Little, Brown!!!

sunny, mild, temps minus 2

Another splendid day. Not sure it the syrup will be running today - perhaps a little too cold. Water on the driveway frozen today. Crunched my way with Trudy to the mail box. I remember painting it when we first arrived her. Put on a bright fresh blue paint, the house number and then stenciled Michael's last name...then realized there was very little space for my name. so I ended up printing it long hand. So Michael's name is huge and symetrical and mine all squashed in and trailing off to the side.

Now, a decade later, the mail box had been whacked by the garbage truck, by the recycling truck, by the snow removal tractor. The blue paint is faded and chipped. The metal box is all dinged. But our names remain. I look at it and think I should repaint it, but I sort of like the 'lived in' look.

Great news about Tara! She's still with us...or actually with the Mounts. Amazing the will to live. And be with the family.

And other great news - that I've known for a few month but couldn't say anything about. I've changed British publishers and will now be published by one of the most prestigious and serious houses in Britain. Little, Brown. A storied publisher. I'm beyond thrilled. My editor there is Dan Mallory - who was an Oxford professor of literature (even teaching detective fiction) - before joining Little, Brown.

Michael and I had tea with him in London and got to know him. Very important for me to have a personal relationship with an editor. It is such an intimate relationship, there needs to be trust there, and the absolute certainty the editor knows what I'm trying to do with the books, and will fight fiercely for it within the publishing house, and beyond. And there needs to be mutual respect. I just adore Dan - and his very impressive ideas for the series. It's exciting.

Cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am. So Bury Your Dead, as well as the next three books, will be published by Little, Brown in Britain.

For the american market I've stayed with my US publisher, Minotaur and my fabulous, dazzling editor there, Hope Dellon. It also helps that Dan and Hope are very interested in working together and making sure they come to decisions that will build the Gamache books in both big markets.

I'm a big fan of collaboration and team work. As you know, I'm very competitive...but in my experience the best way to succeed is to work well with others. A team is always going to be more powerful than an individual. And more fun.

I realize many people feel much more comfortable on their own...but I don't. Besides, if it doesn't work out, I plan to just blame Dan. Or Hope. Or Teresa. Or Michael. Or Trudy. Or you.

Gives me comfort at night.

Breakfast in cowansville this morning. Then 15-hundred words written. Woke in the middle of the night realizing two things didn't make sense in the manuscript...or, really, I'd forgotten something that would make sense. I have a notepad by my side of the bed so I made more notes. sometimes the notes are a little too cryptic.

Dog food.
Why not?
When arrive?
whip?

things like that that in the morning make no sense. But these notes this morning did. So I was able to go back and insert a few references and am now writing a scene that needed to be there.

As I write the book comes alive more and more. Very fun.

Michael and I are considering going to London for a couple of weeks in May...but i need to be finished this first draft by then. Don't want to be in the Big Smoke and still writing...nor do I want to interrupt the writing for two weeks. But if the timing works out it would be perfect. When I finish a first draft I need to take a couple weeks off, to detach and be able to edit.

We'll see. I'll know better in a month.

Off to ellipticate on the torture device, and listen to Billy Bishop Goes to War.

Once more into the breach, dear friend.

Olympian anxiety

sunny breaks, some snow squalls, mild - temps plus 3

Dear Lord, sitting here watching the Canadian men's curling team play Norway (their skip - siiigh) in the gold medal match. Heart pounding. Canada up 5 to 3, but Norway smart and well positioned. 9th End. there's one more end.

But - while the curling is on in the BG - I have to tell you about last night and the Olympics. Bal, Linda and Bethany came over and Bal and Michael immediately raced to the TV to watch the Canadian women's finals playing Sweden. Shrieks from the TV rooms as Canada battled Sweden...and finally Sweden prevailed.

Dear Lord, the Norwegians might score three in this end...

there are no atheists at curling matches. Yikes. Rock going down the ice...ooops - Norway just knocked our stones out of the rings. That can't be good.

So, last night the Canadian women won silver. We all ate dinner around the TV - mouths agape.

