Guest Post: Finding My Funny Bone by Catherine Dilts

Please welcome author Catherine Dilts to the blog today. She and her daughter, Melinda Bass, co-authored Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation. Published by Top Hat Cat Publishing LLC, the read released last December, with  the second book in the series, Grandma's Valentine Abduction, releasing last February.

 

 

Finding My Funny Bone by Catherine Dilts

 

In the animated movie Finding Nemo, the father and son main characters are clownfish. When Marlin meets the other fathers in Nemo’s school, the guys have high expectations for humor.

PHIL: Hey! You're a clownfish. You're funny, right? Hey, tell us a joke.

MARLIN: Well, actually that's a common misconception. Clownfish are no funnier than any other fish.

PHIL: Aw, c'mon, clowny.

TED: Yeah, do somethin' funny.

Marlin butchers a joke, totally deflating expectations.

I empathize with Marlin. Finding the humorous angle in a life situation is way different than popping off a wisecrack spontaneously. But I found that I continuously injected humor into my short stories and novels.

The downside to discovering my skill at writing humorous tales was my fear that readers would expect me to be that witty in real life. I’m actually pretty drab and socially awkward.

How am I supposed to sell my laugh-out-loud books when my presentation is so boring?

My family has endured the usual tragedies over the generations, and then some. One thread that ran through the decades is that my ancestors had a sense of humor. As far back as I’m aware, they had the ability to laugh at their dire situations.

My philosophy has been, if you can laugh or cry, why not laugh? It’s not always possible or appropriate, but when I’m able, I choose laughter.

This is a trait I’m proud to have passed on to my daughter, Merida Bass. When we decided to co-author a young adult science fiction novel, we had the most fun creating Ellis. The absurd, lovelorn scammer had the funniest moments. We were both discovering a knack for comedy.

Then one fateful night, while standing in a Texas hotel parking lot in the dark, my sister warned us about the dangers of human traffickers. She made sure we were listening as she informed us that ruthless people would snatch anyone off the streets. Anyone! The sharp look she gave us both indicated that even we, despite our obvious status as mature women, a mom and grandma, were still potential victims.

Of course we thought the scenario was ridiculous. But we didn’t tell her that! The humor gene didn’t pass down to everyone in my family equally.

Stressed from our trip – a memorial service for my father – my daughter and I did the only thing we could. On the flight home, we erupted in giggles as we crafted a humorous angle out of my sister’s dire warning. What if followed what if, and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries was born. 

Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation won the Colorado Authors League award in the humor/satire category. We proved we could write humor.

But would our attempts to sell the book in person result in a scene like Marlin, trying to be funny on demand and failing?

I’ve had the privilege of speaking at events recently. To my surprise, when I chat about real-life inspirations for my fiction, people find them humorous. Mishaps during my factory worker life? Taking out my frustrations by killing an office co-worker in a murder mystery? Even the fear of being kidnapped as a senior citizen could elicit laughs.

Like Marlin, my deliberate attempts to make people laugh often fall flat. Letting scenarios build, creating recurring jokes and callbacks, and placing characters in absurd situations, seems to work best.

Sometimes, hitting your funny bone can be excruciatingly painful. In Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, my co-author and I found our funny bones. The result has been laugh-out-loud fun.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hFszBm 

 

SERIES Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4quSH4r

 

Catherine Dilts ©2026

After being tormented by a co-worker, Catherine Dilts took out her homicidal frustration in fiction, resulting in her first short story sale to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She has since had a dozen stories published in AHMM. After a career in environmental compliance for a global corporation, Catherine now writes fiction full-time. Author of the Rose Creek Mystery series, she also co-authors The Tapestry Tales YA science fiction series and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries with her daughter, Merida Bass. Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation won the 2026 Colorado Authors League award in the humor/satire category.

