Denver - Tattered Cover

sunny - some smoke from the forest fires lingering - temps mid-80s

Thank you for all your wonderful comments about THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY! I cannot tell you how much your support means.

Having a blast on the book tour. Wonderful, easy flights, and so enjoying the cities. Denver is so beautiful - with such interesting history of the gold rush. Beautiful juxtaposition of old and shiny new buildings downtown.

Met my American agent, Patty Moosbrugger, for drinks before the event at Tattered Cover. (great name for a bookstore, no?) Wow - what a great independent bookstore, and an amazing crowd, as you can see. Standing room only again, they had to bring in more seats - and everyone was so welcoming. Felt like a gathering of friends. Thank you!

It's such fun to be meeting you - and also to be visiting many of the great independent bookstores - the ones that were here first, and where our parents and grandparents bought their books. Very moving. Very inspirational to see the way these stores are loved by their patrons, and the loyalty. Beautiful.

Off to San Francisco this morning. Event at Keplers Books in Menlo Park, 7pm tonight. Hope to see you there.

Cincinnati....sunny - hot - highs today in 90's....

But I won't be here....flying to Denver in a couple of hours.  

The event last night at Joseph-Beth bookstore in Cincinnati was amazing...standing room only (lots of people you can't see off the sides of the photo). Loved meeting those of you who came out. Thank you.

Really liked Cincinnati - and, of course, the fabulous Joseph-Beth bookstore.

As I mentioned, am flying to Denver this morning - event at Tattered Cover at 7:30 tonight. Hope to see you there.

Hope you're enjoying THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY!  And please, keep spreading the word. I so appreciate it. See you soon.

Naperville event!

sunny, mild, temps 75

Thank you for all your kind thoughts yesterday when THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY was launched!!!

Here's a photo of the event in Naperville (just outside Chicago). It was put on by Anderson's Books, but they moved it to a larger location - the university theatre. SO much fun!!

Hopping a flight this morning to Cincinnati. Will be at Joseph-Beth books at 7 tonight. Hope to see you there. Onward....

Lift Off!!!

Chicago - sunny - beautiful day - temps 80

Great flight from Burlington, VT to Chicago.

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY is finally published....this is launch day!!!! Yippeee. Feels like I've been waiting forever.

I so hope you like this book.

Off to Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville - just outside Chicago - for 7pm offical world launch. Hope you can join us.

If not, I carry you in my heart....where you've been all along. What great company you are.

Friends and Neighbours meet The Beautiful Mystery

Sunny, warm, temps 26 today

heading off on the official tour tomorrow....flying to Chicago.

But we had a wonderful pre-launch event in Knowlton yesterday! Here's what it looked like from my perspective.

Given the theme of the book, I just love that shaft of light. As well as, of course, the glorious people. Had SO much fun. Danny and Lucy wrote and performed a plain chant, using Three Pines as the theme. it was hilarious. Then I spoke, and did a couple of readings, and answered question (my favorite part of any event).

Exhausting and exhilarating. Thank you all for coming. Thank you Danny and Lucy and Brome Lake Books. Thank you Lucy's mom Sarah and Dad John for all their musical help. Thank you My Assistant Lise for being there on a day off, and working so hard.

I feel filled-up for the tour ahead. Now so looking forward to meeting more of you, and having you meet THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY.

The Princess and the Me

sunny, mild, temps 19 - but heading for a high of 26.

Three days to go before THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY is out!

Such an important day - we have the pre-launch of THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY. This is a party Danny and Lucy from Brome Lake Books host locally, so that friends and neighbours get first crack at the new release. This year it's at the Knowlton community centre, which holds 200 - and is now 'standing room only' for the event - at 2pm today.

Had some amazing news yesterday!!!

People Magazine has made THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY its lead review, the Editor's Pick and given it four out of four stars!

