Thank you for inviting me!

A dear friend gave me a T-shirt that says Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel. I love that shirt. There’s a little bit of truth in that saying. People often ask writers where we get our ideas. We get them from you!

People are fascinating, and writers are people-watchers. We observe the argument between boyfriend and girlfriend at a bar. We notice the adoring smile of a grandmother in the park with her grandchild. We watch the harried mom on her cell phone in the grocery store who doesn’t realize that her three young children are tossing their favorite candies into her shopping cart.

Even animals draw our attention. A baby snake made its way into my house recently. I’m not a snake person, and this little guy was moving fast. I tossed the closest thing, a dog dish, over top of it so it wouldn’t disappear. Ugh. What’s worse than a snake in the house under a dog dish? A snake on the loose in the house! A normal person eventually forgets about that little snake. A writer uses it in a book.

When I was writing THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE, I came to a part where I needed something spooky to happen. An event that couldn’t be explained, yet, Sophie, my protagonist, had to be able to figure out how it happened. While I was mulling over the possibilities, I heard a creepy voice in my house. I figured out where it came from right away, but no one else was home. What set it off? I won’t spoil the fun — you’ll recognize the event toward the end of the book. It’s something that really happened to me.

Of course, we also draw information from the news. In THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE, Christmas gifts are stolen right out from under the tree. Two days before the book was released, a local man was arrested for stealing wrapped Christmas gifts from someone’s house. They identified him because he dropped his cell phone! Now seriously, aside from the just plain meanness of stealing Christmas gifts, who would steal a wrapped gift? It could be socks or underwear or a talking fish. He was willing to risk jail time for that?

Then there are the fun characters. Do you have some of these in your life? The relative who puts his foot in his mouth every holiday? The co-worker who thinks she’s always right? The boss whose secretary runs the show while he takes the credit? The distant relative who only turns up when he needs a favor? The mom who thinks her angelic child can do nothing wrong, even when the chocolate evidence is smeared all over his mouth?

People are funny, and mean, and deceptive, and clueless, and kind. And since no one is perfect (in spite of the fact that some people think they are perfect), most of us are all of those things at one time or another. Writers are always thinking about what makes people tick because they make life, and mysteries, interesting.

~Krista

Domestic Divas Sophie Winston and Natasha Smith are trying to outdo each other with their Halloween plans.  Sophie is in charge of the community haunted house while Natasha is planning a huge Halloween Bash at her home. Sophie is worried the fake haunted house is really haunted and Natasha has costumes and caters on her mind.

Sophie was not really planning to attend Natasha’s party but she ends up there to try to solve a small problem.  When she arrives she discovers a much bigger problem, one a Natasha’s guests, part of an elaborate Halloween display in the front yard, is not just playing dead,  he is actually, really, very dead and he has two puncture marks on his neck!

Is there a vampire loose in Old Town?  As people stock up on garlic, Sophie is going to figure out who is responsible for all this mischief and murder!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”