I am going over the copy-edited pages of the next Tess Monaghan novel -- ANOTHER THING TO FALL, coming this March to a bookstore near you -- and marveling over the usual things. The fact that the first "F" in french fry is lowercase. My inability to spell the name of Baltimore establishments that I adore --Vaccaro's, in this case. And then there is the literal age-old question: How old is Tess Monaghan? For the record, I got it wrong, but I also caught it. Then again, Tess has aged only four years Read more [...]

I have been to an unusual array of award ceremonies, ranging from the Macavitys to the Emmys, and, somehow, they manage to be more alike than different. The primary difference at the Quills, given Monday night, was that the winners were announced beforehand. (Cormac McCarthy, by the way, was a no-show.) Still, there was suspense galore.1) Must I follow Brooke Shields down the red carpet? No, seriously -- must I? 2) Who is speaking to Tina Brown? Oh, it's Fergie! Well, I think we can infer at least Read more [...]

I enjoyed this <a href=" http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/22/071022fa_fact_talbot"_blank">article.</a>But one clarification. When it says that George Pelecanos and David Simon "met" at a funeral, some readers might infer that was their first meeting. They had known each other for quite some time by then. And, more important to me -- the funeral was for Paige Rose, co-owner of Mysery Loves Company. Paige adored George -- I always thought he was her second favorite writer, after Read more [...]

Not a piece of which I'm particularly proud -- I didn't have anywhere the knowledge I needed to write well about Doris Lessing -- but how many chances will I get to share an interview with a Nobel Prize winner. And bonus: She touches on this blog's favorite topic at the very end. I'll recount my memory of the interview in the comments section later today.NEW YORK -- Like T.S. Eliot's Madame Sosostris, Doris Lessing has a cold.Unlike Madame Sosostris, though, this does not imply her powers are diminished. Read more [...]

Go <a href=" http://lauralippman.com/ "_blank">here</a> if you want to read yet another interview with Dave White. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of adding a new feature to this website: TRTB -- The Road to Bouchercon. Bouchercon will come to Baltimore a year from now. And as most of you know, I'm a homer who takes eating very seriously and I am trying to go to as many restaurants as possible before next October. (A tough gig, but as the only local, I feel I must.)Last night, friends took Read more [...]

As noted in the previous entry's comments section, I won the Anthony for Best Novel at Bouchercon. I _never_ expect to win an award, but I usually have some comments semi-prepared. This time, I was really caught off guard and neglected to thank -- well, just about everyone. My publisher, Lisa Gallagher, who was at the dinner. (D'oh). My editor and agent. Two reps from my UK publisher, who were at the conference -- and treated me to a bike ride on the coastal trail, where we saw a moose. I was really Read more [...]