Welcome. If you’re reading this, it’s because you’ve followed a link from my old blog, The Memory Project; Facebook (my personal page); or Facebook (my author page). As the song says, this could be the start of something big.
On Aug. 23, I have a new book out, The Most Dangerous Thing — my 16th novel, my 19th work overall, if you want to give me credit for the one I edited. And you know what? I want to reward my longtime readers. Heck, I want to reward my first-time readers. It always cracks me up when someone at a conference says: I’m just a reader. Just a reader? JUST a reader? I don’t think so. 
Anyway, for all you “just” readers out there — oh, and those who moonlight as writers, too — here are some of the things planned for the next few weeks:
1) Right now — as in, RIGHT NOW — you can enter this contest at BookPerk to win an iPadII with my backlist. (No jokes about the term “backlist,” please. I’ve heard them all. Mostly from Mr. Lippman, but then — my backlist is so much larger than his.)
2) A year ago, I made a rather rash promise to throw a pizza party for readers if they would vote me on to NPR’s top 100 thrillers list. I say “rash” because I never thought it would happen. Well, it did, and I’m no piker. From Aug. 8-Aug. 15, people will have a chance to sign up for a pizza party, to be held Aug. 22, the night before The Most Dangerous Thing goes on sale. Free pizza! Free beverages! But there’s a small catch: To limit attendance to the fire marshal’s specs (it’s a small restaurant) I’m asking that those who want to attend go online and pre-order the new book through a specific link that will be set up the week of Aug. 8. Cheesy? Well, so is pizza!
3) The week the book goes on sale, I am going to have daily give-aways via random drawings. Some items will be small and silly — a T-shirt, a toy robot. Other items will be quite nice, such as a robot made by Sally Colby, the Western Maryland artist who fashioned my Facebook avatar.
My robot self
A tour of sorts will also accompany the release of the new book, but it will be limited in scope.
But — psst — there’s a fourth thing. Provide feedback on this new site and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a FREE signed copy of the new book. This is what you get for reading all the way to the end.
Also this: A woman’s gotta do . . .
P.S. This post was a way for me to try all the things I have to learn to do on WordPress: insert hyperlinks, photos, videos, adhering to a consistent style. Be kind. I’m a very old dog to be learning these new tricks.
Loved I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE. Looking forward to THE MOST DANGEROUS THING. Wish I were close enough by to eat pizza. Alas, the price of the plane ticket would make it the most expensive pizza evah.
Thanks, Sal, but rest assured — farflung readers will have a chance to win some lovely trinkets. And books!
Hi Laura,
I’ve lived in or near Baltimore all my life. I just love reading your books, because your sense of place is so right. I’d like to be you when I grow up!
I am close enough to eat pizza! The site looks good, and an appropriate number of links.
I will be cooling off in Nova Scotia during you long anticipated pizza jamboree but I will be thinking of you and your MANY readers on August 22nd and I hope t be reading The Most Dangerous Thing on my Kindle.
Congratulations, kiddo!
Barbara
Washington, DC
Typos:
Your not you
to be reading and not t be reading.
It has to be the heat.
I’m due for a trip to Balto. and would love to swing it to coincide with pizza! Will try.
I like the new look alot but I liked the old look too-this is just a little more crisp.
Good look with the new book. I am certainly looking forward to it!
A thank you Laura from a new resident of CA relocating from Baltimore where I taught English for 30 years. I miss Baltimore terribly and your writing is more comforting than even phone calls back home. Have read every word you’ve published, even having a pdf printing of the NY Times serialized version of The Girl in the Green Raincoat years before you released the book form. Flipping through those stapled pages brought back memories of grading all those student term papers years ago. More than clever plots and richly developed characters, it is the richness and beauty of your written word that transports us all to that magic place readers go when they “curl up with a good book.” I hope a future tour brings you close to San Francisco.
Love the new site! Long time fan, along with my wife and twin daughters. We’re fellow Baltimorians (have even visited Dickeyville!). Own all your books and finally getting my 25 year old son to take the plunge! First two Tess books in — so far so good. We’ll be preordering The Most Dangerous Thing. Hope you sell a zillion copies!
I cannot wait for the new book! (I also cannot wait for the pizza party!) I have read all of your books and, as my beloved Washington Post says, you are “One of the best novelists around, period.” Thanks for the many hours of pure pleasure I’ve had reading your books!
Like the new blog, Laura. Way too far (from WA state) to come to B’more for pizza, even if it’s free, but best wishes for the launch. Thanks for the Dr. Horrible link; looks like I need to look at more of those.
Holy Toledo, so glad I ciclekd on this site first!
