Monthly archive

February 2010

Friday, February 26, 2010

In which it's been an interesting few weeks

Je suis tired, my dears. February has been a thorny month, spiky with challenges and not a great deal of time for replenishing. (So much for winter being a fallow time when you can just hibernate and wait for spring.) It's been a testing time, where just when I think I have a handle on something, something entirely different taps me on the shoulder. Of course, if you were to read my horoscope for this month, you'd think I was dancing with unicorns in a meadow made of marshmallows. (And if you have my dancing unicorn, give it BACK already.)

Anyway, enough whingeing. There have been loads of good things as well, starting with the fact that dear Mama didn't have to have surgery on her broken leg and is mending nicely. And here are a few other things that have made me smile during February:

*Johnny Weir. I ADORE him. I have enjoyed watching him skate for ages now, and at a time when the athletic envelope keeps getting pushed and some skaters seem like tidy little automatons churning out quads, Johnny is unabashedly, gloriously himself. He's also a terribly gracious tweeter. Twitterer? (I am quite smitten with his show on Sundance--"Be Good, Johnny Weir". Of course, the downside is that I now spontaneously erupt in a Russian accent for no good reason. It amuses me to no end, but if I lived with me, I'd be getting pretty tired of it.) If you haven't seen his exhibition skate to "Poker Face", oh dear me, you have missed out. Enjoy!

*Unlike the "Poker Face" clip--which I watch a few times a week--I've only seen this one once, but I defy you to watch it without saying out loud, "The HELL?" Because you really have no frame of reference for surreal until you've seen My Little Ponies doing a duet of "Defying Gravity". The "Wicked" bit starts halfway through.

*The 20 Questions interview I did over at All the World's Our Page, a writing blog kept by Kristen Callihan, Claire Gregory, Jennifer Hendren, and Rachel Walsh. I was so pleased to be invited to participate, and the questions were great fun--including some speculation on whether Robert Downey Jr.'s Holmes could take Brisbane in a fight...

*Being asked by a writer whose work I LOVE to blurb her next book. This thrills me to bits because, selfishly, I get to read her next book months before it hits the shelves. And secondly, her editor told me this author is a fan of mine, which is so hard for me to wrap my head around, I wonder if this is what it feels like to drop acid. I mean, honestly. This is someone whose books I read when I was aspiring, DYING, to be published. And she is very graciously behaving as if I'm doing her a favor. It's a strange world, people. A very strange world.

So, share the joy, duckies. What good things have happened to YOU this week?
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Thursday, February 25, 2010

In which I am guest blogging

You can find me over at Dara England's blog, Curiously Twisted, chatting about the Lady Julia series and The Dead Travel Fast. Dara writes historical, paranormal, and fantasy fiction and very kindly invited me to introduce my books to her readers. Take some time to poke around her site and say hi! Many thanks to Dara for the invitation and the warm welcome to her bloggy home.

On a completely unrelated note, the husband leaves town tomorrow for a quick business trip--you Chicagoans give him some nice weather if you can! I do so hate it when he goes away, but at least his trips are of the 48-hour variety. Because they are so short, I decided long ago to treat them as mini-holidays for myself. I pick up a new book or magazine, something splurgy like "Red", and maybe a new nail polish if OPI has done a gorgeous new red. The girlchild and I are taking in a movie this time. I despaired of ever seeing "Young Victoria", but it is finally showing here, and I am vibrating with impatience to see it. Sometimes we make food for dinner that her father doesn't like and pile up in bed with a full season of "Gilmore Girls" to eat it. In all, it's usually a very girlie, modestly indulgent time. And you? What do you do to treat yourself when you're at home and in a holiday mood?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

In which we have bookmarks

For the first time ever, I have dipped a toe into the bookmark pool--and goodness me, but didn't they turn out nicely! My publicist put together a lovely layout featuring The Dead Travel Fast, and sent along a lot of them. I mean a LOT. So, if you would like a bookmark, drop a self-addressed stamped envelope in the post. You can send it to me at:

5251-18 John Tyler Highway #132
Williamsburg VA 23185

The fine print: I am afraid I can accommodate US residents only, and postage must be included.

