Tag Archive for: Gay Yellen

A Magical Year to Remember

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It is said that France and the U.S. have always had a special relationship, dating back to our revolutionary days. I feel it every year on July 14.

Today, ten days after all the hoopla surrounding our 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, France is celebrating their own  national holiday, le Quatorze Juillet (July 14), la Fête Nationale.

History tells us that the success of our American Revolution inspired the French to rebel against their own squirrelly King, beginning with the storming of the Bastille, a formidable prison and a hated symbol of royal cruelty.

This date always takes me back to my junior year of college, that magical time when I was immersed in everything French.

Lucky thirteen

There were thirteen of us who sailed across the Atlantic in late summer, twelve girls and one boy, aboard the USS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. The weather was so awful, it was impossible to go out on deck for the 4-day sail. Cabin fever made us crazy, but bonded us together as friends. At last, we docked in Le Havre and spent the night in Rouen, where we were welcomed by our Dijon professor and our first taste of French champagne.

Castles & cathedrals

At the port the next morning, we boarded a bus that took us on a week’s meander to Caen (William the Conqueror’s castle!), and Bayeux (the tapestries!), Fougeres (another castle!) then south (Mont San Michel!) and east to the Loire valley (more chateaux and cathedrals). By the end of the week we were so completely overwhelmed by all the Romanesque and Gothic architecture, we let off steam by posing for a group photo in which we all contorted our bodies and faces to resemble the dozens and dozens of gargoyles we’d encountered on the way.

My personal chateau

Our next-to-last destination was Dijon, where we spent some weeks practicing our French-speaking skills and learning more about the history and the culture of the Burgundy region. We were separated into various local hosting homes. I was placed in an airy room at a spacious 18th century chateau outside of town owned by a fur merchant and his beautiful big family. Lovely people.

Paris!

Once we were ready to face life alone in the big city, we were moved to Paris where we separated again. Some moved into a dorm, but I was given my own room in the home of another large family, not far from the Seine on the Left Bank. Life settled into a regular pattern of private classes for the 13 of us, plus huge public lectures at the Sorbonne, and regular tickets to all the museums, the Comedie-Francaise, and the Paris Opera.

Night club gig

One of the older children of my Paris hosts operated a popular student boîte. He invited Patrick (the boy in our group) and me to perform there. A thrill, for sure. Pat and I have been friends ever since.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with France. By the time my year was over, I was  fluent in the language. I even dreamed in French, a habit that sadly dwindled to dust as time went by.

Memories that linger

At my first dinner in the home of my Paris family, the father had welcomed me by raising his glass in a toast to America in gratitude for what our country had done for France in World War II. I recalled what Lafayette had done for ours. Our kinship truly does go way back.

And every year, I feel gratitude for having experienced a most magical time of my life.

Happy Bastille Day! Vive La France! Vive L’Amerique!

I hope you’ve had a magical time to remember. Tell us about it in the comments below!

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.” Her Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or to order through your favorite bookseller.

 

Spamalot (Not the Musical)

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I’m thinking about venturing into a career as a stand-up comic.

I already have a enough material for a routine full of laugh-out-loud absurdity, delivered to me in the form of dozens of spam emails that arrive in my inbox every month, specifically, the ones that offer me fame and fortune as a best-selling author. All for a handsome fee, of course.

I could riff on every one of their offers, like the one from “Elena” that promises Category optimization | Review velocity strategy | Long-term discoverability.” Wow, she’s really got her corp-speak language down!

*Chloe” tells me that my readers are in the “wellness and niche communities,” whatever that means.  “Lewis,” from the Author Credibility Society, says he’s “creating meaningful conversations in my field.” And “Tim,” from The Philosophical Zurich Club, “an international literary community,” is deeply moved by my writing.

Their real names should be something like A.I. Scam or Chat-Gee P. Tee.

