Blog A Go-Go

In which I rub gloved elbows with Tasha Alexander

In case you missed the press releases blanketing the country's media, Tasha Alexander and I are the founding members of the Society for the Preservation of Authors Who Write About Young Victorian Widows. Okay, we're the only members, and Tasha just made up the society last week. (I'm talking about her like we're BFFs. I WISH. I could totally hang out with Tasha, sipping cocktails and debating the role of Jane Austen in post-Enlightenment feminism, but I suspect she's much more glamorous than I am. She's jetting off to Istanbul this week for a research trip. Lucky cow. But she's taking my books with her, so I'll forgive her. She's also sending me a set of HER books, and I am all atwitter with anticipation.)

Anyway, the ever-charming Tasha blogs with a few of her partners in crime at Good Girls Kill . She was nice enough to send along some interview questions this week, and my answers--along with a luscious recipe for Pineapple Vodka--should be posted today. (If it isn't up yet, keep checking back and peruse the archives. The Good Girls are hilarious.) I should note that is THE recipe for Pineapple Vodka, supplied by my darling and stylish friend Ashley. (I was supposed to see Ashley, this weekend, but our plans have been thwarted. But I still get to see FIVE of the women I love best this weekend. I am absolutely beside myself with anticipation! Vanessa actually lives in Phoenix while Jerusha, Suzanne, Kim, and Stephanie are traveling from all over the country for a girls' weekend. They will all be at the Poisoned Pen, and after that, we plan on taking over the poolside lounge at my hotel. I cannot WAIT!) If you are in Phoenix, drop by the Poisoned Pen and say hello. If you aren't, then settle in with a glass of Pineapple Vodka and the Good Girls' blog. Either way, a weekend well spent!

One final note: a HUGE trumpet fanfare of an official welcome to the UK readers! Silent in the Grave officially goes on sale today in the UK. Much trembling and nibbling of nails on my end, I can assure you! I am so thrilled to finally have the book available in the UK, you have no idea. So, let's all scoot over and make room for the Brits and raise a glass to their health. Cheers!

In which I am reviewed, interviewed, and nominated!

I promised good things today, and I have a basketful of them--nice little silver linings, all of them. First, I have reviews for Silent in the Sanctuary. Mark at Book Cove Reviews posted this review last week. Book Cove Reviews is a year-old site that seems to be growing by the day. Diana from Romance Reviews Today posted her review this week and was inspired to go out and get the first book in the series to round out her collection. Thanks, Diana and Mark!

Also, my interview with the charming Scott Pack is up on his blog, Me and My Big Mouth Scott is the big kahuna of The Friday Project, a web to press publishing company--the world's first, I believe. He had already posted a review of Silent in the Grave--a wonderful review, actually--and asked some very interesting questions. He's the first interviewer to wonder aloud if Brisbane is my type! (You'll have to read the answer to find out. There is also a picture of Emma the Yellow Wonder Dog looking supremely bored with me.) Once you've read the interview, be sure to check out The Friday Project. I am drooling over some of those titles--particularly Eat Britain! (I have an unholy passion for British food. And apparently British bloggers...the next time I make it to London, I am going to have to stand SEVERAL rounds at the pub, I fear. The Britons have been very generous with their praise and I am wholly charmed by them.)

And for some very excellent SQUEEEE-worthy news, Silent in the Grave has received a nomination from the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association for a Dilys Award !!! This is the award that the booksellers present to the book they found most fun to sell. (I could not have chosen a category I would be more excited about, believe me!) In an interesting twist, last year's presenter of the Dilys, Barbara Peters, happens to own the Poisoned Pen in Arizona--the bookstore hosting a signing for me this Saturday! (Don't forget if you're in the Phoenix area I will be at the Poisoned Pen on Saturday, the 19th, at 1:00pm. For more details, check the left sidebar of the blog under "Appearances".)

In which I am interviewed--with a link!

You may remember that last week I indulged in a bit of heaving melodrama about the trials of being interviewed. (Hyperventilation, panic, hysteria, etc.) Well, the link I'm giving you today should make it pellucidly clear why they are so worthwhile. Ben Hunt of the masterful Material Witness blog has posted his interview with me, and before you ask, NO, I have never met Ben. I have not plied him with strong drink or loose women to get him to write such a lovely piece about me. I have not promised him a kidney or my firstborn child. He is just that gracious.

And in case I have not made this point before, the strength of the interview--at least from my perspective--doesn't lie with the subject. It is the interviewer who is the most important party. If they ask mundane questions that have been asked a thousand times, they get answers that are a little fatigued, no matter how much the subject tries to prop them up. But if they ask thoughtful, interesting questions, they get thoughtful, interesting answers. (Or they get wild, deer-in-the-headlights-induced panic, which is sometimes vastly more entertaining.) It also helps when the interviewer is enthusiastic, as Ben so clearly demonstrates. He is an experienced journalist, but he never comes off as jaded or world-weary, and I love, LOVE that he writes about things he wants to promote rather than things he wants to slag. It's a much more positive and interesting way to go about the business of writing, and living, I think.

So, our mutual admiration continues. Read the interview here . (As a side note, I'm pretty sure I won't be getting an invitation to Eddie Murphy's housewarming party, but on the plus side, I speak with a languid, silky drawl. Ben said so.)