Last Thoughts of 2008

I am somewhat belatedly doing some research into Medieval mystery plays, specifically The Wakefield Cycle, for a talk I’ve volunteered to do at my church in which I will argue that these plays are precursors or ancestors of the traditional mystery novel. The argument is more in fun than serious scholarship, but it has a serious point to make. The old plays were portrayals of Bible stories, starting with Adam and Eve and ending with Judgement Day. They were about the ceaseless struggle between good and evil, and how good does and will triumph. I think the traditional or "cozy" mystery novel is one of the very few places (perhaps the only place) in which that struggle continues in modern fiction and goodness (or justice, if you like) also always triumphs. This is a comforting thought, and that’s why these plays were performed for centuries and why mystery stories remain popular.

It’s New Year’s Eve and tonight some of our friends are coming over for our annual penny-ante poker party. We’ve been playing poker on New Year’s Eve for nearly every year for the past thirty years. I remember one time when we went to a party instead – and five of us ended up in an upstairs bedroom playing a few hands. We chew on those thick pretzel rods as if they are cigars, drink soft drinks as if they were beer, and are persuaded often with difficulty to pause at midnight to drink a little champagne, sing a chorus of Auld Lang Syne. Then it’s "Okay, whose deal is it?" None of us are really any good at the game – I have to provide a "cheat sheet" listing the rank of hands because most of us can’t remember if a straight beats a flush or if it’s the other way around from one year to the next – but the same friends come back year after year.

And on that note: I hope 2009 is happy, healthy, and prosperous for all of you!

Ring in the Same Old

Is this the year I don't make a list of resolutions?

After all, the calendar is an arbitrary system for organizing time. The universe at large doesn't know that for some of us 2009 is coming up; or that for others, it's 5769; and for still others it's the Year of the Ox, or perhaps Year Minus Five.

This Thursday is just another day in the galaxy. There's no reason to believe I'll be better able to resist the second or third cookie, whine less, or be more charitable in a "new year."

Still, when January 1 rolls around, there's a strong temptation to treat it as special day, a chance to start again, to break a bad habit or develop a good one.

Am I the only one with recurring, unkept resolutions?

2008 Was the Year That I...

For years now, I've been using sentence stems to encourage scrapbookers to write--and I call these "journaling prompts." On the face of it, a journaling prompt is a simple idea. It's a sentence intentionally left unfinished so that the reader will "fill in the blank." In interviewing, the prompt would be called an "open ended question."

I'm now posting journaling prompts almost daily on Twitter. Go to www.twitter.com/joannaslan and sign up to "follow me" if you'd like to see the prompts as I create them. My goal is to encourage my "followers" to write more words, more often, on more topics.

If you are a scrapbooker, you can use these prompts to suggest layout ideas and journaling. But you don't have to be a scrapbooker to find value in journaling prompts. If you are an author, you might let the prompts suggest a scene to you. Or you might answer a prompt from the Point of View of different characters in order to know them a little better.

If you are someone who'd like to be more diligent in your personal journaling, a prompt can help you explore new ideas. If you are a teacher, you can use the prompts as classroom assignments to get your students writing.

I suggest you aim for a minimum of at least ten short responses to any given journaling prompt. This will force you to go past the superficial and to tap into new reservoirs of creativity. To get to twenty responses, you'll need to push yourself, but the break-through is worthwhile. It's here that you find answers that both surprise and reveal. Once you've jotted down the answers quickly, pause and reflect. Which answer holds the most interesting potential? Which one was the least expected? Which one makes you uncomfortable? Which one begs an explanation? For a bit more of a challenge, choose one answer and elaborate on it.

Here's an example of a journaling prompt in action: "2008 was the year that I..."

1. Said "goodbye" to my son as he entered college as a freshman.
2. Became a "grand-aunt" when Skyler was born.
3. Underwent major surgery.
4. Learned that anesthesiologists lie to patients about getting sick after surgery.
5. Felt my sisters' love when they flew here to care for me.
6. Fell in love with GPS.
7. Learned to Twitter.
8. Spent hours on Facebook reconnecting with old friends.
9. Joined the ranks of published mystery authors.
10. Got Jeff Deaver's cell phone number.
11. Realized how many "frenemies" I have.
12. Realized how many friends I have who live all over the world.
13. Drove from Eastern Tennessee to the middle of Kansas by myself and wondered if I was nuts.
14. Listened to wolves howling at a santuary.
15. Gained respect for how "in shape" I used to be after I became "out of shape" following surgery.
16. Held my first Virtual Book Signing.
17. Spent weekends in bookstores handselling Paper, Scissors, Death
18. Finished Book #3 in the Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery series.
19. Mastered saying "Scrap-N-Craft" rather than the alternatives.
20. Decided cashmere is absolutely fabulous.
21. Got involved in the political process.
22. Swore off being an officer in any professional group ever again.
23. Thrilled to good reviews (after holding my breath as I read them).
24. Gave my first humorous keynote in years.
25. Fell in love with my husband all over again.

Why not try the prompt yourself and see where it leads you?

Happy New Year!

See You Next Year

I am so mixed up with Christmas being on a Thursday, I thought today was Monday. My eyes are spinning and I’m too tired to think besides there have been enough blogs about the holidays. Catch up with you next week.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Hi everyone,

I'm visiting family in Colorado, and between flying and Christmas, I haven't had a chance to post.

I wish you all a happy holiday season. Peace.

Very Happy Holidays!

