Julie Hyzy and her Blog

Contest Announcement

2009-12-28T15:45:00.006-06:00

SPOT THE BOOK!

Tomorrow I'm announcing the SPOT THE BOOK contest on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Check it out for how to enter.

Basically, I'm hoping to find out where Eggsecutive Orders is being displayed. If you "Spot the Book" at an independent bookstore, or even a large chain, let me know and you could win a $25 bookstore gift certificate.

Details on how to enter on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, tomorrow. The contest runs for a short two weeks, because that's when the book *should* begin to be on display. But I won't know unless you tell me.

You can enter once per location... so if you find Eggsecutive Orders in five locations, you can enter five times. And if you tell me how many books are in stock, I'll add your name in again.

Simple enough. I hope you think it's fun, too.

For those of you who can't get out to a bookstore, you may send a link to the book from your favorite store.

See, easy!

;-)

Thanks in advance!!

Best,

Julie

Tom & Jerrys

2009-12-27T08:37:00.008-06:00

So this year, for the first time, Robyn's boyfriend, Andrew, joined us for Christmas. We're very grateful to his family for alternating holiday time with us. They're amazing people and we just wish we all lived a little closer so we could get together ourselves more often.

Anyway, Andrew shared his family's holiday tradition - that of drinking Tom & Jerry drinks. It's a Christmas beverage... a very potent one. Don't look for the recipe here, because Andrew would like this to remain classified.

I watched him put these together... quite a fascinating process... and I'll tell you, if you would have handed me the recipe, I might have thought we were having eggnog. But once you taste a Tom & Jerry, you know this is no eggnog.

Andrew had told us about this tradition, but before he had we'd never heard of them before. This year, my brother and Mitch found a Tom & Jerry bowl and mug set at an estate sale. According to Andrew, this matches one that his mom has. We were in business.

I have to admit the taste was... interesting. It reminded me of the smells that permeated parties from my childhood where the grown-ups drank. But this time I was a grown-up. Wow. This'll put hair on your chest!

Paul and Mitch *loved* the drink and in fact, Mitch wants to have this served every Christmas. They each had two or three mugs. The rest of us (those of us over 21, that is) barely made it through one.

The conversation turned to "Which came first, the drink or the cartoon characters?"

We didn't know.

Does anyone else out there celebrate the holidays with Tom & Jerrys? Do you know which came first?

Eggsecutive Orders - Pre-order Prime Time

2009-12-26T12:50:00.007-06:00

Forewarning: I'm planning to post eggstra (grin) about Eggsecutive Orders this week.

As you may know, pre-orders for books are what help determine which titles make it onto bestseller lists. Mind you, I don't believe I have a shot at the New York Times Bestseller list (tho I can dream...) but pre-orders always help generate buzz. And I would love any help you can offer.

If you know anyone who might be interested in the White House Chef novels, please let them know! You can link to this blog, or my website: www.juliehyzy.com

Or MysteryLoversKitchen.com

Wouldn't it be great it if this went viral?

(Don't I wish... See, I told you I dream!)

;-)

Remember... I'm starting a contest. Details on the MysteryLoversKitchen site on Tuesday.

All you'll have to do is e-mail me with where you've seen Eggsecutive Orders -- either in person or online. And you'll be entered into a contest to win a $25 bookstore gift certificate.

In any case, please let all your reader friends know that "Eggs" is almost here. January 5th is just 10 days away.

This is prime time to order prime crime!

I would be eggceedlingly grateful if you did!

;-)

Thank you!!

Lipstick Chronicles Today

2009-12-19T07:03:00.002-06:00

Hey! I'm guest blogging at The Lipstick Chronicles today!

When you were little, did you ever try to predict the future with your Ouija board? Or were you more of a Magic 8 Ball kinda kid?

Do you miss those easy days when we could ask random questions and get real answers?

Well then tune in and let me know what you think about my "Modern Crystal Ball."
;-)

http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/

Please visit the Lipstick Chronicles and leave a comment!
Thanks!

Eggsecutive Orders

2009-12-18T00:01:00.000-06:00

It's getting close... the release date for Eggsecutive Orders.

January 5th is less than 3 weeks away.

Every single time I have a new book about to come out I get jittery. I wonder when the book will first appear in bookstores, I wonder when I'll spot the first review. But most of all, I look forward to hearing what readers think, and I hope they enjoy the story. When readers write to me and tell me they liked something I've written, it just makes the world shine a little brighter.

