This image and post is copyrighted by A Kate Willett. Large Language Models (LLMs) and the AI bots trolling the web for content to train LLMs on do not have my permission to use my work for this or any other purpose.

Next month, the Sisters in Crime Los Angeles chapter is hosting George Fong, a retired FBI agent who now authors crime novels, on its monthly Zoom meeting. (Side note: If you’re interested in writing crime fiction and haven’t joined Sister in Crime yet, you should check it out. The archived webinars on the main site are worth their weight in gold for any mystery author and the individual chapter events are top of the class.) The announcement got me thinking about all of the authors who’ve come to writing after building their professional careers. Former law enforcement officers (LEOs), lawyers, physicians, and the like have all add credence to their novels by including their first-hand knowledge of real crimes and emergencies. Their inside knowledge solves the crime.

But what if we flipped that dynamic and a crime writer became the investigator?

On television and in books, that’s often the hook. In Castle, Richard Castle pulls strings to tag along with Kate Beckett’s team and ends up solving hundred of cases with them. The magnificent Jessica Fletcher, former English teacher turned mystery writer, is always two steps ahead of other investigators. There’s also Ariadne Oliver, the crime novelist who assists her friend, Hercule Poirot, in cases by providing him with insight into the criminal mind.

In many mystery cozies, amateur sleuths rule the page. They may not have connections or certifications or professional titles, but they find that unexpected clue or figure out the last piece of the puzzle that solves the crime. That’s one of the reasons readers love these stories so much.

We could be that amateur sleuth.

When an author writes a mystery story, they’re fulfilling this fantasy for the readers by hitting the right beats, utilizing the right tropes, and staging the right scene. The most obvious suspect is usually not the perpetrator but a red herring. Everyone has a dirty secret to hide. Clues are hidden in devious ways and motives are intertwined. There’s a process and a plan to structuring a mystery.

In real'-life, that process and plan go out the window.

I’m speaking from experience. A couple of years ago, I participated in a mock investigation complete with a meticulously staged crime scene. After examining the evidence, our group of four was divided. Two of us (one being me) went for the mystery novel solution. The victim had uncovered an illicit affair between his wife and business partner, as well as that his business partner had embezzled money from the company, and was silenced to keep both secrets hidden. In our scenario, a protestor who had threatened the victim and whose fingerprints were found at the scene had been framed by the business partner to take the fall.

The other members of our team believed the simpler solution: The protestor (again, who had threatened the victim and whose prints were found at the scene) murdered the victim.

Guess who was correct?

I recall feeling terribly let down when the answer was revealed to be the protestor. The solution was so boring. Where was the drama? The misdirection? The secrets and lies?

In real life, the mystery author’s process and plan can muddle the facts.

I have first-hand knowledge of this. At that mock crime scene, in our quest for a good story, my teammate and I ignored the facts and chose to focus on the distractions because they spun a juicier and more tantalizing tale. A tale that sent the wrong fictional suspect to fictional jail because, in the end, our argument won over the other half of our team and we submitted the business partner as the criminal for the mock crime scene event.

So what do you think? How effectively could a crime fiction author transition from penning mystery novels to solving actual crimes in the real world as a police detective or other professional investigator? After writing the book for so long, how well would they be able to go “by the book” and follow the limits placed on them by the job? Do you know any crime fiction writers who reversed the script and became an LEO after writing novels? I’d love to hear about them!

(Also, fun fact, the image at the start of this article is my own from that mock crime scene. I, in true Detective Clouseau fashion, somehow stepped in the fake blood with my blue bootie and traipsed across the floor, depositing bloody foot marks here and there. I can’t remember for sure if the photo is of my bumbling handiwork or one of the clues set up by the people running the mock crime scene.)

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The words and photos included in this post are copyrighted by A Kate Willett. Large Language Models (LLMs) and the AI bots trolling the web for content to train LLMs on do not have my permission to use my work for this or any other purpose.

I recently posted photos of The Blue Book of Crime on Instagram. It’s fascinating to look back at the techniques and beliefs that fueled investigations of the past. I have an extensive collection of similar books on my shelves and thought it might be fun to start sharing these bits of history with you guys.

First up is How To Be A Detective by Arthur H. Farrar. This book was published by Padell Book and Magazine Co in 1943. Topics included scientific crime detection, case method, “G” men mastery, the criminal code, and police operative, shadowing, finger printing, laboratory sleuthing, gun tests, and analysis reports. Below are photos from the book. It’s only 61 pages long, but it tackles a ton of topics.

(That last paragraph must’ve been added in a hurry. So many typos :)

I’m not sure who the intended audience was for books of this nature. Were these possibly used to train new detectives and private investigators? Or were these aimed at a crime-obsessed public who wished to play at being a detective? What are your thoughts on the advice given in this How-To for burgeoning detectives in the 1940s? Would you be interested in seeing more stuff like this?

Let me know in the comments!

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This course has ignited a barrage of dissent among Agatha Christie fans for both the use of AI to bring her back to life and accusations the whole endeavor is a blatant cash grab on and exploitation of Christie’s name by the author’s heirs. And I have to say, after taking the course, the reanimation of Christie to teach a class feels like mere novelty. Still, I did find value in the course.