I’ll keep this brief. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful day today. For those who celebrate Hanukah, have a continually wonderful rest of its 8 days. Whatever you do or don’t celebrate, have a fantastic holiday season! These wishes go out to you and your family--and of course including your pets.

I’ve actually done most of my celebrating. I just returned from the east where I visited with relatives and brought two home with me--my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. And it was absolutely wonderful to be reunited with my dogs Lexie and Mystie. I’ve got another, smaller celebration coming up--plus New Year’s. It’s a bit of a topsy-turvy season, but fun, as always.

I’d love to hear what anyone reading this is doing for the holidays...

Enjoy them, whatever you do!

--Linda

Just Thinking

The book Blackwork is finished in draft! We sent an electronic version of it to my editor in New York yesterday and today I will print a hard copy of it and we’ll send that on Boxing Day (December 26), easily making the December 31st deadline. Now my editor will read it, find its errors or soft spots and mark them, return the manuscript to me with her notes, and I will fix or correct or re-write those sections. The book should appear in the fall of next year.

This lengthy process sometimes makes it difficult for an author to answer a common question: How’s your new book doing? Do you mean the one currently in bookstores? Or the one I’m working on? In my case, there’s even a third: The one I’m just starting. Right now, I have Thai Die in bookstores, Blackwork on its way to my editor, and Buttons and Bones just coming to life.

But the answer is the same for all three: They’re doing just fine, thank you. I’m excited about all three, and have high hopes for their success.

Travel in aid of Thai Die is over for now, and I’m glad of that. We had some interesting times traveling in winter weather this December, and even had to make an emergency stop on our way home from Madison, Wisconsin, when I-90/94 turned suddenly to ice near Tomah. Fortunately, we were near the head of the line when it happened and got off in time to get a motel room. Not so lucky were the bus, car, and truck ahead of us that discovered the new condition of the road by sliding into the ditch. By next morning, things were much improved and we drove on home to Minneapolis without incident.

My next trip will be to Nashville in February. I’ll be at the TNNA (The National Needlepoint Association) Market – where needlework shopowners gather to look at and buy the newest patterns, fibers, and patterns. I wrote a book set in Nashville, Crewel Yule, but I’m sincerely hoping this event is not marred as the one in the book was. Murder can be fun, when it’s fiction. In real life, not so much.

Yesterday evening my husband’s family gathered for its annual Christmas get-together. Our apartment was the setting, and while it was crowded, everyone managed to find a place to sit down. The food was great, the conversation even better. We are all adults now, so gifts were tokens accompanying notices that contributions to various charities had been made in one another’s names. Very nice.

And on that note, I will wish all of you a merry Christmas

More rapid than eagles: through a wormhole

If you're reading this, say Thank You to Cindy Cullen for posting for me. I'm over the middle of the country by now, on my way to Boston. Flying around so close to Christmas makes me think of Santa and the incredible trip he makes every year.

There's a lot of talk going around about the physics of Christmas and how it's impossible for Santa to get his job done.

They point out that there are 2.2 billion children in the world and even at one toy each, we have something like 400,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second to get around world in one night.

A simple calculation shows that Santa has 1/1000th of a second to pull up on a roof, park his sleigh, hop out, climb down the chimney, figure out who's naughty and nice, distribute the presents, eat a snack, and say Ho, Ho, Ho, all without waking the household. Then he goes back up the chimney, gets back into the sleigh, dusts off his suit, and moves on to the next house.

Not just exhausting, but physically impossible.

Even though there's not a lot of sleigh traffic up there, it's not a feasible trip.

But the naysayers are way behind the times. Have they never heard of worm holes? Wormholes are features of space-time that allow a shortcut through the universe.

Imagine you're standing in a long line at the post office. You're at one end of the room and the clerk is at the other. Now imagine a piece of paper with a stick figure representing you at one corner, and a figure at the diagonally opposite corner to represent the clerk. Fold the paper so that your stick figure is on top of the clerk's.

See? You've just taken a shortcut to the head of the line.

That's what Santa does. With a little math and a dash of relativity theory we can show that, in fact, with every stop, Santa can come out of the chimney before he gets in!

No problem making all those stops.

So, yes, Virginia, relatively speaking, Santa can do it!

Now if only my pilot could find the right wormhole to get me to Logan Airport in the next 1/1000th of a second.

Happy Holidays!

1. For last minute homemade gift ideas, go to http://joannaslan.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-handmade-holidays.html

You'll see how to make a personalized stationery set, an easy crocheted scarf, a memory jar, holiday cards, the I-Pod purses, and a cool notepad.

2. I'm posting this early--and I won't be checking in until late on Monday because our family is volunteering at a local food bank.

3. I love holiday newsletters! It's so fun to catch up. So, here's a slightly abbreviated version of what my family sent out this year:

The 2008 Slant on the Slans!

Michael graduated from high school this fall. We took him and his girlfriend Emily on a two-week vacation in late August at Kiawah Island before dropping him off college. He’s loving it! He’s doing very, very well in his engineering studies, and we’re so pleased that at least one of us isn’t freezing this winter. When he’s not in class, Mike has been jammin’ on his guitar at area hot-spots with his residence hall advisor, Miles.

David’s business continues to hum along, although the plunging economy has caused a few sputters! Steinway Piano Gallery still does very well, thanks in part to the fabulous group of people we have working with us. At night, David plays online poker, and he’s learning to deal with short stacks. (These are not pancakes. Trust me.)

