Let’s Talk with Nancy J. Cohen Archive

Turkey Dinner, Family Secrets and Murder

November heralds the approach of Thanksgiving followed by the mad shopping rush for the holidays. As we gather over turkey dinners with family and/or friends, tensions may rise depending on how everyone gets along. It’s always a good practice to put aside any squabbles for the sake of peace during these holiday events. Any murderous […]

Mixing Meals and Mysteries

September on my social calendar is filled with family events. We have several birthdays to celebrate, along with Rosh Hashanah. This holiday observes the Jewish New Year through special prayers and a meal with traditional foods. Our weekends this month volley from one happy occasion to the next and always include a special brunch or […]

Storytelling: Taking the Scenic Route

This month, we celebrate “National Climb a Mountain Day” on July 30. I’ve never climbed a mountain, nor do I expect to accomplish this task in the near future. However, I’ve written a book, and that’s counts as climbing a mountain in my estimation. When starting a novel, it seems insurmountable to achieve a desired […]

Getting to Know Nancy J Cohen

My interest in mysteries evolved from reading Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, and Judy Bolton when I was young. I learned important writing lessons from each of these series. Nancy Drew had exciting adventures in each volume, but she never changed. Her world stayed essentially the same except for a new mystery in each book. In […]

April Showers and May Flowers

A popular proverb states that April Showers bring May Flowers. If March is the month for seasonal winds of change, then April predicts good things to come. I certainly hope this is the case, since March has not been a good month for me in terms of household disasters. Writing-wise, I’ve made good progress. I […]

Winds of Change

Today is National Plant a Flower Day. While I won’t be planting any flowers, I’m watching over my freeze-damaged trees to see if they’ll spring back to life in warmer weather. We had a lot of damage a few years back, and replacing those shrubs was costly. However, it paid off this year when the […]

The Puzzle is the Thing

January 29 is National Puzzle Day. It got me thinking about what types of puzzles I enjoy. Here on Booklovers Bench, we offer you Word Searches and Jigsaw Puzzles. I like word searches and Sudoku puzzles but don’t have the patience for real jigsaw puzzles. A friend of mine is a jigsaw enthusiast whose home […]

Turkey Day Approaches

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, my mouth waters at the anticipation of roast turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and pumpkin pie. It’s my favorite holiday meal. Even the leftovers get consumed with relish at my house. Usually, our family gathers and it’s a cozy, intimate atmosphere where […]

Listening to Audiobooks

Recently, I attended the Novelists, Inc. conference in St. Pete Beach. This is an event where multi-published authors discuss marketing and other hot topics. A couple of sessions were on audiobooks, a booming market. Since the first four books in my Bad Hair Day series are available in audio format, I needed to learn how […]

School Supplies for Writers

It’s almost the start of the school year. This season brings back memories of preparing for new classes and meeting new teachers. I’d stock up on school supplies like notebooks, composition books, highlighters and file folders. Bored at the end of the summer, I couldn’t wait to put these items to use. Partially it was […]

Celebrate National Pina Colada Days

Let’s celebrate National Piña Colada Day! This drink with pineapple juice, coconut cream and rum brings with it memories of tropical breezes, palm trees, beaches and lazy hot days. This popular drink was created in San Juan, Puerto Rica. Although there’s some debate over as to which bartender concocted the drink, one of the claims […]

Reflections of Former Times

This time last year, my husband passed away, and so I’ll always associate Memorial Day Weekend with his loss. It’s also an opportunity to look back and reflect on the good life we had together. In a similar manner, recently I reconnected with an old writer friend from the early days when we were both […]

National Chocolate Mousse Day

Chocolate Treats are a Must-Eat Dessert Today is National Chocolate Mousse Day. I am a fan of this dessert that’s like a frothier version of chocolate pudding and an easy treat to consume that’s not overly sweet or filling. It allegedly developed in France and became popular in the U.S. during the 1930s. For some […]

Adding Romance to Your Life

Valentine’s Day has always been special to me. In my younger days, I enjoyed the card exchanges in elementary school. What fun it was to open a box of colorful notes from our classmates! And I still find it hard to resist the candy hearts with sayings on them. But mostly, it’s the day my […]

Getting Ready to Launch

This month is an exciting one for me. I am expecting my second grandchild. In a similar manner, I am preparing to launch a new book. The manuscript is finished, and I’m waiting on editorial feedback. In the meantime, I anticipate entering the production phase next. For indie authors, this means consulting on cover design, […]

Sukkot Holiday Harvest

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot takes place this year starting Oct. 17. This festival may have had its origins in long-ago harvest celebrations. Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, this holiday recalls the biblical story of the Jews wandering in the desert for forty years after their exodus from Egypt. It is observed for […]

National Lemon Juice Day

Today is National Lemon Juice Day. As a Florida resident, we have the advantage of being able to grow citrus trees in our backyard. When we lived in Plantation, we had Tangelo and Valencia orange trees with incredibly sweet oranges, a lemon tree that produced huge lemons, a lychee tree, an avocado tree, and banana […]

Happy Make Your Own Sundae Day!

