I Built a Quiz… and Didn’t Break the Internet (Or Myself)

There comes a time in a woman’s life—usually somewhere between muttering “I don’t need instructions” and yelling “WHY won’t this work?!” at a perfectly innocent browser tab—when she realizes she’s building a quiz for her cozy mystery readers.

And not just any quiz, mind you.

Oh no.

This is the “Which Rosewood Hollow Character Are You?” quiz.

Are you a Sarah? An Emma? A Pixie? (You wish you were Pixie.) Or possibly a Matthew, which means you're chronically skeptical and have a thing about gluten-free muffins.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Sabine, surely you just sent this off to an agency and had some sleek, high-end, interactive whiz-bang quiz built with fancy buttons, animated transitions, and background music that sounds like a Wes Anderson soundtrack played by hedgehogs on tiny harps.”

Well. I could have.

I could have dropped a few hundred bucks on a service. Or paid a developer to make it all look like it was sprinkled in tech-fairy dust.

But here’s the thing: I’m at that age.
You know the one. The age where your first impulse isn’t to throw money at a problem—it’s to roll up your sleeves, squint at the screen, mutter “I’ll just try it myself,” and dive in.

Because, friends, I did not grow up in the Age of the App.

Nope.

I come from the land of Telex machines.

Yes, Telex. Not fax. Not email. Telex—a mechanical beast that screamed like a banshee and typed in ALL CAPS as if it were perpetually annoyed.

Then came fax. And then Teletext (which always looked like your TV had a hangover). Then giant PCs, and floppy disks you could use as dessert trays, and finally tiny little miracle machines that fit in your palm and connect you to the world from the back of a camper van parked somewhere with more pine trees than people.

So building this little quiz? Child’s play. Kind of. I mean, yes, I clicked the wrong thing, broke the layout, reloaded it seventeen times, and possibly invented new swear words—but I did it.

I. Made. A. Thing.

A thing that lives on the internet! A fun little quiz that gives you a character result and gently nudges you toward the Rosewood Hollow sales page.

Is it perfect? Not a chance.

Is it slick? Please. What about me says slick?

But is it fun? Heck yes.
And is it mine? Even better.

So if you’re one of my readers (or just quiz-curious), pop over and give it a whirl. Laugh. Roll your eyes. Maybe even discover your inner Pixie.

Because in a world full of polished perfection and AI-generated everything, sometimes the most magical thing is something a slightly stubborn author built with grit, Google, and an irrational belief in her ability to figure things out.

And that, my friends, is the very spirit of Rosewood Hollow.

Now: Which character are YOU???? Give it a shot right here, and let me know:

https://thinkingdogpublishing.com/quiz.html

The Absolute Madness of Naming Characters

Let’s talk about one of the most ridiculous struggles of writing a book. No, I’m not talking about the part where you stare at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your ancestors. I’m talking about naming characters. It should be easy, right? Just slap a name on them and move on? Oh, my sweet summer child. If only. See, naming a character is like naming your kid—except worse, because nobody is going to complain if your kid and their cousin both end up being named Liam. But if your main villain is named Liam and you accidentally give the quirky coffee shop owner in book three the same name? Cue the existential crisis. Let’s walk through the madness. The Overthinking Spiral of Doom You start writing, and there’s that moment: your brand-new character walks onto the page, full of potential. All they need is a name. A simple name. Something strong, something fitting, something— Oh no. Nothing sounds right. This one is too complicated. That one is too simple. ...

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I? Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind. The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again. With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling. The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...

Stories Are Everywhere: The Writer’s Endless Inspiration

As a writer, one of the most common questions I’m asked is, “How do you come up with your stories?” It’s a question that often makes me smile because the answer is as simple as it is profound: stories are everywhere. Inspiration doesn’t always strike in grand, dramatic moments. More often than not, it emerges quietly, weaving its way into the fabric of everyday life. Conversations with friends, the sights and sounds of a bustling city, or even the stillness of a room can spark the seed of an idea. Writers aren’t just storytellers; we’re observers, collecting fragments of life and spinning them into tales. Let me share a recent example of how a simple evening turned into the genesis of a new story idea. Over two perfectly crafted negronis, I was discussing the schedule for an upcoming event with a friend. Their house, a treasure trove of artwork, surrounded us. Every piece of art seemed to hum with a story of its own. Midway through the second drink, I remarked, “One day, someb...

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