Starting and Stopping

I am in a tunnel of writing right now. The deadline for HOOKING FOR TROUBLE is less than two weeks away. And each day I am caught with the same problem of starting and stopping.

I would like to just sit down at the computer and have my fingers start flying over the keys, but it never seems to work that way. First it seems I have to go online and pochtsky around for a while, flipping through the headlines on AOL. You notice I don’t call them news headlines. The headlines are definitely tabloid quality meant to titillate not inform. The stories are mostly incomplete so now when I’m stalling starting on my work, I don’t even click on the headlines.

Then I check the Doppler radar if there is a hint of rain. Finally, I go to my manuscript. If the first line of writing comes easily, the rest follows, but usually the first line stalls. There is much deleting and dealing words that don’t sound right. Also much panic as I think about the deadline and how far I am from the end.

Somewhere something clicks in and I finally get in the flow. Time goes by unnoticed other than when I look up at the window near me, I see the light change, then dim, then get dark.

The time comes to stop because I have to do other things, like eat or pay some bills. There is always one more thing I think of or a change I want to make. The story is rolling in my head and I make a note of what should happen next to make starting easier.

I leave the computer, but I am still somewhere else. It is hard to jump into other tasks because my mind is still in the story. I find myself thinking about an upcoming scene and writing notes on any paper I can find. It’s kind of a dreamy feeling. Gradually the real world comes back into focus. And I’m there until it is time to start again.

Now that I am back at my desktop and I can upload photos I have included the one I was going to put in last week. Seeing myself bundled up, ready to go out in the cold seems odd now that I am back in Southern California where after one day of rain and temperatures in the 60s it is going to get warm again. I made the hat on a flight to Chicago last year. It was very cool to be able to put it on when we landed.

A Halloween Invitation--and A Gift for One Lucky Commenter!

Skyler and Lexie at the Pumpkin Patch...sort of.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but here in Florida, a "pumpkin patch" is a concrete slab decorated with pumpkins. I grew up wandering muddy fields with dying vines and rotting orange globes. This is MUCH more sanitary--and a bit scary. Here's a photo of my drop-dead gorgeous niece Lexie and her 3-year-old son Skyler picking out the gourd to go ghoulish. As you might guess, Skyler is our own "pumpkin." We're having all sorts of fun watching him grow. He's going to be Spiderman for the big Spook Fest.

On Wednesday night, I'm lucky enough to escort Skyler to the Jupiter (FL) Community Center where they're having a Halloween event especially for kids his age. I'm so excited I can barely wait! I love Halloween! I'm dreaming of Snickers bars. Sigh.

In the spirits of the spirits, I'm giving a Halloween party ONLINE on my new Facebook fan page. From 9 p.m. to midnight (Eastern Time) on Halloween (Monday, October 31) join me at http://www.Facebook.com/JoannaCampbellSlan  Simply watch for my status updates and participate by reading the comments.

We have a great line up of guests. So far, we have commitments from Mollie Cox Bryan (Scrapbook of Secrets: A Cumberland Creek Mystery, coming February, 2012); Penny Warner (How to Party Like a Killer Vampire); Camille Minichino (Malice in Miniature); Sparkle Abbey (Pampered Pet Mysteries);  Julie Compton (Tell No Lies and Rescuing Olivia); Deb Sharp (Mama Sees Stars); and Linda O. Johnston (The More the Terrier). And since I've been slow about sending out the invites to my author pals, you can bet that list will grow. Most of the authors will offer copies of their latest books or ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) to give away.
I hate the fact that I need to move folks from my "old" personal FB page to a fan page, but...the times are a changing. Here's a great explanation of the advantages of a fan page.

Okay, so what would encourage you to come to my fan page? Hmmm? How can I bribe you to make the switch?

Speaking of bribes, we have a copy of A MISCELLANY OF MURDER: FROM HISTORY AND LITERATURE TO TRUE CRIME AND TELEVISION, A KILLER SELECTION OF TRIVIA to give away to one lucky commenter, thanks to one of the five co-authors, Stephen D. Rogers.

So come on, readers--tell me what you're thinking! One of you will randomly be selected to receive Stephen's new book.