That said, I'm planning on running a special contest to celebrate Eggsecutive Orders' debut. You can start preparing for it now by keeping a lookout for Eggsecutive Orders at your local bookstore. If you see it, drop me an e-mail at JulieHyzy(at)aol.com and let me know the bookstore name and location, and the date you spotted it (optional: how many they had in stock). Just let me know it's out there and you're entered.

The official contest opening will be announced on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen on January 5, 2010 which is... conveniently ... the day the book debuts. How do you like that? It's almost like I planned it or something.

Also on January 5th - I'll be guest blogging on Lesa's Book Critiques and I'm really excited to be joining her there. Lesa's wonderful! I can't wait.

The Lipstick Chronicles

2009-12-16T13:13:00.003-06:00

Hey, guess what? I'll be guest blogging on The Lipstick Chronicles on Saturday, December 19th. This fun, eclectic blog gets lots of attention and if you tune in, you'll see why. Visit today, check out their "cast of characters," and please be sure to stop by again on Saturday to read my take on a modern way to predict the future

: )

Hope you're enjoying the holidays....

Julie

Organizing Crime

2009-12-11T14:56:00.005-06:00

What a fabulous idea for a book!

Austin Lugar and Jim Huang (the Anthony and Macavity Award winning duo behind MYSTERY MUSES) have come up with ORGANIZING CRIME: The Mystery Company's Guide to Crime.

Austin posted it on his blog. Let me let him tell you all about it - HERE. What a fabulous idea! And what a great holiday gift for the mystery lover on your list!

I cannot get the hang of inserting web-based photos on this blog so you really will have to visit Austin's site to get a look at it. Better yet, visit The Mystery Company online and order a copy!

Mystery Matters

2009-12-09T10:22:00.005-06:00

Last Friday I was interviewed by Fran Stewart of Mystery Matters on the VoiceAmerica network. What a fun conversation! Fran has already read Eggsecutive Orders and we talked the about this new entry into the White House Chef series, as well as the first two books - State of the Onion and Hail to the Chef. Fran also asked me a little bit about the new Manor of Murder series debuting in June.

If you'd like to listen in, it's right here: Interview on Mystery Matters

And guess what! This time I didn't mistakenly offer "green beans" as a substitute for a meat entree suggestion LOL!

Partners In Crime

2009-12-03T07:27:00.011-06:00

I was so very fortunate to have been invited to participate in this month's mystery discussion group at the Tinley Park Public Library. Fran runs Partners In Crime, which meets every first Tuesday to discuss an assigned mystery. I was absolutely thrilled to have had my two White House Chef novels chosen as their December read.

Not only did they read the books, Fran arranged for a local restaurant, Caffe de Milan, to cater the event. They cooked up lots of Ollie's favorites, including Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Little White Rolls, Sugar-cured Ham with White Wine Honey Mustard, and Brownie Bites from Hail to the Chef and Oven Fried Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Ollie's Green Beans, Apple Tart, and Crisp Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies from State of the Onion. The biggest hit, also from State of the Onion, were the Cucumber Slices Stuffed with Feta and Pine Nuts.

Seeing as how I rely on the talents of a "Ghost Chef" I can say, unequivocally, that these recipes showcased some serious talent ;-) I only wished I could eat like this every night!

The mystery discussion group members were so much fun. They had lots of interesting and lively questions. I just loved talking with them. There were about 30 guests and we talked and laughed almost non-stop. So many of the readers asked if I'd tried to get my books into the hands of our White House residents. I have tried, but alas, that hasn't happened yet. Can you imagine how popular the books would be if Michelle Obama was spotted reading one? That would be so cool. And since I'm dreaming here... let me add that I would love an invitation to the White House to tour the kitchens (and everywhere else) at a nice leisurely pace. Umm... the Secret Service probably wouldn't look too kindly on that, but hey... I'm dreaming ;-)

As I said, I feel extremely fortunate to have been invited to participate. Last year the group's holiday meeting featured one of Diane Mott Davidson's books and her menu. Boy, is that great company to be in? She's often credited with starting the culinary mystery sub-genre. Diane didn't attend the event, of course, but then again, she isn't a local like I am.

I was honored, thrilled, and I just had the best time. Here are a few more pictures:

Eileen and I share writing and editing interests, and we found more common ground that gave us a good laugh!

Done!!

2009-11-30T09:01:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling pretty great this morning. I turned in my manuscript for White House Chef Book #4 yesterday and I helped my daughter get her last scholarship and college applications submitted yesterday. A good day all around.

Today I have a lovely lunch date in downtown Chicago which I'm quite excited about. In fact, I have to be out the door in about an hour, so I'd better cut this short and get to the hair and makeup.

