Deanna Raybourn

In which I am lucky

2010-03-10T06:51:00.000-05:00

Are you? The study of luck seems to be on the rise, and I've seen several articles discussing it recently. With apologies to Oprah--who famously said she doesn't believe in it--there seems to be empirical evidence that luck, as a catch-all phrase for circumstances that are beneficial, seems to exist. This article in the Telegraph reviews recent studies which appear to demonstrate that luck boils down to four main components: creating and noticing chance opportunities, listening to intuition, creating self-fulfilling prophecies via positive expectations, and adopting a resilient attitude to reframe bad things in a positive light. These are all things I do on a regular basis, so I suppose it's no surprise that I feel lucky. I always claim that I lead a charmed life, and things do regularly happen to me that seem ever so lightly powdered with fairy dust.

But I also agree with the person who said that luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. I very much believe that luck is created, an outward manifestation of our own beliefs about ourselves and our place in the world. I read a fascinating article some time back about an experiment that placed two people in identical circumstances with identical opportunities. Both subjects were instructed to go into a coffee shop and purchase a cup of coffee, drink it, and leave. The woman did exactly as she was told and reported nothing of interest happened to her. The man, however, was alive to possibilities. He saw the money that the female subject simply stepped over on her way in the door. He chatted with the person next to him and found a resource for an investment opportunity. He extended his good fortune, and in the process had a wonderful time, but the best part is that he did things we can all do if we are simply alert to it.

I'm fascinated by the idea that we can change our luck, but I suspect most people won't do it. I'm frequently asked how I managed to accomplish one thing or another, and when I invariably reply with a less than glamorous answer--hard work or discipline are almost always involved--eyes glaze over and I know that this person who is seeking my advice will never follow it. They want easy answers rather than effort. And effort is what it takes to live a worthwhile life--and a lucky one. So how about you? Are you lucky?

In which I am back!

2010-03-09T06:24:00.001-05:00

So sorry for the lack of bloggery yesterday, my dears. I had a thousand and six things to do after returning from Houston. But what a trip! I should have sent you all postcards saying "Wish you were here" because it was divine. I saw people I adore beyond measure, I signed masses of books and got to visit with lovely readers, and I met some fabulous new folks as well. And the food! I am still whimpering over the barbecue and the cheese enchiladas...and honestly, I shouldn't even mention how divine the staff at Hotel Zaza is because you will expire of envy. All I will say is that if you are ever in Houston--or Dallas, because I suspect that location is just as fab--book yourself in and prepare to write me a thank-you note because it is THAT FAB.

Now, just to catch you up, I will be signing this week in Richmond and Williamsburg, details as always on the "Tours" page which you can find on the "Author" page of the website. I am also doing a bit of guest blogging in the weeks to come, including a paranormal blog and a style blog--quelle fun, no? I will also be doing another chat on Writerspace so you can log on and ask questions, details to come.

AND, I can't post complete info on this one yet, but I do have another appearance to announce--I will be in Danvers, Massachusetts, on May 8--mark your calendars if you're in the greater Boston area! I was hugely thrilled to be invited to participate in a literary festival put on by the local library, and can't wait to see New England again.

Now, what have you been up to whilst I've been away?

In which we are keeping house

2010-03-06T06:11:00.000-05:00

A little domestic tidying up today. First, many thanks to those of you who included such charming notes with your bookmark requests! I've read the first batch, and they were very kind.

Second, if you are in the Houston area today, I will be visiting the fabulous crew at Murder by the Book to speak and answer questions and sign my little fingers off, so please stop by and say hey! Here are the details:
4:30 p.m.
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonnet Street
Houston, Texas 77005
(713) 524-8597
(888) 4-AGATHA

If you can't make it, Murder by the Book does a very brisk trade in mail-order and I always get to sign loads of books for readers far away--it's the next best thing to being there. Also, check out their website which has links to their blog and newsletter, well worth your time even if you don't live anywhere near Houston. See y'all there!