Abra Cadabra

You just don't know when something you learned will come in handy. I originally took the magic class with the Great Houdanni because I was writing a script about a kid, Woody Finkle, who becomes Principal for a Day and everything goes wrong. Woody was a kid magician and eventuaully used magic to save the day.

Apparently woman aren't big on being magic students. The class had twenty men and three women. Anyway, I learned lots of the secrets behind illusions and how to pull off a trick. I briefly toyed with the idea of putting together an act and seeing if I could become a member of the Magic Castle (a famous Los Angeles magic club).

Now all these years later, my knowledge of magic is suddenly useful. In addition to the crochet mysteries, I am going to be writing a second series for Berkley Prime Crime about a dessert chef who puts on yarn retreats in the northern California town of Cadbury by the Sea at a retreat center that is picturesque and a little bit sinister. The dessert chef, Casey Feldstein, has an ex boyfriend who doesn't want to be an ex. His name is Dr. Sammie Glickner and while being a urologist, his real passion is magic. And thanks to the Great Houdanni's class, I'll be able to give him some illusions and the patter that goes along with them.

Now if I could just figure out a way to use that tap dancing class I took.

Have you found that some special knowlege you have has come in handy in an unexpected way?

Santa Fe Part 2

Personally I can’t see going to a conference in a wonderful place like Santa Fe and spending all the time in the hotel. So, I did a little conference time at Left Coast Crime and a lot of sightseeing time. The picture is me next to the Rio Grande River somewhere between Santa Fe and Taos.

It was almost research since Molly Pink's parents live in Santa Fe and who knows maybe in an upcoming book she'll go visit them.

But for now what sticks in my mind are the colors of the area and unfortunately photographs just don’t seem to be able to capture them.

Maybe it’s the altitude, but the sky is a particular shade that’s almost a crisp royal blue I’ve never seen anywhere else. Blue seems to be a big deal for doors. I saw doors in all different shades. Apparently, the color is supposed to protect the place from evil.

Turquoise comes in more than it’s namesake color. Some was almost a jade green and other samples had flecks of brown. I bought some hand dyed yarn in Taos in a shade of blue I’d call electric turquoise.

Most of the Pueblo style buildings seemed to be a mustardy shade of brown that matched the ground around them. Along with t the blue doors, a lot had blue painted around the windows. And just about all of them had a string of dried red chiles hanging out front.

But what surprised and delighted me the most were the pink cliff we saw in Bandalier National Monument. They are made out of something called tuff, which is from ancient volcanic eruptions. Not only was it a rosy shade of pink, but the surface had swiss cheese like holes. The holes and softenness of the material made it easy for the Native American’s to build their dwellings using the cliffs as part of them. There are only remnants of their houses, but you can see places where they carved out rooms into the cliffs.

There were lots of green chiles which are surprisingly are hotter than the red ones. The small Pinon trees dotting the hill sides and ground everywhere were a dark, water- starved shade of green. When we looked around a little town called White Rock, almost nobody had a lawn. I saw a woman doing her version of gardening as she arranged a pile of big blue rocks across the front of her pebble covered front yard.

The cottonwood trees still had some toast brown leaves hanging on their branches. There were lots of the almost naked trees along the dry Santa Fe River bed. When we took the aerial tram to Sandia Peak on our way to the Albuquerque and I looked out toward Santa Fe, the ground was a deep red in spots. I didn’t get to see it, but the tram attendant said the cliffs of Sandia Peak were feldspar, and glowed pink for ten minutes at sunset. Next time I want to see that.

What colors do you identify with where you live?

In the Blink of an Eye

So, I was on my way to yoga, feeling all mellow. It was a beautiful spring day. The orange trees have started to blossom and the air is sweet with their fragrance. And, at least for now, it seems like the “check engine” light coming on in my car last night was a false alarm.

There is a four way stop at my corner. I even mentioned it in Hooked on Murder. It’s the intersection that Officer James was hanging around looking for people who ran the stop signs. I wish he had been there tonight.