Joanna’s new mystery Paper, Scissors, Death debuted in September and quickly sold out of the initial print run. The reviews are fabulous. She keeps getting asked if it’s a true story, so the answer is, “My husband was alive when I left the house.” You can see that book and the second one in the series (Cut, Crop & Die) at Amazon.com

Our dogs are fine. Vicky ignores all of us, as royalty is wont to do. Rafferty keeps peeing on the holiday lights on the lawn and shorting them out. Great entertainment, that.

We’re spending several days this holiday season volunteering at a local food bank. How blessed we are that we are able to give rather than be on the receiving end. No matter how bleak the economy looks, we have so much to be thankful for. (Yes, Virginia, sentences do, on occasion, end with prepositions.)

May you all have a happy, healthy and blessed holiday--and may we all enjoy renewed prosperity.

Love, Joanna

Lights, Camera, Action

Is it really less than a week until Christmas? Judging by the Costco parking lot today I guess I’m not the only one who just figured it out. It’s been a wild week here. My Internet is fixed courtesy of my son. No more getting knocked off, then on, then off, then on, etc. all while trying to write one email. My front window is replaced and the shattered glass stayed in until the glass guys came. They even came in the rain. In So Cal sometimes it seems like everybody thinks they are the Wizard of Oz’s wicked witch of the west and they’ll melt if they get wet.

The weather turned cold and stormy. Okay, by colder climate standards it wasn’t that cold, but there was enough snow in the area to shut down three major freeways. I started wearing so many layers of clothes I looked like the Michelin tire guy.

On the coldest and wettest of days, a movie company set up on the street in front of my house. The actual filming was going on in a house around the corner. Production companies have used our street before, though not that much lately. There is a house nearby that used to be used as a location all the time. A family lived there, but I think the house was designed to be used as a set. By chance someone we knew was doing a shoot there once and I got to look inside. The kitchen certainly wasn’t planned with a cook in mind. All that room in the middle was great for lights and cameras, but would wear out anyone trying to carry things from the stove to the counter.

The crew that set up this week was filming a movie called Warrior. There was no synopsis or list of stars included on the information sheet they dropped off. Just a note telling us there weren’t going to be any special effects or explosions. Good news. Once before they filmed around here and used a helicopter for something and it flew so low, I swore it was going to land in our backyard. Judging by the quality of trucks and dressing rooms, Warrior appeared to have a nice budget.

Early in the morning they parked a huge semi in front of our house. Our neighbor had dressing rooms in front of his house. Somewhere around the corner and up the street the food people must have set up. Usually there are caterer who sets up tables and chairs on somebody’s lawn (of course compensating them). It was a little nippy this time – cold enough that I saw crew members in parkas – so they must have had tents and heaters. Somewhere too there was something called a craft services table with every snack imaginable available between the meal service.

I have been on a fair share of sets and I was an extra in a movie once. It was a little more low end than the set up in front of my house. There were just a couple of one old trailers dressing rooms and they did my makeup and hair at a table set up in a parking lot. But when it came to lunch it was a full catered event with hot food and table and chairs set up in a parking lot. The entertainment industry is big on food.

But back to the production in front of my house. When I took my dog out for her nightly walk I passed all the trailers, dressing rooms, vans and little trucks that spread for almost two blocks. It was like a whole little village. Vans were going up and down the street taking cast and crew people back and forth to their cars that were parked somewhere else. Someone was in the clothes truck getting a long black thing (hmm maybe it’s a horror movie). Lights were on in the trailers. There were blinds on the windows so I have no idea what was going on inside. And then shortly after my dog and I got home, I heard the rumble of big engines as the trucks and trailers began to leave to move on to their next location. By ten o’clock the street was dark and empty and the only sign anyone had been there was they’d put our garbage cans on the lawn.

And now back to dealing with the holidays. I figure if I write my holiday letter tonight and mail them tomorrow they’ll arrive before Christmas. Happy Holidays!

I'm an East Coast gal, used to spending my Christmas in cold, snow, ice or any combination of the three. Despite having lived in California for the last dozen years, Christmas always sneaks up on me. I blame it on the lack of weather cues. The weather in my town is perpetually September.

My native Californian friends tell me it's because I don't pay close enough attention. The weather here doesn't grab you by the throat and shake you, it eases its way in. Changes are subtle but they're there.

So I went looking for proof that nature is into Christmas in Cali.

First some fall color. Yes, it's December, but it's never too late for flaming maple trees.



Bird of paradise are always festive. Especially with reindeer.


I found some red and green trees:



Up close you can see those are berries.



Of course, geraniums are festive.



And roses:



And the Christmas bougainvillea, of course:



December 25th arrives whether or not we're ready. Here's hoping you enjoy yours with friends, family and some red and green.

And for our Pets?

Several of us have gone through our lists of favorite books to make gift suggestions. Mine mostly involved books relating to animals.

Now, I’d like to talk about gifts for our pets! Treats? Sure, but we want to make certain not to let our babies gorge the way we’re likely to do over the holidays.

Toys? Absolutely! In fact, I’m thinking of getting my puppy Mystie another squeaky rubber ball similar to the one she adores. It keeps disappearing under stairways and behind furniture, and then she gets all excited chasing flashlight beams when we search for it. Maybe we could alleviate some of her nuttiness if she could fall back on a different ball when this one can’t be found.

For my Lexie? Most likely another set of nylon bones. They’re good for her teeth, and some of our older ones are due to be replaced. She enjoys chewing on them, and also playing keep-away from Mystie.

