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A Millennial Male Takes the Case Wednesday, Aug 13 2025

amateur sleuth and Continued series winner and great read and humorous crime and mystery to die for and police procedural and Series not to be missed and writing process character influences, detectives, murder mystery, police procedural, review Auntie M Writes Crime 8:15 am

Please welcome Melissa Westemeier, whose second mystery in her Nun the Wiser Mysteries, DROPPED LIKE A BAD HABIT, debuts today!

Millennial women have crept into the cozy crime scene (we see you, Mabel Mora and Lila Macapagal), but what of their male counterparts? MIA for the most part, but you CAN find one in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries! Detective AJ Lewis gives Sister Bernadette Ohlson the assist—and occasional redirection—as they work together to solve murders in Old Habits Die Hard and Dropped Like a Bad Habit. When I started writing the series, I decided to base AJ’s character on my oldest son, which meant creating a man considerably younger than the male characters populating most modern mysteries.

Bernie’s former student, Andrew John Lewis, is 28 and he bears the characteristics of his generation’s counterparts. Tech-savvy? Check. Like everyone else his age, he’s got a smart phone and knows his way around the office computer system. AJ’s also an avid gamer and technology dominates his lifestyle. A typical weeknight involves ordering dinner delivered through the app on his phone before settling on his couch to play Red Dead Redemption II or Cyberpunk 2077 on his Xbox. He uses technology at work, for commerce, to stay connected with people, and to get his information.

Sensitive to female (and other) counterparts? Indeed! AJ’s partner, Taylor Jones, is a woman, as are many of his colleagues. Women in AJ’s world aren’t relegated to secretary-getting-coffee or femme fatales. Older generations engaged in intersex battles, but millennials view each other through a lens of greater cooperation. AJ’s not quite as prone to making snap judgements about people’s character based on gender stereotypes…or other stereotypes for that matter. His partnership with Bernie develops with huge respect for each other’s skill sets and appreciation for what it takes to work intergenerationally, which involves enormous amounts of patience and a sense of humor on AJ’s end!

Socially engaged and health-conscious? You betcha! By the end of Old Habits Die Hard, AJ’s ready to lace up a pair of running shoes and get himself in better physical shape. In Dropped Like a Bad Habit, he’s gained speed, endurance, and an improved resting heart rate through his dedication to eating healthier and getting regular cardio workouts. AJ’s social life is a mashup of family time with his parents and sisters, gaming online with his college roommates, and listening to local bands and catching a couple beers after work with colleagues. He’s single (typical), but not quite ready to rely on dating apps to find love (atypical).

Our star detective is a budget-savvy single man living in a one-bedroom apartment. He prefers investing in a little fun over home ownership. He’s also nostalgic. His soft spot for the past is common among millennials, and AJ steeps himself in fantasy worlds like Star Wars and Marvel comics to escape the turbulence of everyday life. Since childhood he’s enjoyed the heroic tales of superheroes and fantasy worlds and continues to as an adult. There’s always a new Marvel or DC movie coming out, endless spin-offs to stream, and new twists on beloved universes to keep him entertained.

A few faces come to mind as I generate a dream cast for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Ironically, my first picks to play AJ Lewis both played Spider-Man on the big screen, which is pretty cool since AJ LOVES Spider-Man. I can picture Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield taking the role, both have a lean, lanky build and gorgeous thick brown hair. Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Joseph are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.

Joseph Gordon Levitt would also fit the bill nicely. I can picture him sitting at a desk in the Eugene Police Station and giving the Boba Fett bobblehead a tap before logging into their laptop. To a man, Tom, Andrew, and Josepsh are as wholesome and good-hearted as AJ, our millennial detective thoughtfully considering the evidence to solve murder cases with Bernie in the Nun the Wiser Mysteries.

You can find DROPPED LIKE A BAG HABIT at: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dropped-like-a-bad-habit-melissa-westemeier/1147185881?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&ean=2940184669748&st=AFF&SID=B%26N+Sample+Feed&2sid=Tule+Publishing%2C+Inc_8019915_NA&sourceId=AFFTule+Publishing%2C+Inc&cjevent=821436166bcc11f0803204250a82b824&dpid=tekz25v83

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dropped-Like-Habit-Wiser-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0F2JR3KLM?s=books&tag=clightfbad-20&language=en_US

Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/dropped-like-a-bad-habit/id6743813283?itscg=30200&itsct=books_box_link&mttnsubad=6743813283

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dropped-like-a-bad-habit

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dropped_Like_a_Bad_Habit?id=jwJREQAAQBAJ&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

Melissa Westemeier is a Sister in Crime and teacher from Wisconsin. She uses humor to explore serious subjects, and her published books include murder mysteries, rom-cons, and a trilogy loosely based on her years tending bar on the Wolf River. She likes her coffee and protagonists strong and prefers to work barefoot with natural lighting.

