Essays & Media

What words or phrases do you overuse?
Alene Baron probably uses the word “annoy” a little to often (as does her creator).

The last time I saw my father, Alex, was in 2021 during the pandemic, when only hospice nurses were allowed inside. My parents lived on the third floor, so we only got to see Dad if our mom was able to wheel his chair to the window. That day, I stood outside the building, waving up at their balcony. He was too weak to wave, but I think he smiled. I’ve held onto that memory.

Ruthie Rosin, the pastry chef in my Whipped and Sipped Mystery series, is sweet-natured, quick-witted, and spiritual. She observes centuries-old Jewish traditions but lives in the contemporary, real world with her husband and three children.

Q. Galit, I love your unique culinary cozy series. Thank you for taking a few minutes to answer my questions.

A. Thank you so much for signing up for my website and for doing all the book promotions you’ve worked on for several years now. So many authors are grateful to you!

Dear Alene,
I know how much you wanted to have a video to play during Edith’s 40th anniversary party, but I was spectacularly unsuccessful in getting anything worthwhile on the recording. I interviewed her as you requested. She refused to go on camera unless her face was darkened. Here’s the video:

I just returned from Left Coast Crime, a conference for mystery lovers. Of the 550 or so participants, there were about 70 authors, and the rest are readers looking for books to read. Guess who’s got 3 published mysteries (and a 4th launch coming this summer)?

I’m probably not the only author to dream of having a platform like Reese Witherspoon or Zibby Owens. They’ve helped hundreds of authors with their recommendations.

One day, many years ago, my husband suddenly told me he wanted a divorce. Between the moment he said that he missed his freedom and the slamming of the door when he left, I learned what it meant to watch your life crumble into tiny pieces.

On Tuesday, I sit at my desk, turn on my computer, and check my inbox, hoping for good news of some kind, but every morning, I’m inundated with sales, political updates, and organizations seeking my attention or money.

Although I’ve always loved reading, I knew little about writing, and even less about publishing before my first novel launched in 2019. I was completely unprepared for how much work all of it would be. I didn’t have any social media accounts, didn’t know anyone else who’d published a mystery, and had never met a book publicist. I had a vague idea that the publisher would put my books in bookstores and libraries, and people would flock to buy them, but that, surprisingly, turned out to be a myth.

Do you know someone who, after you explain that you’re coughing because of asthma, says, “Have you been to the doctor about that?” As if after being up all night struggling to breathe and thinking you might expire, it never occurred to you to consult a doctor.

In early fall of 2014, I was a former musician, a former music teacher, and for the previous seven years, the associate director of a law school center.

The sun was breaking through the morning mist as we pulled on our old sneakers, filled our backpacks with supplies, and headed to the bird sanctuary at Montrose Point, a few miles from where we live near Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.

The relatively new Denver Art Museum is worth visiting for any number of reasons, but this phenomenal exhibit is worth the price of admission.

Have you ever dreamed of a perfect day? A day that despite politics or sadness in the world brings you some peace?