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Dean James

Author of the "Cat in the Stacks" mysteries as Miranda James

Recent Activity

The Pain of Loss

Today is a sad one in the mystery community. A highly respected member, Duane Swierczynski and his wife Meredith, have lost their beloved daughter Evie to leukemia. The mystery community in many ways is a small town, with many neighborhoods,... Continue reading

Posted Oct 31, 2018 at My Weblog

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Founding Femme Deborah Adams

My guest for today's blog is none other than Deborah Adams, the founding spirit behind the Femmes Fatales, lo these many years ago. She is the award-winning author of the Jesus Creek mysteries series, a wickedly funny group of books... Continue reading

Posted Sep 5, 2018 at My Weblog

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The Things That Move Us

We have all had experiences that have touched us deeply, moved us, sometimes in almost indefinable ways. Books, movies, places, people, experiences -- they all have the power to move us. I have been thinking about this recently, looking back... Continue reading

Posted Aug 8, 2018 at My Weblog

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No Sex Please, We're Cozy

I think this post is probably one I posted several years ago, but given the discussion about cozies and their origins that seems to arise on a regular basis, I thought it bore re-sharing, with a few additions. For one... Continue reading

Posted Jul 11, 2018 at My Weblog

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Those Murderous Librarians

Having been a fan of libraries ever since my father took me, aged eight, to the Elizabeth Jones Public Library in Grenada, Mississippi, to get my first library card, I thoroughly enjoy mysteries connected to libraries and to librarians. Kind... Continue reading

Posted Jun 27, 2018 at My Weblog

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Favorite Mystery and Detective Stories

Over the years I've read thousands of mystery and detective stories, and I occasionally make lists of some favorites. I am sharing that list here, but I warn you that it is far from complete. There are many more I... Continue reading

Posted Jun 13, 2018 at My Weblog

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Interview with Tracy Grant

It's no secret that Georgette Heyer, queen of the Regency-era historical novel, is one of my favorite writers. Between Heyer and Jane Austen, I became fascinated by the period of English history known as the Regency. This was the period... Continue reading

Posted May 16, 2018 at My Weblog

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Re-reading Old Favorites

I enjoy re-reading authors that I love, and one of these authors that I love, and one of them is the late Dorothy Gilman. Though she is best known as the creator of the redoubtable Mrs. Emily Pollifax, CIA agent,... Continue reading

Posted May 2, 2018 at My Weblog

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Having final finished the manuscript I thought would never be finished, I've had time recently to read and thought I would share the fruits of that reading. Particularly since I have read some excellent books (and in a couple of... Continue reading

Posted Mar 14, 2018 at My Weblog

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Things You Might Not (Care to) Know About Me

Various memes pop up on Facebook constantly, and some of them have to do with personal quirks and/or unusual information about the person posting them. I've not yielded to temptation on Facebook, but I thought the idea an amusing one... Continue reading

Posted Jan 31, 2018 at My Weblog

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Life with Bert & Ernie

Until recently, I've not had kittens in the house for over twenty years. In that time my memory of kittenish antics faded, but with Bert & Ernie, the tuxedo brothers I adopted Thanksgiving weekend, I am finding those memories renewed.... Continue reading

Posted Jan 3, 2018 at My Weblog

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Marian Babson and Holiday Homicides

I learned yesterday of the death at 88 of mystery writer Marian Babson (1929-2017). Marian, born Ruth Stenstreem in Salem, Massachusetts, emigrated to England in the 1960s, I believe. She lived there the rest of her life. Beginning in 1971... Continue reading

Posted Dec 20, 2017 at My Weblog

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The Family Grows

I've had two cats for the past five-and-a-half years. Pippa and Toby. They are both now six-and-a-half, more or less. I thought that two cats was plenty. Pippa is a calico and quite the little princess. Toby is a large... Continue reading

Posted Dec 6, 2017 at My Weblog

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The Femmes Fatales wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, and we are thankful to you all for your continued support! Continue reading

Posted Nov 22, 2017 at My Weblog

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Family Mysteries, or, The Joys of Genealogy

I can't pinpoint when my interest in history first began, particularly my interest in the history of my family. I do remember as a teenager meeting one of my paternal grandfather's cousins who shared with the work she had done... Continue reading

Posted Sep 27, 2017 at My Weblog

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Hurricanes I Have Known

The recent weather events with Harvey and Irma have brought back many memories of my own experiences with hurricanes from my years in Houston. Before I lived through Alicia in Houston in 1983, my only experience that I could recall... Continue reading

Posted Sep 13, 2017 at My Weblog

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Vive l'Ensemble!

I write series books that follow the adventures of a main character or characters, along with the secondary characters who are a part of the main characters' lives. Though the main character is always the chief focus of the story,... Continue reading

Posted Aug 2, 2017 at My Weblog

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Confessions of a Serial Killer

Yes, I kill people. To date, upwards of thirty. More to come, I hope. And of course I'm sure anyone reading this realizes that I'm writing about fictional characters being murdered. People who read my books already know this about... Continue reading

Posted Jul 19, 2017 at My Weblog

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Those Daring Girl Detectives

I've written here before about how discovering Nancy Drew inspired my love of mysteries. Nancy led me to a host of other juvenile detectives, and I read as many of them as I could find. In the late 1960s and... Continue reading

Posted Jun 21, 2017 at My Weblog

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Femme Emerita Julie Herman Drops By

Visiting us today is one of the original Femmes Fatales, Julie Wray Herman. Julie and I have been good friends for over twenty years, and I have always been a fan of her writing. She wrote three wonderful mysteries for... Continue reading

Posted Jun 7, 2017 at My Weblog

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What I've Been Reading

When I'm working on a book I don't usually read mysteries. What I read during the period of completing a manuscript varies, depending on whatever my mood might be. At present, during my downtime (usually a little while before bedtime),... Continue reading

Posted May 24, 2017 at My Weblog

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Series or Stand-alone?

One of the questions facing mystery writers is whether to write a series or to write stand-alones. The answer depends on several things: the preferences of the writer, the intended audience, and, to a certain degree, the marketplace. My preference... Continue reading

Posted May 10, 2017 at My Weblog

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Book Festivals and Duels

This past weekend I attended the Alabama Book Festival in the state capitol, Montgomery. Carolyn Haines and I did a panel together on cozy mysteries, moderated by our friend Tammy Lynn. This was only the second state book festival that... Continue reading

Posted Apr 26, 2017 at My Weblog

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The Power of Story: A Visit with Carolyn Haines

Carolyn Haines is no stranger to Femmes readers. The USA Today-bestselling author has shared her insights on writing with us before. This week she is launching a new (well, not completely new) venture in her publishing career. For a number... Continue reading

Posted Apr 12, 2017 at My Weblog

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Cultivating Ideas

A common question for writers is "Where did you get the idea for your latest book?" Some writers cringe when they hear this question, because sometimes it's hard to say exactly where the inspiration for a book originates. A chance... Continue reading

Posted Mar 29, 2017 at My Weblog

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