In my new act, I could deliver zingers about the idiots who, after scraping tidbits from my website and other urls where my author info resides, still get it wrong. Yes, “Rachel,” I did once work at a prestigious film organization, but it was not the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Next comes one of my favorites so far, from “Samuel, a literary advisor at QuantumCreative.digital.”

Hi Gay,

I came across your Facebook author page and I have to say — a feature in D Magazine, an author interview, a series with a title as sharp as Sorry Knot Sorry — this is an author with genuine credibility and a clear voice. The work you have done to build visibility in the Dallas literary community is evident and impressive.”

I agree that my esteemed colleague, Lois Winston (the actual author of a book with that clever title), has genuine, award-winning credibility. However, I am the one who earned that national literary award for a series of articles I did for D Magazine in Dallas, back when I was its managing editor.

All of this seemingly unceasing, unscrupulous, and pitiful effort to scam unsuspecting authors is big a waste of time, especially my time, when I could be working on my next book instead of having to daily flush this spam down the toilet. Anyone with a working idea of how to eliminate the constant barrage, please let me know. There may even be a free book in it for you.

And, speaking of free books…

This June is the time for the Stiletto Gang Annual Summer Book Bonanza, when lucky readers can win free e-books from our participating authors. First Prize winner receives one book from each of us. Two runners-up will get 3 books by the Stiletto authors of their choosing. Just sign up on our homepage, and in July, you could be a winner!

In the meantime, if you know any of the aforesaid e-scammers personally, please kick ’em un the shins for me.

Thanks!

Read more about this award-winning author at GayYellen.com…

… and remember to sign up for your chance to sample some of our books. Winners announced next month, Happy Reading!

 

Skeletons in the Attic #giveaway

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It’s June and that means it’s time for another Stiletto Gang multi-author e-book #giveaway. That might sound simple on the surface, but most (if not all) of us have authored multiple books. Deciding which book to giveaway is step 1 in the process. Step 2 is a bit of shameless self promotion for the promotion (details at the end of the post) and the book selected.

For this year’s #giveaway, I decided to offer my bestselling “cold case cozy,” Skeletons in the Attic, book 1 in my Marketville Mystery Series.

Here’s the official retail blurb:

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she didn’t know he had. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who hopes to expose the Barnstable family secrets herself. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

So, where’s Marketville?

Just as the setting of Lount’s Landing in my Glass Dolphin Mystery Series is loosely based on my former community of Holland Landing in Ontario, Canada, so too is Marketville loosely based on the town of Newmarket, which is situated just south of Holland Landing. Of course, I have taken great liberties with both locations as well as the surrounding area, and the characters are entirely fictitious.

The idea…

The idea for Skeletons in the Attic came to me while I waited with my husband, Mike, in our lawyer’s office. We were there to update our wills, and his goldendoodle kept us company while our lawyer was detained at court. The opening scenes of the book are culled directly from that experience. (Let that be your takeaway from this: everything that happens in a writer’s life may end up in one of their stories.) Anyway, here’s the opening paragraph:

I’d been sitting in the reception area of Hampton & Associates for the better part of an hour when Leith Hampton finally charged in through the main door, his face flushed, a faint scent of sandalwood cologne wafting into the room. He held an overstuffed black briefcase in each hand and muttered an apology about a tough morning in court before barking out a flurry of instructions to a harried-looking associate. A tail-wagging goldendoodle appeared out of nowhere, and I realized the dog had been sleeping under the receptionist’s desk.

What about the skeletons?

I thought you’d never ask! Turns out, there really was a skeleton in the attic, and Callie was the one to find it (along with a few other old family skeletal secrets). And as soon as Callie found that skeleton, I knew I had my book title.

Available on Audible with a 4.4 overall rating.

What if I don’t win the #giveaway?

Well, that would be disappointing, but the good news is that Skeletons in the Attic is available in trade paperback, e-book AND on Audible. So really, there are no losers here… and if you’re a reader who is willing to take a gamble, the first 3 Marketville e-books are available in a box set for just $9.99.

