INKED UP

Tuesday is the pub date of INKED UP! The second in the Stamping Sisters mystery series, INKED UP takes April to new sleuthing heights. It's Halloween and creepy things happen. Racial tension escalates in the small town of Aldenville, and Mitch finds himself in the middle of a controversy. He was only trying to do good, people! April's mom, Bonnie and her boyfriend Clive, have plans that keep April hopping.

I've just spent a couple of lovely days staying in Capitola. It's a funky beach town on the California Coast, with a European flair. I've visited often for day trips, but never stayed over. We were right on the Esplanade which is where all the restaurants are, just steps from the beach. Right across from Mr. Toots coffee house. That name made my niece giggle every time.

It's lovely staying in the heart of the action. Until about 5 am. At that point, those restaurants start their day. They need provisions so food purveyor's trucks make their beep-beep-beep backup noises. There's always work to be done so the contractors arrive calling to each other and clanging their tool boxes. The parking meter guy goes through and dumps the quarters into his specially locked push cart. Metal to metal to metal. Tuneful.

Now I get it. That's why the hotel supplied ear plugs along with the complimentary water.

Cavalier Ball!

Last Sunday, I attended an extra-special and fun event in Santa Monica, California--the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Ball!

It was held by an absolutely charming pet supply store, doggy day care facility and spa, called Healthy Spot. Of course I brought my Cavaliers Lexie and Mystie--oh, yes, and my husband Fred came along, too.

What a wonderful bunch of Cavaliers were there! Somewhere between 25 and 35 attended, including mine. The pups were beautiful and adorable and clearly beloved.

I have to admit that my Cavaliers are not as socialized as they should be. When let loose in an enclosed area with many other pups, they seemed bewildered at first. Then Lexie started sniffing her temporary companions and seemed somewhat at ease. Mystie, though, kept hiding in whatever spots she could find--behind people, preferably.

The staff members at Healthy Spot were wonderful. They welcomed each Cavalier, handed out gift bags and helped to shepherd dogs and owners to the various venues within the shop, including a place where our Cavaliers had photos taken on a purple velvet throne while wearing a matching purple velvet cape. Very royal, as befitting a breed whose ancestors were the small spaniels in the court of King Charles II of England.

There were snacks for the Cavaliers and for their owners. For two hours, guests arrived, enjoyed, then left.

Since we live in another part of L.A., I was delighted to learn that we were invited because, when one of the delightful staff members Googled Cavaliers, I somehow appeared--probably because of Lexie, the Cavalier who looks just like mine, in my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries.

Healthy Spot also holds events for other breeds. If you happen to live in the L.A. area and your type of pup is invited, I urge you to attend!

Have you ever been invited to a special event for your pet?

Happy Dance

Here it is, the sheep in the meadow crewel piece. Actually, here is the picture of it, the actual piece is at Stitchville USA being "finished;" that is, stretched, matted and framed. I’m having it framed without glass, because some of the stitches are three-dimensional and I don’t want them squashed. And besides, I love the way light plays on it from different angles, something best perceived without glass getting in the way. The only sad thing about it is how much the finishing is going to cost me. I think I paid something like twenty dollars for the kit to make it and if you add that to the finishing price, we are coming close to two hundred dollars. That’s an awful lot of money; I think if I find myself falling in love again with a piece of needlework, I’ll buy a book on how to finish these wonderful pieces myself.
I’m not sure why I love this one so much. It was love at first sight, too. I loved the model – though mine came out somewhat differently – I loved working on it (when I worked on it, I set it aside for a long time when I realized how many hours it was going to take to do that meadow, one blade of grass at a time), and I love it finished.
I remember once, a long time ago, I held a salon at our house, inviting all my guests to bring something they loved and to be prepared to give a little talk about it. Back then I loved a bronze sculpture of a little herd of horses galloping down a steep incline. I think horses are beautiful and some of my happiest hours have been spent on horseback. Everyone who came felt a passion for the object he or she brougt. I learned a lot about those people that day, about eloquence, and about love.
Is it wrong to love a mere object? I don’t think so. These things often contain memories of happy times, or they represent something which the owner is proud of, or they remind the owner of a difficulty overcome.
If I held another, I would bring out that piece of crewel work. Somehow I know that place, it represents happiness. Plus it was immensely satisfying to work – all those hours spent, and it came out well.
If you were invited, what would you bring?

Expressing ourselves

Recently I visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to see the current exhibit, "Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe: Natural Affinities." Even with such a clear title, I assumed there were two separate exhibits. What a happy surprise to find out otherwise. I learned how complementary to each other the artists' creations were -- the artists were both sponsored in their early days by Stieglitz in his New York studios. The works were displayed in such a way that I envisioned them looking at the same scene, Adams with his camera and O'Keeffe with her brushes. Here are a few examples. I'm sorry I'm not able to make the images larger without losing resolution.




Adobe house, photographed by Ansel Adams, painted by Georgia O'Keeffe








New Mexico vista photographed by Ansel Adams, painted by Georgia O'Keeffe






Tree photographed by Ansel Adams, painted by Georgia O'Keeffe


I couldn't help thinking about creativity in general and how individual it is. Put ten writers in a room and ask them to write about the same scene or topic and you'll get ten takes on it. Not just opinions, mind you, but tone, voice, characterization, language ...

What's your special kind of creativity? When you look at a cityscape or a landscape, how do you think of describing it? With crayons? Music? A poem? Flash fiction? Needles and thread? Surprise us!

Saying Goodbye

I came down to Florida expecting to escort my mother up and down the aisles of Wal-Mart. I figured we eat a lot of broccoli cheese soup from Chili's and her favorite shrimp scampi dish from Olive Garden. I planned to go over her handwritten memoirs with her. I made a special photo album of her life.

Instead, I've been sitting by her bedside watching her die.

My sisters and I agree: Over the past week, we've all done things we didn't think we had the strength or courage to do. We've given my mother physical care we couldn't imagine. We've prayed and sung and held each other while we cried.

Fortunately, we haven't been alone. Mom "activated" hospice. And these wonderful people have been our guides and mentors.