I’m not one to dress my dogs up, since I think they’re perfect in their fur coats, but there are an awful lot of really cute doggy outfits out there.

But I think the most important gift of all to them will be increased attention--which is exactly what I want from them, too. I’ll give them extra lap time and hugs, and they’ll in turn hug and kiss my face.

What gifts do you expect to give your pets? What will they give you in return?

--Linda

A Good Bad Thing

I’ve been doing a lot of signings the last few weeks, and am getting seriously fuzzy-brained. Worse, it’s not over yet. Friday we’re leaving for Galena, IL, and Madison, WI. Hope I don’t end up in Nashville, TN, and Wilmington, DE.

But an interesting thing happened on our way to Des Moines and Omaha last weekend. We stopped in Owatonna, MN, for lunch at Cabela’s. Have you ever been in a Cabela’s? Testosterone City. Guns and ammo, hunting and fishing equipment, and a mountain at the back stacked with stuffed game. Everything from polar bears to pheasants in lifelike poses. But they have great lunches – try their walleye fingers. Anyway, we had lunch and on the way out I saw they had some huge candy canes on sale. We’re at that stage of Christmas giving in our family where we mostly give to one another’s favorite charities in one another’s names. I thought it would be kind of fun to attach the card to a candy cane, especially a really big one. So I picked out a bunch of them and went down to the main floor in front pay for them.

Now, lately I’ve been carrying around a little clutch purse, but for the trip I got out this very large purse and put the clutch inside it. When I paid for the canes, I picked up the bag of them, and the clutch purse, and walked out. It was more than two hours down the road that I needed something from the big purse – and discovered it wasn’t in the back seat.

I called Cabela’s and sure enough, they had the big purse. I was sick with disappointment at myself. I’d put a couple of "show ‘n’ tell" items in there for the signings, plus a whole big packet of Thai silk sample flosses I’ve been giving away to people who buy a copy of Thai Die. I kicked myself all the way to Des Moines and again to Omaha.

I finally decided not to stay for supper in Omaha (paid for by A Stitch in Crime bookstore-needlework shop), but start for home so we could stop at Cabela’s and get my big purse. Because of the Christmas season, they were open really late, so made it in good time. We found ourselves at home late Saturday night, tired but in possession of the purse.

And the next morning woke to find the upper midwent cowering under rain, freezing rain and sleet. There were cars in ditches all along I-35. We would have been driving home on that highway if I hadn’t left my purse in Cabela’s.

New topic: I’ve been getting some positive reviews from the Big Guys: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, etc. Does anyone know if this translates into sales?

So many books

If you still haven't finished your holiday shopping, here are a few more ideas from my FAVE list.


I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter
The strange loop is the "self" constantly changing through "feedback" in the form of relationships, meditations, emotions. This is not a quick read, but the concepts Hofstadter introduces are intriguing.

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corinne May Botz
I've blogged about Frances Gessner Lee, the woman who used meticulously crafted miniatures to teach law enforcement professionals how to analyze a crime scene, long before CSI. This book has wonderful close-up photos of Lee's miniatures and a story for each scene.

Clash of Civilization Over an Elevator in the Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous and Ann Goldstein
This story is about people of different cultures, living in Rome, miscommunicating because of language and cultural conventions, centered around the elevator in their building and what it means to each character. An odd mystery, but a great read!

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbuilt.
The sub-title says it all!

All the DEXTER books by Jeff Lindsay.
What's not to love about this serial killer with a strict code of justice? I love both the books and the TV show. It's the only TV show I watch without multi-tasking. No knitting, folding flyers, putting stamps on promo material, or sorting through correspondence during this one.

Gifts Made By Hand with Love

Handmade.

No longer a perjorative, today this word marks a turning point in our culture. A silent revolution. A change of heart. A slow turning away from quick and the commonplace. A detour whereby we take up knitting needles and glue bottles as a way of proclaiming, “Despite the turmoil of our times, despite a world in which I hold so little sway, I am important because I can create.”

This week the owner of a local independent scrapbook store told me her business was doing well. In fact, she says it's never been better! And I’m not surprised. This is the era of the handmade, the homemade, the presents wrestled into being by love, skill and creativity.

And I am not immune! I’m focusing on handmade gifts for this holiday. I’m not interested in spending a lot of money. I am interested in turning back the tide of mass-produced, ordinary and meaningless THINGs which seem to be overwhelming my family. I am thrilled to think that my little fingers can produce unique items that by their very existence proclaim, “I love you.”

Here are some simple, heart-felt gift ideas:

I-Pod Purses--From a Goodwill or thrift store buy an all-wool sweater of a color you like. Throw it in the washer, soak it in hot water, and run it through the dryer until it becomes a soft and pliant felt. (The finished fabric will be about 2/3 the original size.) Cut a pattern of newspaper, 14” long and 4 ½” wide. Pin it to your felt and cut. On another piece of paper, draw a letter (the initial of the person for whom you are making the gift), thicken it up, and cut it out of felt. Add stitching with embroidery thread. Sew the initial onto the bag. Add a button and button hole (stitch around it with pink embroidery floss). See the photo for placement. Blanket stitch the sides together, and blanket stitch the flap. Add ribbon handles.

Memory Jar—Find an empty jar or plastic canister with a lid. (You can buy an inexpensive jar from Walmart). Create a “label” out of attractive scrapbook paper. Add sticker lettering to create your recipient’s name. (You might also add a saying like, “Beautiful Memories.”) On your computer or by hand, write down happy memories. (They’ll read: “Remember the time we took a walk by the beach and saw the turtles hatching? Remember the time we slid down the hill on flattened boxes?”) Put the memories in the jar.

