My Home Away From Home

Tomorrow evening I will meet with the Investigating Mysteries book group at the New City (New York) public library. If you’re in the area, please join us to talk about the first Veronica Walsh mystery, All Things Murder.

I’m particularly excited about this visit, for this is my lifelong home library. I have an early memory of sitting on the floor in the library’s children’s section, pulling picture books off the bottom shelf and contentedly thumbing through them. In my grammar school days, the library was located in a small, one-floor building across the street from the school. I recall many afternoons spent there, doing homework, research for a class paper, or simply wandering the aisles, looking at the books. Whether I was working on a science fair project, history paper, or geography report, the library always had what I needed to complete the assignment.

When I was in the eighth grade, the library relocated to its current home farther north on Main Street. On my first visit, I was awestruck by the size, more than triple in space than its former home, with thousands of books filling shelves across three floors. It was spectacular, though I have to admit I missed the cozy little library across from school. Whenever I pass the building, now a plastic surgery center, I remember my after-school visits and the place that helped me become the person I am today.

Thanks to a dedicated, talented staff, the New City library continues to serve our community very well. From stocking the latest bestsellers and new DVDs, providing free tax help to senior citizens, serving as a gallery for local artists, and offering programs on everything from genealogy to chair yoga, the library nurtures residents, both those who are just starting to read and those who have been doing it for decades.

Have a great week, everyone, and remember, if you live near the New City library, come investigate a mystery with us tomorrow night!

 

 

Setting The Skype Scene

Tomorrow night I’m meeting, via Skype, with the South Windsor(Connecticut) Library’s Murder and Mayhem mystery group. If you’re in the area, drop by at 7:30 for what promises to be a fun evening of book talk.

Since this is a video conference, I don’t have to worry about the drive time to the library (internet traffic shouldn’t be so bad). I also don’t have to shine my shoes, since my feet will not be visible. My preparation is different for this from-home visit to the library.

I’ve done a couple of practice runs with the library’s Mary, Carol, and Jason to make sure our audio and video connections are in proper working order. A tip to all Skype novices like myself: make sure your web browser is closed when you use Skype. You want your internet firing on all cylinders when you make your video call.

When I received the invitation from library director Mary Etter to meet with the mystery group, I immediately started wondering where I would sit for the event. “Where’s the best light?” I wondered. “What should be in the background?” I asked myself. My original plan was to use the guest bedroom where I could sit in front of a window and bookcase. Appropriate for a chat with book lovers, right? So I set up a table and my laptop and moved a chair into place. I sat, opened the computer’s camera, and saw a shadowy figure in the middle of the screen. My attempts to brighten the corner without causing a glare failed and I realized the setting wasn’t conducive to a good Skype session.

I considered other locations in the house. There is excellent light in the kitchen, but an oven and sink don’t make for a cozy background. The dining room felt too formal. I headed down to the wood-paneled family room and opened the laptop on the coffee table. Settling against the comfortable couch cushions, I liked the view presented on camera. All I had to do was move a big throw pillow away from the table lamp and voila, the lighting was perfect. With the arrangement of a few family photos on the shelf behind the couch and the “Welcome” sign hanging on the wall, I have a warm setting for my date with the South Bristol readers.

I’m eager to meet  the Murder and Mayhemers tomorrow night. I look forward to seeing you on my computer screen!

May I Quote You On That?

Good Sunday, everyone!

I apologize for my absence over the last few weeks. My siblings and I have been directing all our energy and love to my mother, who broke her leg last month.

I recently read Susan Branch’s delightful memoir, Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams, the second of a trilogy. The book started off a bit slow through my own fault; Branch refers to events that she detailed in the first in the series, The Fairy Tale Girl, which I haven’t read. Once I was square with who was who, I found the story of Branch’s move from California to Martha’s Vineyard and her new life on the island enjoyable and encouraging. By the last page I felt as if I had made a new friend and taken a wonderful New England vacation.

One element of the book that I love are the wise and inspiring quotes Branch includes on every page, from such luminaries as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, and Thomas Edison. Branch refers to her copy of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations several times in her memoir; like her, I have a few books of quotes myself. I also have a book of blank pages into which I’ve copied my favorite  sayings and thought I’d share a few with you.

I’ll start with one from the pages of Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams and Branch’s own words:

“It’s not think big, like everyone tells you, it’s think little, the same way you cross the beach in the sand, slogging along, one little step at a time, until you’ve made it.”

