Notes from Ellie · Issue No. 1 · March 1, 2026

The Women Behind the Name

Welcome to our very first newsletter! Pour something warm, pull up a chair, and let us tell you a secret: Ellie Webster isn’t one woman. She’s all of us.

Hello, Dear Reader

If you’ve already spent time in Maple Ridge with Tess and her chocolate Lab, Cocoa, you’ve met us. You just didn’t know there were several of us at the table. And there’s so much more on the way, starting this month with Lucy and her retired K9, Echo.

Ellie Webster is the shared pen name of a small group of women who fell in love with the same things: cozy mysteries, small towns with secrets, loyal four-legged sidekicks, and the kind of friendship that shows up with a casserole when life gets messy. Somewhere along the way, we realized we didn’t want to write alone. So we didn’t.

Why we write together

Writing a book can be lonely work. Writing one with friends is something else entirely. We plot over coffee, toss “what if” ideas back and forth, read each other’s pages, and catch each other’s plot holes (and typos, so many typos). When one of us is stuck, someone else always has a spark. When one of us has a win, the whole group celebrates.

Every series has its own heart and its own voice, but they all share something we care about deeply: community. The neighbors who rally, the friends who notice, the town that pulls together. It turns out we write about it because we live it.

The best stories, like the best friendships, are better when you don’t have to carry them alone.

What makes a perfect group

People ask us how a writing collaboration actually works. Here’s what we’ve learned:

Share a love, not a brain. We all adore cozies, but we each bring different strengths. One of us lives for clues and red herrings, another for banter, another for the dogs (always the dogs).

Be kind and be honest. “I love this” and “this chapter drags” can both be said with care. A good group says both.

Show up. Deadlines are easier to meet when friends are counting on you, and cheering for you.

Celebrate everything. First drafts, finished chapters, new covers, the first review from a stranger. Every step counts.

Start your own circle

Maybe you’ve been dreaming of a book club with friends, or of writing the story that’s been knocking around in your head. Here are a few tools we think are wonderful places to start:

• Run Your Own Writing ChallengeA friendly guide to setting a realistic writing goal, tracking progress, and recruiting a writing buddy to keep you going, solo or with friends.
• Sisters in Crime: The Guppy ChapterAn online community for mystery writers at every level, with critique groups, forums, and classes. (Requires Sisters in Crime membership.)
• Reedsy StudioA free online app to plan, write, and format a book, great for drafting with a partner.
• Kindle Direct PublishingWhen your story is ready for readers, this is where you can self-publish in ebook and paperback.

On our shelf this season

Until next time, happy reading, and go find your people.
With love,
Ellie (all of us)