I’ll share some more ideas next week! Meanwhile, to hear more about how crafts have become the revolutionary icon of the next generation, go to

http://www.wpr.org/book/081214a.cfm

Top it off

Here's an addition to my Cranberry Squares recipe, recommended by a reader: spread a lemon topping after you take the dish out of the oven and before you cut into squares.

The topping:

Grated lemon rind from 1 lemon
1 1/2 TB butter
1 1/2 TB lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar


In case you missed the basic recipe last Tuesday:
CRANBERRY SQUARES

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups whole cranberries
2 eggs
walnuts optional

Mix everything together (my favorite instruction!)

Batter will be STICKY. Don't worry.

Spread in greased dish, 8x8 or 9x9 and bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

Christmas Cookies

I would like to write about some books for gift ideas, but the only books I have been looking in for the past few days are cookbooks. My son convinced me that rather than ordering cookies for gifts from someone like Mrs. Fields or Mrs. Beasley, I should bake them. He said my cookies were better. How can you argue with a comment like that?

This was after flying home from Chicago in a blowing snowstorm and having some idiot shoot a BB gun through my living room window. We are all walking softly since the 10 foot by 4 foot window is all crackled and the window guys can’t put in new glass until Monday. We don’t want the window to leave the frame until there is new glass to replace it.

Oh, and my Internet service is all messed up or maybe it’s my computer. Either way I can barely write or read an email without getting kicked off and then spending way too much time fighting with trying to get back on.

I decided to go with my son’s thinking. After all I had just gotten a brand new mixer. I thought I’d write my blog about making the cookies with my new mixer. I was already composing it as I took it out of the box and moved my old one to the corner of the counter on its way to Goodwill. Both the new and old mixers are the same brand. My old one was from sometime in the 70's and avocado to prove it. The new promised to be a professional model and was industrial looking with its sleek gray metal color.

However as I examined the new one, I noticed it was basically the same as the old one, except a worse design. The great thing about Kitchenaid mixers is the way the beater gets close to the bottom and sides of the bowl. The trouble was the new one’s beater was hitting the bottom and sides of the bowl and making it jump around. According to the instructions it was factory set to be just right, but in case there was a problem, it had a screw to turn to raise the beater.

I couldn’t adjust it so the beater didn’t smack the bowl around. So Mr. Metal went back to the store. And my old avocado mixer got it’s spot back. And surprise surprise, it did a great job with the cookie dough.

Maybe that’s what’s wrong with things. We’re endlessly sold a bill of goods that we need something new and modern - when what we already have is still just fine.

The chocolate chip cookies are disappearing before I can get them in the tins to send as gifts. And the spritz Christmas trees are melt in your mouth delicious. Luckily I have a whole plate of lopsided ones my family gets to eat. I still need to pack up the cookies in tins and am wondering if I have enough energy to make a batch of nut balls.

It’s harder making the cookies instead of just making a few clicks online, but definitely more satisfying. And it looks like I stayed online long enough to post this.

Five More Books

Five great holiday gift books

We started this thread on our blog to call attention to books that might otherwise escape your attention. Great for gift giving, or to give yourself a little me time this busy season.

A novel I loved reading is the Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The narrator of this poignant tale is the family dog. As you can imagine, he sees everything. What is so surprising is that he has opinions about all he sees. Sweet, funny, smart opinions. I’m not what you’d call a dog person, but I loved this book.

Books To Check Out for Kids: a Journal. Worse title ever. This is a book for a kid who wants to keep track of what she’s read. Stickers, lists, schedules for the organizing geek. My first memory of Christmas is waking up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and sneaking a present out of my stocking. I was thrilled to find a picture dictionary and headed back to my room to read it under the covers. I’m hoping that the child who receives this book has that same feeling.

Masters Art Quilts. A compendium of the works of forty of the premiere quilt artists of the day. The breadth of talent in the quilting world is astonishing. Open to any page for wonderful inspiration.

What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro. Written by an ex-FBI agent, this is a great resource for the writer, but wonderful if you just need to understand what the people are around are saying. He will teach you how to know when your teen is lying to you! A fun read from an expert.

Emotional Awareness: A Conversation between the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman, PH.D. Eavesdrop on two very smart, compassionate, inquisitive men as they explore what it means to be a compassionate human. Wise, hopeful words.

Nothing Like Books For the Holidays!

What’s better than giving books as gifts? Nothing! So, I’m going along with my fellow bloggers’ idea of mentioning their favorites this week. And, okay, a plug here for the wonderful works of those great fellow bloggers of mine. Cozy mysteries give hours of fun and are priced a whole lot more reasonably than many other kinds of gifts.

So what other kinds of books are there to give? Name it! Among my favorites, of course, are those dealing with animals.

I like the Animal Instinct Mysteries by Gabriella Herkert, for example--so much so that I’ve given a cover quote. Her protagonist is in the legal field, an investigator, and her assignments always seem to involve animals. So far, you can find CATNAPPED and DOGGONE on store shelves.

Speaking of cover quotes, if you’re a cat person, a great new book is Sandy Robins’ FABULOUS FELINES: Health and Beauty Secrets for the Pampered Cat. It’s a detailed and delightful study on how to take purrfect care of your kitty. And, yes, I provided a cover quote for it as well.

