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April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

In which I am feeling bereft

Just sent the book out--finally! The Book That Would Not Die has been dispatched to my agent and editor, and no, it is not quite finished yet. There are still the final tweaks and polishes from the editing process, but the hardest part is behind me. (I HOPE.) Anyway, there's always a letdown when the book flies from the outbox on the computer, and I am distracting myself by loading up on research books for the next Julia Grey book--which I'm starting work on about NOW. I am hugely excited about the plot, and I expect it to be the best of the series BY FAR. I had one of my bathtub epiphanies the other night and the entire plot fell into place, which makes me extremely happy. Starting with the plot and most of the characters nailed down makes research just fun. I'm also setting the book in a country I've never used before--never even visited--so I will have to do a bit more research than usual for a Julia Grey book. I made up the setting in SITS, and SOTM required a quick trip to Yorkshire. Unfortunately, I can't do that with this coming book for a variety of reasons, so the research will have to suffice. (I find immersion is the best alternative to travel. Cookbooks, memoirs, armchair travel, social history, documentaries, music--I use it all.)

On a completely unrelated note, tomorrow is May Day, the ancient pagan holiday of Beltane, a day for maypoles and bonfires! I think we'll mark the beginning of this most gorgeous of months with a fire in the firepit and a completely non-traditional version of May wine. (It's also customary to surprise the unsuspecting with a nosegay of flowers hung at their door. You're supposed to ring the bell and run away, and leaving flowers behind is much nicer than the usual alternative flaming bag of poo, isn't it?) Happy May Day!
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In which I am devastated to have missed an opportunity

The bathroom in the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, has been voted the best restroom in the US, and I for one am shattered by it. I lunched there a few years ago on a book tour--my media escort's idea--and it was divine. I had salmon with a truffle foam, and let me tell you, foams are pretentious and silly and DELICIOUS. A foam is the merest breath of an experience, dissolving on the tongue before you can even swallow, and it leaves behind the essence of the ingredient. It's ethereal and ephemeral, and it would be extremely annoying to have more than a spoonful of foam on a plate, but a small dollop is lovely. I had no idea at the time that the men's room was so legendary, although I did notice an awful lot of gentlemen making use of it. (The lunchtime crowd at the Hermitage runs heavy to the legislators and government officials, I was told.) Now I am deeply regretting the fact that I didn't get to see it for myself to compare it to my favorite ladies' room--at the Majestic theatre in San Antonio. The Majestic bathroom is so lovely, there have even been weddings held in the anteroom. Wonder if the Hermitage can say the same?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

In which I am so far behind I am about to come around again

Seriously, there is a strange Mobius effect going on right now where I am so far behind on so much that I suspect it will all come around again and I will be completely caught up. (Yes, I know there is supposed to be an umlaut over the "o" in Mobius, but if I go look up how to insert an umlaut on blogger, I will fall even MORE behind, and honestly, nobody wants that.) My e-mail inbox is now into multiple pages of unanswered mail, and we will not speak of the gajillion other things I need to get done. At this point I'm just jotting things onto to-do lists in my iphone and never reading them again. I have one titled "Spring Cleaning" with notes to myself about relining the linen closet with fresh fabric and purging the photos on my hard drive and organizing the ones I keep. These are things that are NEVER going to happen. They should, but they won't. Thursday is my deadline for The Book That Would Not Die (catchy, don't you think?) and I have one last killer proofread to do before I send it off. Once that's done, I can start on the list of Crap I Should Have Done in April, and bring a semblance of order to my little corner of the world just in time for the End of School Goat-Roping and Extravaganza--the four week push in which every conceivable concert, program, project, and ceremony must be concluded, parental attendance falling somewhere between mandatory and completely essential. Just thinking about it makes me want to go lie down with a cool cloth on my head and a glass of something fruity. (I bought sangria in a box this weekend. From Target. If I had standards, believe me, they are LONG gone.)