The one thing about being home and writing all day is that I never really have to dress up during the day. This will be a fun change of pace and I can thoroughly enjoy it because I'm....

DONE!!

;-)

Pound for Pound, Ounce for Ounce

2009-11-25T11:17:00.004-06:00

I checked Amazon recently and found that GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, the first in my new MANOR OF MURDER series is listed. I might have mentioned that before on this blog -- no photo yet -- but it's still cool to see it there.

What I didn't notice before today was that this new book is evidently a whopper! Amazon lists its weight at 1 pound! Wow. My three White House Chef books (including the new EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS that's being released in January) range between 5.6 and 6.1 ounces!

When I go grocery shopping, I always try to pick up the bargain size -- the box of cereal, or bag of flour that costs the least per ounce. That means, ounce for ounce, GRACE UNDER PRESSURE at the same price ($7.99) as the rest of my paperbacks... is an amazing deal!! I think everyone should pre-order at least a dozen to share with family and friends ;-)
LOL!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Hugs,
Julie

Read-aloud time

2009-11-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

Very busy weekend with all three daughters here to keep us busy and laughing. I did absolutely nothing writing-related and that choice (heck, my kids were home... there really was no choice involved), caused me to have quite the nightmare last night.

I dreamt that I still hadn't finished my first draft of Buffalo West Wing, and that I still had about 20k words to go. As you may remember, the manuscript is due December 1st and with all sorts of events happening this week, I have today and tomorrow morning to work on it. I can probably squeeze in a little work time on Friday and possibly next Monday. In my dream, I knew exactly what day it was -- and how little time I had left -- but I had absolutely no idea how I'd get those additional 20k words written. And, as is typical for anxiety dreams, I couldn't even remember what the book was about!

Waking up in a cold sweat, I was thrilled to realize that, although I don't have any additional days to work, the manuscript is complete. The last step - reading aloud - is all I have left to do. I usually find quite a few typos in this process, and I usually make a bunch of word-choice changes, but the story shouldn't vary much.

All in all, I think I'll be able to really relax once this book is turned in.

And then I have not one, but two big treats waiting for me. Two writer friends asked me for blurbs. So I have lots of happy reading ahead. I'll keep you in suspense as to who they are until I finish reading. I promise -- no plot spoilers!

Hope you have a wonderful week.

Julie

Revisions and First Readers

2009-11-20T08:27:00.003-06:00

I made good progress yesterday and I'm up to page 239 on my current revision. I think it's going well. After this version is complete, I'll read the entire manuscript aloud. I swear -- reading aloud is truly the very best thing a writer can do for his/her work. That's where I catch the oddball typos... the ones my eyes skim over because my brain fills in what it thinks it sees. Reading aloud makes me truly see every word.

This manuscript -Buffalo West Wing - which won't be out for another year or so - is the first one I'll be submitting without having a first reader go over it for me. It's a little scary to have had no other input on this story before I turn it in, but I think it's a good thing. My former first reader has gotten so busy and so involved in other things that his last two reads of my last two manuscripts have been cursory at best. It's almost as though the last two went through without any input anyway, so I take heart that I'll be okay. Wish me luck.

Monday and Tuesday I'll read BWW aloud and then enjoy the holiday with my family. Thanksgiving starts our Christmas decorating weekend. We've cut back on the amount of stuff we drag out of storage (have any of you cut back too?) and these days it's much more fun because the stress level is way down. We've cut back on gift-giving and tried to focus more on family time. It's a win-win situation for us all.

Lots of rambling today... and I'm not procrastinating. Truly, I'm looking forward to diving head first back into the revision. I've had my two cups of coffee and I've checked e-mail. I guess it's time to get started now...

Tinley Park - Captcha - Manuscript revisions

2009-11-19T07:27:00.006-06:00

Tinley Park, Illinois has been named the "Best place to raise kids in the Nation" by BusinessWeek magazine. Is that cool, or what?

My eldest daughter's boyfriend has been teasing us for a while about how Tinley Park is a government experiment town... LOL

Looks like the experiment is working! Congratulations Tinley!! Love ya! Love being here.

In other news...
The time has come to include a "captcha" on blog comments here. I've been inundated with spamming comments over the past few days. They're just like rabbits -- or Tribbles, I suppose -- let a couple sneak in and pretty soon you have a million of 'em.

So, sorry for having to add an extra step to the comment section.

I'm through 77 pages of the current revision of Buffalo West Wing. Have a dentist appointment in a few, and then I hope to get back and finish this revision so I can begin reading the manuscript aloud. Always the best way to catch poor phrasing and typos!