You can find Catherine’s website at https://www.catherinedilts.com/ 

Her free newsletter is on Substack at https://catherinedilts.substack.com/

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of August 23, 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of August 23, 2026 

Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in the Gilded Cage (1929) by Samuel Spewack

Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in the Gilded Cage (1929) by Samuel Spewack: Samuel Spewack was a Ukrainian-born American journalist, Hollywood screenwriter and novelist who penned two detective novels, The Skyscraper...

Guest Post: An Interview with Carolyn Haines by Joan Leotta

  

Earlier this week, Joan Leotta reviewed the new book, Joy to the Bones. Today, she has an interview with the author, Carolyn Haines.

 

 

An Interview with Carolyn Haines by Joan Leotta

 

 

Author, Carolyn Haines, was gracious enough to expand on the small paragraph that appears in the back of Joy to the Bones through an interview for this blog. I found her replies to my questions a lot like a guide to starting and finishing a mystery series.

 

Q: What made you decide to stop writing this very successful thirty-odd book series? Are you planning another mystery series?

CH: Age made me decide. I have always felt awful that Sue Grafton never got to finish the alphabet books. I also wanted the resolution of what happened to Sarah Booth’s parents to be the final book. At 73, I wanted to make sure it ended the way I envisioned. I owe Sarah Booth and the gang that much. They have been loyal friends and characters.

No, I am not writing any other series at this time. I’m going to venture into supernatural thrillers, I think. Just for a change. I love humorous mysteries, but I am keenly feeling the loss of Sarah Booth and her friends in my life. They have been with me for over 30 years, a big part of each day. I love what I call British horror (no gore). And the challenge of melding that into the structure of a thriller fascinates me. And if I’m going to do it, I’d better get in the saddle and ride.

 

Q: So, this new book you are working on, is that going to be a singleton then? Will you expand your use of supernatural characters like the” haint”, Jitty, or will aliens take over the page? Or maybe you will use both or haven’t you decided yet?

CH: I am co-writing with Daryl Marcus, a former student of mine. He and I both love horror. We are writing a book with space to go into a series or one that can be a single title, depending on what the publishers are looking for.

It melds the world of the Fae with a very real South Mississippi local and a serial killer. It’s a handful, but we are enjoying the process.

 

Q: Back to Sarah Booth! One of the things that made reading Joy to the Bones so much for me is how much I immediately related to Sara Booth. She is feisty and fun in ways that made me wish I could sit down and meet her. Is she a lot like you?

CH: Sarah Booth is very much like I was when I was 34--except she is far more limber! I do have a 501c3 animal refuge where I take care of old, unwanted animals in their final years. I've done this my whole life. I have, right now, eight dogs, twelve cats, and two horses. A few crows hang about, but no ravens. I love this so much, but I am getting older now and I am responsible enough to know I have to stop taking in animals. Sarah Booth also adores her friends and, boy, have I been blessed in the friend department. A lot of my friends have died in the last decade, and that is a huge, huge loss. And ending Sarah Booth is another emotional blow. As crazy as it sounds, she was a best friend to me.

 

Q: Are some of the larger issues Sarah Booth addresses, also issues that you find interesting and have worked on?

CH: There is much emotional truth in the Sarah Booth books. She focuses on issues that I am interested in, afraid of, or concerned about. She has more courage than I do. But she is connected to the land, the natural world, and the people around her, just as I am. I wrote a book in 1994, SUMMER OF THE REDEEMERS. In that book I gave Bekka the emotional fabric of my childhood. Not factually true, but emotionally true. Horse crazy, wild in the woods, ghost stories, adventures not far from home. But Sarah Booth is more the grown up me, only a better version.

 

Q: So, Summer of the Redeemers was a single book, not part of any series? Did the experience with that book lead you to Sarah Booth?

CH: It was a two-book contract with Dutton for SUMMER and then followed by TOUCHED. Learning plot and structure took some time, and I loved writing both of these books. They could both be classified as Southern Gothic mysteries, but I didn’t know that when I wrote them. They were published as general fiction.

 

Q: Would you share a bit about how you developed Sarah Booth over the course of the series and how you handled the timing/aging of your cast of characters? When she started out, how old was Sarah Booth? How old is she when the series ends? And if the books cover only a few years, how did you work in the twenty- year past death of her parents?

