A quick word before I dive into my normal silliness, because it would feel wrong not to say this.

 

A month ago, I lost my sister to a sudden and unexpected medical crisis. Her name was Kristin, and she was my only sibling. 

 

Two years older. Way smarter than me. And the person I looked up to long before I ever admitted it. She was the valedictorian. I was the goofball. 

 

We hadn’t lived near each other since high school. She built her life in upstate New York, and I eventually landed in Colorado. She was a doctor and a scientist. I make up stories. We were different in the best ways, and we saw each other when we could and stayed connected in the way siblings do. We didn’t have to talk often to pick right back up.

 

She leaves behind two amazing kids and a loving husband who are now figuring out how to move forward without her. There’s a space where Kristin should be, and we all feel it.

 

Kristin spent her career studying the biology of cancer and working to better understand disease at the cellular level. She was also directly impacted by cancer herself. If you’d like to honor her, we’ve set up this fundraising page with the American Cancer Society. 

 

We love her. We miss her. We always will.

1976; future world-changers

So now I'm going to talk about murder.

 

About a year ago, a college friend reached out with an idea. He helps run a charity wine auction in Albuquerque that benefits the Keshet Dance Company and Center for the Arts, and he asked if I’d be willing to donate something a little different. Not just signed books or a talk, but a full evening. A private dinner for up to sixteen people, paired with a live, fully staged murder mystery written by me.

 

Me? Write a murder mystery dinner?

 

I said yes almost immediately, which is usually how I get myself into trouble. And have the most fun.

 

The auction happened. Someone raised their hand and committed to the experience. It ended up being the second-highest grossing lot of the night. Which meant I now had to actually deliver on the thing I had casually agreed to create.

 

At the time, I had no idea how to write a murder mystery dinner.

 

I’ve spent my career writing novels where I control every perspective, every reveal, every beat. This was different. This had to be built for actors, for a live audience, for people who might be drinking wine and talking over key lines. It had to be clear, contained, and still feel like a story worth following.

 

I had to figure out everything from scratch. How many characters could the production realistically support. Whether the audience would participate or just observe. How clues would be delivered without slowing the night down. What props were essential versus what would just get in the way. Even the format of the script itself had to change so it could actually be used in a live setting.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all that, Death at the Rialto took shape. A murder set backstage at a grand but failing theater in 1937 Chicago. A charity auction to save the Rialto Theater. Big personalities. Old grudges. A theater haunted by an on-stage killing a few years earlier. A room full of people waiting for the next body.

 

The entire thing has lived in my head and on the page ever since.

 

And now it becomes real.

 

The event is happening the weekend of May 15. Jessica and I will be driving down to Albuquerque in full 1930s attire to be part of the evening. There will be actors, a live audience, and a story that finally has to work outside of my control.

 

And if it doesn’t, well, that might make for an even better story.

This is my monthly reminder to please pre-order my next thriller, When They Find Me, releasing November 10, 2026. Pre-orders are SO important, and you want me happy, right? 

 

ALSO! This happened. 

 

What this actually means is a production company now has the exclusive right to develop the book for film or TV. It’s exciting and very real, but it’s also the beginning of the process, not the end. Plenty of projects get optioned. Fewer make it all the way to the screen. But I think Tell Me What You Did would make a helluva film. Who do you think should play the main roles?

New episodes of my podcast Making It Up are out! Over the past month, I chatted with:

 

Episode 231: Daniel G. Miller
USA Today bestselling author of The Orphanage By The Lake mystery-thriller series, Daniel and I talked about the realities of self-publishing, writing effective violence, and why readers are smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. We closed by making up a suspenseful story inspired by Lisa Matlin’s The Only One Who Knows.

 

Episode 230: Marlee Bush
Author of When She Was Me and Whispers of Dead Girls, Marlee and I talked about how getting published shifts your identity, how she started writing while working in a call center, and why making money shouldn’t define whether you’re a professional writer. We wrapped by making up a creepy story inspired by Elise Hart Kipness’s Dangerous Play.