But it occurs to me that I may have a solution to my woes. Legend has it that Napoleon never answered his correspondence immediately; in fact, he didn't even read it immediately. All written correspondence was left on his desk for three weeks before he opened it. His reasoning was that if it was really important, someone would let him know by courier, and if it wasn't important, someone else would probably have handled it in the meantime. Apparently, it really boosted his productivity. And I figure if it can work for someone waging epic land wars in Europe, surely it can work for me.
Monday, April 27, 2009

In which Penelope Cruz is my new guru

This entry was first posted on the Blog A Go-Go on December 27, 2007.

Seriously. I mentioned that while in Houston, I got to loll around at the Hotel Zaza reading the latest Vogue. Penelope Cruz was on the cover, and there was a feature pictorial of her in the MOST sumptuous ballgowns by Balenciaga and Marchesa. Honestly, I would be buried in ANY of them, and I'm not even planning on being buried at all. (The pictorial also featured a bullfighter, and let me just say, animal cruelty charges aside, WOW. That matador gear is alarmingly attractive when it's half off. Who knew?) But the part that impressed me the most was not La Cruz's obvious beauty, it was this quote: You cannot live your life looking at yourself from someone else's point of view. Genius.

And difficult. This is an issue I've struggled with a LOT over the last year in particular. People feel very free to offer opinions--sometimes critical ones--and the internet provides a very cozy place for anonymity. There are those who could never do what I do, but who feel free to dismiss it with a scornful word or a wave of the hand. These are people I do not understand, nor do I wish to. I think any job, done with integrity and creativity and thoughtfulness, is worthy of respect. (I suspect that the people who are most dismissive and vicious about other people's work are deeply dissatisfied with their own, but I could be wrong. Amateur psychology is a thorny place to wander.)

In any event, I believe Penelope is right. We are so busy worrying about how other people see us, that we forget to see ourselves as we really are. After all, anyone else's perception of us is filtered through the lenses of their experience. What they see is perhaps not what we really ARE. And it's no use trying to GUESS how other people see us because it's hopeless at best. We don't hear the inflection of our own voices, see our own expressions. The most we can hope for is authenticity, an elusive and difficult quality to master. We have to know ourselves before we can show ourselves. And if anyone objects to that, we will remind ourselves that their point of view is simply that: a single point in a very big world.
Saturday, April 25, 2009

In which I have book news!


Lots of you out there prefer audiobooks to the paper variety, and I've heard from many of you how much you enjoyed the narrator for the audio version of Silent in the Grave. Unfortunately, many of you were less than impressed with the narrators of the subsequent version, and as a result, Audible is pulling the audiobooks of Silent in the Sanctuary and Silent on the Moor to have them re-recorded by the fabulous Ellen Archer! They should be ready to go some time in May, and they also tell me that they will make sure she narrates the rest of the series. YAY! (Now, what I've just told you is ALL that I know. For specifics of release dates, etc. you will need to contact Audible.com because they are completely in the know about this project. I got the happy news after all was arranged between the lovely digital team at my publisher and the wonderful peeps at Audible, and I have shared all that I'm able.)

For those of you who like to collect a single format for a series, I am SO HAPPY to tell you that Silent in the Grave will be released for the first time in trade format in January 2010! It has a brand new cover to fit with the rest of the repackaging, and I am VERY pleased with it. (Eagle-eyed readers will have already realized that the new covers are designed to depict a single, specific moment in each book rather than to convey a general mood. The moment they chose for SITG is one of my favorites!)
Friday, April 24, 2009

In which we empathize

My heart goes out to the good people at The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. They do holy work, outing people who flagrantly and willfully abuse the poor, benighted quotation marks. Theirs is a thankless mission, but someone has to do it.

Likewise, the Grammar Vandal blog is the place for you if you too bemoan the decline of English grammar. There you will find everything from misspelled tattoos to diagrams of Barack Obama's sentences. (Let's just say that last one took a LOT of paper.)

If you're interested in bettering yourself grammatically, check out Grammar Girl for her quick and dirty tips on language. She even hosts a podcast in case you're trying to be grammatically correct on the go.
Thursday, April 23, 2009

In which I'm feeling linky

Today is about linky fun, starting with a delicious new blog I found--one of those that makes me wonder how on earth I ever missed it! Author Eliza Knight's History Undressed is full of gorgeous paintings and interesting historical details and as soon as this book is put to bed, I intend to get into my bed with the laptop and a pot of tea and spend a day immersed in her archives. If you regretted sitting through history classes in school because they were deadly dull, this is just the blog to whet your appetite for all things historical.