With caveats.

The basics

The course price of $89 offers students eleven lessons with AIgatha Christie over 2.5 hours. Along with that, students receive a decently stuffed 78-page pdf of notes from the lectures, which also includes a timeline of key moments in Christie’s life and other facts about her. Also included is a 100 page activity workbook.

For the course, AI has been used construct the lessons from Christie’s letters, interviews, and autobiography. It has also been used to digitally impose Christie’s face on the actress playing her, Vivien Keene.

The good

This production is top notch. The lush set with its rich greens and browns, prim costume choices of pearls and tweed, and impressive other details, such as the vintage typewriter on AIgatha’s desk, evoke a solid mid century atmosphere. As an added bonus, vintage paperbacks of Christie’s works are scattered around the set.

The lessons are great for beginners. AIgatha teaches students all the basics of writing a cozy mystery, complete with the original Christie’s personal insights on the elements of the genre. But the true meat of the class lies in the 100 page workbook included with the course, not the video lessons. Here, the student puts knowledge into practice and expands their own writing skills. There are tons of assignments and prompts to work on.

Additionally, the workbook encourages students to examine Christie’s works and study the way she deftly crafted the mystery in her books.

The thought-provoking questions and lengthy excerpts from Christie’s novels assist students in evaluating their own goals for writing. By the end of the workbook, students should have a solid understanding of the cozy mystery genre and be able to incorporate what they’ve learned into their own work.

The not-so-good

Few public interviews with or footage of Christie exist, so I can’t truly evaluate if AIgatha succeeds in replicating the author. In my opinion, the AI is a gimmick and added no true value to the lessons. I would’ve preferred BBC Maestro hire Keene to portray Christie and dispense with the technological shenanigans.

I’m guessing Keene needed to stay still for the AI to generate Christie’s face onto her own. As a result, AIgatha is hardly animated about her subject. The teaching is very measured and AIgatha’s speech is slow (probably so the AI voice can do its work). This is a great contrast to other BBC Maestro courses taught by actual people who exist in this world, here and now. Those instructors are passionate about writing and can barely contain their joy in sharing the things they’ve learned with their students.

Bottom line

BBC Maestro’s gotten a lot of buzz over the last few weeks because the Agatha Christie class is not the normal format. So, is it worth the hype?

It…depends.

The class is a mere reflection of Christie and the possible lessons the true Christie would deliver on how to perfect the cozy mystery. If you lack time to read Christie’s novels or autobiography or secret notebooks, perhaps this class would be valuable for you. It does provide succinct and easily digestible chunks of Christie’s wisdom in a neat little package. Additionally, if you’re an emerging writer interested in mastering the genre, the information and workbook could make checking this course out worth the time and money.

For more advanced writers, this single class at $89 isn’t worth it. But, for an additional $31, the plot twists. Currently, $120 will get you a full year subscription to access all of BBC Maestro’s classes—the Agatha Christie attraction and so many more on a variety of topics, not just writing. Learn how to become an actor with Brian Cox. Study music with Mark Ronson. Try your hand at modern Indian cooking with Vineet Bhatia at your side.

In the past, I have purchased (yes, at the $89 price for both) the writing courses taught by Lee Child and Harlan Coben and both were fantastic. And, to get the Christie class, I purchased the subscription so I’m looking forward to trying out the other courses before it ends. My only complaint so far in perusing the offerings is that the platform isn’t as robust as Masterclass (an American online education platform that’s very similar and on which I have taken many classes) and, I have to say, not as diversified in its instructors.

A large amount of love and hard work went into creating this class. BBC Maestro and Christie’s heirs painstakingly tried to remain true to Christie’s image, even if I’m not sure they succeeded on that front. However, the course on its own is beneficial to newer writers regardless of the AI hocus pocus.

My last thought on this is that we don’t need to repeat the process with other celebrities. No “How to Write Poetry” with AI Maya Angelou or “Write the Southern Gothic” with AI Flannery O’Connor. No “Dramatic Acting” with AI Sidney Poitier or “Successful Band Leading” with AI Xavier Cugat. These people were the Greats of their time, but they are gone. New greats are emerging. Let the old ones lie still.

Honestly, I’m terrified of a world where a perfect replication of Agatha Christie, or anyone, is possible.

What say you all? BBC Maestro’s AI Agatha Christie class—Yay! or Nay?

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(Image above is of an altered screenshot on BBC Maestro’s website advertising the course, used for editorial purposes only.)

BBC Maestro’s newest class is also one of its most unique and most ambitious. How would you like to learn how to write a mystery from the Grande Dame of Mystery herself, Agatha Christie?

Impossible, you say.

BBC Maestro begs to differ.

In what had to be an enormously arduous task, the online learning platform partnered with Agatha Christie Limited to develop a course that does exactly that. How? Here’s a link to an article with an in-depth explanation of the process. AI was involved, but this isn’t some random AI generated Agatha. The technology was used (I believe) to mimic Christie’s voice and facial image, which were then matched to the movements of an actor named Vivien Keene.