 

 

 

About me

The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five multi-nominated Superior Shores Anthologies. Find me on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, and on www.judypenzsheluk.com.

And now, the #giveaway deets:

Enter to Win the Summer Book Bonanza #Giveaway!

WHERE: sign up at https://www.thestilettogang.com/home-giveaway/

WHEN: June 1 – 30, 2026

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: July

Grand Prize Winner receives… 9 E-BOOKS

  • Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun by Lois Winston
  • The Second Shot by Bethany Maines
  • Murder in the One Percent by Saralyn Richard
  • The Body Business by Gay Yellen
  • Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk
  • House of Rose by T.K. Thorne
  • Night of the Living Bread by Mary Lee Ashford
  • Deadly Recall by Donnell Ann Bell
  • With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying by Debra H. Goldstein

Two runners up will receive 3 e-books and may select from the list above.

Are Men More Romantic Than Women?

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Valentine’s Day can bring on a variety of emotions, from high-stakes excitement to blasé indifference, or even outright dread. But, ready or not, it’s barreling into our lives this week. Who loves romance more, men or women?

Romantic Love

Before we get into how we feel about it, a little history may shed some light on this red-letter date.

(Spoiler alert: The earliest celebrations were fraught with unpleasantness, to put it mildly.)

According to History.com the red-letter day began as an ancient pagan fertility ritual in which a goat was usually sacrificed. The poor animal’s hide was sliced into strips that were soaked in blood, which then got slapped (lovingly?) against young village women and nearby crop fields to insure successful procreation. Allegedly, that festival was so popular, it was observed for over a thousand years until, in the 3rd century, a February date was adopted to commemorate an entirely new horror: the martyrdom of Valentinus, an early church priest who advocated for marriage, a rite the emperor at the time apparently frowned upon.

Whew!

We can thank the Victorians for turning the date into an occasion for the  more humane ritual of exchanging cards and tokens of affection with people we liked.

Things remained in that pleasant mode for well over a century, until modern life took a more ironic turn. Nowadays, not all women pine for a Prince Charming. The old obligatory box of chocolates and bouquet of roses can fall short of making a woman swoon. Instead of hearts and flowers, it’s common to find restaurants that tout “Galentine” or “Palentine” specials to include a wider audience.

In my favorite new twist, even a well-respected institutions like the Museum of Natural Science is offering a chance to dedicate a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in honor of your favorite person.

Could this be another sign that Romantic Love is dying?

Not so fast, because hope sometimes comes from where you might least expect it.

According to an article in the New York Post, men outnumber women as fans of romance novels, at least in the world of publishing. A recent survey of 2,000 American romance readers revealed that more men in the survey consider themselves die-hard romance enthusiasts compared to women. And men spent more of their leisure time reading romance: 364 hours per year for men; 312 hours for women.

The survey also uncovered the mental images romance junkies think of while they’re reading. Seventeen percent of married readers picture their spouse as the love interest in a book, 21% conjure up a celebrity crush, and 7% confessed that they envision their ex. Awww…

For the writers among us, take note: regardless of gender, those same readers also mentioned their least-favorite romance tropes: love triangles, office romance, and fake dating (whatever that is).

Best loved? Forbidden romance, friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers. What seemed most important to those readers: good character development, realistic dialog, and ample romantic moments. Not a bad checklist.

And speaking of romance, my award-winning Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery Series has just been named a Semifinalist at Chanticleer for their Best Series Award! That’s a Valentine I heartily welcome.

How about you, friends and readers, how do you feel about Romantic Love on this Valentine’s Day?

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.

She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”

The Samantha Newman Mystery Series : includes The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News. The books are  packed with suspense,  romance, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller.  More at GayYellen.com

 

 

Food Fight by Gay Yellen

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I’ve been stuck in a vigorous debate over an important cultural matter. It’s a food fight, of sorts, only with cookbooks. It would be nice to clean up the mess once and for all. So, here’s your chance to weigh in on the silliness.

