Hot Pink Feather Boas and Flamingo Skulls

This wild, wacky, and unpredictable writing life.

Last month, I was the guest of honor at SleuthFest 2025, a conference held by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and I found myself talking about this newsletter a lot. SleuthFest is a writers conference — as opposed to some others which are more for readers — so there was a lot of focus on the how and why of being a writer, both aspiring and published, and the wild and wacky business of publishing.

Newsletters are one of those things — first they told you to do it. Then they told you to stop. Then they told you to do it again. Then they told you if you were going to do it, do it consistently.

So, in answer to the question: Do I put out a newsletter — yes. And — how often? I try to put one out every month. But if I can’t make it interesting, I don’t do one at all. Because this communication with you means something to me, and some of you have been with me since the beginning. I like to make sure you’re getting what you came for.

Which is my long-winded way to answer the question that no one has asked: Hey, what happened to March and April — and, ahem, May for that matter?

Indeed. What did happen? It’s honestly a blur.

Well, anyway, here I am. So, I’ll get to it.

SleuthFest 2025

What should have been SleuthFest 2024 — if Hurricanes Helene and Milton had not had other ideas for us last fall — was a blast. I spent the weekend with old friends, made so many new ones, and did the thing I actually enjoy the most, other than writing, spent the weekend talking about writing.

I gave a speech about what to do when you’re stuck in your narrative. Which I think is probably one of the most important things we can discuss, because writing is an organic process and so there is an ebb and flow. We all know what to do with the flow days! We write. But what do we do with those ebb days? They’re important, too.

At Noir at the Bar, I read a not-yet-published bit from my upcoming 2026 novel which is about — haha. No. Not yet.

My guest of honor interview was conducted by the brilliantly talented former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and bestselling thriller writer Kate White. It was a fabulous chat with a dear friend, a deep dive into craft, inspiration, my journey, hard nipples (you had to be there), and of course we all had lots of laughs.

Here are some pics so you can feel like you were there with me:

What I’m working on:

I am this close to revealing the title and the cover of my upcoming 2026 novel about — oh, come on. You know I’m not going to tell you yet. Stay tuned next month!

Also, I’m hard at work on my 2027 novel which is just starting to reveal itself to me in all new and unexpected ways. At SleuthFest, we talked a lot about about “outlining vs. gardening” (or the more common and I think misleading “plotter vs. pantser”) and I am more convinced than ever that we don’t choose how we tell a story. And for me it has to develop on the page, in the writing. This is where all the joy and the magic resides.

I have another idea for a short story percolating — so that’s on my mind, too, simmering on the back burner.

I’m writing the introduction for the re-issue of a classic novel and I’m excited to be digging into the history of one of the most celebrated and prolific mystery writers of all times — though you may not even know her name. Stay tuned for more on this next time.

What I’m wrestling with:

Iconic editor (and lovely human) Neil Nyren was in attendance at SleuthFest and he gave a moving and important speech about writing and publishing. He touched on a number of things that I struggle to articulate when I talk about the business to aspiring writers. And one of the things he said, maybe the most important thing, was: Be happy now. Don’t wait to be happy until you get your first contract, your first rave review, hit your first bestseller list, win your first award.

Be happy, in other words, on the page, in the very act of writing. Because the page is the one constant in your career as a writer. All the rest of it comes and goes, or there is some other aspiration that seems just out of reach. But as writers, we return to story, character, and prose day after day. And it’s there where we can always find our joy of telling a story, the thing that brought us to the page in the first place.

The business of publishing — and it is a business, and a highly competitive one — can be wild and wacky and utterly unpredictable. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write, and that you can’t succeed. You should. And you can! People do it every day. I will just say that you really have to be into this. You really have to love it. And you have to find your joy in the craft, what you do in your writing life, and not what happens after that. Because even though there’s lots of joy in the publishing life, or can be, it’s fleeting.

Be happy now, in the work. Live for the page.

What I’m reading and watching:

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST by Lucy Foley

I recently interviewed Lucy on stage at Oxford Exchange here in Tampa. And omg it was one of my all time favorite on-stage talks. We had the most fun, natural, meaningful chat and I felt like we could have talked for hours.

I am a fan of her twisting, character driven novels that often dive deep into themes involving class and privilege, nature, and identity. I especially enjoyed this one about a high end wellness retreat that is a bit rotten at its core. And how the island where it dwells — the locals, the folklore, the trees, and the birds — are fighting against its soulless encroachment.

