Five Famous Writers I'd Like to Scrapbook With

1. JK Rowling. She has a child and she may already have a scrapbook or two. But it would be so cool to get creative with her. You just have to wonder what kind of scrapbooks would she make? Would they open on their own? Sprinkle fairy dust? Heh.

2. Charlaine Harris. I think she’d be a hoot to hang out with. Have you read her books? Some of the funniest vampire fiction I’ve ever read. Oh wait. It’s the ONLY funny vampire fiction I’ve ever read.

3. Rita Mae Brown. She loves her animals and I love mine. Maybe we could scrapbook about our cats. I’d hope that she’d regale us with stories of Sneaky Pie while we were placing photos into our scrapbooks.

4. Toni Morrison. Because she’s my favorite writer and all crops need a poet or two.

5. Erica Jong. ‘Nuff said.

What famous women writers would you like to scrapbook with? (Next week, the men writers, I promise! Men scrapbook, too!)
In the mean time, Killer Hobbies friends, visit my website http://www.molliecoxbryan.com to see where I'm guest blogging this week to get a chance to win my new book.

The Last Bouchercon Story

It’s been a week of Bouchercon stories. My trip was a little longer. I spent a few days before and after in Chicago. When I finally got home, I awoke in the middle of the night and thought I was in a hotel somewhere and was worried about check out time. What a relief to realize I was in my own bed.

Like Monica, I was worried no one would show up for my crochet project in he craft room, or if they did, I wouldn’t know how to teach them. I’m glad to say I was wrong on both counts. There was a nice turn out and I was able to help those that needed it. Then just like any group of crocheters, we sat around and talked while we worked. I certainly enjoyed it.

I went to one of the other craft room events, as well. Sally Goldenbaum had a knit a square to send to South Africa project. I quickly realized I’d forgotten how to cast on, but Sally showed me a new way and I was able to get started.

It’s very humbling to try something you’re not good at. I can fly with a hook, but I stumble with needles. Everyone else was making fancy variations to their square, while I kept taking out mine and starting again. When I finally got going on it, I realized I didn’t know how to end it. The only knit project I completed was a coin purse that kept decreasing until you had just one stitch. It ended just like crochet, by pulling the yarn through.

Sally showed me how to cast off, but the lesson went out of my head as soon as left the room. I ended up finishing it while in Chicago where I had a book on knitting that explained how to do it. I sent my not quite square square to Sally. I hope good intentions count for something, because my lopsided square is full of them. It’s a happy thought that it will become a part of a blanket for scarf to keep someone warm on the other side of the globe.

Since my deadline is looming, I spent a good deal of Bouchercon writing. I had left my computer in Chicago, so it was all yellow pad and pen, but I wrote 30 pages.

My favorite part of Bouchercon was meeting all the people. Even with the cold drizzle, I enjoyed talking to Camille and Ann Parker on our way back from the Etlejorg museum. I pushed myself to circulate at the Berkley party and was surprised at how many people I knew. Afterwards, Maggie Sefton, Sheila Connolly, Kate Collins, Kate Carlisle, Darryl Wood Gerber and I went to the revolving restaurant on top of the hotel and had a fun dinner. We stayed long enough to make two complete revolutions.

There was breakfast with Sandy Harding, who I would like even if she weren’t my editor. I met James Scott Bell in the elevator who it turns out to lives in a nearby San Fernando Valley community. I rode to the airport with Mike Befeler who I seem to run into everywhere. Last time was at Left Coast in Hawaii. I introduced myself to Charlaine Harris and told her how much I enjoyed her panel. Everywhere I went, I found people I liked, to talk to. Mystery writers and fans are the best.

I felt like the ugly ducking who’d finally found the swans.

What's in a Name

I went to Border’s to sign stock of By Hook or By Crook. I can never leave a bookstore empty handed and besides I had a nice 25 percent off coupon. I picked up a dictionary of names and another book that promises more than 30,000 names from around the world. And there was the Edward doll from Twilight. What can I say, I collect odd dolls and I really liked the book and movie. What else can you call a collection that includes Barbie the detective, Star Trek characters and a Ron Howard doll from Happy Days among others?

I already had a couple of books of names, but they are light weight compared to these new ones. Naming characters is a big deal. What you choose says a lot about their age, background, nationality and what soap operas were popular. When I was writing a picture book for a workshop I took at University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, I wanted to find a name for my dog main character. He was a dog with an attitude who I was sure would roll his eyes at me if I tried to give him any sort of cutsy name. When I saw Monty in a book of names, I knew it belonged to him.

I was reading the Sisters in Crime Newsletter and Charlaine Harris talked about the care she takes in picking out names for her protagonists. She said she might get other character’s names by thumbing through the phone book, but not her main character. She picks their names to be reflective of their lives. As an example, she mentioned choosing Lily for a character needed a tender name despite her tough, practical exterior.

I wish I could say I had some complicated reason for giving Molly Pink her name. Actually it just popped in my head one day and I knew that was her name. It was only later that I realized I had some kind of unconscious thing for names with color. I honestly didn’t notice Molly Pink, Barry Greenberg or Blue Schwartz all had colors in their names. At first anyway. With Blue as I was writing I realized both her names were colors. Schwartz is German for black. I ended up incorporating the bruise aspect of her black and blue name in the book.