Are you familiar with the ongoing on-line debate over whether a hot dog is or is not a sandwich? Well, my beef (!) is similar, except it’s about doughnuts.

Let’s start with a bit of history:

Today is National Pastry Day. A reason to rejoice, because the list of pastries associated with this event is mouth-watering, and includes one of my favorites: doughnuts.

A Wikipedia entry defines the doughnut as “a type of pastry made from leavened dough,” which seems straightforward enough to begin with. Wiki continues to state that it may come in many shapes, which explains the latest popular spinoff, the cronut, a mash up with another delicious pastry, the croissant. Given short shrift in the definition is the one made of cake, which contains no leavening yeast.

Lovers of the knock-off seem as passionate about their choice as I am of mine, the addictive, puffy, sugar-glazed delight which has fueled me through many long days at the keyboard.

In my world, as long as the doughnut-adjacent sweet remains qualified by its “cake” modifier, it may be okay, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing.

A bagel is similar in shape, but at least it has the dignity not to call itself a “bread” doughnut.

I believe a cake donut is merely cake trying to pass itself off as a something more interesting. This doesn’t preclude other people from  calling the doughnut-adjacent treat whatever they want. But it will never be the real thing for me.

Which brings us back to the hot dog debate.

If, as some skeptics claim, a hot dog is not a sandwich, I’d ask why the lowly sausage between two pieces of bread doesn’t deserve that appellation. If you slice a tomato, add some cheese, lettuce, and maybe a little turkey‚ then put it all between two pieces of mayo-slathered bread, is that a sandwich, or a chef salad?

I love doughnuts so much, I lent my addiction to the heroine in my Samantha Newman Series. Sam has been known to scarf down a few whenever she’s stressed. And in Book 3, The Body in the News, she manages to bond with a potential murder suspect over their shared appreciation of the glazed goodies.

Perhaps, one day all of us will settle our differences and agree on the same gastronomic appellation of a doughnut/pastry/cake thingy. Then, we could meet in the middle to share a baker’s dozen.

And from there, perhaps, move on to weightier subjects, like sharing Peace on Earth.

Where do you stand in the hot dog sandwich controversy? What about the doughnut/cake/pastry debate?

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.  She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”

The Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller. 

 

Got Your Card?

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My husband is a fan of television games. His favorite? Jeopardy! He likes to record new episodes for us to watch together whenever there’s a half-hour break in our day.

Lately, I’ve noticed that librarians are among the more successful contestants. It makes sense, I suppose, because a primary requirement for both jobs is to love the knowledge that books impart to us.

This is National Library Week in the U.S., and today is National Library Workers Day. Librarians have recently been on the defense, having to fend off a posse of self-appointed book-ban vigilantes. So, let’s all sound the clarions for librarians, those dutiful guardians of our collective cultures.

Librarians these days perform a variety of useful services that go way beyond sorting and cataloguing books. Chances are that your local library offers internet access, dvds, video games, board games, city passes, discounts to other venues, community meeting rooms, research assistance, lectures, craft lessons, Bookmobiles, and more.

And it’s all free and available to everyone.

My brother and his wife take their grandkids to the library every week for story hour and games. It’s a great way to introduce the young ones to books and the comforts a library can provide.

In our neighborhood, there’s a branch  that specializes in family history research. They’ll even help with access to certain genealogical sites and publications that may hold the key to your Great Grandpa Jedediah’s war record or criminal record, as the case may be. I’ve donated a few items to them, and there are plenty more to give, including high school and college yearbooks from the last century. I also have boxes of fiction and non-fiction books ready to drop off at our central library donation center. Even if they already have enough copies of a book, they can add them to the inventory for the next fundraising sale.

My guess is that if you’re still reading this post, you may have a few tomes crowding your shelves that you could donate, too. At any rate, in an increasingly cluttered world, getting rid of excess stuff feels like a much needed catharsis to me.

