Mad March, Edits, And The Most Amazing School Visit Ever

March is certainly for madness—where is this month going?? Maybe it’s the nice weather that’s making time fly, or my giant to-do list…

In any case, on the writing side, I’m almost done with edits on my crime novel for adults. This project has been a long time in the making, but I‘m finally seeing the end. I’m not quite ready to spill the beans too much (I prefer to keep works-in-progress close to the chest, for fear of jinxing stuff), but I’ll say that the working title is 39, and the novel is set in the Deep South. To be continued…

School Visits

I don’t normally talk about school or Skype visits, because it feels too much like I’m tooting my own horn… But man, did I have the MOST AMAZING SCHOOL VISIT EVER!

I was invited to Campus Middle School in the Denver area, where they host an annual event called One Book One Campus. The librarian Derek Phelan and his staff choose a book that they wrap a week’s worth of events around, including games, activities, and book-themed decorations throughout the school. The kids don’t know what book is chosen until the start of the event—this year, I was honored to be the invited author.

A thousand copies of Double Vision were handed out to the kids; I did presentations, and was pretty much treated like royalty. The whole school looked like Paris, which is where Double Vision is set. Super cool. The Villager (local paper) and the Cherry Creek school district both wrote lots of nice things about the event.

School visits are a good reminder that you can really make a difference as an author. What fun, and what an honor…

Mystery Books and TV

I’ve been reading Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman, which I’d say is one of his best. The premise of the story goes back to the 1950s, to crime bosses and Hollywood. My only (tiny) gripe is that I wish Kellerman had shared a bit more at the end of the book about whether any of it was based in real life history; it was fascinating stuff, and his writing always makes the reading pleasurable.

On the nightstand right now is The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. This title came flew across my radar several times, recommended by various review sites, so I thought I’d give it a go.

So far, it’s a contemporary Agatha Christie with a side of Bridget Jones, on a cruise ship. I’m having fun reading this one. Easy to read, other than the sudden introduction of lots of characters (very Christie).

Mystery TV has me watching Major Crimes on TNT. Mary McDonnell is great, and the cast of characters is always nice to revisit—kind of like hanging out with friends. At Bouchercon (mystery fan conference) in Cleveland, the writers/producers hosted a panel for fans, and I was impressed by how hard they work to get the crime/cop/law stuff right.

For Writers

Come to Pikes Peak Writers Conference! I’ll be on faculty, along with a lot more famous people. It’ll be fun. Plus, Colorado Springs is a great place to visit; with some luck, you’ll catch the spring blooms and a bit of sunshine.

In the book department, I’m reading Be the Gateway by Dan Blank from We Grow Media, which came out earlier this month. I took a class led by Dan a few years ago, and have loved his personal, human approach to reaching readers, and enhancing productivity along with career satisfaction. Buy this book, follow his blog. Dan Blank sends out a newsletter every Friday that always has me inspired.  

What are you reading, watching, writing?