Lisa Harkrader

I'm honored and excited. My mystery short story "Neighborhood Watch" is a finalist for the Bouchercon 2026 anthology.

Text of Happy Kansas Day over a field of sunflowers.

Happy birthday, Kansas. Looking good at 165.

Thanks for reposting, Lisa!

Guest Chick: Lisa Harkrader I have a confession to make: I’ve never understood fairy tales. When I was little, my parents read to me each night before bed. Often they read fairy tales, and I liked some of them. (I was especia…

Today I have a guest post on the Chicks on the Case mystery blog about why fairy tales confuse me and how that sparked my love of fractured fairy tales.

Let the Book Week Scotland festivities begin. On Wednesday I will be at Ink and Quill Bookshop in Montrose alongside Nick Mills It’s going to be a fun evening, so join us to chat all things mystery, cozy and historical. Event free. Tickets available from inkandquill.co.uk/collections/...

I had a great visit with 4th graders at Apache Elementary in Overland Park, Kansas, yesterday.

Couple more #nativeamericanheritagemonth book recommendations! The highest of kudos to fellow Natives @lauriedoveauthor.bsky.social for her MASK OF THE DEER WOMAN and Nick Medina's THE WHISTLER. Must-read books by brilliant wordsmiths
#thriller #suspense #mystery #horror #native #indigenous

Image: Festival logo featuring an open book with the Arizona desert sunset and a saguaro image making up the open pages. Text describing the event on an inset square and then background sun and desert scene. Text: TALES & TUMBLEWEED BOOK FESTIVAL November 30, 2025 10a-5p La Familgia Restaurant and Silver Key Lounge 1859 W. Guadalupe Rd, Mesa, AZ 85202 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tales-tumbleweed-holiday-book-festival-tickets-1671027481179 Local Author & Vendor Event Celebrating Arizona's Storytellers and creatives with local authors, unique vendors, and community at a special indoor/outdoor market. Shop local with unique gifts, author signings, raffles, swag bags, and community. Find us on Facebook and Eventbrite.

Come say hi to the Desert Sleuths at the upcoming Tales & Tumbleweed Book Festival, pick up some exciting books to read while on vacation, and find some local treasures for gifting this winter holiday season... all while supporting local authors, artisans, and vendors.

Sun, Nov 30, 10a-5p

Here's an Amazon link for more information about the book: a.co/d/1nOgsEE

A woman in a sailor uniform and a man in 1930s clothing on the deck of a ship with Catalina Island in the background.

My short story, "Break a Leg," featuring a female stunt double solving a mystery during the filming of a movie on 1930s Catalina Island, was just published in the anthology A Right Cozy Historical Crime.

Two women on either side of a screen showing the author's books.

I had an amazing author visit at Wendell Phillips Elementary yesterday. Thanks to Linda, Pat, and Susan for organizing the visit and the students for being such a great audience.

Find Desert Sleuths at these upcoming Book Fairs in November & December:

LOCAL AUTHOR BOOK FAIR (Mesa Red Mtn Library)
events.mesalibrary.org/event/local-...

TALES & TUMBLEWEED BOOK FESTIVAL
www.eventbrite.com/e/tales-tumb...

MESA BOOK FESTIVAL
www.anthology.org/index.php/me...

Registration is still open for Write Now!, the online conference of the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime. It's all via Zoom. Workshops and pitch sessions on Friday, Sept. 19 is a la carte. The sessions on Saturday, Sept. 20, are $35 for the entire day.
desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025

Image shows waiter on a train holding up a book with a suspicious woman gazing at him in the background.

My story The Final Flambé, set on a murder mystery dinner train, is included in A Right Cozy Culinary Crime, a new anthology edited by Wendy H. Jones and featuring stories by 11 different authors.

Here are the authors included in the anthology:

I'm excited and honored that my short story "The Final Flambé" will be published in the anthology A RIGHT COZY CULINARY CRIME, edited by Wendy H. Jones.

Colorado Sisters in Crime logo with covers of two books.

My book Crumbled!, the first in the Misadventures of Nobbin Swill series, and Lori Herbst's Suitable for Framing, the first in her Callie Cassidy Mystery series, will be the featured books of the Sisters in Crime-Colorado online book club this Wednesday, March 19.

Mistletoe Murders Check out this great listen on Audible.com. When Emily Lane isn’t busy running her charming Christmas-themed store, “Under the Mistletoe”, located in the quaint tourist town of Fletcher’s Grove, she f...

If you have an audible subscription and are in the mood for Christmas mysteries, I highly recommend The Mistletoe Murders, short mysteries set in a small town where the main character runs a Christmas store—and has a mysterious past. Full cast with music and sound effects. Free for subscribers.