You’ve got questions? Librarians have answers. So let’s give a shout-out to libraries and their caretakers this week. And if you don’t have a library card already, why not get one?

Do you have memories of going to the library as a child?

Gay Yellen is the author of the award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series including:

The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News!

 

The Secret to Her Success

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I’m delighted to welcome a remarkably prolific author to the Gang as our guest today. Pamela Fagan Hutchins and I met early in our writing careers. Since then, she has published upwards of 30 books, mostly novels (award-winning romantic mysteries, a couple of children’s books, and some non-fiction, too). Lately, she’s been turning out some modern tales of Western adventure.

The secret to her success? To my mind, it’s that she spins new tales faster than a bullet train, and that her stories engage readers with heart and humor.

Here is her latest OMG work schedule, in her own words:

I’m lucky that I write fast, type fast, and no longer have kids at home or a job outside of writing. I also believe that writing is something you can get more efficient at over time.

After thirty-two novels and seven nonfiction books, I’ve had a lot of practice!

But I am firm about sticking to set writing hours and setting word and page count goals to keep me focused. I eliminate most distractions, and I reward myself frequently… lots of snacks!

Way back in 2020, my agent challenged me to write Big Horn, the Jenn Herrington Wyoming mystery that ultimately won me a publishing contract with Hachette UK’s Bookouture. But my editor wanted me to change it substantially or write a different book. I was happy with Big Horn just how it was. I opted to publish it myself and write a Detective Delaney Pace novel for Bookouture.

Two things happened. First, Big Horn slayed and kept slaying for two solid years. Meanwhile had to write three Delaney Pace books and one Patrick Flint family adventure mystery during the year after Big Horn came out. And move to Denmark for my husband’s work. Then Bakersfield. Then France. Have two foot surgeries. Welcome my first two grandkids.

Ya know—life stuff.

Despite Big Horn having had the best release of any book I’d ever written—better than Delaney Pace did, originally, although it’s picked up a lot of steam!—I did not get the follow-up book out for 18 months. In indie publishing terms, that’s a century. And I had a heck of a time pulling myself out of Delaney’s and Patrick’s worlds and back into Jenn’s.

But I’d already outlined five follow-up books while I was writing Big Horn. So, the book I rolled out next was Walker Prairie. It had the planned plots and subplots and the same gritty-but-kinda-cozy feel which some people love.

Between the time I outlined Walker Prairie (2021) and when I wrote it (2024), I acquired two Alaskan Malamute sled dogs, Willett and Sibley! They seemed like the perfect lighthearted addition to Jenn and Aaron’s world, so I wrote them in, and just like in real life, they proceeded to WOO and HOWL and JUMP AROUND until they’d pretty much hijacked the book. The plot remained the same, but the adventure elements surrounding the climactic scenes changed to feature two beautiful, often-naughty, and occasionally terrifying FLOOFS (my term for fluffy goofs.)

So, whether you pick up Walker Prairie because you’re dying to read about or continue with Jenn, her veterinarian husband Aaron, her legal associate Kid James, and Jeremiah Johnson (the loveable skunk), or because you love gritty-cozy romantic legal thrillers, or Wyoming mysteries, or just love books with FLOOFS, I am delighted that the wait is over and Walker Prairie is finally here.

And I love the book! You can get your copy here:

USA Today bestselling author of the Detective Delaney Pace series / Host of Crime & Wine / Silver Falchion Best Mystery Winner

Published by Bookouture/Hachette UK and SkipJack Publishing

Thanks for stopping by, Pamela!

Gay Yellen’s writing career began in magazine journalism. She served as the co-writer/editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), a New York Times “New & Notable.” The success of that book led to her first romantic mystery, The Body Business, Book 1 of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series. The Body Next Door soon followed, and The Body in the News in 2023. The series has won multiple awards, including a Readers’ Favorite Mystery / Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem 1st Place / InD’Tale Crowned Heart for Excellence / Silver Falchion Finalist/ and an American Legacy Best Cozy Award. https//:GayYellen.com

Why Reading Out Loud Is Good for You

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Over the weekend, a series of New York Times articles about the pleasures of reading aloud sent me thinking backwards and forward again. Backwards to my earliest memories of listening to my Mom or Dad read Horton Hatches the Egg or some other wonderful classic to me.