I stopped and noted both streets were empty. As I moved forward to make a left turn, a car roared out of nowhere, and flew through the stop sign to my left. I slammed on the brakes, but was sure there was no way it wasn’t going to hit me. In the few seconds, it was like time slowed down. I managed to note there were two boys in the car. Either teens or twentish. The car was dark gray and too expensive for them to have bought it with their own money. Somehow our cars never made contact. They continued on, not slowing for a moment as they rushed on down the street.

Shaken and muttering to myself about what I thought of the driver, I continued on my way. As I drove on, I realized I had a choice. I could stay tense and preoccupied with what had almost happened. I could keep feeling angry that not only did they go through the sign, but didn’t even have the sense to slow down after they almost hit me.

Or I could look at it the other way. I could be thrilled that by some miracle they had not hit me. I was okay. My car was unhurt.

I chose the latter. I let the whole thing go when I got to yoga and surrendered myself to the class. By the time we’d done our final relaxation, the whole episode had moved to the back of my mind.

I can’t control what happens, but I can control how I take it.

Have you ever had a near miss like mine? How did you feel afterwards?

A Death in the Family

My computer died last week and until I get my new one set up, I am using my laptop. I still don't know all that I lost on the dead computer. I guess I won't know until I need some file and realize it went down with the ship.

I had backed everything up about a year ago and I always back up my writing daily, so whatever I lost probably isn't that bad.

I have decided that this is the perfect time to clear out my writing room. It has gotten more and more congested with each new book. Let's just say there is a path through boxes of papers to my computer desk. I thought I would have the new computer set up by now, but cleaning out the room is more time consuming than I thought. What can I say, I keep reading over things and admiring treasures I'm finding buried in all the stuff. I found some money, too.

The computer that died was old by computer standards. So old, I can't remember when I got it. Not like the old days with typewriters. But then everything electronic is obsolete as you walk out of the store. I think of that every time I look at my clunky Kindle.

I admit that playing with an IPad in an Apple store was fun, but buy one? No way. I learned my lesson with the Kindle. Wait awhile. At least until they stop coming out with a new generation of it every few months.

I hope when I finally get my computer set up it has a long and useful life. I don't have to have the newest shiny toy in the electronic department. So, even when it's obsolete by other people's standards,I won't replace it until I have to. Though I'm definitely going take Terri's advice and get drop box. I'm also going to get some kind of automatic backup.

How do you feel about being sold devices that are outdated in a short time?

Tonight

I love taking Goldy for her walk. Every time it’s a different experience. Tonight it was just getting dark and the sky was a gorgeous translucent blue. Up ahead, the trees on top of the ridge were reduced to dark silhouettes with the sky showing through. I was surprised how many stars I could see considering the sky wasn’t the dark navy blue of night yet.

It was dinner time and as I walked down the street, I could tell by smell that someone was having chicken soup and the people on the corner were having broiled steak. It amazes me that after being a vegetarian for over twenty-five years, cooking meat still smells good to me. And I can tell by smell what kind it is. The people on the corner have lamb chops a lot.

No one else seemed to be out walking. A police car went by and instantly I began to wonder why someone one had called them. There were no sirens or flashing lights, so I don’t think it was an emergency.

I admit it, I do look in curtainless windows as I pass by. I saw a family sitting down to dinner. And when I passed an open garage, I saw a kid practicing his drums. I bet his parents and the whole street wished he would shut the door and maybe add some soundproofing.

Other than the drum solo there wasn’t much action. I’ve had fire department ambulances squeak to stop in front of a house as passed. One night I watched a pair of uniforms jump out of their car and stop a pair of teenagers who were working the area with a scam where they claim to be selling magazines to raise money for their school. Apparently, they had gotten a little too aggressive and somebody had called the cops. Nosy me walked by real slowly, listening to what was going on. The teens were pros and knew just what to say. The cops couldn’t really do anything and let them go.

Another time the cops drove by looking for something or someone and shined their spotlight on me. Yeah, I looked like a real threat. Hook and ladders have rumbled past me. Coyotes have run by. And of course, we’ve met other people with dogs.

I say hello to everybody - well, not the cops who stopped those teens - but everybody else.
Last week I even talked to the guy driving the van for the crew from the commercial shoot. They were using a church parking lot for crew parking and he was ferrying them back and forth. By then the shoot was packing up. He noticed Goldy’s light (she has a collar with a LED light to make her more visible to traffic) and asked about it. Lots of people do. Sometimes cars even stop and people comment on how neat it is or ask where to buy one. Petsmart.