Hospice comes from the same root word as "hospitality." It means "a place for weary travelers to rest." Unlike aggressive hospital therapy, it takes its lead from the patient. Instead of setting the agenda, it takes its pacing from the patient's needs, not the hospital schedule. It cannot cure, but it can palliate. It cannot heal a dying body, but it can provide ease of pain, peace, and solace for the sufferer. And most of all, support for the caregivers/family.

Most people wait too long to activate hospice. They call when a person takes his/her last gasps. But when my grandmother died, her doctor refused to activate hospice, and I was left trying to make good decisions without good information. I couldn't get Grandma to eat. She and I went 'round and 'round about it. I was frantic. I felt like I was failing her. In desperation, I phoned the local hospice, explained my circumstance, and started sobbing. The kind woman listened to me, calmed me, and explained, "This is a natural part of the process. She doesn't need food now. It's all right. "

"But aren't I killing her?"

"No...the disease is killing her. This is a natural, human reaction to that disease. Her body is shutting down. It's okay."

On Saturday, Sally Lippert, a friend of our family and a hospice nurse from VITAS came to assess my mother. Mom couldn't tell her what year it was. Nor could she name her grandchildren even as they stood in front of her. She had lost her fine motor skills, a sign the cancer was in her brain. She'd also lost the ability to walk without lurching from one piece of furniture to the next, and her legs ached terribly. That was a sign the cancer had metastasized to her bones.

Sally asked Mom, "Do you know why I'm here?"

My mother, a very proper Southern belle, said, "Yeah, I know... It sucks."

Talking with Sally in private, Mom could finally set aside her denial. She didn't give in--no, not hardly--but she did allow us to step in and care for her. I arrived the next morning, and Mom was already in and out of a coma. She's been in and out of it since. With the help of Sally and our assigned hospice nurse, we care for Mom. My sisters and I sit with her, clean her, and give her medicine. We do what Sally calls "a life review," starring Mom!

One night, we sang all the songs she taught us as children. Another we told funny stories. We continue to tell Mom how much we love her. And lately we've told her, "It's all right to let go."

Because it's time.

My Tool of Choice

This week we’ve been writing about our favorite tools. For me it’s pens. I love all types, but I particularly favor fine line felt tips and roller balls.

My real appreciation of working with a pen started when I was an art student in college. When I drew with a pencil, the drawings were vague, tentative and basically wishy-washy. But as one of my teachers pointed out, my work in pen was much bolder and better. There was something about going for broke with the black pen that gave me courage. Even if the drawing was off and I drew over it to try to repair the mistake, there was much more vitality than in my efforts with a pencil. The pressure that it is unerasable seems to work for me.

When I’m playing around with a crochet idea, I take notes as a go. If I do it in pencil, I tend to erase the directions I tried, but that didn’t work. I keep erasing and writing in the latest attempt until I find the one that turns out. But if I work in pen, I’ll just draw a line through the bad directions and write in the next try. I hadn’t thought about it, but the pen way is really better. Then I have a road map that shows how I got to the final pattern that works.

There are some pens that I like the best. I’m not fond of the clicky kind of ball points or gel pens that have thick points. I found Staedtler triple ball M pens at an art store. I swear those pens make my handwriting more legible. I also like Staedtler sketch pens and the hard to find Sanford Expresso pens.

When Hooked on Murder was coming out, I splurged and bought a Mont Blanc pen thinking I would use it for signing. But I was too worried I’d lose it, so it’s never made it out of my workroom. I think the Sharpie fine line is much better for signing anyway. And they are cheap enough that losing them isn’t a concern.

I like fountain pens, too and have a bunch of them, but they are too messy to carry with. Then there are my pens with the different points that stick onto a handle. Those are to be dipped in india ink for drawing. I have some Italian glass pens I got at the Tuesday Morning store that are still in their boxes. I think they are mostly to look at anyway.

Oh, I forgot about Le Pens. They are trim little felt tips that are good for writing or drawing. I found the Le Pen in the bag of different kinds of pens from my last trip to an art store in Chicago. I’m just a fool for pens. Like art supplies and yarn, pens of all types feel full of possibilities to me. I am writing this under duress. I have a cat on my lap fighting for attention by hitting the keyboard. I think he’s trying to tell me I’ve said enough about pens. He’s probably right.

tools of the Trade

It's not easy to escape the lure of a new tool. I'm impressed with the simplicity of my blogmates' needs. My collection of got-to-have gizmos and gadgets threatens to take over my sewing room. I seem to have my own personal Billy Mays shouting in my head, listing the ways this tool or that gadget will a) ease the process or b) save time or c) make this bestest project I've ever, ever made.

Along the way, I've invested in things I don't like to use, can't figure out how to use or that flat out just don't work. I've struggled to remember how to use the blasted thing, like that neat tool for turning piping inside out. It works great, I just need to read the directions every time. I've held a quilting ruler in 8 different directions before finding the one that allows me to read the dimension I need. I've parked the unopened package next to others on my someday I’ll need this shelf.

Lately, I’ve purchased two tools that I truly love. One saved my fingers; the other my sanity.

In my first book, WILD GOOSE CHASE, the first person is killed with a rotary cutter. Everyone who has handled a rotary cutter will eventually cut themselves with it. It’s a sharp circular blade that the user is running alongside the ruler, mere inches away from fingers. Fingers that stray over the line. The first time I cut myself with the rotary cutter, I was in the dining room standing over the brand new white carpet. Red, red blood bubbled out of the finger that I’d so carelessly moved just south of the ruler, right in the path of the blade. I hollered for help so I wouldn’t stain the new carpet.

This tool, the Gypsy Gripper, would have saved me and my carpet. It allows you to use the ruler with more control and better pressure than when just using your hand. And best of all, it keeps your fingers up out of reach. I move it from ruler to ruler. I love using it on the big 16”square. Really wrangles that baby.



This second tool is a ruler. The Creative Grids Curved Corner Cutter Ruler. Rounded corners make it easy to sew binding on or edgestitch. I like to use them on flannel receiving blankets, small quilts or projects like the walker bag I made a few weeks ago. You can use a plate or coffee can or water glass to draw that curve, but getting each corner the same becomes a challenge. This little ruler took care of that nicely.




Any gadget making your life easier? Let your inner Billy Mays out and tell us all about it. No need to shout, though.

Pets and Gizmos

As you’ve probably noticed, KillerHobbies is featuring tools of our pastimes this week.