CH: When the series opens, she is 33. Thirty-one books later, she is only 34 and ½. It is criminally wrong that when I started the series I was 45 and now I am 73? The math isn’t mathing (sic) for me. The whole series arc covers 1and ½ book years--though twenty-eight “human” years.

The car wreck (that caused the death of her parents)happens off screen and years in the past. The books pick up when Sarah Booth is grown and has just returned home to Zinnia from NYC. The thirty-one books cover roughly, twenty months.

 

Q: Has Sarah Booth’s cast of friends been consistent since the beginning of the series? Was Sarah Booth always a PI? If not, when in the series does Sarah become a PI (this last book of yours is my first read in the series) How does that choice of profession help shape her?

CH: Yes, the primary characters are in the first book and continue throughout. But the relationships grow and change. In THEM BONES, Sarah Booth does a really bad thing out of desperation. She steals Tinkie’s little dog, Chablis. (Jitty supports this plan) and ransoms her back to Tinkie. Tinkie is so impressed, she hires Sarah Booth to solve a mystery. In the third book, SPLINTERED BONES, Sarah Booth and Tinkie begin working together to solve mysteries. Prior to being, a detective, Sarah Booth was in NYC attempting to be a stage actress. Things didn’t work out. (The not working out of her acting career is what prompted Sarah Booth to return to Zinnia)

 

Q: What prompted you to make the word “Bones” your title “Signature.” Can you tell us a little about how the titles help shape the series and, in your opinion, do the titles help add to its success?

CH: THEM BONES was the first title and when Random House bought the first book at auction, they wanted a 3-book contract. I thought Bones would be a good way to brand the books. And it’s an easy word to work with for titles. Yes, I think titles are really important.

 

Q: You once mentioned that Zinnia, MS is modeled on your own hometown. Are there any specific places in Zinnia that have real life counterparts with deep meaning for you?

We had a terrific restaurant in Lucedale, my hometown, called The Coffee Pot. Millie’s Cafe is loosely based on that diner. It was a treat to go there for a hamburger steak and coconut pie.

 

Finally,

Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell your readers, fans of the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries??

CH: I love to write both light/humorous fiction and also dark fiction. I have a 4-book series called the Pluto Snitch: series which is set in the 1920s and deals with a woman who can talk to the dead and is hired to solve mysteries involved paranormal elements. The first title is THE BOOK OF BELOVED and is set in Mobile, Alabama.

 

I am in mourning for Sarah Booth and the gang. They have been such a big part of my life—28 years. It’s hard to voluntarily let go of these stories which I love telling. But the art of life is knowing when to let go.

 

Thank you so much, Carolyn, for your willingness to spend time on these Questions! I am sorry the series is ending since I just discovered it, but I plan to start reading the whole series starting with the first, Them Bones, and work my way back to Joy to the Bones, number 31—that should keep me busy and happy for quite some time.

 

I do hope you enjoy the books. I have loved every minute of writing them. And thank you for your time in doing this interview. I really appreciate it. --Carolyn

 

Joan Leotta ©2026

Joan Leotta offers encouraging words on page and stage. Internationally published as essayist, poet, short story writer, novelist, she’s a multiple nominee for Pushcart and Best of Net. Publications include Synkroniciti, MacQueen’s Quinterly,  One Art, Gargoyle, The Lake, Lothlorien, Ovunquesiamo, The Mackinaw, Ekphrastic Review, Yellow Mama, Impspired, and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

 

She also performs stories for youth and adult audiences with programs that highlight food, kindness, family, and strong women. Her one woman show as Louisa May Alcott focuses on Alcott’s development as a writer of many genres and her time as a Civil War nurse. She also teaches storytelling and writing and has done so for the North Carolina Poetry Society,  NC Writers Network, ND Humanities, and the London Arts-Based Research Center. Contact Joan at Joanleotta@gmail.com

Joan Leotta Reviews: Joy to the Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery by Carolyn Haines

 

Joy to the Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery

Book by Carolyn Haines

Book 31 of this series (and the last)

Available on Amazon in Hardback, Kindle, and Audio

This title will be released on October 27, 2026.

