Happy Spring to You!
April is always a bittersweet time of the year for me. It’s when we head back to the U.S. from our winter home in Uruguay, and it’s a little sad to leave a country of lovely people, beautiful vistas, breathtaking sunsets, and 80° days. Plus, because Uruguay is so tranquil, it’s easy for me to get a lot of writing done here (except, of course, when we’re traveling as we did this year to a stunning wildlife preserve in northern Argentina, staying at the lovely Rincon del Socorro with animals roaming around everywhere).
But I also adore returning to my home in New York City, a city that dazzles me every day. The next six months will be super busy for me. I’ll be attending three different mystery/thriller conferences, spending time with author pals and going to their launch events, giving some talks of my own, writing of course (including, a Bailey Weggins mystery!!), as well as conferring with the marketing and publicity teams about the launch of my next psychological thriller, I CAME BACK FOR YOU, which will be released in January 2026.
This novel is about a woman named Bree Winter whose life is upended—once again—when the man believed to have murdered her daughter Melanie eight years ago confesses on his deathbed that, yes, he did murder four college women but Melanie wasn’t one of them. Was he telling the truth or simply trying to mess with Bree’s head? Bree has no choice but to start digging because she knows she’ll never be able to reclaim the fragile peace she’s found unless she learns the answer.
How is your spring shaping up? What does it have in store for you?
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF WRITING A MYSTERY OR THRILLER YOURSELF?
If the answer is yes, I hope you can attend one of the talks I’ll be giving this year on “How to Write a Killer Thriller,” during which I’ll share not only some of my own thriller-writing strategies but also tricks I like to say I’ve sucked from the brains of some of my favorite author pals. Though it seems like only yesterday when I was going to talks like this given by authors I hoped to learn from, it was actually twenty books ago.
Below are three upcoming sessions:
April 12 June 4 June 28 |
WHAT I’M READING/WATCHING
The Burning By Linda Castillo
Back in 2009, I really enjoyed Sworn to Silence, the first installment in author Castillo’s compelling Kate Burkholder series (police procedurals set in Amish country), but for some reason she slipped off my radar. It was great to rediscover her and curl up with the latest winner in the series, The Burning. The only hitch if you read this book now as we’re going into spring: There’s lots of snow!!!
The Breakthrough (Netflix)
The Are Murders (Netflix)
Want to hear something crazy? If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I also use that platform to talk about books and shows I’ve enjoyed recently. Last month I posted about a gripping Swedish thriller called “The Breakthrough,” and somehow that post went viral. It was viewed by over four million people, and close to 1000 commented on how much they loved the show, too, or looked forward to watching it. It turns out that, just as I suspected, there are a lot of Nordic noir fans out there.
If you haven’t seen this series, definitely check it out. And if you have seen it already, another riveting Swedish series worth watching is “The Åre Murders” (that’s the name of a town). There are two seasons so far, and they not only involve plenty of suspense but also some great romantic tension. Warning: There’s also a lot snow here, too.
WHAT I’M MAKING
Do you ever make your own salsa? It’s common to get homemade salsa in Uruguay (sometimes called criolla), and a friend of mine there makes a terrific one with chopped onions, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, a little garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. But when my husband and I stayed at the incredible estancia and wildlife refuge Rincón Del Soccoro in northern Argentina lately, they served a slightly different version that I found absolutely delicious and plan to make all summer long. Instead of balsamic vinegar, they use white wine vinegar and they don’t add green peppers, so the taste is a little milder. Perfect to serve over grilled chicken.
All the best and until next time,