The amount of work that went into the set design, costuming, and direction of this course is mind boggling. The lectures have been reworked from sections of Christie’s writing and letters by a group of researchers and scholars including Dr. Mark Aldridge, whose books examining Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot I’ve enjoyed. Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, and great-grandson, James Prichard, also worked closely with the team to bring Christie to life on the screen. This was a immense labor of love to bring to life and I respect that.

I feel like this is a bit of a slippery slope, though. Agatha Christie’s been gone for forty-nine years now. No matter how many visual effects and tricks you use, it’s still just an illusion of the author and not the real deal. What other classes with no-longer-of-this-world celebrities teaching us how to do things will be popping up in the future?

But I’ve signed up for the course out of sheer curiousity. My initial thoughts? This is a little weird. I’ve watched the prologue and first lesson so far. It’s a bit uncanny valley at the moment. Kind of like when Kurt Russell was aged down for whichever Guardians of the Galaxy movie he was in. It looks okay but simultaneously not quite okay.

I’ll let you guys know what I think of the course once I’ve finished it. And, hey, if you’re taking it as well, chime in down in the comments with your thoughts.

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A while back, I was hunting for a gift for my niece, who was turning two. When she was born, I decided to be the aunt that’s always nudging her toward reading. I had one, my Great Aunt Elizabeth, and her love for reading was infectious. When I was younger, we would write letters back and forth discussing authors and books and everything else. Sadly, we drifted apart as I grew older. Gosh, that’s one of my heartbreaks in life. I was too young and self-involved to understand that Great Aunt Elizabeth wouldn’t always be around whenever I decided to poke my head up from my own life to reconnect with her. I still have some of our letters in my keepsake box.

Back to my niece. For her first birthday, I gave her a set of Dr. Suess books that I figured my brother and sister-in-law could read to her. For her second birthday, I wanted to purchase a book she could begin reading to herself. So, board books. I ran across the usual suspects like Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. But I’m a mystery gal and wondered to myself if there were any mystery themed books for wee tiny babes and younger readers not ready for chapter books out there?

Yes. Yes, there are. I ended up purchasing six: three board books, two picture books, and one board book that, quite honestly, is aimed at adults but still could be fun to read to young children (with discretion).

The Board Books

Edgar Gets Ready For Bed by Jennifer Adams (Illustrated by Ron Stucki)

This one isn’t about Poe, although he’s very present in silent ways through the story. This tale is about Edgar, a raven, and his playful distractions during bedtime to which he answers his mother’s exasperations with “Nevermore!”. When he finally is convinced to settle into his covers, he asks his mother if she really loves him. Her answer? “Yes Edgar…Evermore.”.

Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Jennifer Adams (Illustrations by Alison Oliver)

Follow Sherlock as he goes around making all sorts of marvelous noises. Gates creak and shoes scrape. There’s lots of animated fun to be had reading this, for both the adult reader and the child!

Little Poet Edgar Allan Poe: Nevermore! by Kate Coombs (Illustrations by Carme Lemniscates)

This time, the Edgar in question is Poe himself. Lines from “The Raven” are peppered with Coombs text to distill this emotional and heavy poem into a narrative that younger readers can comprehend. Is this too moody for children? As with everything related to raising little ones, that’s for their parents to decide. Themes of love and loss are still present, but so are Poe’s lyrical stanzas.

The Picture Books

Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Marci Kay Monson (Illustrations by Greg Paprocki)

This retelling of Agatha Christie’s first mystery is aimed at readers between four and eight. Readers assist Hercule Poirot in finding clues to who killed Emily Cavendish through activities and games. Just a warning, this book does touch lightly on murder and poison and crime and punishment, if that’s a dealbreaker for you. The illustrations are gorgeous and the addition of a character list at the front and a glossary of words used in the book at the back made this a must buy for me (to read to my niece when she is older).

Little People, Big Dreams: Agatha Christie by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara (Illustrations by Elisa Munsó)

This lovely picture book is a summarizes chunks of Agatha Christie’s life, from childhood to her nursing days to creating Poirot and Miss Marple to finding fame on the stage. I love how the narrative flows from one topic to the next. The typewriter key end papers are a bonus I appreciated. A great introduction to Agatha Christie and a possible companion book to the read with the book listed above.

The Other Board Book

My First Film Noir by ‘lil Cinephile

Themes from murder to the mob and the titles of some great noir films adorn the pages of this board book. So this isn’t for kids necessarily, but I loved the concept and am including it as a bonus recommendation for the adults reading this article. Could you read this to your kids? Sure, but be ready to explain the gritty dynamics of noir if you do.

My personal favorites are the Sherlock Holmes board book and both picture books. Which one is yours?

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It’s true. I’ve written six crime fiction novels. Those novels currently have an average Amazon rating of 4.6 based on 20,000+ overall reviews. I’ve also outlined a dozen more for other series in production at the book packager I worked with.

What’s that you ask? Can I tell you what the titles are?

Nope. Because I ghostwrote them and signed an NDA to never ever reveal the titles. All I can tell you are the stats.