I blog about pets, both as hobbies and, especially, as family members. I can’t exactly point out a tool that helps to create handcrafted masterpieces relating to my “hobby.”

On the other hand, there are lots of items relating to pets that are indispensible. Collars, for example--and most especially the ID tags attached to collars to let people know, if your babies get lost, where to return them. Plus, there are the ID chips that you can’t see, but help to identify pets even when they’re not wearing collars. Of course, with those, a vet or a pet sanctuary that has a reading device is necessary to read the information.

Then there are food and water bowls. They come in different shapes and sizes, but the ones I like best are those with rubber around the edges so they don’t slip on tile or linoleum floors.

For dogs, there are leashes of different kinds. Some are just pretty ones that match collars. Others are longer, for training. Still others are extendable, to let your pet wander away a bit on a walk, yet still be secure.

There are toys, too, of course. Lots of kinds of bones, including sturdy nylon ones, and floppy rag ones. My little Mystie is addicted to balls, but she’s quite small and needs the kind that collapses when she bites into it. She also likes to hold conversations with her balls, so she likes those with squeakers inside.

Some people dress their pets. I haven’t yet, but some doggy clothes are quite cute.

I haven’t asked Kendra Ballantyne, my pet-sitter mystery protagonist, what her favorite pet accessories are, but I expect her answers would be similar to mine. She is, after all, my alter ego.

What is your favorite pet accessory?

Favorite Tool

I was a little bit nervous when I saw the assignment to write about my favorite tool as this week’s theme. What would a stitcher’s favorite tool be, if not a needle or floss? Then I read the first two blog entries and laughed out loud.

So all right, my favorite tool is a size 24 tapestry needle. Unless it’s a size 26. But on reflection, my second favorite isn’t floss, or not exactly. It’s a wooden cabinet with three shallow drawers that holds cardboard "bobbins" of DMC floss sorted by number. I don’t update it daily or even weekly. I dump new skeins of floss into the section covered by a slanted cover, then now and again get a "let’s get organized" jones going and will sit down and wind bobbins for most of a morning or afternoon. Before I started using this cabinet, my floss was just in a box and I didn’t know what I had or didn’t have and so would buy new floss for every new project. Now floss isn’t expensive, but after awhile even I noticed I had six skeins of partly used up DMC 434. Now at least I can check to see if I need to buy a certain color or if I already have it.

Work on the crewel piece of sheep in a meadow is moving along. When I get frustrated or overwhelmed by working on what I hope will interest a producer into making an offer for the rights to the Betsy Devonshire mysteries or on Buttons and Bones, I can sit down with the sheep. I’m usng some exotic floss – it’s a mix of oranges with lots of slubs – to make an autumn colored tree and so far I think it’s working. I’ll know when I get a little more of it finished. Then all I’ll have left are the touchups – there are always little places left uncovered with stitches, and maybe even a place that needs to be "frogged" (rip it, rip it) and done in another color or stitch.

For the producer, I am supposed to come up with a bio sheet on Betsy and then six synopses of episodes for him to read. I’ve got five and a bare start on the last one. Deadline: August 1. I think I’m going to make it. Then I’ll have to work like a son of a gun on Buttons.

I have been working on Buttons and Bones, just not as hard as with the other project. The research I did up in Cass County is proving very valuable.

I thought my eyes were improving but they aren’t. Last time I saw my eye doctor, he said there were glasses that would correct the double vision, but he wanted me to wait another month. That was only a week ago. What I don’t understand is why squinching up my eyes helps.

No golf in a week; every time I’ve had the time, it’s rained. Like yesterday, for example.

I got my information packet from Bouchercon (the biggest of the mysery conventions, held in October) on Tuesday. They are asking everyone who is coming to read the same book: Rex Stout’s Some Buried Caesar, and actually include a copy of it with the packet. I haven’t read Rex Stout in many years, though I was a big fan back in the day. I had never read this entry, so I’m really looking forward to this. They promise some of the programming will revolve around the book. Clever of them!

Simpler can be better

Topic of the week: favorite crafts tool. This should be easy, I thought.

So, I took a tour of my workbench, plus all the extra drawers, boxes, and "organizers" (ha) that hold my crafts supplies and tools. It's amazing how much space a MINIATURES hobby takes.

I asked myself, what do I use most? What do I need for every work session?

My glue gun? No, I use many different kinds of adhesives, depending on what the surfaces are.

My cutting blade? Not really. I use a large, sharp scissors more than I use my knife. Scissors are faster, and also I don't have to plan ahead and take it out of a cardboard sheath.

I surveyed the paint brushes, sponges, tweezers, cutting board, soft clay, sandpaper, soldering iron. All useful for many projects.

And then my eyes landed on the tool I use for every single piece.

I thought this would be embarrassing, but not after Joanna's selection. Like hers: the simpler the better!

Here's my choice: the least expensive, most versatile tool—a box of toothpicks.


Toothpicks.


I use toothpicks for everything from spreading glue to holding down a piece for painting. I use them as tweezers, since unlike real, metal tweezers, I can toss the toothpicks when they get messy. I use them to lift, move, and reposition tiny elements of a scene.

Other advantages: they don't require a lot of space on the bench; they don't require an electrical outlet; they're not toxic; they're biodegradable, thus not harmful to the environment (I'm hoping Toothpick, Inc., doesn't use the rainforest for its source).

Dentists may prefer flossing, but for me, the old-fashioned toothpick does the trick on the workbench.

Have you ever found that simpler is better??

My Favorite Scrapbooking Tool

This week, all of us Killer Hobbies Blog Sisters will be sharing our thoughts on our favorite crafting tools. It’s a cool idea that our Blog Sis Terri Thayer came up with.

I started noodling around the theme, and golly, I have to admit, choosing just one was a bit harder than I expected. I’m lucky enough to have a crafts room/office crammed with all sorts of fun things to play with. After all, I’ve been scrapbooking since 1998, so I’ve had an entire decade to collect stuff.

But when I really got down to basics, to what I couldn’t live without, the answer was pretty surprising. Pretty simple, too.

I can’t scrapbook without a good pencil. My preference is a cheap, yellow plastic mechanical #2 lead by PaperMate. If it still has any eraser, I’m really in heaven.