The new site is fantastic. As an appreciative reader from “Baltimore Blues” onward, I can’t wait for the new book, and of course the chance to win some “stuff” is always great. Hope to catch you somewhere on the book tour this time around (already pre-ordered, and may need to get a 2nd copy as a v early Christmas gift.)
Looking forward to the new book. I’ve enjoyed all the others.
Also looking forward to you being one of the auctioneers at Bouchercon.
The new site is very fresh and pleasant; really, I suppose you should change webstite formats whenever you have a fresh new book out. (it’s all about symmetry, eh?)
And changing the “rules” at the new site is good, too. (NOT looking up references for Memory Project was fun, but I’m gettin’ too old to remember lots of stuff!)
But I DID have a fascinating (in my opinion) memory-related story to share, which shall now quietly slip beneath the advancing tide.
But one last, unrelated thing; my wife LOVES her Kindle. Our youngest daughter sincerely refers to that object as “mom’s book that never ends”. (gimme paper and ink and books that end!)
Ooh, I just saw that your tour includes Colorado. Excellent!
If I don’t make it to Balto. for pizza, I will try for Denver.
Cool! That’s a clever way of looknig at it!
Brian and others — The Memory Project lives! But as y’all know, I often exploited it for crass commerce around pub date. So hold onto those memories, folks.
Am truly overwhelmed by the kind comments here. Thank you all.
Barbara (and others) — when citing typos, could you also cite line/graph? With my typing accuracy, it’s a bit of snipe hunt otherwise.
Oh Laura! I too would love to be there. Not just for pizza and stuff. I would love to meet you! I need to find more of your books. I can’t find any Tess books at my library. (Unemployed, so……can’t buy any.) I am really looking forward to reading this new book. Excited, even. And, looking forward to reading all the ones I haven’t found yet.
WordPress, eh? You’ll be getting rid of your Walkman next! Glad to see you back blogging - hope there’s plenty more where that came from. And congratulations on the new book!
Ray, in point of fact, I just finally threw out my Walkman. As Cary Grant says in His Girl Friday: “She’s old, isn’t she?”
Love the website. I’m looking forward to the new book! I’ve read almost all the others and have enjoyed them all. I broke my foot two weeks ago and am in a cast, so I’ve got plenty of reading time ahead.
Super jzzead about getting that know-how.
Carl — I’m sorry about your foot, but I’ll do what I can to help you pass the time.
Is the pizza party in Baltimore? My dilemma is that if I attend the NYC event, I would have to buy the book then to have you sign it. So it doesn’t make sense to pre-order the book on the chance that I may get to be one of the lucky 15. And I wouldn’t be able to make it to Baltimore the day before the launch anyway. So why don’t you add a pizza party #2 for those who voted for you in the NPR thing in NYC on Barnes & Noble day? We can all pay for own slice! Oh, it doesn’t matter. The book is going to be a monster hit and we’ll all buy our copy one way or another! Congratulations on the new spiffy website.
You just linked to Dr. Horrible! Win forever.
My dad (Steve S.) mentioned you might be in my neck of the woods sometime soon, so I will keep an eye on the new site for that information. Can’t *wait* for the new book.
Dear Marjorie — see the comma after 15. The number refers to the date the contest ends, not the number of people allowed. We hope to have at least 50!
And Karen, I will be in Denver the first week of September. I think I’m at the Tattered Cover on Colfax the Wednesday after Memorial Day.
The TatCo closest to me on the day I’m already off work? Perfect. Looking forward to it!
Oh, commas…I should just never post anywhere. I’d make an idiot out of myself slightly less often.
Love the new site Laura. And The Most Dangerous Thing is another masterpiece. I don’t know how you keep doing it.
I am a devoted fan. I love reading your books and can’t wait for the new one. I was born in Baltimore, in a little place called Dundalk. My mom worked on the docks as the first female stevedore and my dad worked at Bethlehem Steel. Unfortunately my dad passed when I was only ten and he is buried in Rosedale. Reading your books takes me back to the time and place when dad was still alive and enjoying his National Bohemian watching the Orioles and the “real Baltimore Colts” and I miss him terribly. I have only been back a couple of times. I am very interested in finding out more about Sally Colby. The name sounds very familiar and my mom was born and raised in Western Maryland, in Frostburg. Most of the town are related to us in some way or another. My grandparents hailed from Lonaconing. It was such a beautiful place back then. Anyway, love your books, love your website and enjoy reading all you have to say here and on Facebook. My best to you always.
Love the new site…well organized and quite informative. Looking forward to the new book -always a pleasure to have something new.