Did I set out to become a ghostwriter? No. I’ve since hung up my shroud to focus on other things. To be honest, I fell into a ghostwriting gig due to pure luck. A friend of mine was approached by a book packaging company to write a series of crime fiction novels. My friend was too busy to take on the extra work and recommended me for the role instead. Voilà! I was officially a ghostwriter.

Almost.

First I had to pass a writing test. This involved writing a short story (which I was paid for) based on a series of parameters set by the editor and a plot summary a mere paragraph long. After that, the editor and I collaborated on revisions and I was approved. That was when I received my first assignment.

As I said, I can’t reveal the title of that first book or any of the others that followed. I can’t give you the faux author name that graced the covers of my books. I can’t do a lot of things, thanks to that NDA. I can, though, share some things I learned about ghostwriting as a side gig.

Keep in mind, I only worked with one book packager. My statements below are based on that specific experience. Your results, should you choose to pursue this avenue or if you’ve also ghostwritten, may vary.

What ghostwriters should consider before accepting a job

Your worth

Currently, the going rate for a ghostwriter creating full-length fiction is 9.0–11.5¢ per word or $55.00–110.00 per hour. This is according to the 2024 Editorial Rate chart compiled by the Editorial Freelance Association (EFA). A full-length novel in the mystery genre according to Nathan Bransford, a former literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd, should come in between 75,000 to 90,000 words. If we just go by the lower estimates, a ghostwriter who drafts a 75,000 word crime novel should be paid $6,750 for their work. I negotiated a slightly higher rate for my jobs, but the bottom line is I was paid well during my ghostwriting adventure.

Unfortunately, there are many people out there who will take advantage of new or struggling writers. A quick search on Upwork shows job postings offering $1,000 for 40,000 words (so 2.5¢ per word) or $450 for 30,000 words (so 1.5¢ per word). For most people, writing so many quality words and morphing them into coherent, relevant sentences is not a quick process. It takes time, sometimes a lot, making the value of that 2.5¢ per word plummet.

Let’s break it down. I can write about 6,500 (up to 10,000 if I’m motivated with very few distractions) a week on part-time (20) hours. That’s roughly 6 weeks or 120 hours work for a 40,000 novel. If payment is only $1,000, ghostwriting that 40,000 word novel would earn me maybe a dollar over working a job earning the federal minimum wage. Considering that many ghostwriting jobs require you remain anonymous and you can’t even use the work in your portfolio, that’s no deal. Which brings me to the next thing you should know.

You’re writing is the product

Essentially, a ghostwriter is a hired contractor. You are assigned a project and are expected to deliver an end product (the novel). It’s highly likely that, if you plan to ghostwrite fiction like I did, you’ll have to sign an NDA. I’ve been told non-fiction projects are more open to letting you use them in your portfolio to promote your skills. I don’t know if this is the reality, though. So you’re possibly signing away all rights to royalties, author acknowledgement, and bragging rights.

At the book packager I worked for, a ghostwriter is paid a flat fee for the product. I was fine with this. They supplied detailed chapter summaries and main character lists. The primary people, places, and events were already mapped out. I crafted the story around these requirements. I got to provide input and had leeway on the non-essential portions of the story but, for the most part, I didn’t stray from the provided outline’s parameters.

This detachment kept me from pouring too much of myself into the novel. Yes, bits and pieces of me are in there, buried between the lines. A mention of my favorite restaurant. An extra character I wrote in resembling my best friend. A memory recalled by the heroine that’s a reflection of my own. I got to leave my stamp on my writing and when I go back through the novels (because, yes, I did buy my own copies once they were published), I find all the little easter eggs I left for myself to remind me that I wrote that. But I’m not sad that no one else sees them.

At the end of the day, I was a tool for telling the book publisher’s stories, not my own. For that reason, I’m okay with coming up empty handed in the credit department. I provided a product and was paid for it. Simple as that.

There is no you in teamwork

When I was ghostwriting novels, I had one editor who approved my work. I’d send her the drafts, she’d send me notes, I’d revise my writing and send it back. We’d do this until the draft was perfect. Usually, it didn’t take long to get approval from the head editor.

When I switched to ghostwriting novel outlines, things were a bit different. Instead of one editor, I had three to four. At the same time. Because the outline given to the ghostwriters are so detailed (about 35 pages or so printed out!), they had to be more than perfect, hence all the extra eyes.

And so many extra opinions.

One time I decided to give a side character a fishing hobby. The editors loved this and decided to weave the hobby into the killer’s MO. One editor wanted a victim to be gutted like a fish. Another preferred the victim get a fishing hook to the eyeball. The third hemmed and hawed between the two options and suggested a third—strangulation with a fishing wire and a body ravaged by the river’s rocks. This could happen several times during one outline’s revision phase, which meant long delays while each editor individually ran through the draft and noted their thoughts.

Sometimes, we’d get the draft to just where the editors like it. Then the head editor would take a look and make more changes. A couple of times, these changes would affect the entire plot. We’d have to go back to the drawing board and start revisions all over again.

The point here is that ghostwriting doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s not just the writer, happily writing a draft, submitting it, and getting paid. There will be revisions and complete rewrites and maybe even some hurt feelings. So you better play well with others, otherwise your ghostwriting career will be short lived.

