Carol Goodman Kaufman

a.k.a. Carolinda Goodman

Mystery and Mayhem

by Leave a Comment

Magnifying glass over letters

This past summer and fall were filled with fun appearances, from country fairs to library and bookshop presentations. One of the best parts of the fairs is meeting new people—and reuniting with childhood friends. At the Hancock Shaker Village Country Fair alone, I saw six different people I knew from elementary through high school!

One of my very favorite things to do is to make up a mystery with a group, and the people at the Hamden Public Library in Hamden, CT were terrific collaborators. Mystery lovers all, they participated in coming up with the suspects, motives, and alibis needed to write a mystery.

What fun!

What made the Hamden event even more special was that it was done in conjunction with the town’s high school production of the musical Clue. Among all manner of mysterious doings over town, the students designed a scavenger hunt, and the library screened the movie Clue. Fabulous!

Now, to the subject of mystery. Officially, it may not yet be winter, but it is super cold where I live, and we’ve already had snow and sleet. That means it’s a

Cocoa and book

perfect time to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate or tea and a good mystery. And I have a few ideas for you!

But first, let’s talk about what makes a mystery a mystery. How is this genre unique? Mystery stories have specific conventions, and although they can vary somewhat according to the sub-genre, they are fairly strict.The most basic convention is, of course, that every one starts with a crime that needs to be solved. And the crime doesn’t have to be murder! For example, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Purloined Letter” and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” center on theft, the former of a letter, the latter a gem.

To be continued…

Murder We Write – Issue 2

by

Murder We Write

Spring 2025

Crak, Bam, Dead Book Cover

Spring has finally sprung! At least until the next surprise snow storm. Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute”? He, too, lived in New England.

The big news in this issue is that my new book has just dropped! Crak, Bam, Dead: Mah Jong Mayhem is a collection of cozy short stories. (For those of you who follow my Facebook page, “Writing Mystery and Mayhem,” you’ll remember that a cozy mystery features an amateur detective. In my book, Kiki Coben leads her Tuesday afternoon Mah Jong group in solving crimes!

It’s been a busy couple of months, traveling to and Zooming with groups all over to talk about The First Murder. And now, like Willie Nelson, I’ll be on the road again with Crak, Bam, Dead.

As if that wasn’t enough, I got to talk with crime writers Dawn Barclay, Erica Miner, and J.A.McIntosh on my podcast, “Murder We Write.” Their works range from rural mysteries to psychological suspense. Tune in to hear them—and over the few next months to hear even more great crime writers talk about their work. (Wherever you get your podcasts.)

Here I am with some Buffalo folks who really got into the mood!

All my books are available through your local bookshop or online. Or, if you want a copy signed with a personal message, order from my website!
https://carolgoodmankaufman.com/books2/mystery-writing/

Here I am with some Buffalo folks who really got into the mood!

Many readers have asked if there will be a sequel to The First Murder. I’m working on it now! It’s tentatively titled The Second Light, and it takes place in the same Berkshire Hills village of Queensbridge. Many of the characters you met in the first book will make a return appearance.

And now, I’m starting this newsletter about all things mysterious. I’m hoping to send it out quarterly—I promise that your inbox won’t get flooded. If you’d like to receive it, just email me here at cgoodmankaufman@gmail.com, with the word “Newsletter” in the subject line.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with many new adventures—and maybe some mysterious ones, as well!

Skygazing with Carolinda – Issue 1

by

Skygazing with Carolinda

Welcome to my first-ever newsletter! I so appreciate your having bought my children’s picture books and wanted to share with you more of what’s going on in the amazing natural world my books explore!

December’s Cold Moon was amazing—and boy, did it ever fit its name perfectly. And although the temperatures were in the 20s here, there was no wind, and the sky was crystal clear. The only things visible against the velvet black were the Moon and a few planets, most notably a sparkling Jupiter. We bundled up in thermal, hand and toe warmers, hats, mittens, neck warmers, and of course, down jackets. The only part of me that got cold was my nose!

I took this photo of the Cold Moon at the annual Winter Lights display at Naumkeag, a property of the Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, my phone’s camera made it a bit fuzzy. Regardless, the evening was spectacular.

On other sky news, the Quadrantid meteor shower will be active from the end of December to mid-January. If you’re lucky when you look to the northeast sky between midnight and dawn, you might just see 40 or more meteors per hour. They’ll be blue in color as they speed by. This photo is from space.com. What a great way to celebrate a winter’s night!

The holidays may be over, but who needs an excuse to buy books? All three colorfully illustrated picture books are told in cheerful rhyme and encourage children to look up to the sky and to the animal kingdom—and use their imagination.

You can find them wherever books are sold—or get them with a personalized message to the recipient by clicking here: carolgoodmankaufman.com

And gather your little ones around to listen to my podcast, “Skygazing With Carolinda” where they’ll hear all the latest on happenings in the sky!  Links are in the sidebar.

Murder We Write – Issue 1

by

Murder We Write

Winter 2024

It’s been a very busy and exciting few months since The First Murder came out. There have been readings, signings, and discussions in bookstores, libraries, senior housing complexes, and private homes. And I was thrilled to learn that my book got a Reader’s Choice Five-Star rating!.

One of the programs I’ve done is “What Makes a Mystery a Mystery.” How is that genre unique in literature?

It’s also been a real treat to participate with fellow authors in Sisters in Crime’s “Making a Mystery,” an interactive improv program in which attendees “write” a mystery story together. So much fun!

(It’s amazing how the choice of a character’s name can change the tone of a story. A cozy with Gretl the baker turned into a much darker story with the introduction of Dante.)

My short story, “Skin Deep” also appeared in the anthology Totally Psycho Logical. In it, my character Leni dips her toe into cosmetic plastic surgery, only to find out too late she’s up to her eyeballs in trouble.

Many readers have asked if there will be a sequel to The First Murder. I’m working on it now! It’s tentatively titled The Second Light, and it takes place in the same Berkshire Hille village of Queensbridge. Many of characters you met in the first book will make a return appearance.

And now, I’m starting this newsletter about all things mysterious. I’m hoping to send it out quarterly—I promise that your inbox won’t get flooded. If you’d like to receive it, just email me here at cgoodmankaufman@gmail.com, with the word “Newsletter” in the subject line.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with many new adventures—and maybe some mysterious ones, as well!