More generally and dealing with health issues, I really like veterinarian Dr. Karen Halligan’s WHAT EVERY PET OWNER SHOULD KNOW. It has all sorts of great hints about pet health, safety, exercise and general care.

If you have any favorite animal-related books to add to my list, please let me know!

--Linda

Gifts for Readers

Books make great Christmas gifts (also Chanukah). I say this not only because I write books; there are few gifts that give so much entertainment for so little money.

Therefore I will recommend some favorites to you.

A good reference/advice book for mystery writers: Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden. Terrific advice for the would-be-published, she also offers sound counsel for the experienced writer. Highly recommended.

For fun, I am dipping again into Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimon’s Good Omens. The Apocalypse has never been funnier. The newest edition has a forward describing the authors’ encounters with some of the weird and ardent fans of this intelligent fantasy novel. I also recommend Gaimon alone and Pratchett’s Discworld series enthusiastically.

I’m not sure why, but I find Ngaio Marsh’s Overture to Death a comfort read. I get it out every few years and fall gratefully into its world for a few days – I read it slowly, savoring it. I like the locale and the characters, and the solution is perfect. My old copy was falling to pieces, literally, so I was glad to find a new issue of it at Once Upon A Crime mystery bookstore.

I feel the same way about Georgette Heyer’s Behold Here’s Poison. Though I dislike the sleuth, I like the other characters and the method of poisoning is brilliant. It and Overture are old, golden-age mysteries (1930s), and they give a glimpse into a world long-vanished as described by literate, gifted authors. (I love 1930s and 1940s movies for the same reason.)

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond is wonderful -- a reasonable, accesible explanation for why Europe and Asia got so far ahead of the rest of the world in technology -- though the sequel to it is not.

No fail recipe

I'm just back from surgery -- my husband's, that is, but I feel like I've been through it, too! All seems well for now, but I'm resorting to a quick blog today.



In keeping with the holidays: a favorite recipe, so easy even I never fail.

CRANBERRY SQUARES

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups whole cranberries
2 eggs
walnuts optional

Mix everything together (my favorite instruction!)

Batter will be lumpy. Don't worry.

Spread in greased dish, 8x8 or 9x9 and bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

They look festive and taste great!

Joanna's Five Gift Book Picks

Over the course of the next week, we’ll be sharing our ideas for gift books for the holiday. Now, the rule is that we can’t include our friends. And that’s going to be a problem for me, I’ll admit. See, I have this personal thing about buying from nice people. There are sooooo many books in the world, and if I know an author is nice, that really tips the scale in their favor as far as I’m concerned. And if the author is a bud, a person who has helped me, taught me, been kind to me, well, shoot….I’m a real fan and I’ll buy and recommend his/her book as often as possible.

But those are the rules, so here goes:

1. Save the Cat by Blake Snyder—This is one of my newest favorite books on writing. Snyder has a way of teaching you that sticks in your head. His funny phrases are memorable, and his advice is incredibly useful.

2. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely—Any student of human behavior will love this book. Finally, someone explains why I always overeat at buffets! And if you apply his information to marketing, you really can see why “free” is always a great pitch.

3. Staging Your Comeback by Christopher Hopkins—How NOT to look like a dowdy little old lady. Whoa-doggies. Hopkins shows powerful examples of “don’ts” which will cause you to set down the book and run screaming to your closet.

4. Marketing to the Social Web by Larry Weber—This is the skinny on digital communities. His advice and his insight will help anyone build a brand. Described as a roadmap of the new customer information highway.

5. Eat This Not That! By David Zinczenko—And you thought you were being good by eating that chicken sandwich. Woo-ha-ha! Instead, you packed on the pounds. I could not put this book down. My son, his girlfriend and I read it in awe. This is essential stuff because you only THINK you know how to eat healthfully.

And here's the lagnaippe, a special book for scrapbookers and artsy types that I'm having loads of fun with

6. The Doodle Formula by Adrienne Looman--You'll learn how to make cool doodles that are all the rage on scrapbook pages. "Cute Couple" is an example. I did it over the course of two nights and had a blast!

Enjoy!

Too many cooks? Not enough!

We have many guests today … that is, many names for one prolific guest!

We 're happy to welcome CONNIE LAUX, who writes under

1) MIRANDA BLISS (the Cooking Class Mysteries featuring Annie Capshaw)
2) CASEY DANIELS (the PEPPER MARTIN series)
3) CONNIE LANE and CONSTANCE LAUX (historical and contemporary romance)
4) R. L. STINE (children's book and YA horror)
5) ZOE DANIELS (YA horror).

Thanks to "all of you" for joining us!



Greetings, blog readers!

The subject is food, and I’ll share a secret with you, Casey isn’t much of a cook. That’s why she’s asked me to guest blog for her today. My name is Miranda Bliss and I’m the author of the Cooking Class mysteries from Berkley. Book #1 in the series (“Cooking Up Murder”) was published last year and this June, it was followed by “Murder on the Menu.” In December, “Dead Men Don’t Get the Munchies” will hit the shelves.

Considering my books, it’s no wonder Casey assumed that I’m a pretty good cook. Little does she know that I have less in common with Julia Child than I do with Annie Capshaw, the heroine of my series.

You see, Annie might be a pretty good detective, but she’s the worst cook in the world! But don’t get me wrong, I’m a total failure in the kitchen. I don’t burn water like Annie does. I don’t catch kitchens on fire, either. Then again, unlike Annie, I’ve never had to deal with nasty poisoners, arms smugglers, or members of the Washington DC elite who have mayhem on their minds.

