Monday Musings on Tuesday

Part of the problem with my new motto of WRITING FIRST is that other stuff doesn’t get done. Like a new blog yesterday. But I did get a few new pages written on the short story.

I admit, I haven’t worked on it yet this morning. But the coffee isn’t ready yet and my brain has yet to kick into gear.

Plus my plans for today (a critique group meeting) have been cancelled, so I have received the gift of several additional hours…in fact, a whole day…at home, to write and work on the conference. In that order.

Last Friday night, I attended a publication party for my friend, local writer Lila Shaara, whose new book The Fortune Teller’s Daughter is on sale NOW. I loved her first book Every Secret Thing and anticipate loving this one, too. If you missed her guest blog on Working Stiffs last week in which she tells about some of the inspiration for this book, click here now to read it.

Publication parties at Mystery Lovers Bookshop are wonderful things. Of course, I love the store and any excuse to hang out there is always a treat. I arrived early (no traffic for once) and helped set up the table with stacks of books, the cover flap tucked into the title page so Lila could easily open each one to the page to be signed. If I lived closer (it’s an almost 100 mile round trip to get to the store), I’d hound Mary Alice and Richard for a job. Lila arrived with trays of food and guests started flooding in.

Our local Sisters in Crime was well represented with authors Nancy Martin, Kathryn Miller Haines, Kathleen George, and Martha Reed in attendance along with my fellow Citizens’ Police Academy alumni and Working Stiff, Gina Sestak.

It was great fun visiting with everyone while surrounded by books. If you’ve never been to an author event, I highly recommend it. Authors are almost ALWAYS the best hosts. We’re so grateful that anyone shows up to buy our books!

Me and Lila

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom Update

Image
It’s been a while since I wrote anything about my mom. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed a number of posts recently about long nights in the ER with her. I appreciate the kind concerns and prayers from friends and family. But while I know they’re well intended, the “hope she gets well soon” sentiments cut like a finely honed blade. Mom isn’t going to get well. She has good days and bad. More and more of the latter. Today’s “good days” are about the same as the bad ones a couple months ago. She has vascular dementia. In addition to her mental slippage, her legs have grown weak and uncooperative, adding to her pre-existing balance issues. We plead with her to call for assistance to get out of bed. Unfortunately, she can’t remember that she’s had numerable falls lately, so she continues to try to get up and around on her own, resulting in more falls. And in more trips to the ER. She has dislocated her right hip twice now. She’s hit her head more times ...
Read more

A New Face

Image
I've been hearing over and over lately that I need to get new headshots done. People who only know me from my online presence complain when they meet me that I don't look anything like my picture. Hmmm. Is that good or bad? I'm still not sure. However, the fact that I now wear my hair a lot longer than I used to is a fact I can't deny. The problem with new photos is...well, I'm older than I was when I had those last ones done. If I could get away with posting a picture of me when I was 25, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seriously, inside my head, that's still what I look like. Outside? Not so much. But I caved in this weekend. After shooting over 60 frames, I came up with four that I like. So I'm posting them here and asking for a vote. Which ONE photo should be my new "face" for my online persona? Choice #1 Choice #2 Choice #3 Choice #4 Leave a comment with your favorite. Okay, I get to make the final decision, so this...
Read more

The 2010 Confluence Writers' Retreat and Flood

Image
For days, the weathermen had been forecasting “THE FLOOD.” With melting snow pack combined with heavy rains, they were suggesting everyone pack up the women and children and move to high ground. Of course, our writers’ retreat was scheduled to be held at Paddler’s Lane , on the scenic banks of the Youghiogheny River in Confluence. “Confluence.” As in the point where the Yough (pronounced “Yawk”) is joined by the Casselman River and the Laurel Hills Creek. As in the place I spend a large portion of my summer at our camp. I scoffed at the panic mongers. Flood? Heck, it floods every spring. I ain’t afraid of no stinking flood. So off I went. Loaded up the car Friday morning under sunny skies and headed east, with joy in my heart. A whole weekend with my Sisters in Crime in a gorgeous house with lots of food. And writing. Oh, yeah. Lots of writing and—better yet—workshops with Ramona Long . First stop: Panera Bread in Uniontown where I met Sandy Stephen, Susan “ West of Mars ” Gottfried, a...
Read more