Review by Joan Leotta

 

Holiday season in Zinnia, Mississippi, a bayou country bayou country town, takes on new and rather scary dimensions for private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney. What at first presents as a small, mostly document hunting job, to determine ownership of the DeLonge Mansion turns into a murder case. Of course the abandoned property with seemingly no one left alive to claim ownership, in the swampland near Zinnia, looks the part of a haunted house, but what truly haunts our intrepid protagonist is the discovery that her parents’ deaths twenty years earlier were not accidental, and even worse, her best friend Tinkie Richmond, Sarah Booth’s boyfriend, Coleman Peters, Sherrif of Sunflower County, and even Sara Booth’s friendly “haint” (southern for ghost), Jitty, all knew that it was a murder and to protect Sara Booth had not told her.

 

Sarah Booth is stung to the core, feeling betrayed by those closest to her, and decides to cut ties with all three of them, a decision that leaves her feeling depressed and very very alone. The path to forgiving them for holding back information from her to save her from pain, leads her to discover new things about relationships and puts readers on track with the contemporary mysteries and gives the characters—all of them—a rounding out and depth of personality that made me arrive at a very positive opinion of all of them—put me firmly on their side. In addition, the author, while tracking Sarah Booth’s line of reasoning catches up first-time readers like myself with the place of this novel’s action in the life of our protagonist. Fortunately, she comes to her senses about discarding her living and the dead (Jitty) friends who love her and want to help her, she enlists their help in finding out more about her parents’ murders and also works with Coleman Peters on the contemporary murders that occur on the grounds of the mansion. Once the affirmation of the strength of the friendships is nailed down, the plot moves along smartly.

 

Threats to Sarah Booth add sizzle to the plot which simmers along like a low country crawfish boil. Seems that an old nemesis, Gertrude Stromm, might be a part of the past murder and may also be implicated in the current mansion-related murders. Haines is masterful in her use of dialog to build suspense and keep the book moving along smartly.

 

In spite of the series having been around for a while (30 other books!) this was my first encounter with Sarah Booth and her crew. Haines had a deft hand at description and also uses incidents and character interaction to reveal that Sarah Booth’s feisty, intellect that helps her friends love her and makes readers trust what she observes, inspects, and analyzes in situations of all sorts. In short, it’s easy to begin to think of Sarah Booth as a friend and the book as an encounter described over a lunch (albeit lengthy). Would Sarah Booth want to befriend someone old like me? Well, one of her close circle is well over a hundred years old. For example, I found myself shouting at Sarah Booth not to go to the old mansion alone—and sure enough she finds a dead body there-and sure enough the mystery of ownership is entangled with forces that threaten her safety. Jitty tries to warn her—but Jitty’s messages are coded and can be misinterpreted-.

 

In fact, those parts of the haint’s character, that no one except Sarah Booth can see and talk to Jitty and the haint’s use of code to communicate were two factors I did not like about the book. But once I decided to accept these elements, I was able to appreciate how Haine use them to advance the story and I allowed myself to become immersed in the solving of these two cases—the mansion murders and ownership issues and the murder of Sarah Booth’s Parents. In fact, I became so immersed, I stayed up all night reading. Haines is a master of pacing. Although I own a raft of bookmarks, I was reluctant to put one anyplace in the book. I just kept reading!

 

With a few suggestive lines at a happily -ever-after, (perhaps orange blossoms and even a law degree) for Sarah Booth, Haines leaves Sarah Booth with this mystery. Joy to the Bones is the last time we will open a book that carries us through another of Sarah Booth Delaney’s bayou adventures.  Although we readers will not be able to continue to watch future happenings for these characters, just as life often whisks us away from close contact with people we meet, I wish them well. And of course, for anyone who misses Sarah Booth, it is always possible to reread the earlier mysteries, starting with the first in the series, Them Bones, published in November 1999. And although the time period for readers’ lives covers several decades, Haines says that the time elapsed for Sarah Booth is under three years. Fans of the series will definitely want to read this last installment, and for others, who like me, have not read it before, Joy to the Bones is a great little holiday mystery and a fun read that can be enjoyed on its own.