Tonight the only person I greeted was a housekeeper on her way to the bus.

As much as Goldy loves going out, she’s happy to come home and have her dinner. Then she goes back to her chair and I get back to my work.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from our walks, it’s life is what you make it.

Do you make something routine into something special?

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead. The fourth book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series is Make, Take, Murder, and its release date is May 1, 2011.

Joanna will be appearing at Sleuthfest, March 3 through 6, at Deerfield Beach, FL.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. Linda will be signing Beaglemania, the first in her new Pet Rescue Mystery Series, at Bookstar in Studio City, California, on Saturday, March 26, at 3 PM in conjunction with the weekly pet adoption event by Kinder4Rescue on Ventura Boulevard.

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!

Synopsis

Judging by the groan I get in response from other writers when I say I’m working on a synopsis, I gather that it’s not most writers favorite task. I wasn’t too thrilled either when I got my contract and it said they wanted to see a synopsis first for each book.

But now that I’m working on my seventh crochet mystery I have come to like doing the synopsis. It is where the story starts to come together. At times, it seems like magic as information from all different places starts popping up in my mind.

My chosen method of working is first thing in the morning when I’m still a little half here and not quite there. I like to use index cards. I learned to write scenes on index cards when I was writing scripts, but it works nicely for books, too. The good thing about index cards that as I think of something that needs to happen earlier, I can write it on a card and stick it where it belongs. I number the cards, but end up with adding abc, etc to the numbers as I stick more cards in.

Writing a synopsis is about telling rather than showing. I find that in writing mysteries, there are two stories. The first is what happened. Who killed so and so. How they did it. Why they did it. And what clues lead to the killer being uncovered. Then there is the story the reader gets, which is the first story all mixed up and revealed slowly. For me the synopsis turns out to be the plot the reader gets with some explanations of what really happened mixed in.

When I get done with the index cards, I either start writing the actual synopsis on a yellow legal pad or move right to the computer. The funny part is that I barely look at the cards unless I get stuck.

I’m still on index cards right now, but the pieces are falling into place. Tidbits of information I never knew would be useful seem to fall from the sky and land on the cards. The characters are all starting to talk in my head, or in some cases, argue. I don’t want to give anything away, but in this book two plot lines have to dovetail and all these neat ways to do it have been showing up in my imagination.

When I’m finished and my editor has given me the okay, the synopsis will be like a book map. Even though things will change in the actual writing, I will know where I’m headed and the ride will be so much more fun.

For the writers out there, how do you feel about writing a synopsis?

Black and White and Read All Over

guess it sounds kind of dinosaurish, but I like to read the newspaper. Yes, there is lots of news online, but it’s not the same. With the newspaper there is a certain serendipity as you flip through the pages. Who knows what stories you’ll find? If you’re just following tabloid headlines online, you miss out on a lot.

I read the Daily News which used to be called the Valley Greensheet and the first page really was green. Although it covers the news of the whole Los Angeles area, it focuses a little more on the San Fernando Valley. Although focusing on local news seems kind of dinosaurish, too.

I took a journalism class at the local community college a while ago. It was kind of like shutting the door when the chickens have already gotten out. I already had a degree and had worked on the student newspaper of two different universities, writing news stories and a column. Still it was an interesting class if for no other reason than the students. Community colleges attract the whole spectrum of people, so there was a man who knew World War II first hand, and a kid raw out of high school who couldn’t deal with the concept on not wearing his baseball cap in class.

The first thing the instructor talked about was what made something newsworthy. Right up there was proximity, but that was before the Internet made the whole world local.

I often end up cutting out newspaper stories because they are relevant to what I’m writing. I am just beginning on the seventh crochet mystery, tentatively called Knot What It Seams. Both Molly and her friend Dinah have issues with what I call text talk. It started with shortening names. Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC. Sunny Delight became Sunny D. Then between emails and texting, all hell broke loose or AHBL.