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The Lure of Bookshelves Friday, Feb 9 2024

writing process bookshelves, inspirations, writers, writing process Auntie M Writes Crime 3:35 pm

My bookshelves surround me with the words of writers I admire, whose influence I feel when I sit at my desk. The place we keep our treasured books varies from reader to reader, but who knew bookshelves were such an aesthetic trend?

According to Madison Malone Kircher in her New York Times article of Jan 16, 2024, social media platforms have been having a field day with people who own a huge number of books and how they “stage” them. The term “bookshelf wealth” is bandied about, too.

Here’s a direct quote: “If you’ve ever seen a Nancy Meyers movie, the look might ring a bell. Warm and welcoming. Polished, but not stuffy. A bronze lamp here. A vintage vase there (with fresh-cut flowers, of course). Perhaps there is a cozy seating area near the floor-to-ceiling display, with an overstuffed couch topped with tasteful throw pillows.”

What happened to buying books to READ by authors you admire or will come to enjoy, or for learning about something new, or for delving into someone’s life. (Big sigh) And if my shelves are sprinkled with family and friend and dog photos, it’s because those are the things I want near me when I work, not because of their price tag.

My three walls of bookshelves do not include the additional rack of those waiting to be reviewed by the side of my desk, nor the towering stacks in our bedroom, waiting for my insomniac reading. What they do have is the one thing I’d set my heart on when we built our house: a ladder from the Putnam Rolling Ladder Company in New York, which I convinced myself was practical for reaching the tops of the nine-foot shelves we were building into the library nook where our desk sits in the middle. Yes, I share a desk with my husband, an antique oak partner’s desk from the 1920s.

Another thing mine have: all of the book spines facing OUT so I can read the titles/authors and actually find the book I’m looking for. To me, this is a lovely part of a book’s cover. I cannot understand the new fashion of placing books with the pages out with no way to ascertain which book one is looking at. I recently emailed an HGTV show whose designs I admire, except for her habit of placing books with their spines against the wall. I asked why that was a trend as it negated any useful searching for actual reading. I actually received a reply from a production assistant, who explained when she asked said designer that they were worried about ‘copyright infringement’ if they displayed a book spine out without the authors’ permission.

That sounds hokey to me. What author would object to seeing his or her book on a television shows’ shelves, if they could even be distinguished at that distance? I thanked her for her answer but told her I knew plenty of authors who would gladly send a copy of their book to be displayed properly. She didn’t take me up on it…

And that makes me think that people who like this look backwards look (sorry if I’m mistaken) are not reading those books, keeping them to savor and re-read, or perhaps loan to a reading friend, but using them as a trendy sign of acquisition, that dreaded “bookwealth.”

I‘m likely dotty about books and papers, I’m the first to admit. I love a good pen and nice stationary and pretty notecards. I inhale the scent of a shelf of vintage books, the old inks and paper covers curled and maybe slightly moldy. The idea of spending time in a used bookstore thrills me, scouring for treasure.

A few years ago, one of my writing group members and myself visited Powell’s in Portland, the world’s largest independent bookstore. Heavenly. We separated and met in the main lobby hours later, hardly sated. When I lived in New York, I’d stagger out of a visit to The Strand under a burden of several book bags chock full of those that simply couldn’t be left behind. Plus a few journals or notebooks. And don’t get me started on pens. Both Michele Dorsey and Susan Breen have blogged about these items with good reason. We are smitten.

Wisdom in old shelves and books of Trinity College, Dublin

I find that photos of large and gorgeous libraries all over the world intrigue me, too, and frequently post them on my Facebook page. They go onto a bucket list in case I’m ever in that part of the world. Who wouldn’t want to visit the libraries in great cities, to simply look on in awe and take a deep breath of all of that goodness? One of my favorite places to stop by when I’m back in NY is the Morgan Library, for that aesthetic pleasure of being surrounded by all of those books in that gorgeous setting. And yes, I freely admit I almost swooned many years ago when taking the oath to read in the Bodleian Library’s Radcliffe Camera, surrounded by original broadsheets of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.

It’s a sickness of sorts.

Our bookshelves are all oak and there are lot of them. After twenty years in this house, I recently did a nice cleanout and donated and gave away carton upon carton of books to our library and to reading friends in other states who would then donate them to their library. I kept my most favorite authors near me, but as my husband said, just made room for all the new ones I’d soon be adding in.

He’s right.

Then I decided all of that oak needed to be broken up, so I’ve been using swatches of peel and stick wallpaper in different designs to line just the back shelves. You can’t see a lot of them because they’re covered with, well, books. But when a bit of color peeks above a stack, I smile. It’s my way of personalizing all of that wood that supports the tangible thing I love most.