Time is limited

My book packager was always releasing new books in various series. Several of my novels were released within a few months of me finishing the manuscript. Those manuscripts ran between 60,000 and 75,000 words. Because the book packaging company had a release schedule for the entire year already mapped out, dawdling between novels wasn’t possible. As soon as one was done, the next needed to be started.

This schedule isn’t for the feint of heart. I wrote and submitted 15,000 words every two weeks. That’s a mere two months to write an entire novel. It’s brutal.

When I think back to that time, I remember being happy I was writing but also so very tired and stressed. I have a day job, so my evening and weekend hours were consumed by writing. I had to work time into my life for my husband and pets. But the extra money was sooo good to have and, hey, I was living my dream. I was a professional writer!

Six novels and a dozen outlines later, I realized how damaging ghostwriting at that pace was to my health and relationships. If I did it all over again, I would set better boundaries for myself. My main boundary would be to write weeknights or weekends, not both. Keeping those hours is punishing to the body and soul.

Why I quit ghostwriting

When my first series ended, the book packager asked if I wanted to continue writing novels or pivot to outlines. At the time, I was writing 15,000 words every two weeks, the same amount of words as novel outlines. And I was burned out on it.

My favorite part of creating a story is outlining it. Foolishly, I convinced myself drafting outlines would be more fun and, hey, I might get them done at a faster rate than writing prose. Maybe enough to warrant an extra paycheck or two every few months. I wholeheartedly signed up for the gig.

Folks, ghostwriting a novel outline is as or more difficult than ghostwriting it. Remember those editors I mentioned before? The ones with varying opinions, scrutinizing every single word in the outline? They also took forever to get revisions back to me. Contrary to what I believed, the outlining process for one novel would take much longer than a month. Sometimes it took two or three. And the entire time I was continuing to make the revisions requested by the editors, sending them for approval, and getting more revisions. Like George Lucas, they just kept tweaking, over and over.

I get it. The outline had to be perfect.

But here’s the thing. I was a writer for the book packager first, so I knew what the outlines looked like. At least the one’s I had worked from. When I signed on to ghostwrite outlines, I expected to crafting similar items.

At some point, I noticed my approved outlines were bumping up to 20,000 or 25,000 words. Sometimes more. Much more than the 15,000 I signed on for. I was told to be more succinct. I did. That didn’t work out either because the editors kept tweaking and requiring more details.

When I was a writer, I did a lot of research on things. One time the outline had a character jumping out to the ocean from a rocky coast. The problem? The story was set in an area composed primarily of sand and devoid of any rocky matter. I caught that and corrected it.

I looked up company acronyms and scrutinized organization websites to find details for my stories. I explored different cultures to find rules and customs to enhance the narrative. When a storyline involving a lake or river or gorge was set near a real town whose terrain was near none of those, I told my one editor and we relocated.

Rereading the outline editors’ notes, I realized what the issue was. They were having me do the research and spell out the details for all of these things. Even simple things that could be easily looked up online. All of this was “too make it easier for the writer”. It had to be perfect so the novel writer wasn’t wasting time.

What?

Memories of digging through Reddit threads and government websites flooded my mind. The hours I, as a novel writer, had spent away from my family because I needed to know what color an EMT’s jacket was or what a prison’s visitation hours were. I was still doing that same research now, as an outline writer, so that the assigned novel writer wouldn’t suffer.

Plus, I was expected to complete more and more work for the same payment. I had recently completed a series outline and, after asking for payment and being put off for a month, was asked to make more revisions because the focus groups decided they like x better than y and things were going to need to be rewritten. It occurred to me that, if I ever ghostwrote again, I would only offer to provide a couple of revisions (not ten or twenty) before requiring a new agreement.

And that was it. Last straw. Sporadic paychecks and wasted time to make someone else’s job easier didn’t work for me.

So I quit.

Was my experience ghostwriting crime fiction worth it?

Yes!

Are you surprised? Don’t be. Ghostwriting was tough, but the pros outweighed the cons. Because of my ghostwriting side gig, I:

· Got into the habit of writing every day

· Honed my skills

· Learned the ins and outs (and struggles) of working with multiple ideas and viewpoints

· Wrote a novels. Actually, six of them!

Plus the book packager was, for the most part, good to work with. Things changed somewhere along the way and we went our separate ways, end of story. I’ve nothing but respect for the company.

That’s it. The story of how I wrote six crime fiction novels and why I can’t share any of them with you. Again, all of the above is based on my own experience ghostwriting crime fiction novels with one book packaging company. If you’ve been curious about the ghostwriting experience and why anyone would chose to be one, I hope this article answered your questions.

3/10/25 Quick edit to add this post by Victoria Strauss on ghostwriting company scams. Another thing to watch out for if you’re interested in fiction ghostwriting. There are a lot of dishonest companies out there, so do your background research before working with one 😁

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Hello fellow readers!

We’re one week into 2025. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? Did you even make any?