You see, if I have a pencil and an eraser, I can do just about anything. First of all, I can use my pencil to assist me in creating a layout because even without a ruler, I can eyeball paper sizes. (Okay, it’s nice to have scissors so I can cut the paper. That’s sort of a given.) I use my pencil to make little tick marks for where to cut.

Second of all, with a pencil, I can create just about any art to dress up my pages. Here’s a sketch I’ve been working on. There's most of what comes to mind when I think of summer--a grill, flipflops, sand, and a bucket.

I start my images with a really loose drawing. Then I erase and refine my work. Now I’m on to adding color…probably with pencil in this case. I can pretty much “create” the art for an entire page with my trusty pencil in hand. I can also create lettering for a page title.

In fact, if you go to www.youpublish.com/joannaslan you can click on my 4th of July downloads and see how I did all the art for a big two page scrapbook page. That all started with, yep, a pencil.

Finally, if I have a pencil, I can add journaling. Sure, an archivally safe pen is great, but you know, you can still see pencil sketches done by Michelangelo. Pencil will stand the test of time.

By the way, you can always learn about the new, free art I make available by subscribing to my newsletter. Just go to my website http://www.joannaslan.com/ and sign up.

So, that’s my choice. My go-to, constant pal, can’t do without tool: a pencil.

A Week in the Windy City

Is it really summer? You wouldn’t know it by the weather in Chicago. I came prepared to melt and instead am pulling on a jacket after feeling a shiver. But then what else is new about Chicago weather besides being unpredictable.

Yesterday we ran into a storm so sudden and fierce that we couldn’t see the side of the toll road. The signs were visible, but unreadable, and the road was basically under water. We were lucky to find our exit. Abruptly the rain let up, but it had left huge puddles along the side of the road and when a bus went through one, it splashed so much on the windshield, for a few scary moments we couldn’t see anything but water while the car was still moving. Kudos to my son, the great driver.

Luckily, the weather was okay the day of my booth duty at the American Library Association. Ann from Georgia, thank you for stopping by to say hello. You made my day. The Sisters in Crime booth was a big hit and it was a pleasure to meet so many library people. The Sisters in crime library people Mary and Doris hosted the booth and certainly made me feel welcome. Mary had organized everything and made sure people passing by knew there were real live authors giving out books. Just like at the Printers Row Fair, Deb Baker and I shared a signing time. She’s always fun to be around.

I got a chance to check out the convention floor and was very excited to see Terri and Joanna’s books at the Midnight Ink booth. I wanted the nudge the people manning the booth and tell them Terri and Joanna were my blog sisters, but they were busy with real customers, so I let them be.

I recognized the Frozen Light jewelry woman from the vendor room at Malice Domestic. I wasn’t planning to buy any jewelry- like anybody ever really is - but she has such great stuff. You can keep your diamonds. I love sterling silver and turquoise and other colorful stones.

My son and his girlfriend joined me the day after the ALA and my plans for writing quickly got whittled down to some time in the early morning. It’s hard to turn down fun.

ATC =Artist Trading Cards. Victorian ladies left their calling cards when they ventured out and made home visits. Baseball players were featured on cards, with their stats on the reverse of their smiling picture. ATCs are the modern version of those. Fiber artists and paper artists make a unique card that reflects something of their personality, their style or their genre. Some make them to celebrate the holidays or other special occasion.

I made mine to represent something I love - mystery novels. I stamped the cute little owl and then printed the words on ExtravOrganza, which is a sheer fabric that will go through the printer. I attached everything with tiny little brads, including the footprint ribbon I'd bought years ago.



The best thing about ATCs, just like baseball cards, is trading. At the IQA show in Chicago, a wall was covered with them, made by people from all over the world. You pin yours to the wall, and take one to replace it. It's a great way to have a piece of art from someone new. My local quilt group, CQFA, had a swap last Saturday and here are some of the ones I was lucky enough to get.



I'll be at the IQA show in Long Beach next weekend, and so am making lots to trade. If you see me, ask me for one!

Pets and Travel

When you read this, I will be in Washington, D.C., at the Romance Writers of America National Conference. I’ll have flown here on the red-eye on Tuesday night. Hopefully, this blog entry will get posted when I requested it to.

I noted that this week starts the inaugural flights of Pet Airways. I’ve seen some features on TV, and it looks like a good way to send pets from one of the cities it services to another. The animals are stacked in separate crates, so I hope they’re safe in turbulence. But in addition to the pilot, there is a special attendant just for the animals. Humans are not intended to travel along, but presumably you can send your pet to the place you’re going and pick him or her up when you and your pet have both arrived.

I’ll be interested to hear people’s opinions about how the airline works in actuality. People apparently think it’ll be great, since I heard they’re already booked up 2 months in advance.

I’d love to hear what you think about traveling with your pets--but I don’t think I’ll have Internet access this trip and won’t be able to respond for a while.

A Weekend in Morris, MN

All the changes I’ve been making to Buttons and Bones at last had me confused about what was and what was not still in the book. So I finally had to stop writing forward and go back to do a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. These synopses are aggravating because they take up quite a bit of writing time, but in this case it was absolutely necessary. Already I can see my way forward much more clearly. I guess that’s a helpful hint for when you’re trying to write a novel and get stuck. Go back and do a chapter-by-chapter, just a few sentences on each chapter. It just may clear your vision amazingly and prepare you to go forward.

We had a great time in Morris, MN, last weekend. They were holding their 25th annual Prairie Pioneer Days and had pulled out all the country town stops: parade, talent competition, arts and crafts fair, kiddie inflatable fun, art show, fireworks, BBQ dinner – and me. The least understandable part of that was me, as the only connection I have with Morris is that my husband graduated from high school there. I came as Monica Ferris, needlework mystery author, not Mrs. Kuhfeld. On the other hand, I had a great time. Everyone was kind and friendly, I did two appearances, one at the little gem of a museum made out of the old Carnegie Library, the other at the new library. I brought books to sell and sold a lot of them, and read from the Prologue to Blackwork, the book coming out this fall. At the new library the audience and I had a great conversation done in Q&A. They asked good, solid questions.

