El Segundo Author Fair  

Well here I sit in my living room, which I consider my sun room on cold mornings, drinking my coffee (1/2 cup) and listening to two teenagers play video games and surf the net. My oldest and youngest are at hula and my husband is off with a friend at a computer show looking around. I really should be writing, but instead have decided to catch up on my correspondence. I e-mailed my niece and her husband and sent pictures, I checked the traffic on my web page (36 new visitors as of today and 75 repeat visitors), and will begin preparing my address labels to send the last of my mystery bookstore postcards. I will send the library ones and the chain bookstores next.

We had rain, not much. We need lots more. I started reading a new mystery book/author: Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerney (thanks to a link on the Sister's in Crime web page of which I am a member). It takes place on an island where my ancestors lived - Cranberry Isle - off the coast of Maine. It's ironic too since my inspiration for An Old Fashioned Murder came from the man who lived and died on that island in 1801. He was a character. Used to rat on his neighbors and report on the ships used by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Apparently he was a bit of a tory loyalist at heart, but never took the leap to head to Canada. It was funny because in all the family histories on the Herrick's, Andrew was the least noted. I later learned why. He bounced from Mount Desert to Cranberry to the mainland leaving 5 dead wives and 16 children here and there. When registering his family at the town hall he couldn't even remember his wive's birthdates or all their maiden names. Now how could I not use someone like him as a character in a book?

Well I hope your Sunday is as productive as mine...more later.

Well I (I should say we) finally got some stuff done around the house. Didn't get the stove fixed but oh well. One project at a time. I got the garden weeded, we got the car washed and the new satellite dish up and running. The dishwaher trap was cleaned out and I re-organized all the drawers in my bathroom. It's amazing how much clutter there is after 6 years in a house. I even got the DAR pictures sent to the newsletter chair and a donation letter in the mail for a member of SBCGS. It's good to cross things off your to-do list!

As for my writing, I did get a great brainstorm on book four last night, and have written about 15 pages already. I had a good start for the plot, but I thought it would peak too quickly at the rate I was going. I tend to change my mind as I write in regard to the protagonist(s) and who eventually will be the murderer anyway (I've done it three times so far). With this one - I have titled A Flatboat to Murder - it's set in concrete, but I wanted more of a build up. I have a comedic side this time revolving around a wedding and the havoc it wreaks. Lydia won't be getting too much support from her group with this mystery since they will be focused on things elsewhere. They will be helping but not quite as intimately as before.

All you need to know is it involves gas and oil leases and a drowning on the Ohio river. No, it's nothing like the Pelican Brief, although I did enjoy that particular Grisham plot. You'll just have to wait and find out. At the rate it's going it will be a couple years since there are two books ahead of this one waiting to be printed.

An Old Fashioned Murder is out and about the web. It isn't just on Amazon or Inifinity's site it is also available through Barnes & Noble, Borders.com, All Books.com and ecampus.com. WOW. The agreement with Infinty was only for Books in Print and Amazon that I remember (now I need to go look this up...). I did a search of my name and Wow! It's funny because if you searched it by title a couple weeks ago, it was on page 4 or 5. But thanks to Barnes & Noble it's on the first page half way down (I got beaten out by an episode of Columbo).

I still have two cards to mail out, just haven't done it yet. I have been spreading the word about the book too. Do you know how hard it is to brag when you are NOT naturally a bragger? It's like the weirdest thing in the whole world. Some people naturally love to talk about themselves, I am just not one of them. Oh I complain when it is warranted (e.g. my dead end job) but overall I'm pretty silent.

I am also getting a lot better at describing my book and the story line to people. When I first tried people looked at me like I was an alien. Now I can explain the plot to the point where they get the concept and it doesn't sound so odd.

A murder mystery solved using genealogical methods is really no different than using police technique. And according to everything I've read, it's more of a cozy since there's no violence or sexual inuendo. It's basically a group of women solving a mystery using their brains and initiative with Lydia Proctor as their leader.

Take a chance on An Old Fashioned Murder and let me know what you think. I know it won't be for everyone, and that's okay too.

Well I'm taking a chance and submitting my book to a reader's group who is based through a an online bookseller -- www.Overbooked.com. It is really neat. They read it and then ask the author questions about the book. It looks like a lot of fun. I sent a request to Infinity to have a copy sent to them for the review process, and then I will eventually send them a signed copy for the raffle once they schedule me in to their reading circle.

At first I was afraid to. The people I know who have read it have given pretty positive coments (remember one missed her bus) but sending it out there to the total unknown is a little scary. But if one can't feel confident about their own writing, then why bother at all? Why take a chance to publish if you're completely afraid of criticism or rejection.

I also re-sent a number of postcards to places that moved. I lost four to complete closure. What a terrible shame to the readers of the world! No one has asked me to visit their place of business yet for a signing, but then there is always hope.

So keep checking back. I really want to share Lydia's world with you all!

Well 2007 is here. Lots to do and only a week left to do it before I go back to work next week. I got all my pictures printed and now have a load of scrapbooking to do. I need to do some writing as well, but with a seven year old at home entertaining me, it hasn't happened!

I have had several hits already on my page this year. Please if you are one of the bookstores I sent cards to, consider ordering a couple copies of my genealogical cozy for your store. I am available for book signings on weekends and as long as I have a couple weeks notice I can bring some with me for signing or selling if you don't want to keep too many in your establishment.

I really want to get the second book printed in the series. The first sets up the characters of Lydia, Muriel, Faye and Julia but the second breathes a little more life into each of them. You will get to know the girls better with a little less preaching on genealogy and more on the research and murder solving aspects!

So if you want to have me visit you or you have any questions or comments--please see my contacts page or click on the e-mail Laurie link at the bottom of this one!

And a Happy New Year to all!