I am the author of three mystery series, soon to be three and a half. The six books in the Camilla MacPhee mysteries feature feisty Ottawa sleuth and victims' advocate, Camilla MacPhee, her unique office assistant, Alvin Ferguson, her eccentric friends and her interfering family of Cape Bretoners as well as the new man in her life, Sgt. Ray Deveau. Our sympathies, Ray.

Forty-five minutes north of Ottawa, in the fictionalized village of St. Aubaine, Quebec you might run into my second character, Fiona Silk, a failed romance writer with no sex life, most recently attempting to write an erotic cookbook (as if). Too Hot to Handle, followed Lament for a Lounge Lizard, and is still going strong, maybe because there are recipes included, maybe because of the cover. I love the cover image which was based on a painting by Victoria Maffini.

The Charlotte Adams adventures take place in New York State, about two hours north of NYC, and feature a thirtyish professional organizer, reconnecting with her friends and getting her life and business together in a community in the Hudson Valley. Of course, she is slightly distracted as the bodies pile up, but she's equal to the task. The fifth Charlotte Adams Mystery The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder was a Top Pick in the RT Book Reviews with 4 1/2 stars and later won the 2012 RT Award for Best Amateur Sleuth mystery. No extra charge for the organizing tips, which you are free to use or ignore.

BIG BOOK NEWS! My daughter Victoria Maffini and I have signed a three-book deal with Berkley Prime Crime to write a book collector's mystery series. We are writing as Victoria Abbott, but you are in on the secret. Nudge. Wink. The first book is called The Christie Curse and it will be available on March 5, 2013. We're mixing in mystery, a bit of romance, a dash of humor and of course, a nibble or two of delicious food. Right now, we’re hard at work on The Sayers Swindle, book two in the series. Please visit our website www.victoria-abbott.com for news, contests and more...

I am thrilled that my mystery short, So Much in Common (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Sept/Oct 2010) won an Agatha award for Best Short Story. The award is presented at the Malice Domestic Conference. So Much in Common also won an Arthur Ellis Award and and was nominated for an Anthony. The EQMM editors have made So Much in Common available at no charge at this address.

Also in the news, the Ladies Killing Circle, of which I am a proud member, received the 2012 Grant Allen Award at The Scene of the Crime Conference on lovely and mysterious Wolfe Island. How cool is that? We were pleased to make our speeches in the historic Anglican church while wearing our new fascinators.

Last but not least, I hope to see you when I return to Killer Characters in late November and to Mystery Lovers Kitchen in late December. I'll be doing surprise drop-in to Mystery Maven Canada too.

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