Not only was there LOL, but thank you became TY. See you later became C U. I saw this great article in the paper about even more words that had been turned into letters. It was great information for Molly and Dinah. As I cut it out of the paper, I could just hear Molly and Dinah throwing their hands up that OK had become K. The period was added to signify the discussion was finished. I’m sure Molly and Dinah would have a few things to say about LMAO or LMAOOF, which are supposed to show how hard you’re laughing out loud.

Then there’s WTF, which is a way of saying the F word without saying it and makes you look edgy and clever.

I added the article to my stash. Yes, along with a stash of yarn, I have a stash of newspaper articles. In fact, the whole plot of Knot What It Seams came from a newspaper article.

So old fashioned as it seems, I like the newspaper. I’m sure they will be appearing on I Pads soon if they aren’t already, but it’s not the same experience of holding the paper in your hands and folding back the pages. I still like my news in 3D.

What about you?

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead. The fourth book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series is Make, Take, Murder, and its release date is May 1, 2011.

Joanna will be appearing at Murder in the Magic City (Birmingham, AL) on Feb. 5 at the Homewood Library in Birmingham, AL. On Feb. 6, she'll participate in Murder on the Menu in Wetumpka, AL.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. She is working on her third Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescue mystery. The first, Beaglemania, will be published in March--coming soon!

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!

Good Bye Jack

This post is going to be short. I have been going back and forth on a proposal with my agent. My eyes feel like they’re going in circles from staring at the computer screen so long.

I was supposed to return from Chicago on Wednesday. But I had to go to a memorial Service for Jack LaLanne on Tuesday. I changed my return ticket as I was at the airport on the way out. I had no idea what a lucky break that was going to be. When looked at all the pictures of the cars stuck on Lake Shore Drive in the blizzard, I shuddered. Just the night before, I’d been zipping down the road on the way to the airport with no problem.

I know what the storm is like. I was there for the one in ‘67 when the snow drifts went to the top of mailboxes. I was working as a waitress at a neighborhood restaurant and my boss had to take a sled to Lake Shore Drive to pick up supplies because the side streets were too snow covered for the delivery trucks to come in.

I came home to sunshine and a slight chill. It was nice to go outside without having to bundle up.

Jack LaLanne’s memorial service was funny, touching and theatrical. How often do you hear applause at a funeral? Lots of people spoke and said the same thing. Jack was a great guy who wanted to help everybody enjoy the same high level of health and fitness he had.

Any of you who go to a gym owe Jack a big thank you. He was the first person to open a gym dedicated to resistence training. He was the first person to say that women should lift weights. He invented the basis for most of the equipment in gyms. The Jumping Jack was named for him.

There would be no fitness industry if it weren’t for Jack. It’s nice for a change to focus on the good one person did instead of the opposite.

So strange. All those years ago when I was a member of the Jack LaLanne Health Club in Reseda, in my wildest dreams, I never thought one day I’d met the namesake of the place. Isn’t life interesting?

Has anything like that ever happened to you?

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead. The fourth book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series is Make, Take, Murder, and its release date is May 1, 2011.

Joanna will be appearing at Murder in the Magic City (Birmingham, AL) on Feb. 5 at the Homewood Library in Birmingham, AL. On Feb. 6, she'll participate in Murder on the Menu in Wetumpka, AL.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. She is working on her third Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescue mystery. The first, Beaglemania, will be published in March--coming soon!

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!

What a Difference a Day Makes

What would life be without contrasts? Yesterday I was in SoCal. No jacket needed as I went in my backyard. It was warm, sunny and windy. The bald spots in the yard were filling in with bright green shoots of grass. The carnations were blooming and had a wonderful spicy scent.

1745 miles later the scene changed.

As the plane was landing last night, snow was blowing by the window. I could see my breath as I walked onto the jet bridge. Along the expressway, the slopes were covered in white.

Today as I prepared to go to the grocery store, I put on a parka and gloves. I pulled my shopping cart down the street through the falling snow. The only flowers or greenery were the bunches of blossoms in the grocery store.

The snow caught in my hair and on the front of the parka. I didn’t have to worry about my frozen food thawing on the walk home. I realized that lawn and garden service has a winter meaning here as I watched two men with that emblazoned on their jackets get out of a truck with a snow plow attached to the front as they began to shovel the walk in front of me.