Branch made this realization while writing her first cookbook. If she thought of only one page at a time, not thinking about the book as a whole, she wasn’t daunted by the project. I can relate. It can be overwhelming to think about the 69,000 words I have to write for a Veronica Walsh mystery. I sometimes despair and think, “How will I ever do it?” One chapter, one scene, one paragraph at a time. That’s how!

“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.” 

The inimitable Mark Twain wrote this, one of my all-time favorite quotes. Oh, how I’ve wanted to shout it at chatty Cathys and verbose Victors. Those folks who go on and on and on, who will never re-gift the gift of gab, should take a bit of advice from Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United States, who said,

“I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me any harm.”

Coolidge, nicknamed Silent Cal, knew of what he spoke.

Our twenty-sixth president, Theodore Roosevelt, was quite a character and more loquacious than Coolidge. Roosevelt advised:

“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”

If only more people did what Roosevelt said and held themselves accountable, this world would be a much better place.

If your end-of-the-summer vacation will be taking place in your backyard, remember this line from the late Mason Cooley:

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”

If you’re on a stay-cation, why not transport yourself to the Adirondacks via the pages of Murder, by George?

“You’re what the French call les incompetents.”

I’m not one to intentionally hurl insults, but this line from the classic Christmas movie  Home Alone, uttered by Angela Goethals as the character of Linnie, is delicious. You can paraphrase it to your heart’s content, saying, “You’re what the Germans call die inkompetent,” “You’re what the Welsh call yr anghymwys,” or “You’re what the Chinese call 无能.”

What’s your favorite quote? Are you inspired by a line from Emily Dickinson, Leo Tolstoy, or Benjamin Franklin? Please share! I have plenty of blank pages to fill in my quotes book.

I’ll wish you a good day and week and end with the following advice from the beloved and much-missed Yogi Berra:

“When you get to a fork in the road, take it.”

Lazy, Hazy Days of August

Happy Sunday, everyone! My apologies for my month-long absence; July was a bit of a whirlwind.

Can you believe August starts tomorrow? Where has the year gone? Christmas is in five months (anyone shopping yet?), the U.S. Presidential Election takes place in ninety-nine days, I turn fifty in x number of days (no, I’m not in denial about it), and parents and kids are already buying their back to school supplies.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. There is much to celebrate during the sweltering heat of August. The Olympics, for a start! It’s Admit You’re Happy Month (you can do it), National Picnic Month (a.k.a. Invite Your Backyard Ants to Lunch), and National Eye Exam Month (no jokes about this one-just get one). Simplify Your Life Week begins on the first. When you’ve done that, you can celebrate during National Smile Week, commencing August 8.

August 2 is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. If you can’t get to the supermarket to buy a box, grab a couple of chocolate chip cookies (homemade, if possible), put a scoop or two of your favorite ice cream between them, and stick the treat in the freezer for an hour or two. Yummy.

August 3 is Grab Some Nuts Day. I don’t think that’s a euphemism.

Left Hander’s Day is celebrated on the thirteenth. I’ll think of my dad on that day. A natural lefty, he became a righty in the first grade when he watched his teacher, Sister Ratched (I made that up), slap a classmate for writing with his left hand. Dad moved his pencil to his right hand before he suffered a similar punishment. My father was a very smart man.

Remember to flex your phalanges on August 6, Wiggle Your Toes Day. You can do it in the sand, the swimming pool, or while your watching television.

August 7 is International Forgiveness Day and if we don’t take advantage of it, we get a second chance on the twenty-seventh and Global Forgiveness Day. Imagine if we made the effort…

August 9 is Book Lovers Day!

We have two sanctioned days for taking it easy: Lazy Day (8/10) and Relaxation Day (8/15).

August 11 is Presidential Joke Day. George Washington, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Calvin Coolidge walk into a bar…

There’s one official dog day of August, the twenty-sixth. That’s National Dog Day, when we honor man’s best friend, particularly those wonderful canines who guide the blind, assist the disabled, and excel at search and rescue. It’s also a day to consider giving a homeless dog a home.

You may not want to go to the dentist on August 22. That’s National Tooth Fairy Day. You don’t want your dental caretaker giving the fairy a reason to stop by your house that night.

The tenth is designated National S’mores Day, while National Marshmallow Toasting Day comes on August 30. Shouldn’t that be the other way around?

I bet you have some special days coming up this month, too. A wedding? Birthday? Family reunion? Or maybe you don’t have anything planned now, but something wonderful will happen that will make August 2016 a time you will always remember.

 

Summer Reading 2016

I hope everyone celebrating this July Fourth weekend is having a happy, fun, and safe weekend!

