Deb and Ann

bright sunny day, cool, temps 10

Gorgeous day here in London! Michael and I woke up and had breakfast in the flat - then he headed out for lunch with his sister Carol and David and I headed out to meet up with Deborah Crombie and Ann Cleeves for lunch. Deb had chosen a restaurant in Notting Hill called Le Pain Quotidien - french for Daily Bread. It's a very good chain of bistro type restaurants. Great soups and breads...a bakery essentially.

Since it was such a lovely day (and there was no easy underground or bus route from Knightbridge to Notting Hill) I decided to walk. London is a magnificent walking city. Almost no building is over four floors. Many are Victorian or older. the newer ones are because of the Nazi bombings in WW2. There's no grid system. Streets meander, alleys and mews' appear - and end abruptly in a wall or a house.

After studying the map I decided the best, and prettiest way, would be to get up to Hyde Park and walk across it, cutting over to Kensington Park.

It really is a perfect day to stroll through Hyde park. I wandered over to see the Albert Memorial - put up by Queen Victoria when her beloved husband Albert died. It's magnificent and aches. Always so sad to see the huge, gold statue. It's above.

Then walked down the tree lined path through the park.

Made it to the restaurant early and drove the waitresses mad by moving from section to section. The first had too many screaming children and inattentive mothers. The second had no kids, but a very loud speaker playing music right above it. And the third? it was just right.

We Canadians long for the middle bear.

Ann arrived first and we had a wonderful time getting caught up. If you don't know her series - she has two. There're her 'Vera' books, which have just been made into a TV series here in Britain and will air in the spring...and the other series is set on the Shetland Islands in Scotland. Wonderfully written - beautifully atmospheric. That is a four book series and might I suggest you read them in order? The first is called Black Raven and won Ann the Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the year.

The Deborah Crombie swept in. Rooms always brighten when Deb arrives. Smiling - filled with energy and warmth. Deborah is a writer I loved even before I started writing. Her latest is called Necessary as Blood, and is just brilliant! She and Ann had never met but they immediately hit it off and talked about people they had in common - then eventually we began comparing notes....things we hate about the publishing world. Things that break our hearts (mostly dashed hopes...we hope a book will do well, find a huge audience, and when it doesn't, and we can't even find a copy in the bookstores - it really does break your heart). And things we really love about it - like just getting to do it. making up stories. Writing them. Meeting other writers. But mostly, meeting readers.

Because we're readers too. We have so much in common with people who read our books. It's such fun.

So we ate and gabbed for hours. Then Ann was off to meet her publicist and Deb and I walked back through Hyde Park - to Harrods. Talking about our latest books, our series - choices we'd made - things we weren't sure of. Such a relief to find my fears are Debs. Are Ann's. I'm not alone. And if I'm nuts, so are they!

The photo above, obviously, is of Ann, Deb and me. Ann is on the left of the photo - I'm in the middle - and Deb is on the right.

Honestly - it doesn't get much better than to meet two of the best crime writer's in the business - whose books I love to read - for lunch in London.

Pinch me. OK, that's enough.

Top of the Mark

partly cloudy, windy, cool - temps 50s

Wow, temperature really changing...not really all that cool, but unexpected, so we didn't wear sweaters outside, then shivered all over.

Took the cable car yesterday afternoon- have I told you all this??? Can't remember - so much happening. If I have, please just consider me the mad aunt in the attic - escaped into the blogosphere. Loved the cablecars...stopped and hopped off at the Mark Hopkins hotel and begged our way into a room starting tonight - Saturday and running until Thursdya when we leave. We paid for a deluxe room and when we checked in today we discovered they'd given us a one bedroom corner suite.

Talk about a soft landing. The longer we stayed at the Hyatt Regency the more we were put off. Though for no particular reason. Everyone was very nice - and the location was great...certainly the view from the club lounge was exceptional. But it just felt so cold. Now, I've become a huge fan of modern design....but not the cold kind. I realize it's possible to be 'cool' without being cold. Some hotel design is spectacular. Modern, clean, functional, beautiful- thrilling. I can literally tremble I'm so excited by some of the design.

But others are just plain cold... and not particularly well thought out. some of you, quite sensibly, suggested we call down and ask for a bedside lamp - but the problem was the table they put on my side was just large enough for the phone they put there. I couldn't even get my book on it without putting both at an angle.

Now, the room would have been wonderful, for one person.