Those lovely moments are imbedded deep in my bones. I’m certain my love of reading was born in those happy times.

The article stated that reading aloud benefits both the reader and the one being read to. Whether you read to a child, or a sick person in need of a distraction, it is an act of kindness—love, really—that provides a rare, intimate connection as you experience a story together.

Which brings me to another memory.

A few years back, my husband spied a 135-chapter, 615-page edition of Moby Dick lurking on our bookshelf. I’d slogged through the book in high school English class. If ever a book begged for an abridged version (I thought back then), Melville’s was a good candidate.

So I was amazed when my spouse took the book to bed with him. I figured he’d be snoozing by Page Two. But, no.

“This is amazing,” he exclaimed. “The writing is great. I feel like I’m there! Can I just read this part to you?”

Thus began a new nighttime ritual. And through his enthusiasm, the story, the characters, and the descriptions in a book that I’d found tedious and old-fashioned in my teens came alive for me, too.

I loved falling asleep to the sound of his voice as he read Melville’s words.

It turns out that grown ups enjoy hearing stories spoken out loud. An entire audiobook industry seem to be alive and well these days, and apparently some people actually enjoy falling asleep while listening to them.

The NYT piece also reminded me of my left-over to-do list from years past for my Samantha Newman Mystery Series. Only Book 2, The Body Next Door, is currently available in audio, which you can buy or sample for free on Amazon.

The first and third books do not have audio versions. This is due to: 1) a change of publishers, and 2) a voice artist who is no longer available, which means that Samantha’s “voice” would change for each book.

Producing audio books is a time-consuming, expensive effort, and I have another book or two to write.  And before you suggest an AI generated voice solution, I’ve heard a few samples, and they sound a little creepy to me. I’m still wrestling with the issue.

(Readers and and authors, I’d love to know what you think I should do about audio for the other two books. Please comment below.)

I’m a wholehearted fan of reading aloud, even if you’re only reading to yourself. Extra points if you do, because reading aloud burns more calories and tones up your lungs and voice muscles.

Like most things in life, reading a book can be even more fun when you share it with someone you love.

Gay Yellen is the award-winning author of the Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery Series, including The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News. She loves talking to book clubs and from readers! You can contact her here. 

 

 

 

Life’s Little Instructions

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As we complete another rotation around our sun, some of us like to make resolutions for things we’d like to accomplish in the coming year. There are lots of lists out there to guide us: new diets to try and exercise regimens to tackle. New books to read and buckets of travel options to consider. Or, perhaps we just want to work at developing a new and improved version of ourselves.

The list of 95-year-old William Snell that has been circulating across social media lately seems about right, although I wonder if he meant to number them in order of their importance. At times, his suggestions feel like sly digs at people who make such lists in the first place.

After all, while singing in the shower can truly be a mood enhancing exercise, should it really be first on the list—and followed closely by the caution to never turn down a homemade brownie?

I also ponder his #18 admonishment. Of course, at the Gang, we work to keep our stilettos (and our prose) well-polished. But maintaining shiny shoes in winter can be a challenge for those in northern climes. And in summertime, do we really need to shine our flip-flops?

Yet I heartily agree with #29. Dogs absolutely make make us better humans. And though I can’t remember the last time I waved at kids on a school bus (#33), I always wave at them when the zoo train comes around. Hopefully that counts.

I’m not exactly sure what Mr. Snell intended with #38. Life as an exclamation? Unfortunately, we can’t ask him about it. A Google search turned up no information beyond what’s on this weathered document, or exactly when the list was first written. But I hope he had a good life.

Still, if you’re looking for a few suggestions on how to live a pleasant life in 2025 and beyond, most of these tips might provide a good starting place. Especially #37.