Readers, do you have a favorite library to visit? And what are your thoughts on the way books are placed on shelves? Be honest!

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The Psychologist’s shadow Saturday, Nov 18 2023

psychological mystery and suspense thriller and Uncategorized and writing process first person, psychological thriller, suspense, thriller Auntie M Writes Crime 7:00 am

The Psychologist’s Shadow by Laury A Egan

Please welcome Laury A. Egan, who will describe her journey with her new thriller, The Psychologist’s Shadow:

The Psychologist’s Shadow by Laury A. Egan

From the Beginning

The Psychologist’s Shadow is a portrait of Dr. Ellen Haskell, a compassionate, introspective therapist who finds herself in a dangerous struggle with an unknown stalker. The novel is a simmering suspense, one in which tension accumulates as the reader gains insights during sessions with clients—one of whom may be the psychologist’s shadow—and through the stalker’s journal entries, which serve as a discordant counterpoint.

The inspiration for the novel originated in my college interest in psychology. During my later years at Carnegie Mellon University, I selected all of my course electives in that field. Upon graduation, the head of the university’s counseling center, who had been one of my professors, urged me to embark on a career as a therapist. I was tempted but didn’t go that route, yet I continued to read books and to follow changes in psychology. When I began this manuscript in 1992 (a second novel), my goal was to meld my interest with my writing, depicting how a psychologist would react in sessions and what her thoughts would be during them as well as later, when she was alone and in private.

In other words, the story let me travel down the road I hadn’t taken, to try on the career I hadn’t chosen.

The novel is a semi-cozy suspense/mystery, set primarily in the counselor’s office in Princeton, New Jersey, and in her home on a forested property northwest of town—places I know well because I worked in Princeton and lived in a similar house. In addition to the familiar setting and my fascination with psychology, I was also attracted to the idea of writing about a light/dark dichotomy: the psychologist versus the disturbed, obsessive follower whose identity is unknown. Both are narrated in first person, thus allowing the reader (and me) to plunge into their minds, with a more in-depth concentration on Ellen Haskell.

Because one of my greatest pleasures as a writer is creating characters, the plot of The Psychologist’s Shadow allowed me rich opportunities to compose a sampler of diverse clients; to imagine their histories, personalities, and problems; how they would speak, behave, and dress, a process which was similar to writing case studies at university. I was also able to don a psychologist’s hat to “treat” each person, which provides the reader a voyeuristic perch from which to observe, analyze, and search for clues during therapeutic conversations. Wrapping Ellen’s story around her clients’ lives and interspersing the enigmatic journal entries by the stalker, was like being granted a chance to perform all the roles in a drama.

Throughout the years, I continued to revise the manuscript—almost forty times—and then, after publishing a number of other novels, I rolled up my sleeves, sharpened my red pencil, and attacked the manuscript with fervor, finally finishing the project. It now joins eleven other books on my shelf, several of which are in the suspense genre: A Bittersweet Tale, Doublecrossed, Jenny Kidd, and The Ungodly Hour.

However, unlike most authors, who usually concentrate on one genre, I tend to write whatever alights in my consciousness. This sometimes happens in a kind of channeling process when a character “comes through” while I’m sitting on my deck, looking out to sea, for example, or because a setting or “what-if” situation has inspired me. I’ve even tackled comedy: Fabulous! An Opera Buffa and young adult fiction, The Outcast Oracle and Turnabout. Perhaps I’m versatile or perhaps I love being all kinds of people, in all kinds of situations and places.

The Psychologist’s Shadow stayed with me for a long time, but it was ultimately a very satisfying creation. For those who have been in therapy or are therapists, for those who love solving mysteries, I hope this psychological suspense will be an intriguing read!

Published November 18, 2023 by Enigma Books, an imprint of Spectrum Books, UK

Available in paperback and eBook.

Amazon: https://mybook.to/thepsychologistsshadow

Laury A. Egan is the author of twelve novels, most recently The Firefly and Once, Upon an Island; a collection, Fog and Other Stories; four volumes of poetry; and numerous short fiction published in literary journals and anthologies. She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey. Website: www.lauryaegan.com

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Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life Thursday, Oct 1 2020

biogrpahy and great read and writing process Auntie M Writes Crime 12:30 am

What better way to celebrate fall than with the stunning biography Laura Thompson wrote on the queen or mystery. Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life is a complete, fully researched examination of the woman whose crime novels are only outsold by the Bible and Shakespeare.

From the Edwardian idyll that was her childhood, Agatha was closest to her mother, although she loved her father. After his death, mother and daughter became even closer, although there was an older brother and sister in the family. Clara’s influence would be clearly felt by Agatha for the rest of her life, in ways large and small, and in her attitude towards money.