In which I am leaving, you know, on a jet plane

2010-03-05T06:49:00.001-05:00

I'm leaving this morning for Houston where I will wallow in luxury, meet new friends, connect with loved ones, and sign books! (Insert obnoxious SQUEEEEE here.) I love to travel for work for a number of reasons. First, I think breaking with routine is essential for one's creativity and mental well-being. Ruts are dangerous things, don't you find? And whatever you can do to shake things up is deeply beneficial.

Second, writing is a solitary occupation. No matter how many emails you get from your editor or phone calls from your agent or notes from readers, when you go to write, it is you and the blinking cursor and the echo of your own thoughts. Is it any wonder then that when we get a chance to see kindly booksellers and devoted readers, we practically fall upon their necks, weeping? Well, perhaps it's not quite so dramatic. But it is very good for one's ego to be told that you're doing a good job and please do it some more. It makes you feel appreciated and charged-up, a very good thing when you are getting ready to plot another book, which I am...

Third, there is the opportunity to be pampered. You don't have to make your bed or cook your meals. You don't even have to get yourself from point A to point B. There are pilots and taxi drivers to do that! You just have to wait patiently like a schoolchild on a field trip, which I find immensely relaxing. I also admit that I indulge myself in my choice of hotel whenever I can. I know many people who claim that it is wasteful to spend money on a hotel room because you're never in it. I am! Speaking and signing can be exhausting, largely because I want to engage with every reader I can and because I try very hard to make sure I am enthusiastic and sharing that enthusiasm.

By the time I get back to my room, I am usually talked out, with several hours to spend by myself. What better than to spend them in beautiful surroundings, with excellent service and a nice view? It's restorative, I tell myself. And in the interest of killing a few birds with one hot stone, I have booked a massage at the hotel spa this time--something I have never done for fear of arriving at an event with "massage face", creased from the sheet on the massage table. (If I show up tomorrow looking like someone stitched my face together as a home-ec project, you will be kind enough not to point, I hope...) It's something I've been meaning to do at home for the last month and haven't had the time. On this trip, I really can't argue that I have anything better to do for that hour. There are no responsibilities, no appointments, nothing but time to sit and BE.

And I'm wondering how do you travel? Stripped down and budget-friendly? Or do you like to indulge when you can?

In which I have gurus

2010-03-04T06:25:00.001-05:00

Well, shouldn't we all? I can't remember off the top of my head if it was Plato or some other ancient wheezy Greek who said the unexamined life was not worth living, but it's entirely true. What is the point if we don't occasionally check in with ourselves and figure out if we're better than we were the year before? Shouldn't we be evolving, climbing upward in a sort of spiral path taking us higher toward our goals and expectations? Certainly, but it's difficult to get there alone, and frankly, I will take help wherever I can find it.

For years I've read self-help--a genre name I despise, BTW. Personal growth is almost as unspeakable, but it is marginally better. We won't even breathe the words "personal empowerment"...Anyway, I've assembled a group of people who are much wiser than I am, and whose words have very often caused what I call a tectonic plate shift in my thinking, when I read something so meaningful and so powerful I can feel the earth shifting under me and I know I will never be quite the same again.

*Alexandra Stoddard. Her earlier books straddled the line between home decor and decorating the spirit, with some excellent advice about adding luxury into your daily life wherever you can. As her writing style and subject matter evolved, she has tackled some more serious issues, always with grace. She is the only writer to whom I have ever written a reader letter, and I received an astonishingly lovely handwritten letter from her husband by way of reply as she was on a deadline. I have also found innumerable other writers because of her habit of scattering her books with margin quotes.

*Florence Scovel Shinn. The single most empowering (euw, that word again) book I have ever read is Shinn's The Game of Life and How to Play It. I purchased it as part of a four-book, single volume set and devoured it. Shinn was an artist and metaphysician who wrote during the 1920s, preaching abundance thinking long before The Secret. I still don't quite know how to express the massive shift that occurred in my thinking when I read this book, but the phrase "What would Florence do?" has become a regular one in our house.