But I must tell you, at the Mark Hopkins the room (upgraded partly because we're InterContinental Ambassador Gold level - the perks of lots of travel) is amazing. A little like walking back in time...more classic than modern - but beautifully done. And not dreary or tired, as so many of the these older hotels are. We're thrilled and relieved. And excited to be here. And very grateful for the upgrade well beyond what we might ever expect. And so wonderful to have the extra room - given we're here for 5 nights.

Having a fabulous time at Bouchercon. Had drinks last night with a group of women Marjorie organized....Michael picked up the tab - lovely man. And thank you, Marjorie, for the wonderful licorice pipe bookmarks - and organizing this. Most are members of the Laurie R. King book club - Laurie is also the guest of honor at this convention. There's a photo at the top of Michael and me with some of the people.

Then at 8:30 this morning I joined Rhys Bowen and Deborah Crombie for the Goddess Panel - a sort of reprise of a panel we first did at Bouchercon in Baltimore. No moderator, just the three of us chatting. It helps that I am a huge fan of both these writers...and both these women. I genuinely like them - a lot. Indeed, Deborah and I are hoping to get together in a few weeks in London.

We had a blast on the panel...and thanks to all of you who showed up early to hear us. The place was packed.

There's a photo as well of the three of us after the panel.

Then I had breakfast with my friend Dan Mayer, of Barnes and Noble. Then Michael and I decamped to the new hotel. Phew. Having afternoon tea in the lounge and listening to the clanging of the cable cars. Magical.

Quiet evening - then the Anthony Awards brunch tomorrow. THE BRUTAL TELLING is up for Best Novel. I have not prepared a 'thank you' speech. And, honestly, to be nominated really is enough. I'd really love to win - but to be recognized for the nomination really is fabulous. last year I lost the Barry Award to Deborah Crombie - and I was thrilled to applaud!! She so deserved that win.

Hope you're well - will blog tomorrow and tell you how it goes. But how bad can life be when we're together in a suite in the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco?

Snow

overcast, snowy, temps minus 2

I'm not kidding. We woke up to snow on the ground...not falling and melting, but actually piling up. What a very funny (and not in a good way) week. An 's' week. Stinky, skunky, snowy - and another 's' word comes to mind...

Actually - it's not that bad. In fact, it's quite attractive. Driving into the bank today Michael and I were remembering that it almost always snows later in April too...sometimes even early May. Now, that's a problem...because the leaves are out on trees and it bows and often breaks them.

As we walked into breakfast in Cowansville this morning we laughed with the guy shoveling snow and he said, 'Well, it is the sugar time'.

Quebec is like that. A lovely, often poetic society. Describing early spring, which can often be messy and muddy and unpredictable and often wearisome as the 'sugar time'. When it means is the time when maple sugar is made, when the sap flows.

We had our first flowers blooming by the house. Crocuses. Deep purple and yellow. Now covered in snow, but still visible.

Got home by noon - after stopping at Edwards feed store in West Brome for moth balls. Lise told us that if we spread them around the front porch where the skunk is living it'll leave. Apparently moth balls is their kryptonite. We wanted to spread them before the poor skunk had its babies. Tony says little skunkettes are about as cute as any living thing - unless they're under your front porch.

So, fingers crossed she leaves.

The house is smelling less like skunk. We've also - at Lise's suggestion - lit candles in the mud room - site of the most intense stink. Pat just dropped by and thought we were holding a seance. In the mudroom.

Tragically, the elliptical machine is in there - so I don't think I can exercise until all the smell is gone. We might have to re-consider the mothballs. That skunk has come in handy...

Wrote a couple thousand words today. One scene has ended up being quite unexpectedly complex and problematic. So I've found myself going over and over it, adding lines here and there. But also got about 15-hundred words into chapter 10.

The wonderful Mary Jane Maffini called writing a first draft like having a daily colonoscopy. I thought that was one of the funniest - and most truthful - things I'd heard about writing!

After finishing yesterday I went over the final edits for the novella I wrote for literacy. The final edit had come in, so I read over them and made notes. Then sent it back. The novella's called The Hangman and lots of other Canadian writers are also doing novellas, including the fabulous Maureen Jennings, Gail Bowen, Joy Fielding.

Tomorrow is quiet...just writing. Yay! Except for a call in the evening to a book club in Florida.

And, I have to say, I was beyond thrilled to get a comment on this blog from one of my favorite writers ever - Deborah Crombie. Hi Deb. Now there's a great writer. And a lovely woman. We shared the most fun panel I've ever done...three mystery writers, Deborah, Rhys Bowen and me - at Bouchercon two years ago. No moderator, just us at the front, talking. Wasn't that fun, Deb?

Be well everyone. Talk to you tomorrow.