And I do have some very handy culinary skills.

I know where the phone is so I can call for take-away.

I know where the freezer is (after all, that’s where the pizzas and the microwave-‘em dinners live).

I know which cupboard contains the peanut butter and where to find the jelly (top right refrigerator shelf, behind the little white paper container of last night’s leftover Chinese).

Even so, there are some really good recipes in my books, 10 in each book, in fact. The one I’ve included here is one of Annie’s favorites from “Cooking Up Murder.” I think you’ll enjoy it because–

Oh, wait! My doorbell just rang and I’ve got to run. Dinner is here.

Annie and Eve’s Indulgence

Serves . . . how much can you eat?

1 large chocolate bar
1 jar chunky peanut butter
1 large spoon


You know what to do!

Dead Men Don't Crochet

Tuesday was the official release date of Dead Men Don’t Crochet. It turns out that bookstores don’t like to do author events in December - that is unless you’re a superstar which I’m not.

But drop ins to sign stock or okay, so that is what I plan to do while I’m in icy Chicago.

57th Street Books was my first stop and they were expecting me. I’ve mentioned this bookstore before. It’s located in the basement of an apartment building and I set some of the action in my YA mystery Blue Schwartz and Nefertiti’s Necklace there. I also wrote an article about it for the Another Great American Bookstore feature in Byline Magazine.

These days 57th Street Books has a whole new identity going. Not only is it my favorite bookstore, but the Obama family’s as well. Actually my whole neighborhood is going through a flurry of excitement. There have been lots of Nobel Prize winners around here and well known writers like Saul Bellows, Sara Paretsky and the woman who wrote the Mrs. Pickerall Goes to Mars series. I can’t remember her name, but she lived in our old building. And my high school French teacher wrote the children’s classic Mr. Popper’s Penguins. But having a President- Elect seems to have turned a special spotlight on Hyde Park.

Laura Prail brought out a stacks of Hooked on Murder, Dead Men Don’t Crochet and Blue Schwartz and Nefertiti’s Necklace for me to sign. While I signed I asked her about the Obama effect on the bookstore. Of course, business was up and she said some people just came in wanting to buy a book from the store the President-Elect shops in. I thought it was kind of cool that without even knowing he was doing it, Obama was helping authors.

When all the books were signed, Laura showed me the poster of my bookcover hanging on the wall. She said she was going to make a display of my books below it. All I could think was wow. And as an afterthought I wondered if Michelle likes cozy mysteries.

The Mystery of Buying Books for Teens

I buy books for gifts. Christmas, birthday, shower. I don't care about the occasion. I don't care that the kid really wants the latest DS game. I'm okay with being that aunt who always gives you a book. After all, my aunt always gave me pajamas. Books are waaay better.

When I want a good book for my nieces or nephew, I ask Becky Levine, my writing partner. She's got a kid, but even better, she reads lots of young adult books herself. Usually this call takes place in a book store with lousy cell reception, so consider yourself lucky.

Becky blogs about writing, reading and life at www.beckylevine.com Next year, her book, The Critiquers Survival Guide will be out from Writer's Digest. She's written a kid's mystery that she is shopping around. She knows from where she speaks. Enjoy her wisdom.

When Terri asked me if I’d like to blog about good books to give to teens (or Young Adults as they’re called in the genre) for the holidays, I said, “Me? Talk about kids’ books? But I never do that.”

I wonder why she laughed. ☺

Terri mentioned YA books because she thinks, and I agree, that teens can be tricky to buy for. I write for kids and I review kids books, and I can tell you that tweens and teens are some of the pickiest readers out there. And now you’re saying, but what about those kids I see who never take their noses out of a book? And I’m saying, yes, they’re wonderful, but what you’re not seeing are the dozen other books a parent or teacher waved in front of their faces, to which they said a respectful, polite “No, thank you,” without even cracking the cover.

So, if you’ve got a reader who’s a teen or heading there, I offer you this list. I’ve gone for books that seemed to fly lower under the radar than others, so you do have a chance that they are, as yet, undiscovered delights. The age ranges are my best guestimates; reading ages are all over the spectrum.

·The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Hilarious, sweet post-apocalypse novel with LOL dialog on every page. (10-14)

·Skulduggery Pleasant (and a sequel) by Derek Landry. A skeleton detective, magic, and projectile fire balls. What more could any kid want? (10-14)

·Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis. A Newbery Honor book which, frankly, can turn young readers off, but a wonderfully charming narrator, telling the fictional story of his life as the first child born into freedom in the town of Buxton, Canada. (10-14)

·Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, by David Lubar. Lubar is a prolific writer who delivers books for kids of all ages. This is one of his “older” books, with a slight edge of darkness surrounding Scott’s first year in highschool. Again, a wonderful, funny voice that keeps a bit of that darkness away. (12 to 16).

·The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson. Mystery, science fiction, and tight, breath-holding suspense. Suffering from amnesia after a car accident, Jenna has a battle on her hands—to dig out the secrets under which she and her life are now buried. (12-17)

·Lessons from a Dead Girl, by Jo Knowles. At one point, Leah and Laine were friends. Now Leah is dead, leaving Laine with a heavy load of feelings to sort through and resolve, if she can. This book touches on some very serious and tough issues, and you should know your reader well, or check with the parents, to wrap up this one. Brilliantly written, the story is a gift of reality and hope. (13, maybe 14, to 18).