 

Episode 229: Lisa Unger
New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-three novels, Lisa and I talked about stepping outside your comfort zone, increasing your visibility as a writer, and learning to let go on the page. We ended by making up an interesting story inspired by Chris Pavone’s The Doorman.

 

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Here's where you can find me in the next couple of months! Check my website calendar for all my events and latest updates. All listed times are local.

 

May 26, 2026 5:30PM
In Conversation with Joshua Moehling
Tattered Cover Aspen Grove

Littleton, Colorado

 

June 5-7, 2026
Big Ohio Book Con
Headlining Author
Medina, Ohio

 

June 10, 2026
Topnotch Colorado Thriller
Authors Spill Their Secrets
Tattered Cover
Denver, CO

 

June 17, 2026 4PM-6PM
Lighthouse Lit Fest
Instructor: "Writing Thrillers"
Denver, Colorado

 

The Perfect Accident, Tess Stimson (2026)

I met Tess Stimson for the first time last year at Bouchercon, and what I remember most is that we sat down to chat and didn’t get up for nearly three hours. She’s thoughtful, sharp, and just a genuinely good person. So I was especially glad to get an early look at her new novel, The Perfect Accident.

 

What a story!

 

Twenty-one teenagers dead. That’s the line that pulled me in, and the story doesn’t let up from there. Tess builds something layered and emotionally grounded, full of fractured families, shifting loyalties, and the kind of grief and guilt that doesn’t go away just because the worst is over. It’s dark, intimate, and more interested in what people carry forward than what happened in a single moment.

 

DTF St. Louis  (HBO, 2026)

Jessica and I are watching DTF St. Louis and it’s a tough one to wrap my head around. On the surface, it’s a murder mystery tied to a hookup app for married people. In reality, it’s stranger and far more character-driven than that setup suggests.

 

What pulled me in was learning it comes from Steven Conrad, the creator behind Patriot, one of my all-time favorites shows (especially season one). You can see his fingerprints all over this. It’s unconventional, off-putting at times, dark, and genuinely funny. It takes risks, and I’ll always respect that. You know it's a different show when a female cop identifies as “porn positive.”

 

The performances are excellent across the board, especially from Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and David Harbour. And Richard Jenkins is one of those actors I’m always glad to see show up.

 

At times, the strangeness creates a bit of distance. Patriot kept one foot more firmly grounded. This one leans further into the bizarre. Still, I’d take something this original over something safe any day.

When I was in NYC with my sister's family after she passed, I took almost zero photos. But this mural of Einstein next to my hotel made me think of her. Brilliant, joyful, and full of love. 

Update from my Kids
When your daughter starts to file her own tax return. I received this text on April 15, by the way.

Scully vs. Guff. Who will win?

I’ll be teaching The Visible Writer as a live online workshop on May 30th! 

 

For a long time, writers were told the work should speak for itself. That idea doesn’t hold up anymore. Readers follow voices they connect with, and in a crowded, content-heavy world, what stands out is the person behind the work. The way you show up matters!

 

This class is about figuring out how to do that in a way that feels natural to you. We’ll talk through practical ways to build visibility without forcing it, including how to use newsletters and your website to create real connection, how to lean into conversation and curiosity to open doors, and how to get more comfortable speaking in public without sounding scripted. If you’re trying to build something long-term as a writer, this will give you a clear direction for how to show up and be seen. 

 

Previously, I asked readers to tell me about something they do in public that they think is subtle, but really isn't. The winning entry comes from a reader in Kansas, who wrote:

“I sip my drink constantly at parties so I don’t have to talk. Also I might have a drinking problem”

The contest continues this month, but now it's less about secrets and more about things in general. I want you to share! As always, I’m giving the winner a signed copy of my thriller Tell Me What You Did (shipping only within U.S., please; for other countries, I’m happy to send an e-book). This month’s question:

It can be small. It can be funny. It can be anything that still sticks with you.
 

Just hit reply to answer and for a chance to win a signed copy of my book!

That's it for now. Follow and connect with me through any or all of the links below. And as always, thanks for a little time in your inbox.