Cupcakes and Cashmere is all about the impossibly chic Emily--an adorable California girl--and everything she loves, from the to-die-for shoes to swank hotels. It's a great vicarious life read!

And these next two were originally posted on the Blog A Go-Go and I wanted to make sure they were posted here. Because sometimes you just need to know what you're made of.

*How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take In A Fight

*Zombie Apocalypse
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

In which it is Earth Day

Over the last year or so I've been making a conscious effort to green it up around here. (If you're just getting started, Sophie Uliano's book Gorgeously Green is a great place to start. It even has a green pin-up on the cover. See, green can be glamorous!) Anyway, some of the changes have been very easy, some not so much. Does anybody else have a serious mental block about whipping out your own reusable shopping bag? I will remember to bring it to the store, and then leave it in my purse about 90% of the time.

Most of the changes I've already mentioned on the blog, but there are one or two I haven't touched on yet, and maybe they'll work for you.

*No more sugar packets. I only use raw sugar, and you can buy it in teeny premeasured packets--perfect for a cup of tea. But it generates a lot of extra waste because of the packets and it's much more green just to spoon it out of the box.

*No purchasing CDs. The only place I use actual CDs is in my car, but now that I have an iphone, I can play any music I've got, even without an ipod dock. (The day I discovered this was literally one of the happiest of my life. No, really.) And CDs are LOADED with nastiness, including so much packaging it takes a rabid beaver to get one open. So from now on, it's MP3 files unless there is a VERY good reason why I need the hard copy.

*Adding a recycling bin to my study. I have a trash can, but no recycling bin, but most of the waste in the study is of the paper variety. So, I'm adding a bin to my study to convert the trash to recyclables.

*No dry cleaning. This one is tricky. I have clothes that simply beg to be dry cleaned, but no green dry cleaner in town. Since I don't want to bring poison into my house, I've bought a garment steamer for the times I would have sent something out that isn't actually dirty, but creased. (Mostly evening thingies, some lace, some chiffon, some with beading.) I've already used it twice and it's insanely good and saved me about $40 so far. The things that actually need to be washed will get a nice handwash and a lot of prayer that I don't ruin them.

*Buying more books on my Kindle. Yes, the e-reader, no matter what format is greener than a book. I know they are costly, but hear me out. If you routinely purchase new hardcovers, the Kindle will pay for itself in 10-20 purchases, and while the plastics and electronic components are probably not the most Earth-friendly items in the world, the publishing industry--alas!--is one of the least. Lots of dead trees and bleach and trucking around the country going on there. Now, I know the prevailing green wisdom is that you're supposed to give your books to other people or purchase them used in order to save trees, and yes, this is a very green solution. But as a writer, it makes me wince. When you purchase a book from a used dealer--Amazon marketplace sellers included--the author doesn't get credit for the sale or a royalty payment. (Broken down to its simplest terms, it means that an author you like may end up not getting published anymore because if too many of their books are selling secondhand and not new, the publisher doesn't think there's a demand and drops them.) If you purchase an e-reader, you're green, the Earth is happy, AND the authors get paid and get credit for the sale. Everybody wins. Except your independent bookstores, so it's good to show them the love too when you want to buy something that isn't available on e-book--like children's books, for example. And even the secondhand sellers can make a profit if you use them to purchase out of print books. I know it isn't a feasible solution for everyone, but it is the best I've found so far.

Happy Earth Day!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

In which we talk road food

If you haven't checked out Roadfood, you must. It's a website devoted to local, non-franchise eateries, usually found along the highways and byways of America. It's a voluntary endeavor, headed by the husband and wife team of Michael and Jane Stern, regular contributors to Public Radio's "The Splendid Table." We're trying out one of their recommendations later this week, and I can't wait! (Below I've posted information about Roadfood.com from their website.)