*SARK. For fun, for colorful inspiration, for feeling like a kid again.

*Isabel Allende. Conversations with Isabel Allende is one of the most riveting books I have ever read. It's a series of interviews with her, and because she never answers the same question the same way, it's extremely revealing. She has the soul of a storyteller, even when answering the most mundane queries about the writing life.

*Sarah Ban Breathnach. With that peculiar synchronicity that sometimes happens between books and readers, each of her books has come at a time when I needed to hear its message. When I reread passages, I am always struck by how vastly different they are. Romancing the Ordinary is by far my favorite, although Simple Abundance utterly changed my life. The latter was a road map for me, the former was a poem.

And you? Who have your gurus been?

In which I fear I am unwell

2010-03-03T08:57:00.003-05:00

Not physically, but I suspect something in my psyche may be slightly askew. I am trying to sort out my travel books for my trip to Houston and am dithering as I usually do. Travel books are a serious subject for me, you understand. I need books that are diverting but not demanding. I want to be entertained, but not talked down to. I want something that is guaranteed to be enjoyable, which is why a new book by a favorite author is the best choice, although seldom a viable one.(Why Elizabeth Peters won't write a new book for me every time I have to travel is beyond me. Really.)

So I sort through old favorites I haven't read in a long time, hoping that I won't remember who the murderer is or whether there is a happy ending for the romantic pair. (I do and there is. Always.) It's maddening, and all the more so when you consider the fact that I will be gone for a little over 48 hours. It should not be this difficult, particularly after acquiring my Kindle.

And yet. The Kindle, it seems, has made the selection of travel books MORE difficult. Do I take the Kindle? Do I not? If I take it, what do I take for backup books? Because you MUST have a backup book or two. For all the potential horrors of travel, few can stand up to the wretchedness of having a few hundred books loaded onto your Kindle and no battery life left.

Luckily, my iphone has made all my other choices vastly easier. I no longer travel with a camera, a white-noise machine, ipod, or cell since the iphone does all of that and more. Oh, and the iphone also has the Kindle app on it, so everything I purchased for my Kindle is actually on my phone as well, an excellent backup should my books prove unsatisfactory.

Which brings me circling back to the question of WHAT BOOKS? I'm feeling very England-between-the-wars right now, which opens loads of possibilities--Nancy Mitford, Gerald Durrell, I Capture the Castle, Georgette Heyer's mysteries. The one thing I know for certain is that somewhere in my bags, there will always be a copy of Rebecca, my perfect fallback book for all occasions. And you? What do you look for in a travel book?

In which I am interviewed

2010-03-02T04:20:00.000-05:00

You can catch an interview I did with the charming Jessica of Book Bound in which we talk books, the writing process, and other sundry things. Thanks, Jessica!

Also, don't forget that this Saturday marks my FIRST signing of The Dead Travel Fast! I will be in Houston with the tremendously fabulous folks at Murder by the Book--details on the "Tour" page of the website. See you there!

In which it is release day!

2010-03-01T07:26:00.002-05:00

Yes, again! Today The Dead Travel Fast is officially, finally, fully available to everybody because today is the ship date for ebook downloads. Goodness me, but that's quite a lot of release dates between the on-sale date, the official date, and the sneaky "we've shipped early" date. (And believe it or not, I still don't have a single copy! My author copies have gone astray and if I want to refresh my memory I have to dig out the manuscript copy.) Anyway, enjoy, my ebook friends!

So today is March 1, and I for one am happy to see the back end of February on its way out the door. It's never my favorite month, but this year was particularly tiresome, and only the Winter Olympics saved me from putting myself out on the curb to be carried away with the trash. But I always wake up on the first day of a new month with a little bit of the same feeling I get at New Year's--a fresh start bubbling with possibilities.