Among other things, their reveiw says: "With enormous empathy for the troubled human soul—and an ending that makes your blood race and your heart break—Penny continues to raise the bar of her splendid series.”

This is in the edition of People just on the stands (with Princess Kate on the cover). Yipppeee! So much celebrating around here. And just four more days before THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY is launched.

One week from today I'll be in San Francisco for an event at Book Passage, in Corte Madera - at 4pm.

If you'd like more information on my tour schedule just go to the events page on my website:

http://www.louisepenny.com/events.htm

See you there!

One Week!!

Sunny, cool, temps 14

A chilly morning here in southern Quebec - can begin to feel autumn in the air.

One week from today THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY will be published! I'll be in Naperville, Illinois, (not far from Chicago), at Anderson's Bookshop, for the official launch. Love to see you there, on August 28th - 7pm. And, in celebration and anticipation, we have the last excerpt from the previous books in the Gamache series....today, A TRICK OF THE LIGHT....and once again, I've chosen two short quotes from the book -

"Not for the first time Three Pines struck Myrna as the equivalent of the Humane Society. Taking in the wounded, the unwanted. The mad, the sore. This was a shelter. Though, clearly, not a no-kill shelter.”

And, later in A TRICK OF THE LIGHT -

“She sat forward, curious to see how Clara would handle this attack. Because that was what it was. Civil and subtle and said with a smile. A sort of social neutron bomb. Meant to keep the structures of polite conversation standing, while slaying the person.”

One more week to THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY - Wow, suddenly it seems so soon.

Bury Your Dead - redux

overcast, humid, temp 25

Off to Montreal today. Am taping an interview tomorrow with Sunday Edition - a big CBC Radio national programme - talking about THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY. Set my alarm to get up early, to get a few hours editing in before driving in to the city.

Olympics are over (and were fabulous - congratulations London and all of the UK!!!)- my second draft is underway - feels like another stage of life is unfolding.

I realize this might be a little confusing to some who've arrived to these posts late. What I talk about editing the next book, I don't mean THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY. That's all done - edited,printed, bound and ready for the August 28th launch. The book I'm writing/editing is the next one. Hoping to have the second draft done before going on tour. But in anticipation, and celebration, of the launch of THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY, I've been looking back at the previous Gamache novels, and pulling some favorite quotes. Today - BURY YOUR DEAD, and two excerpts -

“Gamache walked toward the Château, past the large statue in the middle of the small park. The Monument de la Foi. A monument to Faith. For Québec had been built on Faith. And fur. But the city fathers preferred to raise a statue to martyrs than to a beaver.”

“He yanked open the heavy wooden door and entered the Literary and Historical Society, where the Anglos kept and filed and numbered all their ghosts.”

Two weeks from now I'll be on a flight to Chicago, for the official launch, August 28th, of the next book - THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY. Yay!

Writing on the web - woe

sunny, fresher....no storms, but humidity has broken.

Family reunion is over....always so sad to see them go. Sad, too, to contemplate the mountain of laundry!

Getting closer and closer to launch date (Aug 28th) and tour for THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY! One month from today I'll be traveling from RJ Julia bookstore in Madison, CT to Odyssey bookstore in South Hadley, MA. Today, in anticipation of Book 8 coming out, I'm continuing the look back at previous books. We're up to book 5 - THE BRUTAL TELLING. Here's a scene from the cabin in the woods -

“A glittering caught his attention. Up high. In the farthest corner of the cabin. Was it eyes? Picking up his piece of wood Agent Morin crept closer, crouching down. As he approached the corner the glitter began to form a pattern. It was a spider’s web, just catching the soft glow of the lamp. But there was something different about it. As his eyes adjusted the hair on the back of his neck rose.

A word had been woven into the web.

‘Woe.’”

So fun looking back - and fun looking forward. And wonderful being right here, right now. Preparing to start the second draft of the next book after a month 'off'. Hope you're enjoying your summer! Thank you for your company.