Work In Progress (February '26)

Morgan and I arrived on the west coast of Washington just in time for sunset.

A Monthly Newsletter from Mystery and Thriller Writer Jenna Kinghorn

Work In Progress

I belong to an organization called Sisters in Crime, a professional organization that is a sort of mutual aid group for mystery writers. One of the benefits of membership is access to classes.

When I saw a class titled “Revision and Self-Editing” offered from mid-January to early February, I scrambled to register, hoping it would help me figure out how to approach the changes I want to make to my mystery.

The class delivered beyond my wildest dreams, helping me devise a revision plan that will let me see this rewrite through to its end. The instructor, thriller writer Jim Jackson, provided a slew of excellent, thought-provoking lessons that can be applied to any novel in progress. He gave students individual feedback when we posted our homework.

I’m a pretty fast writer when drafting new material, and one important takeaway from the class is how very time-consuming the revision process can be.

There’s re-reading each chapter, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses, coming up with ideas for improving it, and trying out some of those ideas. Then I have to analyze the new iteration for its strengths and weaknesses, and so on. But there are also questions about whether some minor characters should be combined, if the ending would be improved by moving some plot elements to earlier in the book, and how to end each chapter in a way that invites the reader to turn the page instead of putting the book down.

Even at the pace of one lesson every other day, I scrambled to keep up with the homework. That's meant dropping some other balls of the juggling act that is my life: housework, getting out with friends, and reading for fun, to name a few. The kittens proved to be good task-masters, joining me at the dining table for the read-through and analysis sessions.

Butch and Sundance appointed themselves co-editors.

But I finally feel upbeat about completing this revision. Here’s hoping the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t turn out to be an oncoming train!

What I’m Consuming

Recently read:

The Snow Lies Deep, by Paula Munier
First Do No Harm, by S.J. Roman
Shadow of the Solstice, by Anne Hillerman
The Marlow Murder Club, by Robert Thorogood
Death Comes to Marlow, by Robert Thorogood
The Queen of Poisons, by Robert Thorogood

Where I’ve Been

In late January, my husband Morgan and I drove out to the west coast of Washington to spend a night at Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park. We arrived just in time to witness a spectacular sunset.

During our short mid-week stay, we encountered no more than twenty people, including the lodge and park staff. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner and an even better breakfast in the lodge’s Creekside Restaurant.

Before we headed home, that expansive sandy beach lured us into beach combing our way to the Tree of Life. You can see more photos of our beach exploration at https://jennakinghorn.com/beach-combing-to-the-tree-of-life/

Have You Read Anything By S.J. Rozan?

When people ask me for book recommendations, I tend to think in terms of writers and their series, rather than individual books…and this month I’m recommending S.J. Rozan's series about New York City private investigators Lydia Chin and Bill Smith.

Lydia is a young Chinese-American woman who lives in Chinatown, and her mother, four brothers, various cousins, and other important figures in her life often play a role in the main mystery or a subplot. Her unofficial business partner, Bill Smith, has no close family, but is connected to other useful people. They take turns being lead investigator, which means some books are told from Lydia's point of view, while others feature Bill's perspective.

The recently released sixteenth in the series, First Do No Harm, has the pair investigating a murder at a New York City hospital where Lydia's older brother is a highly regarded E.R. doctor. Lydia and Bill are hired by the defense lawyer of a young hospital employee who has been arrested for the murder of a nurse. As they search for the truth, Lydia and Bill uncover financial malfeasance, fraud, industrial espionage, and other problems at the hospital, which is on the verge of a nurse's strike.

With the help and hindrance of a handful of interesting characters, Lydia and Bill unbraid the complicated multiple crimes being committed. They identify not just the the murderer, but other wrongdoers of various degrees, and pull off a gratifying deal with the hospital's imperious upper management.

One of the things I love about this series is that, as private investigators, Lydia and Bill are able to rely on their own moral compasses to achieve justice. This sometimes puts them at odds with the police, and even their own clients, but it can make for very satisfying endings.

Rozan also has a gift for bringing a setting to life like another character, whether it's First Do No Harm's NYC, or the farther-flung settings of some of Lydia and Bill's other cases. Lydia and Bill have investigated a wide variety of cases–missing persons, stolen art, fraud, blackmail, industrial espionage, and family history–since the first book in the series, China Trade, was published in 1994. The series will appeal to readers who enjoy multi-layered mysteries, complex protagonists, and wry humor.

Rozan has also published a couple standalone novels, numerous short stories (I have especially enjoyed those featuring Lydia's mother as the self-appointed investigator), and is co-writer of a historical mystery series.

My Furry Muses

My husband has the patience of a saint.

I have seen his imperturbability in the past: helping a niece or nephew work out a math problem, or taking apart a ceiling light fixture. But those were snapshots in time.

In the months since our sweet dog Mia came to us in April of 2025, snapshots of his loving patience have spooled out into a movie.

Around Christmas time, Mia finally turned her beautiful eyes imploringly on Morgan.

Mia came from a background of domestic abuse. Shy to the point of cowering, she was especially wary of men.

When we picked her up from her foster situation, Mia decided that, compared to Morgan, I was the lesser of two evils, and so she tolerated me. Over the first few weeks that tolerance turned to affection, then devotion. Ten months into this rather co-dependent relationship, Mia follows me from room to room when we’re together, and greets me with a dance party after any separation longer than ten minutes.

It’s quite the ego boost, but for all our sakes, I want her to feel as comfortable with Morgan as she does with me. It was painful to see her flee from him when he approached with a leash. It was heartbreaking to come home and find her sitting at the door waiting for me, ignoring his enticements of squeaky toys and treats.

Morgan trained himself to move slowly, use a high voice, and wait for Mia to come to him. He worked out a routine for her mid-day walk, scouting a route that didn’t have startling noises, and ending with coffee among dog-savvy friends. After a couple months of gradually lengthening coffee dates, he got her to accept a puppuccino from him. After a couple more months, she began to relax enough to accept pets and treats from his friends.

At home he approached Mia slowly and carefully, offering quick pets, ear massages, and chin rubs, and retreating before she became overwhelmed. He fixed her meals, and offered her treats and toys. He bought hot dogs and cheese sticks and began playing hide-the-treat with her every evening. He scooted close to her on the couch and bed, and gradually won her over with his warmth, figurative and literal.

Morgan has won Mia over with his patience and warmth.

I don’t remember exactly when she began rolling over to invite him to give her a belly rub. I wish I had marked the calendar the first time she jumped onto the bed and snuggled up to him. Then there was the evening she got up from her dog bed in the family room, went over to where he sat, and put her chin on his knee, looking up at him with her beautiful caramel-colored eyes. It was past the usual time to start their hide-the-treat game, and we had gotten so caught up in our TV show that Mia had to remind him!

I know that was some time in December, because it was the best Christmas gift ever. Mia has continued to warm towards Morgan through the cold days of winter, showing more willingness to go out alone with him, seeking him out when he’s making noise in the kitchen, and rolling onto her back to suggest he give her a belly rub. He remains endlessly patient on days when they have setbacks, and I remain endlessly grateful for both of them.

And, of course, equally grateful for the kittens, Butch and Sundance.

More about them next issue. Thanks for being a reader! – Jenna