Also, there have been updates posted on the website--various and sundry goodies to tie in with the new release, so be sure to putter around the pages and see what we've put together for you. Appearances start next week at Murder by the Book in Houston, and I cannot wait to meet more readers! Check out the appearances page for the most up-do-date details and mark your calendars if you're in the area.

Finally, one clever reader has already spotted that there is an Easter egg in The Dead Travel Fast--a single mention of a character from the Lady Julia Grey series! No spoilers, please, but if you want to make sure you're right, drop me an email or private message on Facebook or Twitter.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

In which it is release day!

I am so, so happy that the release day for The Dead Travel Fast is here! Today I'll be online at the Barnes and Noble mystery book club to answer questions and chat. This month the mystery book club is honoring romantic suspense, and I'm so happy to have a chance to discuss my books. Drop by!

Also, you might enjoy the blog post I wrote for Writerspace about the new book--and leave a comment for a chance to win a prize!
Monday, February 22, 2010

In which we are flying by

Today is a fly-by post, my dears. If you haven't already signed up for the newsletter, use the handy widget on the right-hand sidebar because the first newsletter of 2010 is about to go live! It's got all sorts of interesting tidbits about The Dead Travel Fast, including a guide to spotting vampires...

Also, tomorrow is the official release day, so if your local bookstore has been firm about not putting the books out ahead of time, they should be on shelves and ready to sell! Many thanks to those of you who have already been reading and tweeting and emailing. I'm hugely excited to be able to share this book with y'all!
Saturday, February 20, 2010

In which we're still talking creativity

Creativity, part deux, mon amis.

*Meditation each day. There are numerous studies to support the fact that meditation alters brain activity, leading to relaxation and more productive creativity. We will assume this is true, but even if it isn’t, meditation is a nice rest for your shoulders, arms, and brain.

*Self-help or creativity reading each day. I include Sarah Ban Breathnach, Julia Cameron, and all poetry in this category. Anything that supports your creativity and lets a breath of fresh air into your reading is to be encouraged. And a single page or poem each day is all it takes.

*One day a week for nothing but play. No, really. No bill-paying or laundry, no grocery shopping or cleaning the toilet. Organize your week so that one day is entirely free—or half day if that’s all you can manage, but make it a solid block of time rather than several hours scattered over the week. Use that time to do playful, silly, or self-indulgent things. These can vary widely depending upon your whims. It might just as easily be a snowy hike with the dog as a bubble bath with a glass of cold champagne. Go out for tapas, plant an orchid, break open a fresh pack of crayons and color. Whatever feels like play IS play to you. Just don’t do things that you could check off of a to-do list.

*Make a procrastination list and dismantle it, piece by piece. We all have things we dread doing. They loom over us, bugbears that steal away our peace of mind and tug impatiently at our creativity. Do away with them by writing them down, all of them. Then take one item at a time and finish it. If you can’t face an item, break it down into what SARK calls “micromovements”, the tiniest steps toward completion. (The beauty of this idea is that starting a micromovement or two generally gives you enough momentum to finish entirely. If not, at least you’ve made a start.) Reward yourself as you work through the list. It might take a day, it might take months. Regardless, finishing those tasks is an accomplishment and it will free up part of your brain for your more creative endeavors.

So, there you have the creativity manifesto, nine easy steps toward protecting and enhancing your creative mind.
Friday, February 19, 2010

In which we talk creativity

This is the first of a two-part post on creativity. Hope you enjoy!

The writing life is an interesting one. For starters, it requires a constant tango with creativity, an ongoing effort to keep the fires of inspiration stoked and hot, and as everyone knows, to keep a fire going, you have to have fuel.

But how do you fuel creativity? Constant writing is like leaving the lights on in the car—it can drain the battery, and sometimes settling down to write can feel furtive and a little dangerous, as if you’re tinkering under the hood to hotwire the engine. I do not believe in writers’ block, but I do believe in fatigue. I know what it is like to be bone-tired, feeling gray and fuzzy around the edges. That’s when the cursor blinking at you seems to be tapping out profanity in Morse code and even writing the simplest blog entry or email seems to be demanding more than you can give.