July is the perfect month for ice cream. I have fond memories of growing up in New Jersey and getting bored during the lazy summer season. My dad would take me to Dairy Queen after dinner. We’d hang out by our car and eat hot fudge sundaes. An indoor setting was even better so you […]

The Calm Before the Storm

May is like the calm before the storm. It’s our last respite in Florida before temperatures rise along with the humidity. Hurricane season starts on June 1st, which is rapidly looming on the horizon. While the busiest storm months run August through October, it’s best to prepare early. Store shelves empty fast when storm warnings […]

Carrot Day on April 4

Happy International Carrot Day! Whether you wear an orange shirt or make a favorite carrot dish, this is the week to celebrate a healthy root vegetable. While carrots are rich in Vitamin A, their greens are also edible. Carrots can come in several colors and store well in the refrigerator. So how can you celebrate […]

First in Series

Happy Valentine’s Day! As a gift to you, I’m offering a copy of Permed to Death for FREE. Yes, you heard me correctly. This is my first price reduction of this nature for the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. I hope to attract new readers to my series. With new covers on Hair Raiser and Murder […]

Happy Hanukkah

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. It’s early compared to other years, and I’ve been scrambling to do gift shopping ever since Thanksgiving. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah began as a battle for freedom. In days of old, the Syrians-Greeks had taken over the holy temple of Jerusalem. Freedom fighters, led […]

Happy National Seafood Bisque Day!

Anytime there’s mention of food, I’m your gal. But what is a bisque? And how is it different from chowder? Both variations have their origins in French fishing villages. From what I’ve read, bisque is made from pureed shellfish. This can be crab, lobster, crayfish, or shrimp. Vegetables may be added, like carrots, celery, and […]

What’s Cooking in September

September in Orlando is a delight for Foodies like me. We have Magical Dining Month, Epcot Food & Wine Festival, three family birthdays, and the Jewish New Year. Where to eat first? This is not the month to diet! Magical Dining offers a three-course meal for $40 at numerous dining establishments throughout the Orlando area. […]

Tripping over Tropes

This month celebrates the new trade paperback release of STARLIGHT CHILD, book #3 in The Light-Years Series. This was one of my earlier sci-fi https://nancyjcohen.com/books/romances. The story features an enemies-to-lovers theme wherein a cultural specialist with psychic powers clashes with a starship commander while on a rescue mission to save a kidnapped child. A friends-to-lovers […]

Hurricane Season

June First is the start of Hurricane Season in Florida. TV stations tout “Be Prepared, Not Scared” for their Hurricane Preparedness segments. Grocery stores like Publix offer brochures with hurricane checklists and preparation tips. It’s about this time that I repost my own list of things to do when a hurricane approaches. We’ve been through […]

National Tell a Story Day

Today is National Tell a Story Day. I’ve loved stories ever since I can remember. The library was a fun place to go to find new adventures between the pages of a book. I shared a love for reading with my father. He got me into spy stories and action-adventure tales and thrillers. But before […]

Happy National Banana Bread Day

February is National Banana Bread Day. This loaf brings to mind mouth-watering aromas coming from the oven and biting into a moist, sweet piece of cake-like bread. It’s a great way to use ripe bananas, so keeping most of the ingredients on hand is a good idea. Then you can whip up this recipe as […]

Making a Fresh Start

Greetings of the New Year! The beginning of a year means different things to different people. You might resolve to do better in your personal relationships or to aim for that promotion at work you’ve always wanted. Or perhaps you’ll make time for the new project that’s been sitting in your drawer. If you’re a […]

New Year Thoughts

For 2023, our author collective resolves to take positive actions to make the world better in some way. There’s so much we can do for the people we already know and for those we haven’t met yet. Here are a few thoughts about how one kindness often begets another. First we shouldn’t worry about what […]

Happy Holidays to All of You from All of Us!

Happy Holidays to all of our friends, fans, and writing communities! Our authors are here to share their self-care tips that help them make it through the busy holidays. When your schedule gets overloaded, remember to take time for yourself. It will get better. Plus, what fun it is to de-stress with us! Maggie Toussaint: […]

Halloween Memories

We may not have a change of autumn leaves in Florida, but there are subtle differences to denote the transition to a new season. Some trees do turn more reddish after the first few cold spells. And our humidity drops. That brings pleasant, temperate weather. It also makes me want to visit pumpkin patches and […]

National Felt Hat Day

Today is National Felt Hat Day. According to the National Day Calendar, felt hats used to be made from wool. Rabbit and beaver were other popular choices. Nowadays, they may be created with synthetic fibers. The phrase “mad as a hatter” came from the use of toxic mercury in hat-making that caused users to exhibit […]

Twins In Fiction

An unusual phenomenon happened to me recently. I cracked open an egg and a double set of yolks stared back at me. Were these meant to be twins? How cruel were we to take these potential chicks from their poor mother? What right do we have to harvest eggs anyway? The old chicken and egg […]

Bargain and Backlist Books

Summer is coming and with it come day trips, beaches, and barbecues. Hopefully, packed in your beach bag is a Kindle device or the latest paperback by your favorite author. But what happens if the books you want get priced out of your range? Traditional publishers set the prices of their books and writers have […]

Legends in Mysteries

Myths and legends work well in the fantasy genre but can play a part in any type of book. I’ve used them in my romance trilogies and in several of my cozies. They can add an element of mystery to any story. Ghosts and hidden treasure are favorite tropes of mine. I employed these in […]

A Time of Change

These last two months have been tumultuous ones for myself and my husband. Richard fell and hit his head on Christmas Eve. Life since then has been turned upside down. Now we are no longer able to do the things we enjoyed while he recovers from his injury. We’d only moved into this house to […]

Let's Talk with Nancy J. Cohen

Let’s Talk with Nancy J. Cohen Archive

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