Then the Mounts ran back to the guest cottage and Michael and I watched the hockey - Canada vs Slovakia in the semi-finals. Unbelievable game. We won - but wow was it terrifying in the last minute. Slovakia poured everything the had - score was 3-2. Canada collapsed. The Slovaks were pounding shot after shot at the goalie. 20 seconds to go. One looked like it went in. The crowd was screaming. We were screaming. I think I could hear Bal and Linda in the cottage screaming. More Slovakian shots on net. All of Canada silent - hilding breaths...watching the clock. Slovaks pull their goalie...another forward comes on the ice to hammer the Canadians. 10 seconds... 5 seconds. A slovakian shot on goal - one last. And it misses.

Ohhhh - Canada won - but just.

And now we go to the finals tomorrow - Sunday - at 3pm our time. We've invited the mounts back...might as well scream together.

Busy but very fun day today...breakfast with Cheryl, lunch with Lili and David - saw Jacques and Louise tonight to celebrate his birthday.

Oh - Canada just got one more point at the end of the ninth end. score is now 6 to 3 for Canada. We might win gold. Still - that Norwegian skip. He might need comforting after this...

By the way, there's a wonderful post by Robin Agnew you might want to read...she runs Aunt Agatha's Bookstore in Ann Arbor - a fabulous mystery bookstore. She put up her favorite mystery/crime books each year so far this decade. Here's the link to the blog she writes with others...great name to 'Hey, There's a Dead Guy in my Living Room.'

Here's the link:

http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/

It's a great blog - all the posts.

Martin now shooting final stone...for Canadian gold!!!! And - we win!!!!! Wow. I like Kevin Martin, our skip. Seems like such a nice man. The crowd just sang, spontaneously, O Canada. Very moving. This might sound normal, but it is, believe me, quite rare for a Canadian crowd to do that. All the more moving, really, when it does happen.

Wow. And the Norwegians - while I'm sure very sorry to win silver - have the grace to smile and shake hands and clap the Canadians on the back...to be good sports. Surely that's all part of being a really great, world-class competitor - being gracious in defeat as well as winning.

Off to Knowlton tomorrow. I finally found that record i"ve been looking for for decades...Billy Bishop Goes to War. Wonderful musical. But only available on LP...not CD. But happily, Maurice at the local radio station said if I take it to the station tomorrow morning he'll download it. Such a nice man. But he also asked if i could do a radio show for them.

After some discussion we decided it would be fun if I took a tape recorder with me to Washington for Malice Domestic - and recorded my experiences - emotions - events...some interviews perhaps with people there, both readers and writers. Give listeners a feeling they're there with us. So I'll be doing that.

But very excited to finally get to hear that record again. Especially as I begin the next book. More wonderful music to inspire and lift me...make me better than I actually am.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Beautiful Day

sunny, hot temps 25

Gorgeous, perfect Day. Wayne's out on the tractor, mowing the lawn...smells of fresh cut grass. As I walk around the pond, and near the house, I can smell the apple blossoms. Heaven. The fruit trees have exploded with colour. And the lilacs are close to blooming.

What a beautiful day.

Am halfway through the writing day, but paused to talk to Michael - and am on my way out to walk Trudy...Michael coming too. Makes such a nice break in the day.

The new Septic tank arrived at the guest cottage this morning. I haven't seen it, but Michael was there. He says it's enormous. We could live in it. Perhaps we could just leave it there on the lawn and convince guests its the outhouse. Just poop directly into it.

Maybe charge extra for the charm of it.

Enough, now, about our crap dramas. Except to say the old tank needs to be emptied later today before the new one goes in, so we called the people who do that. They're called Pompage BM...I'm not kidding.

Lovely day -

Am trying to find the soundtrack to a wonderful Canadian musical from the late 70's, early 80's called Billy Bishop Goes to War. I had it once, on tape, but lost it and now it appears out of 'print'. If anyone knows where I can find a copy, please let me know. Fantastic play/musical - set in WW1.

Must go - sunshine and puppy and husband waiting.

Writing going very well - phew.