It was nice to come inside where it was cozy and warm. I hope I finish crocheting the snuggily cowl I started on the plane. It goes with the weather here. A good time to sit at my computer and finish the new thing I'm working on. No pull to go off walking in the Santa Monica mountains or bask in the sun.

I love contrasts. What about you?

Happy Today!

Terri’s post about not saving things for something special, but using them all the time made me think of how I feel about celebrating.

Why save it for a special occasion? I celebrate anything and everything. If someone makes a left turn right in front of me and I narrowly miss hitting them, I think about how great it is that the accident didn’t happen. I think how my day would have been ruined and am so grateful it wasn’t. So, for the rest of the day I celebrate.


If I do any chore that I keep putting off and don’t want to do, I celebrate.

It the sun is shining and my backyard looks beautiful, I celebrate.

Pretty much any day of the week or month of the year, I can find something to celebrate about.

Yesterday, I got some muscle spasm in my back from the drumming class I took at the gym. When the pain was gone after only a short time and I felt great, I celebrated.

Today I saw the cover art for my next book, Behind the Seams. It's beautiful and I wanted to celebrate. I'd show the cover, but t's still being tweaked, and not ready to share.

And what is it I do to celebrate? Mostly, it's just to savor the moment.

Believe it or not all this celebrating everything came from the 1994 earthquake. I didn’t take the earthquake well. I didn’t eat and barely drank anything for a week and lost ten pounds. I slept in my shoes with my purse next to me. The endless aftershocks were frightening. But then something happened. I began to feel grateful for every moment the earth wasn’t shaking. Eventually the aftershocks ended, but my feelings of gratitude didn’t.

It still amazes me how something so good came from something so scary.

Do you celebrate all the time or save it for things like birthdays and anniversaries?

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead (April 1, 2012). A release date of May 1, 2011, has been set for the fourth book--Make, Take, Murder.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. She is working on her third Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescue mystery. The first, Beaglemania, will be published in March--coming soon!

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!

On the Street Where I Live

Just when I wondered what I was going to write about this week, something showed up, literally, on my front porch. There was a notice that they were going to be filming on my street again. This time it was a Volkswagen commercial.
It was kind of last minute notice. The next morning when I opened the shutters the usually quiet street was parked up with vans and trucks. This was a high end shoot. They always seem to use white trucks to carry all the equipment, but this time they were shiny white trucks. One of them was particularly large with windows on the side and a satellite dish on top. Across the street they were setting up table and chairs in my neighbors front yard to use for meals. A catering truck was parked at the curb.

Even where no trucks were parked there were orange cones holding the spots. They had taken over the street. People wandered up and down and I saw a couple sitting on the curb in front of my house with their cell phones and laptops.

It was like a parallel universe out there. They were all going about their business, setting things up as if it was just a set instead of a residential street. And I’m just going on with my usual stuff inside.

The star Volkswagen was parked across the street. A slew of people stood around it, practically giving it a massage. I’m guessing that in the midst of that crowd there was a handler for the car. It’s someone who makes sure no one manhandles it, and there aren’t any smudges on the hood.

I know about handlers from an informercial my husband did for a vacuum cleaner. There was a woman who’s sole job was to shadow the main vacuum cleaner and its backup to make sure they both looked perfect for the shoot. She kept a cloth ready and continually gave the vacuum cleaners a little touch up wipe.

Our parallel universes crossed when I walked Goldy - not an easy task with all the commotion on the street - and some crew guy I passed said hello and commented on Goldy’s light. I have a special collar for her with a LED light on it which lights her way at night and hopefully makes it easier for cars to see us. The crew guy thought it was cute.

They were using the same house they used for Dinner with a Rock Star and the episode of Criminal Minds. Apparently the owners of the house registered their house as a location. There is a limit to how many days a year your house can be used, but you make a nice piece of change if you don’t mind having your life totally disrupted and strangers doing all kinds of stuff in your house.

All the trucks and people stayed for two days and into the night. And then they all left and the street was quiet and empty as usual.

I can’t wait to see the commercial.