What’s on your reading list for this summer? Several books have been released this year that I hope to read in the coming weeks; I thought I’d share a few of the titles with you.

Out of the Dying Pan – Since reading last year’s Fillet of Murder, I’ve been eager for Linda Reilly’s followup to the debut of her Deep Fried Mystery series. Set in a seafood restaurant in the heart of the Berkshires, the first cozy left me, a person with an aversion to seafood, tempted to try something fishier than a shrimp cocktail. I’m looking forward to a new adventure with Talia Marby, who, in the first installment, returned to her hometown after leaving her job and boyfriend. Talia took a job in her friend’s fish and chips shop while trying to rebuild her life. When the friend became a murder suspect, Talia set out to solve the case. A multitasker! Out of the Dying Pan promises another mystery that will satisfy cozy readers while also tantalizing our taste buds.

Here Comes the Bribe – Author Mary Daheim’s work has had a huge influence on my writing. I adore her cozy Bed-and-Breakfast series, of which Here Comes the Bribe is the latest installment. It features close-as-sisters cousins Judith McMonigle Flynn and Renie Jones, Seattle-based amateur sleuths who find themselves involved in murder cases that often take zany, ridiculous turns. With many of the murders taking place at Judith’s bed-and-breakfast, it’s a surprise the place hasn’t gone out of business by now. I’m pleased it’s still welcoming guests and plan on checking in soon for another absurd visit to the great Northwest.

Vinegar Girl – Anne Tyler, one of my favorite authors, returns with a contemporary take on a classic. In Vinegar Girl, a part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, Tyler offers a fresh take on Shakespeare’s comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. With critics describing it as “screwball,” “a fizzy cocktail,” “funny,” and “endearing,” how could anyone go wrong in tucking the book in her beach bag or suitcase? I’m looking forward to Tyler’s version of the Bard’s timeless battle-of-the-sexes.

Everybody’s Fool – I have been a Richard Russo fan since I saw the 1994 film adaptation of his Nobody’s Fool (I wholeheartedly recommend the Robert Benton movie, starring Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy). Russo excels at moving between the present and past to give a complete portrait of a character. He filled Nobody’s Fool with endearing characters surviving in a small upstate New York town that’s seen better days. In Everybody’s Fool, Russo brings readers back to North Bath for a two-day visit that promises to be as warmhearted, insightful, and humane as its predecessor.

The Black Widow – This is the sixteenth book in a series I discovered earlier this year. After reading two books (of course I didn’t start at the beginning!), I’m hooked on Daniel Silva’s series featuring Israeli spy Gabriel Allon. In Silva’s latest offering, Gabriel, a tortured soul with a talent for art restoration, is set to become the father of twins and the chief of Israel’s intelligence service. He’s asked to go into the field one more time to nab a terrorist bad guy. The book hasn’t been released (it comes out July 12), but I already know it will be an absorbing page turner.

Murder, by George – I confess this isn’t on my summer reading list. I’ve already read it several times. I only ask that you read it once (and tell everyone you know to read it, too).

Happy reading. And Happy Independence Day!

Sunday Thanks

Happy Father’s Day! I hope all you dads have a wonderful day with your families. Enjoy the barbecues, backyard baseball games, laughs, and time with your loved ones. Let’s also take a moment today to remember the fathers who’ve passed away in the last year.

My post for this holiday is short and sweet. I want to thank everyone for giving Murder, by George such a warm welcome. Thank you to my family and friends for your support, and thank you to Veronica fans who eagerly awaited the book’s release and have already shared your reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads. I appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm very much.

Enjoy the beautiful day to the fullest, everyone!

Sunday Interview with Kathy

Happy Sunday!

Today I’m over at Cozy Up With Kathy for a fun interview with Kathy K. There’s also a giveaway of an advance copy of Murder, by George.

Please, take a few minutes today and drop by Kathy’s blog, read the interview, and enter the contest!

Happy Memorial Day

 

Happy Memorial Day! Please take a pause today to remember all the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

A Day With Veronica

I’m ending the week with a visit to dru’s book musings for her fun A Day in the Life series. Veronica takes a turn at blogging, describing a day from her latest adventure. Check out the guest post and enter the giveaway for a chance to win an advance copy of Murder, by George.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday Blog Tour

Happy Thursday!

Today, Murder, by George is in the spotlight at Storeybook Reviews and is featured at Shelley’s Book Case.

Drop on by and check out the posts for Murder, by George and other fabulous books!