The cool thing about the books I got today is that they have international names, so if I have say a Korean character, I can find an authentic name. It’s also fun to read what the names mean. The name dictionary seems pretty authentic in the derivation’s it offer. Better than another book I have that tries to determine meaning by what celebrities have a particular name. I just have to be careful not to get so enamored in reading through all the lists that I use up all my time.

A yarn update. I started knitting with the yarn that was such a nightmare going from hank to ball. So far, it seems to be very nice to work with. It survived the test of unraveling and didn’t get tangled and I was able to start over with no problem other than being annoyed that I had to start over. I’ll post a picture when it’s done.

The Printers Row Book Fair was lots of fun despite the cold and rain. I am sure glad I brought a sweater, a jacket and an umbrella. A lot of nice people stopped by the table and bought books. Julie Hyzy did another great job of organizing the Mystery Writers of America Booth. Margery Flax from MWA supplied us with brownies and the warmth of her personality. And I discovered an amazing yarn store down the street from the fair.

It should be warmer and dryer this Sunday at noon when I sign as part of the Los Angeles Romance Authors book fair at the Encino Barnes & Noble.

True Blood Is True Success

True Blood, the television series based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books debuted last night. If you missed it--poor, poor you. Go to www.hbo.com/trueblood/ to see the first episode. Then tune your television for every Sunday at 9 p.m. (Check to see if that's correct for your time zone, please.)


Okay, that's about as much as I can write without gushing--praise, not blood. I mean I am totally over the moon with what Alan Ball did with the books. And the intro to the show itself is breath-taking. What a fabulous montage of all things Southern, and faintly creepy.


I'm a big fan of the series. So much so, that when Michael had mono his junior year, I read him the first chapter of Dead Until Dark, the first book in the series, knowing he'd be hooked. And he was. He zipped through the books--a blessing when your kid is sick is to find a great distraction--and asked me, "When's the next one coming out? Can you go get it? NOW?"



My 17-year-old son was mesmerized by Sookie, vampire Bill, Sam the bartender, Merlotte's Bar, and the whole Louisiana setting. I knew he would be. I had "found" Charlaine and started with her Amanda Teagarden books, which I liked. But it was her Lily Bard series which starts with Shakespeare's Landlord that I admired as an author. Lily is scarred, tough but wise, and the gritty poignant portrayal of a woman who is down but not out was exactly the tone I wanted to strike when I wrote Paper, Scissors, Death. In fact, I think that Lily Bard and my character Mert Chambers, who is my protagonist Kiki Lowenstein's best friend as well as her former cleaning lady, as channeling Lily Bard.



Now let me tell you about Charlaine Harris. (Go to http://www.charlaineharris.com/ to read more.) She's the most unassuming, sweet-natured, wonderful woman. At every conference, she totally cracks up her audiences. I recall one particular interview with her. The moderator asked if she had any books she'd written but wasn't particularly thrilled with. Ones that had, perhaps, not fulfilled her expectations.


"If books are like children," she drawled, "I have a couple that would definitely be riding the Special Bus."


So here's to Charlaine. (She's on the right and I'm on the left in the photo taken at Malice in 2006.) True Blood is a true success we can all enjoy!

To Be or Not to Be a Diva

Boy, am I exhausted. Friday I flew to DC for Malice Domestic, the large gathering of lovers of the traditional mystery. This is my third Malice. I’m beginning to feel like some bizarre bridesmaid going to other people’s weddings. Instead of a bouquet, I carry other people’s bookmarks and excerpt booklets. I don’t have a book in hand to sell. So what do I do? I schmooze. I meet booksellers such as Jim Huang of The Mystery Company (Carmel IN) and the fantastic Antoinette Cross of Foul Play (Westerville OH). Antoinette stopped me in the hall to say she has my book The Best of British Scrapbooking and my Storytelling with Rubber Stamps.

I nearly swooned with joy. My husband says I need to learn to act like a diva. “Joanna, you’ve sold a lot of books! Why on earth do you act so surprised that someone had a couple of them? 60,000 is a ton of books.”

Actually, I have sold 85,000 of Scrapbook Storytelling. Fifteen thousand of The Best of British, One Minute Journaling and Quick & Easy Pages. Seven thousand five hundred of Storytelling with Rubber Stamps. And 10,000 of Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience. I also sold more than 15,000 copies of I’m Too Blessed to Be Depressed.

As I type this, I realize, well, duh. Someone out there must own a copy or two of my books. (And forgive me. I KNOW a lot of you do. See how silly I am?)

Okay, anyone know HOW to act like a diva? Better question, do I want to act like a diva? The answer is NO.

Charlaine Harris and I were talking about this yesterday at breakfast. We’re Southern girls. I never heard my mother (and have never heard my mother) compliment me. I’m sure she has, but not in front of me. I was taught to be humble. I was taught—almost with superstitious zeal—not to brag.

I just don’t think I can be a diva. I can dress like one, sort of. (I bought really cool zebra striped shoes to wear to Malice.)

But act like one? Hello? What would that mean? What would I say, “Well, of course you’ve heard of me?” What do you think? Do I need to change? To be more, I dunno, prideful?

Okay, send me an answer. Comment, please. I’ll send one of you the great Malice bag honoring Charlaine. (You can put her and MY books in it. How’s that? I don’t think she’d mind.)