Of course, this morning I was extremely glad the alarm went off because I was having a bizarre 18th-century dream in which I was apparently carrying an aristocratic Colin Firth's love child. (I don't have a thing for Colin Firth, he was just there.) Anyway, he was highly chuffed that I was expecting, I think because it gave him an excuse to get rid of his barren and annoying wife. So as you can imagine, I was very glad when the alarm rang--the soundtrack to "Les Choristes". I can't stand waking up to a buzzer, so I use music, although my preferred method would be to be eased out of sleep by the gentle sound of distant church bells. And you?

In which it's been an interesting few weeks

2010-02-26T07:58:00.000-05:00

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?

In which I am guest blogging

2010-02-25T09:03:00.002-05:00

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?

In which we have bookmarks

2010-02-24T06:37:00.000-05:00

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.

In which it is release day!

2010-02-23T07:39:00.002-05:00

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!

In which we are flying by

2010-02-22T10:40:00.002-05:00

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!

In which we're still talking creativity

2010-02-20T06:39:00.000-05:00

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.

In which we talk creativity

2010-02-19T11:33:00.001-05:00

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!

In which I google

2010-02-18T08:01:00.002-05:00

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?

In which you might want to hit the bookstore

2010-02-17T09:26:00.002-05:00

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!

In which we talk Medusa and fashion

2010-02-16T08:01:00.003-05:00

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?

In which it is never to late to serve justice

2010-02-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

I am fascinated by this story out of Sicily: police there have called in forensic investigators to solve the murder of a baroness and her lover discovered in flagrante--more than four hundred years after the fact. It boggles the mind to think how they actually mean to piece together a solution to a crime committed in 1563, but I rather like the idea that they mean to try. For us--and for the investigators at the beginning--it is an academic exercise. The guilty cannot be tried except in the court of public opinion. But there is something deeply satisfying about laying some ghosts to rest. DNA testing has definitively identified the remains of Louis XVII, the lost Dauphin, as well as the Romanovs. Those are chapters in the history book that now have a final page. And even though not every mystery in history will be solved--the princes in the Tower, for instance--it is exciting to see closure brought to some crimes and victims who can rest at last in peace.

In which we need the silly

2010-02-13T10:14:00.002-05:00

Because sometimes one really needs to balance the serious with the frivolous, I give you Shaun the Sheep's website. When I count sheep at night--and this is rare because I am a champion sleeper--they always look like Shaun. And sometimes they have numbers on their sides. And sometimes they have dyed fleeces--red, blue, even plaid...

In which I am cheating on you

2010-02-12T06:54:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging elsewhere--Fresh Fiction, to be precise! Head over there and check out how a book gets its title.

In which we need a Jane Austen channel

2010-02-11T04:20:00.000-05:00

All Jane, all the time. But until then, let us give thanks for PBS. This weekend, Masterpiece is airing "Northanger Abbey", which is either new or which I missed entirely the first time around. In any event, there are Gothic thrills to be had, and I am VERY pleased.

I am also doing a fangirl squee over the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics because I am a complete Olympic nerd. I will watch any event, including biathlon and curling, and I still lament the loss of the "Up Close and Personal" features when ABC aired the games. (My complaint with NBC is that they focus on Americans almost exclusively. ABC did a far better job of airing lots of different events and early rounds of competition on one network than NBC does with half a dozen.) Anyway, I'm desperately excited about the winter games, and I know the Canadians will do a fabulous job. And how cute are those mittens?!

In which I booked a trip

2010-02-10T06:54:00.003-05:00

Last week, the darling husband found some money--enough for a vacation. Well, not so much "found" as "calculated our tax refund". Anyway, we were appalled to realize we had not taken a proper vacation together in 19 years. We've tagged along on each other's business trips; we've taken family trips, and we've done quick overnight stays, but we haven't just gone away together for days on end. Lamentable, no?