In honor of Pioneer Prairie Days, the museum had mounted an exhibit of artifacts dating to those good old days, including the wreck of a covered wagon, photographs of local one-room schoolhouses, Indian beadwork, and an actual buffalo hide coat that covered its wearer from neck to ankle. The fur itself was so coarse and itchy that around the neck and wrists another, softer fur was substituted – a little detail that, for someone writing about that time, could make the story sing with authenticity. You’re welcome.

I was surprised at the variety and quality of the amateur talent show, from a young man who played something very esoteric and difficult on a bass guitar to a Native American pipe player to a set of belly dancers. A young man performed "Folsom Prison Blues," and as as he did a train came through town blowing its lonesome whistle as if specially ordered for the occasion.

An old high school chum of my husband’s was charming and funny. Brent told great stories. One of them went something like this. He and his grandsons were traveling out west and saw a Hells Angels biker pushing his Harley Davidson motorcycle into a service station. Down the street was a group of Hells Angels at another service station. Brent pulled into the second station to get gas. The attendent came out to ask, "Is th-th-th-there anything I-I can d-d-d-do for you?" Brent said no, thanks and started a casual conversation with the bikers. He was surprised to learn how civil and ordinary they seemed to be. About then the lone biker rode his now-repaired (or gassed) bike in to join his companions. "What the hey?" asked Brent. "How come you left to go on your own to that other station?" The biker replied, "I d-d-didn’t want him to th-th-think I was mo-mocking him." You find nice people in the most surprising places!

Decibels

I'm just back from a trip to Manhattan with three friends. It was very relaxing – for five days we were out the door of our Times Square hotel by eight in morning, and home by two the next morning, 18 hours later.

Under the welcoming banners of Little Italy


In between: the Metropolitan Museum, the Neue Gallery, the Guggenheim, cheesecake at the Roxy deli, the NY Philharmonic (Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff); Angela Lansbury (!) in Blythe Spirit; afternoon tea at the Ritz on Central Park South; the magnificent NYPL; Little Italy; Bloomies; the Iridium jazz club; and, oh yes, Borders at Columbus Circle where (while I lurked behind a bookcase) my friends suggested that they reorder all my books. We ended the week with a late night show in the Lincoln Center theater: Woody Allen's new "Whatever Works." Not brilliant, we decided, but so much fun to see it in New York, where the audience claps when his name appears!

Art on the roof of the MET


We all bought shoes at Orva on Lex.


At one point as we waited to cross a busy street, one of my friends cupped her ears. It turned out she'd been bothered all week by the noise.

"What noise?" I asked.

She meant the soothing sounds of taxis; buses; industrial motors, generators, and fans; crowds of people; alarms. All music to my ears. As opposed to the quiet suburbs where silence is broken only by the occasional ear-splitting pickup truck stereo system.

What's noise and what's soothing background?

It goes back to childhood, I believe. My bedroom window growing up was about 3 feet from a bar/pizza parlor. I fell asleep to the sounds of the jukebox. Later, I had a nearly 2-hour commute to college in Boston (3 transfers on public transportation vehicles). For 4 years, I did my calculus homework on the famous MTA, often with one arm slung around a pole.

For me, noise provides stimulus to write and a reassuring background to sleep. If it's too quiet, I can't relax, neither to write nor to rest. Where is everyone? I wonder. Maybe I should get up and make sure everything's OK.

How many decibels does it take for you to feel comfortable?

Embrace the Tension

Last week I listened to an interview with a St. Louis property developer, who has bought up a lot of real estate with the hope he can use tax funding to finance his project. The interviewer kept asking him, "Isn't this risky? What if if fails? Other people have tried similar things, and they didn't work. Won't you lose all your money?"

The developer kept answering these questions with an optimistic view. Finally, the developer said that he had a little sign over his desk, something to the effect that "Success happens when you are willing to embrace the tension."

I pulled off the road and scribbled down that thought.

Currently, my life is in chaos. My mother has terminal lung cancer, so I'm traveling to Florida frequently to see her and help with her medical needs.

My husband is expanding his business to add a new location--Washington DC.

Our house is for sale. Each time an agent calls, I race around to pick up any stray articles, turn on all the lights, grab the dogs and leave for an hour so the house can be shown..

I'm writing this from a hotel in Tysons Corners, outside of DC. David and I have been looking at houses for the past four days.

My son and husband are flying to my son's college town next week to secure housing for Michael. He decided not to live in a dorm, so he, too, needs somewhere to live.

Book #3 in my series has been accepted, but I need to get cracking on Book #4. I'm trying to attend and plan for as many events as possible to help promote Cut, Crop & Die, but I also need to be flexible in case my family needs me.

Once in a while, David will look over at me and ask, "Are we nuts?"

Well, I laugh and think back to when we moved to England for a year. We lived in a Holiday Inn until we could sign for a rental house. Then we toured Europe for six weeks. David thoughts we'd follow the dictates of Rick Steves' grand tour of Europe. (Eventually our watchword became, "We're going to find Rick Steves and slap him up the side of the head with this book." My advice? Uh, ignore Rick's lodging suggestions unless you have a fondness for GROSS.) My husband did not purchase a map. But I did. We flew into Amsterdam, and headed for a little town without lodgings, driving our rental car with all our luggage and our son. For the next six weeks, David would go online each night and make reservations for the next day. The result? Oh, there were a few melt-downs and teary moments. But what a wonderful adventure it was! To this day, we look back and marvel.

We embraced the tension then. I can do this. I can do it again. The rewards will come. The experience will be unforgettable. And we will have unqualified success.

I just need to know that this is part of the process, this feeling of discomfort. Like a trapeze artist, I am turning loose of one bar, flying through the air with both hands open to grab the next bar coming toward me. I can only be successful if I stay focused and trusting.

It's both exhilerating and scary. I have to admit...it's really hard not to look down!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I had hoped to be able to include a photo of the cactus I mentioned crocheting last week. It’s not quite done. I found a photograph of a crocheted cactus online, but the directions for making it were sketchy at best. The cactus part is done, complete with blossoms. It’s the pot that the problem. It is trial and error to figure out how to make it and what kind of proportions it should have to balance off the cactus. Maybe in a couple of weeks it’ll be ready to be displayed.

Now I’m doing last minute preparations for my trip to Chicago Saturday. Actually, I’m writing this Friday night, so it’s tomorrow. I have this fantasy of traveling with no luggage since I have clothes, etc there, but it never works out that way. At least the suitcase I bring is small.

