These days, I live in a 200-year-old carriage house in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. Not surprisingly, I've taken to writing a series of nine (and counting) retro-cozy murder mysteries set in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. I call it Dorset. It's a place where everyone knows everything about everyone ' or at least they think they do. Trust me, they don't. Dorset is a place full of secrets, many of them deadly. That's where my deliciously mismatched heroes come in, both of them strangers in a very strange land. Mitch Berger, a pudgy Jewish widower, is the lead film critic for the most prestigious and therefore lowest paying of New York's three daily newspapers. Desiree Mitry is an alluring beautiful Connecticut State Trooper who happens to be black, a gifted artist and strangely drawn to Mitch. Under normal circumstances, these are two people whose paths would never cross. But absolutely nothing about Dorset is normal. I started the series in 2001 with "The Cold Blue Blood," which was nominated for a Dilys Award. I'm happy to report that my eighth Berger-Mitry, "The Blood Red Indian Summer," made the bestseller lists in 2011. My newest, "The Snow White Christmas Cookie," will be published in October of 2012. You absolutely don't have to read the Berger-Mitry books in order, but you'll find it a kick to follow the unfolding romance if you do. Personally, I've found them to be a real treat. I get a chance to dissect the village and the people where I actually live. Absolutely everyone in town reads them. And I have fun bringing my own subversive contemporary edge to the classic old-school village murder mystery. The books feel real fresh to me. I hope you like them. The Berger-Mitrys are my second crime series. My first foray, which you may remember, featured the dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag and his faithful, neurotic basset hound Lulu. I wrote eight novels about Hoagy, a fallen literary wunderkind turned pen for hire who travels the underbelly of show business helping famous stars tell their life stories, secrets and all. Generally, there are plenty of people who wanted those secrets to stay safely buried. Generally, our jaded hero knows how to dig them out. My first Hoagy, "The Man Who Died Laughing," was nominated for an Anthony Award. My best known in the series, "The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald," won an Edgar and an American Mystery Award. Thanks to the good folks at Mysteriouspress.com and Open Road Media all eight of my Hoagy novels are now available on Kindle. Check 'em out. You'll never find another wise-cracking hero quite like Hoagy. I'm happy to report that I'll be launching yet another series in the summer of 2013 featuring the feisty 137-pound New York City private eye Benji Golden. Benji specializes in finding missing teenagers. The first novel in the series is called "Runaway Man." I'm really excited about it.Do you like political thrillers? If so, I took some time off between series a few years back to co-author an international bestselling page-turner called Gideon under the name Russell Andrews. I promise you it'll knock your socks off. I've also taken the time to write some short fiction. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine has published several of my short stories since 2001. Two have been included in anthologies ' Opening Shots Volume Two , edited by Lawrence Block, and A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime , edited by Jeffrey Deaver. -30-