 

 

For more information on Caroyn Haines’ future writing plans, check out the interview with her that will also appear on Kevin’s blog.

 

 

Joan Leotta ©2026

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of August 16, 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of August 16, 2026

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie:   Reviewed by Jeanne Famed detective Hercule Poirot is troubled when he receives a note questioning his skills and threatening crimes to c...

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Beneath the Stains of Time: A Murder is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie

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Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of July 19, 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of July 19, 2026

Thursday Treats: 7/16/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

 

I am leading off with this publishing news as I am in the new issue this week. Black Cat Weekly #254 is out and includes my crime fiction short story, A Plan Comes Together. Also in the issue are frequent guests here, Tom Milani (Andrea Gutiérrez) and Paula Messina (A Little Help). You can pick up the latest issue here. 

 

 

Also now out is the latest issue of Kings River Life Mystery Magazine. In addition to the book giveaways, reviews, and other pieces, Leslie Budewitz announced that publication of her short story, Pepper Reece and the Ghost of Arthur Goodwin: A Spice Shop Short Mystery. You can read it for free here.

 

Janet Rudloph announced that the latest volume of the Mystery Reader’s Journal was now out. Mystery Readers Journal: Mysteries Set in France (Volume 42:2) is available here. By the way, if you are not already paying attention to her great Mystery Fanfare blog, you should be. I watch a lot of British, and elsewhere, mystery television and I get most of my news on the programs via her blog.

 

 

Author James H. Lewis announced that his latest novel, The Boy in the Mirror, is now out. You can pick it up direct from the author here, or through several vendors including Amazon.

 

 

Author Allen Wyler announced that his latest novel, Deadly Odds 9.0 was out. Published by Stairway Press, the latest in a long line of techno-thrillers is available at Amazon and other vendors. Aubrey reviews it Monday here on the blog. 

 

 

SMFS Derringer Coordinator Mark Schuster sent word that John Joseph Adams has curated the Magic & Mystery collection scheduled to be released on July 28^th. These are seven Amazon Original Tales on Kindle. Learn more at Amazon. 

 

 

Speaking of SMFS, recently re-elected President Joseph S. Walker posted his latest compilation of recent publishing news of the members. News of the various books and short stories can be found here.

 

By the way, Joseph’s post title reminded me of the great blog, Make Mine Mystery. While it is dormant now, you can still read the posts if you go to the Make Mine Mystery blog here.

 

The anthology, Bad Intentions: A Crime Fiction Anthology Based on the Music of Warren Zevon, has been released by Literary Garage. Edited by Michael K. Downing, the read features fifteen stories from authors, Chance Adorjan, Colin Brightwell, Jesse Binger, Geonn Cannon, Andrew Careaga, Dylan Demasi, Zakariah Johnson, Whiskey Leavins, Scott MacLeod, Bruce W. Most, Joel Nedecky, Nathan Pettigrew, Keith Roysdon, DJ Tuskmor, and Mike Zimmerman. Cover design by Frank Vatel. All proceeds go to benefit Philabundance, a Philadelphia-based charity working to end food insecurity. You can pick it up in print or digital formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

 

Until next time…. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Jerry's House of Everything: OVERLOOKED FILM: THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929)

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Thursday Treats 7/9/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week.

Fellow SMFS list member John A. Tures announced that his short story, Keeping Secrets, was published in the Nat 1 Publishing Presents Gaslamp Pulp: Volume 5-- Summer 2026: Superhero Adventures. Published by Gaslamp Pulp and the literary nonprofit, Nat 1 Publishing, the read can be picked up at Amazon in both digital and print formats. I also remind you of his recent  blog guest post appearance here. 