I am going to be at the American Library Association convention on Monday. I’ll be signing book from Noon to 2 pm at the Sisters in Crime booth. I remember going to Book Expo America at McCormick Place (which is where the ALA is) and seeing all the authors signing books in various booths. It’s a thrill for me to be on the other side of the table.

I get caught up in deadlines and worry about how my books will do, but when I step back, I realize how I am living my dream. All I ever wanted to be was a writer.

I’m guest blogger at www.FreshFiction.com on Monday, so it’s a double big day for me. There’s a contest for a signed copy of By Hook or By Crook.

So, that’s it for this week. Even a little suitcase takes time to pack.

Comfort Quilts

Quilters are generous people. Quilts are made everyday that are meant to be given away. My guild, the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association has an active philanthropy committee. Last year the members made over a thousand items, quilts and receiving blankets, that were donated to local charities. That's a great number, and it is being matched all over the country, every day.

I bought this book this weekend and it has inspired me. It's chock full of projects suitable for people in the hospital, or nursing home, or just facing tough times.



The author, Jake Finch, tells of her own story of time spent hospitals and the comfort that comes from receiving (and making) a handmade gift for someone in pain. Her personal story is what makes this a great book.

The first thing I made out of this book is this bag that will hang over a walker, keeping treasures right at hand.




The number of charity quilts, blankets, nic unit squares made each year is astonishing. The only thing greater is the need. This book can help you starting filling that need.

Two Hats This Weekend

These days, I write both the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries, and paranormal romance for Silhouette Nocturne. This weekend, I’m wearing both hats at separate events.

On Saturday, I’m attending the networking session to be held by the Orange County Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. The annual RWA conference is next week in Washington, D.C. (yes, I’ll be there, too), and the chapter has a speaker in the morning giving advice on pitching your work. That will help the writers who have meetings scheduled with agents and editors at the conference. In the afternoon, some published writers, including me, will engage in roundtable discussions about our writing, how we sold, or whatever, and even listen to practice pitches.

On Sunday, I’m in trouble. Sorta. I’ve been invited to participate in the Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter, program. The presenters are Toastmasters who will discuss how writers can present themselves better in public speaking engagements. I’m then supposed to introduce myself, perform a brief reading from one of my books--and then get critiqued! That’ll help teach others in the audience what to do right... and wrong. It’ll teach me, too--to volunteer! No, I really anticipate it’ll be fun... I hope. I actually was in Toastmasters many years ago after a terrible moot court presentation in law school, so I kind of know what I’m letting myself in for.

So... what hats are you wearing this week?

The Writing Life

I’ve been listening to "Fibber McGee and Molly" radio programs on CDs. One of my characters in the Betsy Devonshire mysteries is fond of old-time radio and sometimes quotes from these old shows, so I get to listen to them as research. Life is sweet when you can combine your work with something you’d like to do anyway. Catch phrases from "Fibber McGee and Molly" include, "Heavenly days!" and, "I’ve got to clean out that closet one of these days." I’ve been listening while I work on a piece of crewel I started a long time ago and abandoned. It’s a pretty piece, of sheep standing in a pasture under an autumn-leafed tree with various colors of fields in the background. If I ever get it finished I’ll post it on my web site.

Today I’m going to try out a recipe that’s new to me as a treat for my writers group – it’s my turn to host the meeting. I had them at the bed and breakfast up in Longville, where I was doing some research for the next novel. They’re called Swiss Butterhorns and they’re shaped something like miniature crescent rolls, except they’re crisp, and filled with chopped pecans, sugar and cinnamon. My, they are delicious! If this were a cookery blog instead of Killer Hobbies, and if they came out as delicious as the ones we had up north, I’d type out the recipe.

I always thought an aid to getting organized was to have lots of places to put things, but now in our new apartment, I’m finding a little room with a tiny desk works even better. I have to keep putting things away to make room for the mess I need around me when I’m writing. You know, a dictionary, a telephone, my notes on interviews, maps and photographs, a cat toy or two, a stitching catalog, a few samples of floss and/or fabric, a box of Kleenex, a pen and pencil holder (mine’s actually one of those rubberoid things used to keep pop cans cold and is shaped like the head of a large-mouth bass), and the miniature file cabinet that holds names and phone numbers of people I need to get in touch with when I have a question. Oh, and my book of baby names, useful for naming characters. So you see, there’s not much room for extraneous items on my little desk. Though I manage to let things get stacked up somehow.

I played a round of par-three nine-hole golf yesterday morning and hit a couple of shots off the tee that were almost respectable, plus a pitch onto the green from the rough that landed inches from the hole. It’s enough to keep me thinking I may be able to play this game well enough to report a score without shame or apology some day.

Work on Buttons and Bones marches slowly – I keep finding things out that mean I have to go back and do re-write. Oh, well, such is the life of an author, too – it’s not all beer and skittles.

A hobby with sounds

Today's guest blogger is Ann Parker, author of the Silver Rush series. While you're reading this, I'll be lucky enough to be hearing her in person as she launches the third in the series: Leaden Skies.



If you see this in time, drive over to San Mateo, CA and join the party, July 7, 7 PM at M is for Mystery.

Here's Ann!

The Music in Words …

I’ll begin by saying that I’m not a musician. Well, I did play a few years of violin in grade school and then struggled a few more with the piano before throwing in the towel on musicianship. But music has always been a part of my life, from the very beginning, and has managed to find its way into my writing as well.

Both my parents were accomplished pianists; from my earliest days music always floated through our home, whether it was my mother at one or another of the pianos or one of the many many classical LPs (for those of you under a certain age, LP = “long play record albums” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LP_album). I can remember lying under the grand piano while my mother played Chopin (pieces which, I now realize, are pretty darn difficult to play). When I drive, I have my radio tuned to the local classical station. When I write—whether it’s fiction or the work-a-day writing I do for clients—I’m plugged into one or another of the streaming classical stations, with earbud-surround-sound.