Cheers!

Which “little instruction” would you take to heart for 2025?
Feel free to list your own tips in the Comments section below!
Gay Yellen is the author of the award-winning Samantha Newman Mysteries *
The Body Business***The Body Next Door***The Body in the News!***

Killing it Together

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Today, I bring a double treat to the Gang, with S. Lee (Sandy) Manning and J.B. (Jim) Manning, award-winning writers who bill themselves as “A Killing Couple” for a couple of good reasons. One, they’re married. And two, the award-winning books they write include a few murder victims along the way.

Jim’s books are chock-full of entertaining craziness, while Sandy’s tales are chilling and thrilling.

I am delighted that they agreed to tell us more, in their own words:

We are a couple, but we only kill in our books – hopefully in both senses of the word.

We write thrillers. Not together, at least not so far, because we have very different sensibilities.

Jim writes hilarious action adventures, wild romps with wacky over-the-top characters. His latest, The Kingdom of Hatch, features a disillusioned attorney who flees the craziness of Manhattan for the peace of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont only to find trouble in paradise. Hilarity ensues.

Sandy writes serious thrillers with troubled characters. Her Kolya Petrov spy series explores themes of betrayal and difficult moral choices, and her latest, Deadly Choice, involves a mother seeking revenge for her daughter’s death.

Though we write separately and in different parts of the house, we share many components of the writing world. We attend conferences together. We do appearances and book talks together. Neither would think of sending a novel out without the other reading it. We bounce ideas off each other; we read and comment on each other’s work.

Writing has brought us closer together, even as we maintain our distinct styles and spaces.

The emotional component is even more important. Writing can be a lonely and sometimes frustrating pursuit. Since we both experience the ups and the downs, we can understand what the other is going through. We encourage each other when writing or the writing world gets difficult.

Is there jealousy or competition?

Maybe a little. But we’ll live with it. We’ve cheered for each other’s awards—Jim’s debut novel, Richter the Mighty, won the 2023 Silver Falchion for Best Comic Action Novel, and Sandy’s Bloody Soil won the 2023 best genre novel from Independent Publishers of New England—even when both of us were up for an award but didn’t win.

We’ve recently embarked on a new joint venture together.

It’s a YouTube channel called “A Killing Couple on the Prowl,” where we explore interesting, intriguing, or weird people, places, and things, using our backgrounds in journalism. So far, we’ve interviewed sixteen authors at Killer Nashville and at Bouchercon, to get the inside scoop on their different views of the writing experiences. We visited a town in Quebec, Canada and a library that straddles two countries. At a taco restaurant, we enjoyed great food and threw axes. (Actually, Jim threw an axe; Sandy kind of just dropped hers.)

We haven’t gone viral. Yet. Hopefully, we’ll continue to expand our audiences, for our books AND for our videos. In the meantime, we’re having fun together. In the scheme of things, maybe that’s what matters.

So, readers, there you have it: two accomplished writers offering laughs and thrills. Thanks guys, for sitting in on The Stiletto Gang today!

J.B. Manning’s debut novel, Richter The Mighty, won the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Comic Action Novel of 2023. His second novel, The Kingdom of Hatch, launched on September 25, 2024 from Encircle Publications. In prior lives, he was an attorney in New Jersey and New York, a college professor teaching English literature, and a newspaper reporter in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and New Orleans.

S. Lee Manning is the author of the Kolya Petrov international thriller series: Trojan Horse, Nerve Attack, and Bloody Soil. All three were finalists for Silver Falchions. Bloody Soil won best genre novel of 2023 from Independent Publishers of New England. Her stand alone, Deadly Choice, launched in September from Encircle Publications. Formerly, she was an attorney, a high school English teacher, and a magazine editor.

S. Lee and J.B. live in Vermont with their very talky cats, Dmitri and Xiao.

Gay Yellen is the award-winning author of The Samantha Newman Mystery Series: The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News.

 

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