 

Fellow SMFS list member Cate Moyle  announced that her short story, The Secret Redcoat, was published online at Kings River Life Magazine. Read the tale for free here. 

 

Fellow SMFS list member Abe Margel announced the publication of his short story, Pay Phone, at The Literary Garage. You can read it for free here.

  

SMFS list member Leigh Saunders announced that her short story, To Weave the Winds, is in the recently published anthology, Sand and Storm: An Opal Kingdom Press Anthology. Billed as the fifth book in their ExtraOrdinary Beasts series of anthologies from Opal Kingdom Press, the read is available from Amazon and other vendors.

 

Black Cat Weekly #253 is now out. Among the various reads is Michael Bracken’s short story, The Tattooist, James Patrick Focarile’s short story, Last Kiss, and the cover short story, Pitchapalooza, by Robert Parker. Mr. Parker’s story is also the latest in a long line of SMFS list members being featured on the cover. You can pick up the latest issue here. 

 

Also out now is Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 017 - Summer 2026: The Detective Annual. Edited and published by fellow SMFS list member, Brandon Barrows, the issue includes short stories by Mr. Barrows and others. I am way behind on my reading, but I have enjoyed and reviewed previous issues. You can pick it up here.

 

 

 

Until next time….

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: It’s About Time by Carol J. Perry

Lesa's Book Critiques: It’s About Time by Carol J. Perry 

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of July 5, 2026

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of July 5, 2026

Thursday Treats: 7/2/2026

Some reading opportunities of interest this week. For a change of pace this week, we start in the world of books….

 

Tomorrow is publication day for A Fatal Flourish: An Ella Shane Mystery by Kathleen Marple Kalb. This 3^rd book in the mystery series, published by Level Best Books, is available in eBook and print formats at Amazon.

 

Boots, BBQ, and Bloodshed: Metroplex Mysteries Vol. V, is now out. Edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken, published by Sisters in Crime North Dallas, the read has short stories by SMFS list members Karen Harrington (We Have Lost The Plot), M.E. Proctor (Five-Pointed Stars), Tiffany Seitz (The L-Knife Murder), and Shannon Taft. You can pick up the digital read at Amazon.

A reminder that SMFS list member and the force behind Guilty Crime Story Magazine, Brandon Barrows, latest book, The Darker the Night, is scheduled to be released on July 7^th. The mystery, published by Rowan Prose Publishing, is available to preorder in multiple formats at Amazon and other vendors.

 

Moving on to short stories, and most of these are again this week, free reads…

 

Fellow SMFS list member Stephen M. Pierce announced that his short story, Six Shots for a Sharpshooter, was published online at Close to the Bone Magazine. Read the tale for free here. 

 

Fellow SMFS list member John A. Tures announced that his short story, The Ultimate Sacrifice, was published online at Exquisite Death. The story is free to read here. I also remind you of his recent blog guest post appearance here.

 

Fellow SMFS list member Andy Boyle announced that his short story, Video 191, was published online at The Temz Review. You can read it for free here.

 

SMFS list member Abe Margel announced the publication of his short story, Travis’ Benefit, at The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it for free here.

 

Today is publication day for Rock and a Hard Place: Issue 16: Summer 2026. Features 11 crime fiction short stories including SMFS list member Christina Hoag’s “Last Night on the Track.” You can pick it up on Amazon.

 

Black Cat Weekly #252 is now out. Among the various reads is the cover story, Ship Island, by John M. Floyd. His story is also the latest in a long line of SMFS list members being featured on the cover. You can pick up the latest issue here. 

 

And we close with an anthology ….

 

Finally, Level Best Books—Level Short is scheduled to release the anthology, What the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bacharach. SMFS list members Joseph Goodrich (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Josh Pachter (Me Japanese Boy) are included in the charity anthology edited by Martin Edwards. Funds raised are for autism charities in the US and UK. The digital version is up for preorder at Amazon.

 

 

Until next time…. 

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026