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead (April 1, 2012). A release date of May 1, 2011, has been set for the fourth book--Make, Take, Murder.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. She is working on her third Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescue mystery. The first, Beaglemania, will be published in March--coming soon!

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!

Rose Parade Floats

I can’t believe that just a week ago I was writing about going to see the Rose Parade floats. Now we’ve been and gone, the holidays are over and life has returned to normal

We almost didn’t go. It was very cold for Southern California and the middle of the night is the coldest time of day. Some of the people who were supposed to come along, dropped out and I have to admit curling up under my comforter did sound appealing. But at the same time going out across the valley in the middle of the night was an adventure.

We didn’t get to the area where the floats were parked until after 2 a.m. This year there weren’t any people dressed up in party wear. I think they’d already been there and gone home. Most of the people looked like us and were bundled up in sweat pants and sneakers, or in my case, Crocs.

Even the parade workers were pretty subdued. Some were asleep in folding chairs next to their floats and others were huddled around propane heaters trying to stay warm.

This year the floats seemed much bigger and more elaborate than the previous year. Could that be a sign of the times - that things are really getting better?

Somebody said it must have smelled wonderful with all those flowers. I did a lot of sniffing, but I never got the slightest whiff of anything floral.

By the time we got to the very front of the parade, the grassy parkway was totally covered with people in sleeping bags, camping out until the parade began. We started the long walk back past all the floats just as the bomb squad guys arrived. The two men were dressed in seriously creepy black outfits with bomb squad written on the back of their shirts. Their dogs matched their clothes, though they didn’t seem creepy. Even bomb sniffing dogs wag their tails.

Somehow I ended up keeping pace with them. Every now and then, the two guys glanced over at me with a curious stare. They couldn’t have seriously thought I was a threat. I looked like the Michelin Man bundled up in my down coat, and I was wearing black and white striped gloves. What kind of trouble maker would wear black and white striped gloves? Finally, the dogs took a break and I kept on going. By now it was around 4 a.m. and TV crews were arriving and there was a lot of action in the trailers set up by the Wrigley mansion which is the Rose Parade headquarters. A bunch of highway patrol officers showed up and took pictures of each other standing in front of the floats.

I was a little weary by the time we got back to the end of the parade. Ahead the normally busy Orange Grove Ave was empty (it was closed off), though brightly lit by the huge lights held up by cranes. We passed groups of people carrying thermos and folding chairs. It took me a moment to realize it was so late, they weren’t coming to look at the floats the way we did. They were coming to watch the parade.

We went to IHOP on the way home. There was something going on with cops in the parking lot. Inside two cops were talking to the cashier. I’m not sure if they were talking about a pancake orders or taking a report of trouble. When my waffle came, I looked out the window. Something seemed strange about the sky. Then I got what it was. Dawn.

I couldn’t believe I had managed to stay up all night without falling on my face. Goldy was asleep in the middle of my bed when I got home. She gave me a dirty look when I tried to get her to move. I think she figured it was going to be hers for the night.

When was the last time you stayed out all night?

News and Appearances

Announcing our new line-up--

Mondays will be Joanna Campbell Slan, Tuesdays will be Monica Ferris, Wednesdays will be Linda O. Johnston, Thursdays will be Terri Thayer, and Fridays will be Betty Hechtman. Stay tuned for fun, guests, comments and contests!

Monday's author, Joanna Campbell Slan, is working on the fifth book of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, tentatively titled Ink, Red, Dead (April 1, 2012). A release date of May 1, 2011, has been set for the fourth book--Make, Take, Murder.

Tuesday's author, Monica Ferris, is home from traveling and is working on Threadbare, a new Betsy Devonshire novel.

Wednesday's author, Linda O. Johnston, is busy being ordered around by her dogs. She is working on her third Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescue mystery. The first, Beaglemania, will be published in March--coming soon!

Thursday's author, Terri Thayer, is celebrating the release this week of False Impressions, the latest in her Stamping Sisters series.

Friday's author, Betty Hechtman, is celebrating the release of her newest book You Better Knot Die. Check her out at BettyHechtman.com.

Visit us every Sunday--

For news and updates. Be sure to check out our websites for more information about our books. You can go to http://www.blogger.com/www.booktour.com for scheduling information on many of your favorite authors!