For me, I hate making New Year’s resolutions. The pressure starts to wear me down and I devolve into a self-sabotaging rebel. Who says I shouldn’t eat this bag of cookies? What do you mean, I can’t buy all these books? Resolutions, smesholutions. I’m eating all the cookies and buying all the books.

Resolutions are rigid. Instead of I could, we say I will, full stop. That’s a promise, even if it’s just to yourself. No one is going to feel more let down if you don’t keep it than yourself. Who has time to lug that weight around on their shoulders all year?

Setting goals is a different beast. They’re about my desires. I want to lose 10 pounds, so maybe I should only eat one cookie. I want extra cash flow at the end of the year, so I probably shouldn’t purchase more than two books (which, oh my gosh, these days at $30-ish a hardcover and $15-ish a paperback, is almost too much for just two books). Goals are simple cause and effect. I want x, so I’ll do y to make it happen. And, they are flexible. They can be reset and revised as needed.

So I don’t make resolutions per se. I choose the goal-oriented approach instead and set READsolutions at the beginning of the year. Books are my life and devouring them is something I completely control, so the tasks I assign myself I can easily do with a bit of hard work. I mean, why set yourself up for disaster instead of success? Take the wins where you can get them, folks.

This year, I set three READsolutions:

• Be better at logging the books I’ve read into my BookBuddy app. If you’re an avid bookworm and you haven’t used this or a similar app to catalog your personal library, I suggest you try it. It’s very simple. Scan the ISBN and give the book a tag. Done. Because of this, one look at my phone in a bookstore can tell me if I’ve already purchased a book. I also use it to track books I put in storage, because my house is small but my personal library is not. I can tag books I had but have given away, too, so when I’m staring at my bookcases and thinking “I know I had a copy of that,” I can look at the app and realize I used did, once, but don’t now.

• Take a baby step out of my mystery/horror genres and explore romantasy. Romance isn’t the easiest genre for me to read. I like a good love story, but my preference of death and intrigue over meet cutes means many don’t hold my

  attention for long. Over the holidays, I read Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle on my daughter’s recommendation and greatly enjoyed it. I picked up Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson and Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe on a recent trip to Bethany Beach Books. I’m anxious to test the romantasy waters this year.

• Read three books a month in 2025. This is where the really hard work comes into play. I’m a fast reader, but, y’know, life gets in the way sometimes. To make this READsolution a reality, I’m going to focus on carving out time each day to stick my nose in a book. I prefer long stretches of time for reading, so snagging five minutes here and there is going to be a challenge.

I like these READsolutions because they expand my reading world (romantasy), assist in corralling all the books stacked around my house (BookBuddy), and make me flex my bookworm muscles (three books a month). At the same time, they are all achievable and attainable. No stress or fuss.

In case you’d like to make your own READsolutions but can’t figure out where to start, here are some suggestions.

1. Join or start a book club this year. Online or in-person, it doesn’t matter. And show up. Discuss the finer details of books. Share your thoughts on characters. Get social.

2. Set an amount of time to read each day and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be just one book, either. Read part of a short story. Read a few flash fictions. Read newspaper articles and part of a short story. Whatever time limit you set for yourself—five minutes, twenty, an hour—block it out and don’t do anything but read whatever you want to in that time.

3. If you’re primarily a physical or ebook reader, give audiobooks a try. Some people argue that audiobooks don’t count as reading. Yes, you’re technically listening to the story, not reading, but the end result is you experience a story. It’s just via a recording instead of print. To me, that counts as reading.

4. Make reading an event. Every night at the same time, brew a cup of tea or mix up a mug of hot chocolate. Curl up in a cozy corner of your home. If anyone calls, tell them you’ve already made plans. Make reading a special and sacred part of your day.

5. Read aloud. Put on a show for yourself. Give the characters voice. Ask yourself questions and debate with yourself. Muse about the possibilities of the plot. Take it seriously or play it loose. Record yourself if you want to. Have fun!

6. Keep a journal as you read. There are tons of reading journals out there to choose from. Log your emotions. Lay out your thoughts. Note your favorite characters or twists. Write a review. Document the experience and go back periodically to reread your opinions.

7. At the library or bookstore, find the shelves with the genre you enjoy reading and close your eyes. Hold out your fingers, caress the bindings, and choose a book to read at random. If it’s one you’ve already enjoyed or can’t read for some other reason, close your eyes and choose again.

8. Instead of floundering with Amazon reviews or Goodreads, ask a librarian or bookseller for suggestions. Tell them what you like and don’t like. List your favorite authors. Share your favorite tropes with them. Librarians and booksellers (especially at indie bookshops), in my experience, tend to be very knowledgeable on the books in their care and can provide you with a wealth of information on what book or author to pick next.

9. Make a vision board of the books you want to read, old or new. Put thumbnails of the covers next to the titles. If the books haven’t been published yet, note the pub date, too. As you read each one, remove or cross out the cover. If you want to make a quick note, such as how many stars you’d give it, do that. Add book covers as you discover new titles to add.

10. Get a blind date with a book. I’ve purchased these on Etsy, in bookstores, and at flea markets. Usually there’s a short description of the plot and other pertinent information, like the genre or publication date. Here’s an example from my Instagram.