The short solution for such times is simply to get on with it. If you are on deadline, you have no choice but to put your tailfeathers in the chair and write--painful, but effective. But there is a way to limit such occasions in the future, a sort of creativity manifesto whose guidelines are an excellent way to safeguard your creative spark. Here are a few of the things I do to ensure that when I sit down to work, the words sit down with me:

*No computer until the creative work for the day is done. This means no emails, no blogging, no updating Facebook until the writing is finished. It doesn’t matter whether the writing goal for the day is page or word count or limited by the clock. Meet it and then you can tweet.

*No computer after 5pm. Working from home means that the boundaries are blurred. Reclaiming the evening is like posting guards and electrified fencing to make certain your time for yourself and your family is observed.

*No work-related reading after 4pm. See above. It is far too easy to drift into reading and taking notes when you need to be giving yourself—and your juicy, bubbling subconscious—a break.

*One non-writing creative activity each day. Sketching, knitting, baking, gardening, quilling, boating. It doesn’t matter. Almost anything can be done creatively, and so long as it doesn’t involve putting words on paper, it will serve to support your imagination.

*Less television, more podcasts. Podcasts are becoming increasingly more worthwhile. You can listen to books, interviews, and debates, take language lessons, catch up with world news, and take tours of famous landmarks and libraries. Armchair travel at its best.

More to come tomorrow!
Thursday, February 18, 2010

In which I google

Oh, how I love Google! It is the perfect tool for mental mongooses like myself with our motto of "go and find out". (And if you're wondering if mongooses is the proper plural, I can assure you that google reveals mongooses is preferred, and mongeese is acceptable.) So this week, these are some of the terms I've googled:

*Eric Heiden--Olympic speed-skating champion from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. I found out that he became a doctor and treats the US Olympic speed-skating team.

*Elsa Lanchester--I was watching The Private Life of Henry VIII and wondered what else she had done besides Bell, Book, and Candle and The Bride of Frankenstein. Her Anne of Cleves is hilarious.

*How tall is Shaun White?--To settle a family debate while we were watching halfpipe.

*snakeskin clutch--Shopping for the Las Vegas trip. I still haven't found one...

*Anne Boleyn--Can't remember what started this googlepalooza, but I do have a fondness for decapitated queens. I think I was looking for the Holbein sketch of her.

*Can baking soda strip color from my hair?--Yes, yes, it can.

*A River in the Sky--Elizabeth Peters' newest book and the LAST in the Amelia Peabody series. Just discovered it will be out in April, and am completely surprised because I honestly thought she'd wrapped up the series with the previous book. I will miss the Emersons!

*Southwest Airlines seat dimensions--After all the recent hoopla regarding Southwest Airlines seats, I was curious as to how big they really are. Turns out--not very.

*How is distance measured in ski jumping?--Another family debate during the Olympics. As it happens, we were all wrong. Distance isn't measured at the tip or tail of the ski, but the midpoint--under the ski boot.

And you? What have you googled lately?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010

In which you might want to hit the bookstore

So I've heard--via Twitter, Facebook, and emails!--that The Dead Travel Fast has been spotted in bookstores. I know Amazon has shipped pre-orders, and loads of folks have found it at their local booksellers, so if you were vexed at having to wait until March 1, get thee to a bookstore!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

In which we talk Medusa and fashion

I recently received an email from a reader wondering about the Medusa pendant in the books and whether it exists. The answer is "sort of". I have a Medusa pendant that I found when I was writing Silent in the Grave. I threaded it onto a tiny string of black seed beads and wore it at the base of my throat for quite a few months when I was working on the first book in the series. It differs from the pendant in the book because it is a charm rather than a coin, and since it is in relief, there is no way to etch coded Shakespearean messages on the back. I haven't as yet had any luck finding a Medusa coin to wear as a pendant, but wouldn't it be divine if I did?

And that makes me wonder, what stamps have you put on your personal style as a result of reading a book? I Capture the Castle makes me long for ratty old vintage furs and bluebell perfume. And I remember wanting a red taffeta petticoat after I read Gone With the Wind, but perhaps it's just me. Does anyone else crave bright red shoes after reading Chocolat? And if you had to take a single character for sartorial inspiration, who would it be and why?