Kassandra Lamb's Blog

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I wrote this post originally in 2019. It’s still a fun post (and a true story), so I thought I’d run it again. Here’s why I’m thankful I’m a clumsy gardener.

As a follow-up to a previous post, When Your Garden Tries to Kill You, I had promised to tell the rest of the story of how my garden tried to kill (or at least maim) me and why I’m thankful that happened.

This month marks the 9-year anniversary (now 15th year) of the beginning of my writing career. And it got start...

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Do writers every retire? This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

Quite a few years ago, I semi-retired. I was still teaching part-time, to keep my brain active and to supplement my husband’s pension. But mostly it was retirement…delightful retirement. Relaxing, reading, going to lunch with friends, playing cards, learning to play Mah Jongg.

Then one day, I had an idea spring into my head, a new opening for the Gr...

by Kassandra Lamb (on behalf of the whole mp gang) ~ This is an encore presentation, sort of. We wrote these Halloween haiku over a decade ago for a Halloween party Kirsten Weiss was hosting. But they’re kind of cool, so I thought they deserved another showing.

Footfalls crush dried leaves
Pumpkins cast malformed shadows
Gimme candy now.

And a bit more spooky:

Brooding autumn wind
shivers s...

by Kassandra Lamb (to begin with, at least) ~ Kirsten Weiss is about to release a new prequel for her Witches of Doyle series, and that inspired me to suggest that the misterio gang do a group blog post on the joys and challenges of writing prequels.

Here’s Kirsten’s answers to the questions: What did you enjoy most about writing a prequel, and what was most challenging?

Writing Rune, the prequel to my Doyle witch series, wa...

by Kirsten Weiss ~ Stories have the power to pull us into their worlds, but what happens when they invite us to step beyond the page?

As an author, I’m hooked by narratives that extend into our lives, creating immersive experiences that linger long after the final chapter. Think The Matrix, with its films, comics, and games, or The Whisperers by Milo van Mesdag, a 1938-set play with audience-driven dialogue. These works thrive on engagement, encouraging readers to explore the story’s unive...

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I figured this story was worth a re-print, so I can brag about something that every native of my home state is quite proud of. Maryland is the birthplace of The Star-Spangled Banner.

My guess is most U.S. schoolchildren learn that our national anthem was penned by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812.

Francis Scott Key was a Washington lawyer. He had gone aboard a British truce ship to negotiate the release of a prison...

by Kassandra Lamb ~ Reblogging this from my friend Barb Taub. A good reminder… Have fun today, stay safe, and always remember on Memorial Day what this day is all about!

We Remember Even As We Say Goodbye #MemorialDay

Misterio press produces an array of quality crime fiction. We post here twice a month, usually on Tuesdays, to alert you to new releases, to entertain, and to inform.

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by Kassandra Lamb (on behalf of the whole mp gang) ~ Kirsten Weiss recently posted about her love of creating new scone recipes (which she puts in the back of her Tea and Tarot Mysteries), and that got me to thinking. All of us here at misterio press tend to do multiple creative things. And I believe that tendency helps keep the words flowing when we sit down to write. We’ve dubbed this phenomenon Creative Cross-Training.

(Do check out Kirsten’s post and her recipes—like her happy birthda...

We’re happy today to introduce you all to a new author, via our Crime Writers Interview with Robin Somers.

Robin Somers spent her middle-adult years in the Sierra Nevada, where she wrote for a daily newspaper, taught high school English, and kept a horse. She is now retired faculty at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and volunteers at Canham Farm horse rescue sanctuary in Scotts Valley, California. She is a founding member of the Coastal Cruisers chapt...

And HAPPY EASTER to those who celebrate it! May you and yours have a wonderful holiday.

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