Bestseller!

mostly clear, windy, cold

a long but very fun day at Magna Cum Murder, here in Muncie. Started with an 8am breakfast - where different authors hosted discussions at their tables. Mine was: Resolved: That character development slows pace amd plot. Some very interesting ideas. Clearly both character and plot are necessary. One of my favorite contributiuons came from a man named John who said that plot might get him to the end of the book, but character will make him buy the next one.

Then had a TV interview at 10:15, and at noon, over lunch, was the feature interview with me on stage. A wonderful author named Beverle Myers did the interview, and people were very kind. At 2:30 I had a signing, then at 5:15 I had another round table. Then the banquet at 7 and another signing. The other guest of honour, Sharon Randall, is a newspaper columnist and gave a fabulous after dinner talk. Lovely woman. Very funny and touching.

Then back to the hotel to sleep -

Michael drove in to Montreal today and is catching a train to Toronto. I was supposed to fly out of Indianapolis at 7:30 tonight - arriving at 9:20pm - but JD, who runs Sleuth of Baker Street said he's driving back to Toronto right after lunch and maybe I'd like to hitch a ride. The only problem was that I thought someone from the literary festival I'm going to in Toronto was going to meet the plane - but I spoke to Michael and he said when he arrives in TO he'd cancel that.

So will hop a lift with JD. 8 hour drive. That's not bad. Should arrive before the plane. Very kind of JD to offer. I actually have an event at his store in Toronto this Wednesday.

Oh, that reminds me - Mari emailed to say THE MURDER STONE made the beststeller list it's first week out! I'm thrilled. Thank you all who bought it!

Must run. Need to pack, check out and get to the convention. Have a panel this morning, another signing and need to report on our round-table discussion.

Tomorrow we have off in Toronto. Plan to sleep, and just be with Miuchael.

But a huge congratulations to Kathryn Kennison, Jim Huang and everyone else who organized this year's Magna Cum Murder. A fabulous conference.

second printing and bestseller list!

overcast, cold, light rain, temps 5


Well, heard from my friend Susan McKenzie (she calls herself Kato because she comes and stays in the guest cottage, and just never seems to leave) that it was snowing so hard in Montreal yesterday (Friday) that flights were cancelled. I sent back a smug email - only to hear from Michael a few minutes later that snow is forecast for London this weekend!

Petards everywhere, hoisting away.

Spent today getting back into the book - revising a couple of chapters and feeling yet again that this book is crap. The oddest thing is even as I felt like that I also felt a thrill, that indeed this book was far from crap...a kind of nervous excitement that this was the best book yet. But I still managed to also be very worried. Clearly the Critic has traveled to London with me, probably in the First Class cabin, with lie-flat beds and champagne...all rested and ready for the attack.

What I find strange is that I can feel two contradictory and strong emotions about this book at once. Maybe I'm just nuts. Let's hope.

One sure sign that this book isn't actually all that bad is that even as I tried to revise it I couldn't help just reading it, forgetting to edit, wanting to read more and more.

Had a fun day yesterday. Lunch with Erika, the woman who owns this quite magnificent flat in Knightsbridge, on Lennox Gardens. We popped into her tiny car and she took us at break-neck speed down these tiny side streets until she'd screeched to a stop in front of a small Italian restuarant...I'm sure we were about 100 feet from the flat and could have easily walked, but with the network of windy, one-way streets in London it seemed as though we'd driven to Wales. Food was great...for once I didn't over-order - aware that this was just the first of two extraveganzas.

After lunch Michael and I walked through South Kensington then I hopped on the 14 bus and arrived at Piccadilly for my Afternoon Tea with Sherise, my UK editor. One hour early. Dropped in at one of our favorite galleries - the Royal Academy. Needed to speak to Rachel who is one of the curators of the sculpture department. She helped with Book 4 as you'll see when you read it. Then I was going to go to Hatchards - a wonderful Independent bookstore - but was kidnapped and held against my will by Fortum and Mason. Just fun to wander the aisles and look at the teas and cookies and candies. Bought Michael a couple of birthday gifts - then headed off to tea.

But not before Michael called with fabulous news from the USA. The Cruelest Month has gone into another printing!!!

And Still Life is on the BookSense bestseller's list!!! It's a network of 12-hundred Independent Booksellers across the States! This is a real dream - and bodes well for the series, since the hope is that people will buy the first book, and then want to read the rest.

This doesn't happen out of the blue. It happens because people like you - probably even you - told others and they told others, and before long people are buying the books. I'm just so grateful to you! Makes struggling through the Critic infested waters all worth it!

Had more good news from Sherise. Waterstones, the largest chain in the UK, has taken The Cruellest Month in it's 3 for 2 promotion - which Sherise assures me is huge. And Borders, the second largest UK chain, has decided to make The Cruellest Month a lead title.

I asked Sherise what that meant, and she didn't know, but we agreed to decide it was great news.

Then we ordered more scones and clotted cream.

On my way home I tried to call Michael - no answer. Called and called. Still no answer. I knew he should be home. Got more and more worried. Then frantic. Had visions of him crossing the street, forgetting to look in the right direction and being schmucked by someone like Erika, zooming along. When I arrived home still no Michael and no note. Was just about to totally panic when he arrived back, having spent a relaxing and gentle hour or so in the garden doing a stunning watercolour.

So, successes seem to come and go, but there is one constant - being nuts.

Writing more tomorrow - then Michael and I are having dinner at a restuarant on the Brompton Road with a man Michael's interviewing for his book - a prominent British physician and medical researcher named Sir Alan Craft.

Speak tomorrow. Anyone want a slightly used Critic? Very experienced. Going cheap.