There’s probably a million other ways to enhance your reading experiences this year. I encourage you to seek them out and give them a try, whether you’re in a reading slump or just looking for a fun way to interact with books.

Happy reading!

I want Miracle on 34th Street with a murder mystery.

Instead of the original Macy’s Day Parade Santa being merely drunk, I want him to die. When he’s a no-show, Doris Walker happens upon Kris Kringle (examining the sleigh or something) and hires him to fill in. After the parade, original Santa’s body is discovered in the department store locker room.

The rest of the movie will play out like it does because, really, the murder mystery is a subplot to be worked in. Granville Sawyer will still declare Kris insane. Fred Gailey will still take on Kris’s case pro bono. But, Fred and Doris will also investigate original Santa’s murder while trying to help Kris.

At some point before the final hearing, Fred or Doris (or even Susan, wouldn’t that be fun!) will find evidence that points to Sawyer as the killer. He had gambling debts and original Santa was his bookie. After the impressive mail bag drop by the postmen proves Kris is Santa, Fred will trick Sawyer to admitting to original Santa’s murder in front of the court and everyone. Sawyer will be hauled off to jail and the movie will continue on like it does.

We’d have Christmas spirit, comedy, murder mystery, and happy happy feels all in the same package. Win-Win.

Alas, that balance is difficult to find. In movies, anyway. Christmas mystery movies usually involve theft or light kidnapping. No murders in sight. And I get it. Christmas is all about goodwill and love. But crime television shows find a way to work it into special episodes. The number of Christmas cozy murder mystery novels to read is increasing exponentially each year. The combination of Christmas + murder mystery can work. Heck, judging from the number of holiday horror movies available, Christmas + slashers + gore makes sense to Hollywood bigwigs. So why aren’t there more Christmas murder mystery movies out there?

In my quest to find a solid movie to fit the bill, I’ve come across a few classics that could work. There are three things my perfect holiday murder mystery movie needs:

• It must have cozy vibes.

• It must have a decently plotted mystery.

• It must include several elements of the holiday.

One of my favorites that hits all three points is Lady On A Train with Deanna Durbin. Christmas is everywhere, the mystery’s not overly intellectual but satisfying to work out, and (to me) the outfits and locations and situations are very cozy-like. The problem with Lady On A Train is the screwball and slapstick levels are off the charts. As much as I enjoy watching this one, I have to do it while wrapping gifts or some other distraction and have it playing in the background.

Another movie recommended to me was Lady In The Lake. This one has loads of murder and a decent amount of holiday cheer, but there’s nothing cozy about it. This is noir. Also, it doesn’t follow Chandler’s novel. Although, I do find the first-person filming style interesting.

Next option, Alias Boston Blackie. Great amount of Christmas in this one and comedic cozy feels, but the murder happens too late.

I thought the perfect Christmas murder mystery movie must not exist. Then, I saw Cover Up on Tubi and gave it a try. And, finally, I’ve found one I can watch every holiday from now on, sandwiched between some of my other favorite non-mysteries like The Bishop’s Wife, Christmas In Connecticut, and Never Say Goodbye.

Cover Up begins with an insurance investigator, Sam Donovan (Dennis O’Keefe), departing a train and boarding a bus headed to a small midwestern town. While waiting in line, he flirts with a woman, Anita Weatherby (Barbara Britton). He assists her in managing the armful of gift wrapped presents she’s juggling and learns she’s going to the same town he is. Both are informed by the bus driver as they board that a local man named Roger Phillips has recently committed suicide.

We find out Sam’s been sent to the town by his company because Phillips’s insurance policy contained a double indemnity clause in the event that his death was murder. It doesn’t take long for Sam to suspect Phillips death wasn’t suicide at all and someone’s covering up the man’s murder. The problem is everyone he interviews in town insists the death was suicide, even Phillips niece who stands to inherit the extra money from the policy, and Phillips was hated by most of the citizens.

William Bendix (in a role very different from his portrayal of Chester A. Riley) shines as Sheriff Larry Best, the local LEO intent on giving O’Keefe’s insurance investigator a hard time. Best makes it clear to Sam that he isn’t happy an outsider’s in his town, poking a nose in where it doesn’t belong. He keeps his sentences short and his emotions in check as he meddles in Sam’s efforts to uncover the truth. It’s a subtle but strong performance which deepens as the story unfolds.

By far, my favorite character was Doro Merande as Hilda, the Weatherby housekeeper. She steals the show in almost every scene she’s in. To be honest, until I checked the cast list I thought I was watching Margaret Hamilton. Hilda’s looks and grumbling but lovable demeanor reminded me much of Hamilton. Her under-the-breath observations and subtle way of butting into conversations was charming and added much of the humor to the movie.

Let’s see then. We’ve got the coziness (a small town humming with joyous holiday celebration) and the murder mystery (Phillips’ death). That’s two marked off my checklist.

What about the must have holiday elements?

Pleasingly, Cover Up has much of this, too. The town Christmas tree lighting. The Weatherby’s decorating their own tree. Anita with her presents at the start of the movie. The Santa ringing a bell for donations on the corner. Toasty fires crackling in hearths while December winds wail outside. Townspeople dressed in heavy coats and donning mittens and scarves. Sam buying Anita a present at the jewelers. There’s no doubt what season we’re in. It’s a homespun Christmas all the way.

