the Traveling Book
Today’s travels bring us to… Debra Goldstein! Debra Goldstein is one of the Stiletto Gang’s steering committee and a dedicated writer with a slew of cozies under her belt. This month, book one of her Sarah Blair Mysteries visited a Tacoma, Washington coffee shop for some cozy reading and tea. To check out this delightful […]
AI Ruined My Spam
Where Has All the Good Spam Gone? We’re all familiar with spam emails. I doubt there’s an adult in America who hasn’t received an email from someone letting us know that THERE ARE SINGLES LOOKING FOR SEX NEAR YOU. However, since the rise of AI I’ve noticed a shift in my inbox. Gone are the […]
Every Little Thing
Quarter 1 had a lot of things… And Thing 1 and Thing 2 were not blue-haired pranksters. The things were both writing. Last year, I blithely signed a contract with Varus Publishing to provide 4 books in 2026. I had exactly 1.5 books of those four written when I signed. Well, if you want to […]
Blessing or a Heart’s Curse?
I was elected… To the Board of the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America! As a cross-genre writer who bounces between mystery and romance, I’m subject to imposter syndrome in every genre I touch. Is this enough of a mystery? Is this romance-y enough? Someone give me a kiss-o-meter! So when a friend […]
Derringer Danger!
I’m Being Judged… by the Derringer Awards Every year, the Short Mystery Fiction Society holds the Derringer Awards. Judged by volunteers from the society’s membership, these competitive awards recognize short mystery stories published that year. The judging process and program management are a lot of work and I’m always impressed at the volunteers who bring […]