And speaking of food, you remember the $11 chicken from the farmers' market? The tenderly raised and free-range bird that probably spent its entire life being carried around on a little satin pillow? I unwrapped it to find it weighed two pounds and was missing a wing. Gack. I cooked it anyway, but it was the driest chicken I have EVER had and the fact that we kept calling it Frankenchicken didn't make it any more palatable, let me tell you.

Roadfood.com was conceived in 2000 as a website devoted to finding the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America. The entire Roadfood Team has contributed thousands of hours of their personal time to create and enhance Roadfood.com so that you, the user, can enjoy the many features of the site. Unlike many dotcom ventures, Roadfood.com is an entirely volunteer effort launched with no expectation of ever making money. Our compensation comes from the hundreds of positive e-mail comments we receive each month, the notoriety generated from the many news articles and stories written about the site and the awards and recognition presented to Roadfood.com for its design and content. We welcome all new users and hope that if you find our site useful, you will tell your friends to stop by for a visit and a great meal.
Monday, April 20, 2009

In which I contemplate methods of murder

This entry was originally posted on the Blog A Go-Go on December 22, 2007.

Last week I attended a middle school choir concert, and as usual, I amused myself by composing a list of methods of murder. (Don't judge--you weren't there.) Long-time blog readers may remember a similar list compiled during the last choir concert. Alas, that list was eaten by the WordPress archive, but it gives us a chance to start anew. I feel compelled to add a disclaimer: don't do this. It is wrong to murder other people. It is, however, amusing to THINK about murdering other people, and if you put it in a book, you will get paid for it AND you won't go to prison.

*Defenestration: a personal favorite, both for the rhythm of the word and the finality of the method. There is a nice metaphor between shattering glass and ending a life.

*Suffocation: think "The Cask of Amontillado". Not to be confused with...

*Smothering: pillows, stuffed animals, plastic bags.

*Garrotting: piano wire, underwire, barbed wire. The possibilities are endless.

*Blunt instrument: a distinct lack of subtlety here. Anyone can go around bashing people on the head. There is no elegance to such a crime, unless the instrument is later cooked up and served to the police a la "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl.

*Exsanguination: absolutely my favorite method to SAY. It sounds like something the Protestants would have fought the Catholics over, doesn't it? I have read that it is a gentle way to die, provided the wound causing the blood loss is not too painful.

*Animal attack: by a trained animal assassin, of course. Think "The Speckled Band" or "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". (Conversely, a faked animal attack is also an interesting twist as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle demonstrated.)

*Anaphylaxis: an acute allergic reaction brought on by bee stings, ingesting peanuts, that sort of thing. Very useful in that the villain need not actually be present at the time of the crime.

*Arranged accidents: switching medications, removing treads from a dark staircase. Care must be insured that the accident is reversed before the investigation commences.

*Exposure: might seem like a good idea, but one must take a cautionary look at Greek myths to realize how often exposure actually failed to kill unwanted princes of prophecy.

*Manual strangulation, drowning, stabbing, falls--more common methods, but not without possibilities. Manual strangulation can be accomplished with the drapery cord of a common enemy, thereby removing TWO parties at once. Drowning ought to be accomplished simply by heaving someone overboard and sailing peacefully away. Holding the victim's head underwater is messy and potentially dangerous. Drowning men are said to possess unholy strength. Stabbing is to be avoided on the same grounds, unless a more subtle variation can be devised. One need only look as far as history and Luigi Luccheni's assassination of Empress Elizabeth to see how it might be done. Falls may be arranged from staircases, balconies, cruise ships, but care must be taken not to become entangled with the victim on their way down.

*Foreign substances: I have read about ground glass being slipped into a victim's food, but I have my doubts. Wouldn't the dinner guest note the odd texture before enough had been consumed to do any real damage?

*Poisoning, burning, and shooting: another batch of common methods, difficult to get away with in these days of excellent forensic techniques and lacking in imagination.

*Psychological murder: the most insidious and diabolical of all, driving another either to murder or suicide. Difficult to prosecute, almost impossible to prove. One must be careful not to leave either incriminating letters or the victim's diaries behind.