A lot of that is thanks to the movie’s star, Dennis O’Keefe. O’Keefe’s newly minted production company produced the movie and he co-wrote the script. When he arrived on set to begin shooting, O’Keefe discovered that the producer altered the script to move the setting from Christmas to springtime. O’Keefe felt so strongly about the Christmas backdrop that he refused to work until the script was changed back. He won out, the script was reinstated, and we have an excellent movie to watch because of it.

There you have it. A great Christmas cozy murder mystery that’s fun, well-acted, and perfect for this time of year. Had you heard of this one before?

Do you plan on watching it? Or is there another movie you think would hit all three things on my checklist? Let me know in the comments!

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The dilemma

Your loved one is an avid reader. Paperbacks litter every free space on shelves. Stacks of hardbacks line up like soldiers against any open wall space. Books are their love language. But the holidays are coming and you want to give your bookworm something unexpected. Something that’s not another book.

The Solution

Delight your reader with something from one of the stores below this holiday season!

*I am not an affiliate for any of these brands. I just love their products.*

• Imaginary Authors: According the About page, Imaginary Authors says they think of fragrances like books: A person should have many on their shelf. To that end, their products are a bibliophile and perfume connoisseur dream. Each of their fragrances has its own story, literally. The descriptions read like back cover copy, including plots and characters. I suggest picking up a sample set (like Beach Reads and The Best Short Stories) so your bookworm can test them out and discover their own favorite story scent. My go-to from this brand is Fox in the Flowerbed :)

• Obvious State: Literary inspired art and stationery is what this shop is all about. It’s a creative studio and indie publisher created by a married couple. Their mostly black and white art, like this Leo Tolstoy design, is stark and stunning. So is this Shakespeare one with a cat. I do wish they offered more mystery themed offerings beyond this one Agatha Christie print and a bit of Poe. I’ve given their bookmark and notecard sets as gifts before and the recipients loved the items.

• Frostbeard Studio: This store specializes in candles, and by golly there’s a scent here for every booklover. I, of course, love Sherlock’s Study and Bookstore. While the Studio’s permanent selection is limited, they do continue to add new scents and even bring back retired fan favorites if there is a large enough demand. Additionally, they offer subscription boxes you could gift to your reader.

• The Reader’s Catalog: The Reader’s Catalog offers a smorgasbord of items readers and writers will adore! An array of notecards (like these Booklover Holiday Cards and Glen Baxter notecards), puzzles (featuring Classic Covers, Edward Gorey, and Sherlock Holmes), and other home and office goods offer something for everyone. For younger readers, try the BabyLit books (yes, I know I said no books, but these are adorable and encourage reading) and The Young Booklover’s Holiday Advent Calendar.

• Out Of Print: The go-to place for literary themed clothing, accessories, and home goods. Among my favorite items are the Nancy Drew selection (including this tote bag and these socks), these Sherlock Holmes socks, and this Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy pin set.

• Uncommon Goods: I could get lost on this site for days. There is soooo much to gawk at. Here are a few suggestions to get you started: this interactive mug, a literary insults chart, a tea collection for booklovers, Agatha Christie murder mystery mugs, this booklover’s card game, and this Solve The Case Escape Room. Just a tip, things sell out fast so if you find something you love, snag it!

• The Strand: The Strand bookstore has been a New York City staple since 1927. Here, focus on the Studio Strand for iconic one-of-a-kind tote bags, book accessories, stationery, and other gifts.

• The New York Public Library Shop: A wonderful place to find gifts for your reader! Look at the calendars (like this NYPL calendar with vintage illustrations), this King Kong bookend set, the NYPL Library Card blanket, and this NYPL Read Banned Books pennant.

• The Library of Congress Store: Tons of unique gift ideas live here. The Brunnhilde and Floradora bookmarks, the book spine pencil cup and magnifier, the bookfan, and this Library Bookshelf silk scarf are all things I’d love to receive. Or this reading shawl with pockets. And they offer an awesome selection of prints, too.

Other ideas

• How about a subscription (print or digital) to a magazine? Bookmarks and Oh Reader are great for readers who crave articles on reading and books written by other bookworms. On the short story front, choices include Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

• For readers who like to annotate but don’t want to write in the margins of their books, transparent sticky notes (like these from Post-It) could be a great stocking stuffer.

• For your “just one more chapter” readers with significant others, a sturdy book light could be handy. These days there are tons of inexpensive options and many have adjustable and ambient lighting.

• A reading journal provides detail-oriented bookworms with a place to document their thoughts on all the books they read, or plan to.

• Bookmarks. I love getting bookmarks! Buy some from a store or make your own to gift to your reader. Either way, your reader will think of you when they use it.

• My last suggestion is a cozy and warm blanket for your reader to curl up under when they read their books.

Wow, that was a lot more than I intended to suggest!

Bookworms love reading, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited to books when giving out gifts. And, if in doubt, a gift card to the local book store is always a winner…

Happy holidays!