So, with a tidy little sum burning a hole in our pockets, we started to ponder destinations. We had originally planned a trip to Greece this April until orthodontia intervened and gobbled up our trip funds. (You'd think by the time your child is fifteen, you'd be off the hook for expensive dental work. You'd be wrong.) Anyway, we were perfectly happy to hand the Greece fund to the orthodontist, but when this money turned up, neither of us seemed quite as enthused about traveling overseas. To begin with, my pragmatic husband pointed out that the money was enough to give us a luxurious trip in the US or a more frugal vacation if we opted for Europe given the cost of overseas airline tickets.

There was another important consideration as well: travel abroad is glamorous and exciting and exhausting. Getting by in a foreign language, calculating prices in a different economy, counting out strange coins--all of it is deeply satisfying and extremely tiring. I just don't have the stamina for a trip of that sort just now. I want nothing more than escape and relaxation.

So that got us focused on finding a relaxing destination. Part of the reason I love taking our daughter to Disney World is that I find it to be the most stress-free place on earth. (No, really.) Because in Disney World, I simply don't care what we do. I know there will be shopping and shows and rides and if we miss something, I don't mind, whereas if I were in London and missed Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace or the British Museum or Sir John Soane's House or tea at Kensington Gardens or Westminster Abbey or any one of a hundred other places I've been MANY times before, I would sob into my little floral handkerchiefs for days. In a glorious, historic city, there are things you MUST do or you return home feeling a sad failure. So the husband and I agreed, we wanted a grown-up version of Disney World where we could escape, just the two of us, and leave work behind for a few days and do as little or as much as we liked without worrying about what we might be missing. We wanted shows, shopping, superb restaurants, and opportunities for general lounging in luxurious surroundings.

The consensus? Vegas, baby! Yes, I know, it's frenetic and crazy, but we decided on a lovely hotel with a great spa, beautiful pools, spectacular artwork, and more restaurants and stores than we can possibly sample while we're there. And since I happen to be uncommonly lucky at the blackjack table, we may do a wee bit of gambling...

Also, many thanks for the kind suggestions and good wishes for my mom. She's opted for a chic black cast and is learning to pootle around quite well on her crutches!

In which I am pondering love letters

2010-02-09T06:12:00.001-05:00

It's the time of year, I suppose, but I have always adored love letters and have several collections of some of the most poetic, tortured, romantic, whimsical, and passionate letters ever penned. Today I am posting one of my favorites, written by Sullivan Ballou, a major in the Union army during the Civil War, for his wife, Sarah.

My very dear Sarah:
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . .

Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

A week after this letter was written, Sullivan Ballou died from wounds sustained at the First Battle of Bull Run. The letter was found among his effects. He was 32 when he died, and his 24-year old widow never remarried.

In which Friday started off to be a nice day...

2010-02-08T05:35:00.000-05:00

Last Friday my mom and I went to the Spa at Colonial Williamsburg--highly recommended, BTW--for birthday week manis and pedis. It was a wonderful experience and we left there feeling relaxed and hugely pampered, until we came home and my mother promptly broke her ankle. Well, technically, her leg. She has a nice clean break in the fibula, which meant the rest of Friday was spent in the emergency room in the middle of a snowstorm, but mercifully no surgery! (At a loss for what to do with myself when she went up to X-ray, I tweeted, and very much appreciate the kind messages.) Hopefully she'll be seeing the orthopedic specialist today for the cast, and I cannot WAIT. I will be twitchy until we get her home and comfortable again.

I know it's going to mean several weeks of being mostly sofa-bound for her--thank goodness the Olympics are about to start!--and we're going to get a lot of very excellent mother-daughter time. I plan on taking my laptop and camping out in her living room for much of each day. But I know she's going to get restless and want some things to do besides just watching TV. I've got her stocked with books, magazines, Spanish lessons, notecards for writing letters, and crochet materials. I would LOVE some ideas for other things she could do while sitting on the couch and knitting her bones back together!