The tall, slim girl with the lovely golden hair soon grew into an athletic and graceful young woman, one who wrote poetry and had a leaning to writing. She was a listener, one who absorbed what people said and how they behaved. When she falls for Archie Christie, handsome but without means, her mother is less than impressed with her new son-in-law.

As her writing takes off and a child appears, daughter Rosalind, Agatha’s maternal attitude became diffident, and while she loved her daughter, they never had the same connection Agatha had with Clara. Too long the beloved daughter to be an effective mother, Agatha allows nannies and boarding schools largely to care for her daughter after a few years.

And then the unthinkable happens: Archie has fallen for another woman and wants a divorce. Agatha’s subsequent breakdown, manifested in her disappearance for eleven days that caused an international sensation, is cleverly explained by Thompson, who spins what seems to be the most realistic story of what really happened.

Once Agatha is found at a Harrowgate spa, the divorce occurs and her life changes. She would refuse to discuss the incident ever again, and if anyone dared question her about the period, that person would be obliterated from her life.

Her second marriage several years later to archeologist Max Mallowan was more of a reassurance to Agatha, and her books took off as her writing flourished when she traveled with him. She helped him in his work; theirs was a comfortable relationship that brought Agatha emotional security.

There were multiple houses, too, including the lovely summer home Greenway in Devon that Auntie M visited in 2013. There were also multiple tax issues her ‘fortune’ created, with UK high taxes and the US suddenly deciding they were owed back taxes, a situation that literally dragged on for decades until settled, leaving her an employee of a trust created in her name to control the debt.

Thompson takes issue with those who have called Agatha’s stories simple. They were created out of her deep knowledge of human nature, with almost geometric plots. “But at the heart was her fascination with human nature. This is the great joke: Agatha Christie was not interested in murder.”

Thompson makes a grand case with supporting documentation for this, and also explores the dame’s writings as Mary Westmacott, where she allowed herself to explore the emotions she usually kept in check.

For anyone interested in understanding the evolution and influences of Dame Agatha Christie, look no further than this compelling and highly readable examination of her life that is Highly Recommended.

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Elizabeth George: Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel Monday, Apr 27 2020

Award winning novelist and great read and writers and writing process Auntie M Writes Crime 12:32 am

Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series is one of Auntie M’s favorites. She was also fortunate to take a Master class from George one year at New England Crime Bake, and that experience alone made her relish the thought of reading through George’s new book on the complicated task of putting together a novel in Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel.

George is quick to point out that her method may not suit everyone, although it closely mirrors Auntie M’s own. Indeed, finding one’s particular method that works for that individual is part of the challenge for any writer. Still, there will be something in these pages for any writer, even if one’s own way of writing doesn’t follow George’s.

She starts off with setting, the backdrop for her crime novels, and uses actual photographs she took on her research trip for her novel Careless in Red to illustrate her points. The landscape is the stage upon which writers place their action and their characters, so it’s one the reader must come to understand, and sometimes, manipulate. It influences what can and cannot be found between the pages, and often suggests plot.

While the area may be changed or rearranged to fit the writer’s plot, having done thorough research eliminates a blank page as the starting point. Any points that are needed afterward that memory or photos can’t provide, of course, can be added by Google, maps, and other information about the chosen area.

George moves on to characters and how she develops them, as her plot starts to form. She emphasizes understanding the core needs and also the psychopathology for each one. By creating background needs, combined with an underlying behavior that influences reactions, the character become fully fleshed out. This helps the writer understand how a particular character would act, react, and even speak.

Of course there are chapters on dialogue, viewpoint, plot development, scene structure, and more, all aided by concrete examples from this same novel. By using pages from her book to illustrate each point, the reader comes away with a clearcut view of how George puts together her book. She even includes a special device she calls a THAD, the Talking Heads Avoidance Device.

You’ll have to read the book to find out exactly how that functions, but reading this book is not something that should be just limited to writers. Any reader looking for a clearer understanding of a writers process, or any fan of George’s novels, for that matter, who wants to understand her personal process, will enjoy this book that contains so much useful information, written in a clear and entertaining way.

And many will find, just as Auntie M did, that a re-reading of Careless in Red after brought the entire thing together in a way that showed what was explained in delightful action. Highly Recommended.

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Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff

A Millennial Male Takes the Case Wednesday, Aug 13 2025

The Lure of Bookshelves Friday, Feb 9 2024

The Psychologist’s shadow Saturday, Nov 18 2023

Laura Thompson: Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life Thursday, Oct 1 2020

Elizabeth George: Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel Monday, Apr 27 2020

Death Unscripted: A Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery

THE GOLDEN HOUR shortlisted!

THE GOLDEN HOUR: The 4th Nora Tierney English Mystery

The Blue Virgin

Winner Best British Cozy

Death at the Dakota: A Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery 2

The Scarlet Wench

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