THE DOORMAN by Chris Pavone

I had a chance to catch up with my supremely talented friend Chris Pavone and score an early copy of his latest. Don’t miss this smart and layered pulse-pounder about privilege, sex, an iconic building, and murder in NYC. He is a writer at the top of his game, and THE DOORMAN is deeply engrossing from page one.

THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline.

Lisa Scottoline. What can I say? She’s a goddess. A queen. And I’m not saying this because she’s a LISA! Is there nothing this woman can’t do? This gothic thriller will have you breathlessly turning the pages, utterly riveted, like all of her books. Except she just keeps outdoing herself. And she sent me pretzels (It was NOT a bribe.) And they are delicious. Thank you, Lisa. I love you so much!

Okay, I may be stress re-watching Game of Thrones for, like, the third time (and I do mean the entire series) because honestly The Red Wedding and fire-breathing dragons are easier to deal with than reality. But also:

DOPE THIEF on Apple TV

Based on the novel by Dennis Tofoya, this series is a bit chaotic and bonkers, but thoroughly enjoyable, and so well-done. Everyone is kind of a mess, broken, flawed and making one terrible mistake after another, but also lovable and just on the verge of doing the right thing. I found my self cringing, laughing, getting a bit angry at the characters — which must mean it’s great. Because that’s everything, right? Character is king.

ADOLESCENCE on Netflix

I am probably the only person on earth that is not going to rave about this, though it was brilliantly done. The writing and acting are stellar. The film work is truly genius. I did just feel that, while engrossing, it was a bit facile, and the ending was terribly abrupt — which maybe was the point? As ever with many of these stories, there was no focus whatsoever on the victim (except for one exchange which seems to be designed to forgive the show for this flaw), and a laser beam focus on a murderous boy and all the reasons why he resorted to violence to deal with rejection. Somehow it felt to me like permission was granted for his terrible behavior, blaming it on bullying, social media, and inept parenting. It left me a bit cold and thinking that there is much more to say here about how we’re failing our kids.

YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS on Apple TV

We are absolutely addicted to this. Okay, yeah, Jon Hamm — who is somehow now in everything, and always amazing, and so hot. But also this is a very layered and honest portrait of the rot at the core of extreme wealth and privilege. There was a brilliant article in The New York Times about how this show — versus some others like “Succession” — shows vividly the desperation and emptiness at the heart of the pursuit of materialism, how it’s a hole that can never be filled, and how everything important — love, family, friendship, freedom — are shredded in the blind effort to obtain. It’s also darkly funny and incredibly engrossing. Love!

Lisa Unger’s bold and bracing Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 is already a leading contender for 2025’s most original and innovative thriller. — Book Trib

“As entertainment blurs with reality, this tense thriller asks how far someone might go to protect the ones they love.”—The Washington Post

What?!? You missed my newest novel CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10, the instant national bestseller about a game of extreme hide-and-seek at an abandoned hotel on a remote island? (Well, truthfully, it’s more about the characters than the game — kind of a White Lotus but with more action.) It’s not too late to grab your copy.

Buy now

Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Google Play| Kobo | Libro.fm

Please leave a review

If you’ve already read, I hope you will consider leaving your review HERE and HERE. It really means everything! Thank you.

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On the road

Man, I’m everywhere this year. I’ve been to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Greenville, Cleveland, Toledo, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, Kansas City, New York City, Newport, Watch Hill — and more. And I’m still at it. Come out and see me so that I don’t get lonely. Here’s what I have coming up:

June 16 at 7pm ET | In conversation with Kristin Harmel for THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU | St. Petersburg, FL
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June 17-22 | Thrillerfest | New York, NY
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June 26 at 7pm ET | In conversation with Sue Hincenbergs | Kitchener, Canada
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June 28 at 6:30pm ET | Toronto International Festival of Authors | MOTIVE 2025 | Toronto, Canada
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September 3-7 | Bouchercon | New Orleans, LA
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September 25 at 6:30pm ET | Medina County District Library | Medina, OH
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October 5 at 2pm ET | Detroit Public Library | Detroit, MI
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October 6 at 7pm ET | West Bloomfield Township Public Library | West Bloomfield, MI
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October 7 at 7pm ET | Bay County Public Library | Bay City, MI
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Phew! That was a long one. Don’t worry. It won’t be three months before you hear from me again. In the meantime, wishing you a happy leap into summer and lots of days by the pool or at the beach, losing yourself in a good book.