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Kendra here: Today I’ve invited my Montlake Publishing sister Robin Perini to join us! She’s a Rita nominee this year for her Harlequin Intrigue COWBOY IN THE CROSSFIRE.

Thanks so much for inviting me to visit Murder She Writes. I must admit I’m having a major fangirl moment just scanning the blog and the wonderful authors who reside here (fanning myself profusely, and NOT from the summer heat).

I wasn’t quite sure what to say on the blog today, so I just took a look around at the paper tigers roaming my office, having scores of kittens. In other words…stacks and stacks and stacks of paper. I’m in a deluge. Why? Well, I’ve been busy lately. But then again, aren’t we all? Busy, I mean. For me it’s the day job. And Family. And Friends. And Exercise. And Faith. Oh, and writing.

And I’ve been saying five words much too often, lately. “I don’t have the time.”

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Tagged with: sliderpost
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Kendra Elliot, Writing Life

Murder HE Writes: Gregg Olsen

Welcome to Gregg Olsen, our guest for Murder HE Writes. I was lucky enough to “meet” Gregg on-line, and we became fast friends. Partly because he writes AMAZING books — both dark, twisty psychological suspense and dark, twisty true crime. Partly because I became his mentor through International Thriller Writers. But mostly because Gregg is one of the most genuinely nice guys you’d ever meet. You’d never know he writes about murder, mayhem and the macabre. And for those of you with YA’s in the house (or those like me who enjoy a good YA thriller) — Gregg also has a bestselling YA supernatural thriller series. (And, he’s often a commentator on the news related to true crime stories.) Enjoy Gregg’s fascinating (and scary!) blog. ~ Allison

On living in the Pacific Northwest: The serial killers around us

It’s as true as there are Starbucks on every corner. When it comes to the Seattle area and serial killers, if you swing a dead cat (fitting, right?) you’ll surely hit a body dumpsite. We’ve had so many of them here. We don’t brag about it, of course. But we don’t deny it, either. We just know that serial killers are a part of the northwest.

They just are.

When I look at the trajectory of my life I can easily see where my path has crossed that of a serial killer. More than a time or two. In fact, at least three. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time. The first serial killer that I’ll mention here was the inspiration for Fear Collector my latest thriller.

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Tagged with: Allison Brennan, Empty Coffin Series, Gary Ridgway, Green River Killer, Gregg Olsen, psychological suspense, Robert Lee Yates Jr, serial killers, sliderpost, Ted Bundy, The Fear Collector, thrillers
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Life, Love, & All That Jazz

Welcome Back … Roxanne St. Claire!

I am so, so, so thrilled that our long-time MSW gal Roxanne St. Claire is back as a special guest! Please welcome her back and read on … because she’s giving away books, too! ~Allison

Hello old friends and new ones! So great to be back at Murder She Writes, but I admit I barely recognize the place. What an incredible transformation this blog has experienced!! Congrats to the new team who’ve continued a long tradition of keeping a group blog lively and informative. And special thanks to Allison for inviting me back to my old stomping grounds.

Speaking of changes, it’s been well over a year since I was a regular at MSW and much has changed for me, too. For one thing, no one dies in my books anymore. (Well, not by anyone else’s hand, at least.) Writing contemporary romance has been a terrific move for me professionally (the first one hit the New York Times list!) and has been a lovely palate cleanser for me creatively.

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Tagged with: Barefoot in the Sun, change, contemporary romance, Guest Bloggers, romance, romantic suspense, Roxanne St. Claire, sliderpost
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Life, Love, & All That Jazz

Murder HE Writes: Daniel Palmer

Welcome my buddy, Daniel Palmer, to Murder HE Writes today! Daniel is multi-talented–not only is he a up-and-coming thriller master, he’s an uber-talented musician. He wows us at Thrillerfest with his singing and musical ability — harmonica, guitar, voice, probably more we haven’t seen. He knows how to write, and he knows how to have fun, which are two important traits 🙂 … Let’s give him a big Murder She Writes welcome! ~Allison

Putting It All On the Line

By Daniel Palmer

If you read any reviews of my third thriller novel, STOLEN, people tend to sum up the book’s big idea with a simple question. How far would you go to save the love of your life? I agree this question captures the story’s essence. The book begins with a devoted husband, John Bodine, confronting a terrible circumstance. His wife, Ruby Dawes, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer and he doesn’t have medical insurance to cover the cost of her life-saving treatment. After exhausting all legal means, John uses his computer smarts to steal another’s identity with the intent of committing medical fraud. Unbeknownst to John, the identity he’s stolen belongs to a psychopathic killer with a twisted mind for playing very twisted games. John and Ruby are soon roped into his demented world and things deteriorate rapidly from there.

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Tagged with: Allison Brennan, Daniel Palmer, imagination, reviews, sliderpost, Stolen, taking risks, writing
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Writing Life

MSW Guest Blogger Melinda Leigh: My New Favorite Recipe

Kendra’s note: Melinda is my Montlake Publishing sister and writes awesome romantic suspense. Even though we live on opposite coasts, we talk almost daily about writing squees and woes, the perils of raising teenagers, and the amount of taxation in New Jersey. Her latest novel, MIDNIGHT SACRIFICE, came out Tuesday.

Why is this my new favorite dinner? Because it’s fabulous? Yes, but also because I didn’t have to cook it. Our household has seen a role reversal of sorts brought about by my second (third?) career. A few weeks ago, my kids came running into my office after school.

“Did you see the underwater Harlem Shake?” My daughter thrust her phone under my nose for direct viewing.

No longer able to see anything unless it’s at least an arm’s length away, I pulled back and squinted. “What’s a Harlem Shake?”

Appalled stares.

There are worse things that not keeping up with the latest YouTube craze, right? But it gets worse. I had no idea a new Star Trek movie was coming out. I admit this bothered me. How could I not know? A second chance to watch Chris Pines as Captain Kirk is something I should have been eagerly anticipating all winter. Then again, when was the last time I went to a movie? The Hunger Games? Yikes.

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Tagged with: Melinda Leigh, recipes, sliderpost, slow cooker
Posted in Food & Dining, Guest Bloggers, Kendra Elliot

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You Don't Have to Wait!

Murder HE Writes: Gregg Olsen

Welcome Back … Roxanne St. Claire!

Murder HE Writes: Daniel Palmer

MSW Guest Blogger Melinda Leigh: My New Favorite Recipe

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