Month: January 2013
Friday Cocktail
Perk yourself up with this Friday’s cocktail, a Café Royale! Coffee with a little fortitude added has long been part of the cocktail scene. There are a variety of coffee with liqueur drinks out there, but this one is a personal favorite. The how-to of this recipe varies. Some call for floating the brandy (about 2… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
With the arrival of Winter and colder temperatures, warm up with this Friday’s cocktail, a Hot Toddy! One of the earliest of mixed drinks, the Hot Toddy has been around since Colonial times. Whether one uses rum or brandy, this is one drink best served warm and on a cold winter’s night. Some recipes call… Read More ›
Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme
What are your expectations when picking up a mystery to read? Are they different from when selecting a series title? Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme, published in 2010, is the 22nd book in the series, and the first I’ve read. Because it’s a series, I don’t expect the murder to occur immediately. I’m willing to… Read More ›
Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
With news, interviews, giveaways, and reviews, the Cozy Mystery Book Reviews is an active site for fans of mysteries, and in particular, the cozy subgenre. The Cozy Mystery Book Reviews blog boasts ten full-time reviewers (and six guest ones) and nearly 2,000 fans, making them one of the most active cozy mystery sites. They’re hosted… Read More ›
The Cat Who Saw Red
“Jim Qwilleran slumped in a chair in the Press Club dining room, his six-feet-two frame telescoped into a picture of dejection and his morose expression intensified by the droop of his oversized moustache.” Thus, after a hiatus of nearly twenty years, Lilian Jackson Braun (1913-2011) begins The Cat Who Saw Red, the fourth book in… Read More ›
Friday Cocktail
Having an art gallery opening, a book signing, or product launch? Are you celebrating a first? This Friday’s cocktail might be the perfect choice to celebrate; it’s an Opening Cocktail. Seriously, that’s it’s name, and it’s not so new itself. The cocktail dates back to at least the early 1960s. Whether it was designed for… Read More ›
Writing Challenge 13
It’s time for The Poisoned Martini’s latest Writing Challenge! As a means to inspire continued writing, The Poisoned Martini is featuring an image to spark creativity. Such images, because of their visual nature, vividly speak to writers and spark ideas for writing. The idea is to view the image below and to write a scene, a short… Read More ›
Murder is Everywhere
Here’s a new blog to keep tabs on, Murder is Everywhere. Begun in November 2009, Murder is Everywhere features the voices of seven mystery authors from around the globe. They include Cara Black (the Aimee Leduc Investigation series set in France); Lisa Brackman (with novels set in Mexico and China); Leighton Gage (following the investigations… Read More ›
Coming in 2013
The Mayan calendar came to its end, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Instead, it’s the start of a new era. Does that herald an increase in creativity? A dawning of new stories? It’s time to look ahead to what 2013 will bring. I still need to conclude my original and ongoing seralized… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 