No wonder that the protagonist of my Silver Rush historical mystery series, Inez Stannert, plays the piano in addition to running the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, Colorado, and doing a little gambling and what-have-you on the side. Music was one of the “entertainments” that flourished throughout the 19th century (remember: no Playstations, Wiis, computers and so on back then!). Music took the form of singing at home and church, as well as in the concert halls and taverns of the time. The fiddle or violin was a common instrument, as were the harmonica and banjo. Young women of wealthy families—such as Inez—were often taught to play the piano, and singing ballads with the piano was a central part of parlor entertainment. (In this case, I mean “proper parlors” … not parlor houses of the variety found on Leadville’s State Street!)

Music was as much in the air of Leadville during its boom days, not all of it particularly melodious. Here’s a snippet from a local Leadville newspaper in early January 1880: “Down State street a female voice is singing murder. Struggling up Harrison avenue is a band of carousals singing something about not going home until mor-horning….” And again, in July 1880, the same newspaper notes that Leadville is a jumping place on a Sunday: “… the dance hall violin squeaks its invitation as vociferously as on other nights, while the various bands seem to vie with each other more bitterly for its [sic] respective house …” Most theatres and dance halls hired brass bands to hang around the front of their businesses and draw in the customers with concerts and parades.

Inez Stannert, however, uses music more as an escape, a way to relax and focus her thoughts. And sometimes, she uses it to seduce. Each one of my books has some piece of classical music buried in one or another key scene. In Silver Lies, it’s Mendelsohnn’s Music without Words, Opus 19, No. 1 (played by Daniel Barenboim here ). In Iron Ties, it’s Franz Listzt’s La Campanella (Yundi Li playing here … My gosh, listening to it even now gives me goosebumps!). For the latest book in my series, Leaden Skies, I slipped in Chopin’s Waltz No. 7 (a nice rendition here ).
And for the next book? I’ll just have to be patient, keep writing, and eventually the “musical muse” will strike.


Ann Parker earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, before falling into a career as a science/corporate writer. During the daylight hours, she scribbles about solar energy, chilled beam systems, and “human capital” strategies; at night, she delves into the past. Her ancestors include a Leadville blacksmith, a Colorado School of Mines professor, and a gandy dancer on the Colorado railroads.

Her critically-acclaimed, award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series is set in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the early 1880s and features saloon owner Inez Stannert. The series includes Silver Lies, Iron Ties, and (the newest) Leaden Skies.

Ann is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and the National Association of Science Writers. Ann and her family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, whence they have weathered numerous boom-and-bust cycles.

Why I Love Crafts--and a Contest!

This is an exciting week for all of us at Killer Hobbies. On Sunday, July 12, we'll celebrate our 800th post. And, according to invesp.com, a service which ranks more than 20,000 blogs, we're one of the top 20 mystery blogs on the Internet.

And it's been an exciting couple of years for us. We did our first ever "Killer Hobbies" blog panel at Malice Domestic this spring, and many of us will be appearing in the craft room this fall in Bouchercon in Indianapolis.

What's at the heart of all this? Crafts and Hobbies, my friends. You see, most of us hadn't met in person until AFTER our blog was up and running. We really didn't know how well we'd mesh, how dedicated we'd be, or whether this idea would take off or not. Deb Baker and I stumbled upon each other at Love Is Murder up in Chicago. Our meeting hatched this grand idea. Next thing you know, we contacted other hobbyists/crafters who also dabbled in blood-red ink on the page--and voila! You've got your Killer Hobbies crew.

I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my personal love of crafts, a love at the heart of all this--

1. I love taking "nothing" and creating "something" out of it. The more "out there" my supplies are, the more fun it is to admire a finished project.

2. I love the people I've met while crafting and teaching crafts. I've taught on cruise ships, in the U.K., and here in the U.S. No matter where you teach, it's guaranteed to be a good time! I love the look of satisfaction on folks' faces as they realize what they can create!

3. I appreciate the comfort that crafting and hobbies gives me. Getting lost in my hobbies offers an easy and elegant escape from my troubles. I've had a pretty "down" weekend, with some real worries this year, so I lost myself working on some scrapbooking art for my upcoming newsletter. (To get it go to my website http://www.joannaslan.com/ and sign up. It's free, and it's chock full of goodies.)

4. I appreciate the end product. I love looking at crafts, at imagining the hours and effort involved. Each step, each stitch, each action is born of love, so the final product is a wonderful response to the creator in all of us!



CONTEST

You could win an autographed copy of Cut, Crop & Die! Here's how:

1. Tell me what keeps you crafting
2. And become a follower of our blog (click the "follow" button on the right side of the blog)
3. I'll choose some lucky person!

The contest ends tomorrow (July 7) at noon CST. Tell a friend and maybe he or she will share the book with you!

I'm Really Going to Get Organized This Time

I made my deadline for the revision of A Stitch in Crime. Thanks to being able to email it, I was able to work on it up until almost the last minute. My editor needed it Monday, and I sent it Sunday night with hours to spare. I know organization was supposed to be last weeks topic and I don’t remember if there was a special topic for this week.

I sort of zoned out once I sent off the revision. But now I am interested in getting organized - at least to get rid of the papers that are everywhere left from the revision. I still prefer reading a hard copy and so had printed up the version of my manuscript my editor sent. I’m hoping to get my work room a little organized before I begin on book 5. I have already started gathering magazine articles, newspaper pieces and pictures from magazines that have things related to what I’m going to be writing about. I like to hang them on a foam board, so I can look at them while I work.

I want to try another form of organizing. I have always had good intentions with my crochet projects, but somehow I keep ending up with loose post it notes with information about something I was making with no idea what it was or where the project is. I also tend to write notes on the fly in one of many, many soft cover Moleskine notebooks I have. I love these notebooks. They come three in a pack and have black or tan paper covers. I found them once on a trip to Napa at the Coppola Winery. They were in the gift shop along with some black pencils and were touted as favorites of Francis Ford Coppola. It was love at first writing, but at that time I couldn’t find them any place else. So when they started turning up in stores, I was so excited to be able to get them, I just bought a package whether I needed them right then or not. Then I worried they’d stop making them, so I had another reason to keep loading up. I’m embarrassed to admit how many unopened packages of notebooks I have on the shelf behind me.

They are great to tuck in a purse or crochet bag. The only problem is, they all look the same, so I remember I wrote something down in one of the notebooks, but which one?