Check these out. Hopefully, there’s someone on your list for whom you can find a perfect fit. And if not, remember, Agatha Christie has been the first taste of “grown-up” mysteries for many a teen. You’re never too young for Miss Marple at Christmas.

The Winner!

Even though I’m an avid Today Show fan, I missed the Best in Show contest until the naming of the winner yesterday. Darn it! I did look online to see the finalist doggies, and watched the video. One played miniature golf. One sang opera, along with her owner. One, a therapy dog, knew how to read, and obeyed commands displayed on cards--like shake and speak.

The winner did no tricks, but was an absolute inspiration anyway. He was a three-legged rescue dog. He’d been found by a rescue group with a bandage wrapped too tightly around his leg, cutting off circulation. The leg was removed, and he manages quite well without it.

Although all the finalist pups were adorable, I thought it said a lot about the viewers who voted for Truman, the winner. These days, when so many people are facing adversity with all that’s going on with our economy, it’s really inspirational to see anyone who, with determination, has risen above some pretty nasty difficulties, found a loving home and now thrives--including a dog!

Yay, Truman. You’re our hero.

By the way, I have a question for all you determined writers out there. I’m currently writing three different novels all at the same time, two under deadlines. Have any of you taken on any more at once? I’m actually finding it fun to change voices so many times in a day. But, then, I’ve always enjoyed changing from writing contracts and legal briefs to fiction.

--Linda

Pub Party!

Had the big pub party for Thai Die last night. I was so nervous about it! Instead of at a bookstore, it was held at a bed and breakfast down in St. Peter, about sixty miles from Excelsior – and from Minneapolis, my home town. Several chapters of the book at set at that bed and breakfast, the March Hare. It was put together by the March Hare, which had not done a pub party before, and by The Tangled Skein, a yarn shop which also had not held one before. I had an uncomfortable feeling this could end up with me, the two owners of the shop, and the owner and chef of the B&B talking to the two people who came and trying to eat a whole lot of food.

Instead there was a really big turnout. People came from all over the area. They listened while I read excerpts from the book then went to watch Lisa and her mom take turns spinning angora yarn right off a huge angora bunny name Blanche (if you read the book, you’ll see why they were there). Even the bunny had a good time.

And I signed a whole lot of books.

Now I have it all to do again, in more traditional fashion, tomorrow night at Once Upon A Crime Mystery Bookstore, and also in Excelsior, and in White Bear Lake, and at Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore and so on and so on. But we’re off to a fantastic start.

Blackwork is essentially finished, just a few little tweaks to go.
And I’ve begun the serious plotting of Buttons and Bones. I realized about a week ago that while I had a pretty good idea for it, the plot was so thin it might make a better short story. I whined about that at a dinner with some friends and that set off a brainstorm session that quickly turned out a much more complicated plot. I am rich in good friends.

Life is sweet.

Setting the Stage for Murder

Our guest blogger is DEB BAKER. Welcome back, Deb!




Thanks to my friends at Killer Hobbies for generously offering to host me on my book blog tour. I was one of the original, founding members, so I feel like I’ve come home to a warm and cozy place. And I’m amazed at the combined talent of this group and how the blog has grown.

It’s even more special because today is the official pub date for Ding Dong Dead.
When my agent asked me to write a series about doll collecting, I embraced the idea with open arms. What fun, I thought, and it has been. This time, in book four, Gretchen Birch and her friends find murder and mysterious happenings while rehearsing for a play to help raise funds for a doll museum they are opening.

Doll museums fascinate me and, as I mentioned in the book, a museum filled with dolls might be closer than you think. Not all of them are advertised. Just walk into a doll shop and ask about museums. That’s what I did in Tucson, Arizona several years ago while on book tour. What a surprise when the owner opened a door into a lost time and shared a secret world with me.

Generations of doll collectors had added to the collection housed in an enormous room behind the shop and at one time it had been open to the public. Those days had passed, but the owner still maintained it exactly as it had been.

What a treat as she gave me a tour and told me stories about the different dolls displayed there. The image of all those wonderful dolls together in the same place stuck in my mind and I knew I had to make a museum predominant in one of my book. So in Ding Dong Dead when an anonymous donor gives the Phoenix Dollers an historic house to turn into a museum, strange and unexpected things begin to happen.

I wonder since that inspiring visit, if the owner has reopened the museum to the public, because it deserves to be seen.

BTW,
I’m running a contest for a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice! Here’s how to win. Get a copy of Ding Dong Dead, read it, go to my website (http://www.debbakerbooks.com) before January 15th and correctly answer three easy questions pertaining to the book. You will be entered into the drawing, which will take place at noon on January 15th. Winner will be notified through email and announced on my homepage. Good luck!

Winners!

I just wanted to congratulate the people who won the contest in the back of Paper, Scissors, Death:

Stacy C. from Minnesota won the Grand Prize of a weekend stay in St. Louis, plus dinner with me and a stash of scrapbook supplies!

Debbie F. from Tennesee won the Second Prize of a Premium Photo Album from Snapfish!

Molly F. from Minnesota won the Third Prize of a Mrs. Grossman's Stickers Gift Pack!

Hurrah for all of you!

I'd also like to "give it up" to the winners of the 2008 Best of British Scrapbooking Contest:

Kim Tomlinson, Overall Winner
Jane Knight, Best New Talent
Sarah Bond, Best New Talent
Jo-Anne Cavanagh, Best of British
Juli Kirk, Best of British
Michell Jackson-Mogford, Best of British

These winners were announced in the December issue of ScrapBook inspirations Magazine.