Happy Thanksgiving!

Overcast, cool, temps 13 - this is exactly the weekend when STILL LIFE is set!

Back home! Does it ever feel great. But what a wonderful time I had at Bouchercon in Baltimore. Everyone seemed to have a fabulous time - Congratulations to Ruth and Judy for their amazing organization.

The flight back yesterday was smooth, easy. Stunning countryside...brilliant, clear skies. As we flew north we could see the colours changing below. Until it was a mat of reds and oranges, up and down mountains and into valleys and thick, flat forests. Broken only by lakes.

Hoped into the car and did the 2 hours home. Got to Canada Customs a milli-second ahead of the rush. Behind me there must have been 20 cars. Sutton was packed...never seen it so crowded. Fun, though. It was sunny and warm and everyone was walking, and talking, and buying breads and cheese and going into shops.

Turned into the driveway and felt my spirits lift even further. What a beautiful home we have. And - even better - as I walked in I could smell turkey! And Michael had set the table with such creativity.

The UK publishers, Headline, had sent a beatuful bouqet of autumn flowers, and they looked fabulous in the kitchen. We have a large country kitchen (not unlike Clara and Peter's in the books) and we mostly entertain there.

Michael and I hugged and kisses and hugged again, then got softdrinks and sat and yakked away at each other, with news. Then Bal, Linda and Bethany Mount arrived for Thanksgiving dinner, with their 3 dogs, Tara, Trevi and Ivy. It was a mad house - perfect. Linda, wonderful woman, had made a salad and the dessert - of fruit and chocolate to melt for a fondue.

What could be better?

We know them so well, and love them - it was like family. Everyone helping out, and helping thmselves, and doing the dishes and cutting fruit. Bethany, who's 13, is brilliant. A writer. We tried to take the 5 dogs around the pond, but they kept playing, and running away we ended up just talking. And she told me all about the stories she's writing. For fun! Had I known it was possible to have a child like her I'd have order three of them.

After dinner we all divided the left-overs, chatted some more, then the Mounts returned to the guest house and we went up to bed, to laugh and talk and read. It feels so great to be home.

Spent today doing the smoothing out of the book - making the changes Michael found necessary when he read The Brutal Telling. Mostly grammatical and spelling mistakes...and a few names that changed suddenly and needed to be consistant. My brother Doug is also reading the manuscript. Doug - if you're reading this - hurry up!!! Doug reads about as quickly as I* do - which is about 2 pages a day. I write faster than I read. don't tell my editors.

Must be off...a ton of emails to respond to, and mailings to prepare. But life is good. Must take the dogs out - Trudy is clawing at me. Be well - talk tomorrow.