So, my big plan is to take the big hard covered Moleskin notebook I have and make it a project notebook. The first entry will be for the crocheted cactus plant I want to make as gift for someone. I found a couple of patterns, but none are quite what I have in mind, so I’m going to have to create my own pattern. What I want to do is keep track of everything in this notebook. Even the attempts that don’t work. Ideally, I’d like to put a photo of the finished product - assuming there is one. I want to note what kind of yarn and hooks I try and which ones I like.

I’d like to do the same thing for everything I make from now on. I have already foreseen a problem. What if I start on the cactus and am keeping notes, but then set it aside for awhile and start making a scarf. Where do I start the notes for the scarf? I could leave blank pages for the rest of the cactus notes, but how many? Uh oh. Besides there’s a good chance that before I finished the cactus plant or the scarf, I’d have several more projects going. Oh, dear, I haven’t even taken the plastic off the notebook and I’m already sure it’s going to end up a mess with notes in the margin in tiny writing that I can’t read because I ran out of space.

Okay, even though I’ve already almost talked myself out of the project notebook, I’m going to try anyway. And if succeed with the cactus, I’ll put a photo in my next week’s blog.

False Impressions

I'm in the midst of writing the third book in the Stamping Sisters series. I'm calling it False Impressions. That's a title I've floated for each one of these books. The publisher disagreed. As they say, if at first you don't succeed...

I'm having a great time revisiting these characters and their lives in Pennsylvania. The story takes place in January, during cold, wet horrible weather. Ice and snow and freezing temperatures are all helping to thwart poor April and her band of stampers. I'm enjoying remembering how miserable winter can be, especially from here, summer in the Bay Area.

I've just returned from Seattle, where the talk is all about the weather. It was a beautiful couple of days with sunshine and moderate temperatures. They're in an unusual summer pattern of no rain. And the natives are loving it. Seattle sparkles in the sun. Because Seattle is so far north, daylight lasts for about 18 hours. Light flooded into my east-facing window about 4:40 each morning. I was up late every night because twilight was still going on at my usual bed time.

The weather affects us, no doubt. I'm energized by the sun, brought down by the rain, and feel the need to hibernate in the winter.

In False Impressions, I'm making my characters’ lives difficult with nasty weather. Noses run, cars don’t. Fingers ache and are useless. Icy steps are treacherous. Weather. It’s not the only way to throw obstacles in front of our protagonist, but it is one way.

Watch out for falling icicles and tell me how the characters in your favorite book suffer.

More Poignancy and Pets

Last week I blogged about missing pets, and the signs in my neighborhood that demonstrated people’s heartaches.

This week, too, has been filled with some poignant pet matters that have pulled at my heart.

For one thing, the parents of a good friend of mine rescued a dog from a shelter only four months ago. The poor dog became very ill this week, and they rushed him to a vet, who sent them to an emergency vet for more tests. He had some severe internal problems that hadn’t surfaced before. Although they’d been told he was six years old when they adopted him, the vets estimated his age at around ten. An operation to attempt to fix his problems would have been exorbitantly expensive and the outcome would have been uncertain, especially at his age. They chose to have him put to sleep peacefully--how sad...

I'm pondering how I can use something like this in a future Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery or an upcoming pet rescuer mystery story. Give it a happier ending, which can be done in fiction.

But right now, my little Cavalier Mystie keeps jumping on my lap and hugging my face, which means she wants to go out, which is seconded by Lexie’s pawing at me. I’d better obey them... and give them both lots of affection. And count my own blessings.

How about you--are you given orders by your pets? And have you heard of difficult pet-related situations that you wish you could solve for friends and loved ones?

Greetings from Up North!

It's Tuesday evening and I’m sitting here full of walleye and baked potato. It’s cold up here, temps haven’t reached above the mid-sixties since we arrived on Sunday. I bought a jacket on sale at a little shop in Longville, where we’re staying, and I've worn it most of the time since.

I'm up here researching Buttons and Bones. Last time I was here, I had trouble finding out where the German POW camp was located. Several people here in Longville told me various locations, but none panned out. I was aimed at a location in Remer, about twenty-five miles from here, but when I drove to that location, there was nothing at all to be seen. After sixty years, I suppose that was to be expected; at least everyone in Remer who knew about the camp agreed on its location.

We’re staying at a camp/bed and breakfast here in Longville and at last the owner took pity on me and began suggesting people I should talk to. Then she took the bit between her teeth and invited one woman over to talk to me – and this woman cleared the whole thing up. Violet, you see, was born in 1923, though she actually looks younger than I do. So she was a young married woman in 1944, and not seeing the POWs with the eyes of a child, like everyone else I talked to. She said the POWs were housed in Remer and sent out to various locations to cut down trees – the army had contracted with a timber company to supply wood, and used the POWs to do the labor. The army got paid and in turn paid a portion to the POWs, and the timber company got a good price for cut logs. Under the rules of the Geneva Convention, every POW under the rank of sergeant could be put to work. A great many of them preferred to work and earn a little money rather than sit idle in the camp.

Violet and her husband owned a chunk of land in a section of Cass County adjacent to the area being logged and remembers hearing them laughing and talking as they worked. She says they were brought out and taken home in canvas-topped army trucks, and a hot lunch was brought to them in the forest. She says they cleaned up after themselves; her husband, a hunter, never found any trash in the areas he hunted after they were gone.

But now I know: They slept in Remer, worked in the area around Longville.

So long as we were up here, I decided I needed to learn a bit more about how an investigation would be done in Cass County. We drove to the County Seat, Walker, and I got a brief interview with a sheriff’s department investigator, who was very helpful. One thing I forgot to ask was the color of the departmental patrol cars, because I assumed they are the same as the ones down in the Twin Cities, dark brown with gold lettering. But they aren’t, I found out they are white with green lettering – I saw one in a parking lot behind the government building in Walker.

And so long as we were going to Walker, I wanted to continue up the road to Lake Itaska, where the Mississippi River begins as a little stream rolling out of the lake. I think it’s some kind of law that every young Minnesotan has to go see it and "walk across the Mississippi" on the stones sticking out of the water right where the flow begins. As we arrived, the sun came out for the first time since we arrived. And after thirty years in the state, I joined the little children and very carefully stepped from stone to stone across the stream, which is about thirty feet across. Here’s a photograph of me pausing to think about my next step, the only way I got across without slipping and falling in. Note the ages of my follow travelers!