Lida writes: So far, I’ve concocted seven murders. On the page, of course. That includes six novels and one short story, all with homicides (or possible homicides) that need to be solved. Fortunately, the criminal is always caught by my heroine: a young lawyer who regularly shoves aside her desk job for the chance to capture the culprit. She knows a thing or two about investigations, thanks to her P.I. dad, and justice is served. This month, I’m excited that the latest in my Southern California Mysteries, #6 in the series, Murderous Means, is out now. But this installment is a little bit different.

Lida writes: I’ve experienced my share of severe heart thumping, not to mention having my throat constrict to the point where I couldn’t down a mint if I tried. But I’ve learned that it doesn’t have to be this way. I’d like to share a few body language tips I found helpful in promoting confidence.

Lida writes: I was recently interviewed by a journalist who works for a local paper. Her first question was one often asked of writers, “Where do you get your ideas?”

Lida writes: Writing, for the most part, is a solitary act. But only up to a point. Once we’re at the revised manuscript stage (the stage where a writer is not embarrassed to share his/her written words with third parties), writers need a little help.

Lida writes: Most of us will take the positive over the negative, any time. I’m willing to bet that if we pause to reflect over the past year, we’d find many more positives than negatives in 2022.

Lida writes: There’s a phenomenon prevalent in the mystery genre that seems to outnumber all other genres: the popularity of book series. Hercule Poirot, Kinsey Millhone, Easy Rawlins and Stephanie Plum all set an example of characters who play starring roles in settings that spring to life in book series over and over again.

Lida writes: When our two elderly dogs crossed over the rainbow bridge, not only did my husband and I feel the void, so did Chico, our six-year-old shepherd. He moped and snoozed much of the time. We had to coax him to join us on walks. Chico became a couch potato. A rescue named Willow was just the spark we all needed.

Lida writes: When I started writing fiction, I assumed that very little research would be needed. After all, we fiction writers just make things up, right? Research belongs in scholarly, non-fiction pieces. SO not true.