To celebrate the upcoming releases of “Out of Body”, the third Magical Misfits Mystery AND “Spirits of Gascony”, my Paranormal Romcom, I’ll be doing an author takeover in the Cozy Mystery Party group on Facebook. Make sure to join the group for YOUR chance to win a free copy!

Happy New Year everyone, even if it’s already a couple of weeks old. We went to my favorite country – France – and enjoyed some warm-ish days on the Med in Marseille. I got quite a bit of writing and editing done, which was necessary given my ambitious plans for this year (one Romance and one Mystery to release with the publishers, plus my Da Vinci Mystery series I finally want to self-pub). “Spirits of Gascony” is still on track for a March release, so…Continue Reading “This is the time to write – or read”

“Down the Hatch”, the sequel to my award-winning debut novel was reviewed by Literary Titan and gained praise! Read here what’s it all about: Down the Hatch: A Magical Misfits Mystery by Lina Hansen is about Myrtle Coldron, a witch who is not in complete control of her magic, and as she struggles, others want to take charge of the coven. Myrtle finds herself taking on a lot of responsibilities, including running her family’s bed and breakfast business, while other events unravel around her. When she…Continue Reading “Praise for “Down the Hatch””

The reason I’m asking -I’m on vacation in Lagos, Algarve. The place is a dream – golden beaches, a glittery teal sea, tangerine cliffs, white houses covered in the famous indigo tiles – and then there was a Portuguese water dog walking in the street. All black, all curly, and cute white paws. A whiff of barbequed sardines in my nose, I was thinking “What if?” What do you think? Let me know, if this sort of thing is worth writing about. Photo by Tim…Continue Reading “Would you read a paranormal romance featuring a Selkie and a Were-Portuguese Water Dog??”

You know you’re in trouble when your grandmother is a tree. Summers in the Fields of Bliss is a charming story filled with an amazing cast of (paranormal) types, none of which fits the mold. Vampire – check. But not your average blood-thirsty nightwalker. Fairies- check. But not your average cute fluttery beauties. Trolls, witches, and gods galore (the latter is a royal pain in the patootie). The author basically took her hometown, inserted her love for the place in the story, and then proceeded…Continue Reading “Book Review – Summers in the Fields of Bliss by Elisabeth Comiskey”

Book 2 in the Kea Wright Mysteries, this one works quite well as a standalone. I’m the living proof; I never read the first. It’s called “Cold Flood” and features a volcano erupting under an ice cap together a sneaky killer causing accidents on icy mountain slopes. As Mysteries go, that’s certainly an original idea, and I get the impression the author’s USP is knowledge about intriguing biological, geographical, and other scientific wonders he aptly presents to the readers. For me, that works. Minor gripe…Continue Reading “Fiction Review – The Meerkat Murders by R.J. Corgan”

Compiling on Scrivener for me has always been a bit of a nightmare. The new Version 3 promised a much improved experience, so I upgraded. What can I say? The nightmare got worse? Hey, that describes the experience more or less accurately. The help function didn’t help much since it kept telling me how easy everything now was. Duh. For IT savvy peeps, perhaps. But all I want to do is WRITE, EDIT and PUBLISH. I already have to maintain a website, conduct marketing campaigns…Continue Reading “How to compile with Scrivener 3”

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. What a great story premise. Set in the seedier side of Victorian London, the novel introduces Detective Nathanial Brannick. His wife having died from consumption, he’s given the case of a young Irishwoman who suffered from the same wasting disease that is now ravaging Brannick himself.  To ease the pain, he’s consuming opium – the archetypal flawed detective. There’s more to it. Like a bloody birthmark on his wrist and an eerie…Continue Reading ““Consumed” by Justin Alcala”