Hope you have a fabulous day...

Star Trek

2009-11-17T13:10:00.002-06:00

In case you didn't know the new STAR TREK movie comes out on DVD today. I pre-ordered a copy -- of course.

Star Trek movies used to always debut in theatres around my birthday... this year it's the DVD that's debuting just in time for my celebration ;-)

Live Long and Prosper!
Julie

Murder and Mayhem in Muskego

2009-11-10T08:59:00.004-06:00

This weekend is Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. I hope you visit the website, and -- even more -- I hope you plan to attend. This is Muskego, Wisconsin. My family keeps asking me - "Don't you mean Michigan?" That would be "Muskegon," wouldn't it?

Muskego is just this side (south) of Milwaukee, so it's close. I've heard rave reviews about this warm and welcoming conference and I can't wait. I'll be part of a panel at 2:00 on Saturday, November 14th along with Joanna Campbell Slan, Denise Swanson, Shirley Damsgaard, and Deb Baker. I can't wait.

I've been in (and still am in) deadline hell, so in case you've popped by here, you've noticed I haven't posted since Bouchercon. But I promise that I'll be better in 2010. Truly, truly!

In the meantime, here are a couple of updates:
Eggsecutive Orders is due out January 5, 2010, but -- here's the cool part -- Michelle Obama and Cristeta Comerford will be appearing on IRON CHEF on January 3rd! How cool is that timing? Stay tuned here and at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for updates on a fun book launch.

Also - can you believe that Grace Under Pressure - the first Manor of Murder Mystery - already has a page on Amazon? No cover art yet, but here it is: Grace Under Pressure. I hope you check it out. I'm wildly excited about this particular series.

That's it for now. I need to get back to work! This new manuscript is technically finished, but it needs polishing. And lots of it!

;-)

Bouchercon!!

2009-10-19T15:40:00.007-05:00

Wow! Bouchercon in Indianapolis was wonderful! Absolutely fabulous! Okay, I admit that part of my excitement is from winning the Barry Award and Anthony Award for State of the Onion, in the Best Paperback Original category. I was utterly and completely stunned.

This is the Barry Award. Named for Barry Gardner, it is given by Deadly Pleasures and Mystery News magazines. George Easter (who runs Deadly Pleasures) was just about the nicest man ever. He was so sweet and so great. And I was happy to have met him because then we were able to chitchat here and there over the rest of the conference. Going into the award ceremony I was certain I had zero chance of winning this. I can't tell you how surprised I was. Just amazed.

Winning these two awards was the thrill of a lifetime and I still can't completely believe it. In fact I've been looking at some pictures that are appearing online, such as this one of the Anthony Award ceremony: Riordan's Desk and I've noticed something. Most of the other award winners are actually holding the award as they speak. I'm not. The very kind and perceptive Joe Stanko (Jane Cleland's husband who assisted in the award ceremony) waited to give me the actual award until after I was finished at the microphone. What a smart man!

I am so happy, so grateful, so honored to have been in the company of Vicky Lane, Christa Faust, Max Allan Collins, and the PJ Parrishes - Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. Kristy and Kelly in particular were so warm, so gracious, and so kind, before and after the ceremony. I have always looked up to them and I'm thrilled to have been able to interact with them a little bit at this Bouchercon.

Into every life some rain must fall, or however that goes...
So, there had to be something that went wrong, right?
There was.

I've mentioned the HOT TICKET event here a few times and I tried to promote it wherever I could. The Midwest Chapter of MWA was sponsoring this small-group meeting with Big Name authors. As Midwest president I was able to interact with some of these authors (PJ Parrish - above, as well as the lovely and wonderful Carolyn Hart, and the incomparable and fabulous SJ Rozan). I was also supposed to interact with Sue Grafton on Saturday. She was one of my assignments and, of course, I was excited about meeting her.

Guess what? I had so much going on Saturday morning that I forgot about my appointment with Sue Grafton. Actually, I didn't really *forget* - I just lost track of time. Easy to do at Bouchercon, but still incredibly stupid. I had my list of stuff to remember, and I consulted it, but somehow just lost track of time ticking by. I had intended to give her a copy of Mystery Muses, the award-winning anthology of essays from Crum Creek Press because in it I have an essay written about ... you guessed it ... Sue Grafton.

Oh well. It isn't as though she would have missed me. She had Beverle Graves Myers and Jess Lourey there and both of them are wonderful Midwest chapter authors. Bev and Jess took care of the HOT TICKET event with their usual panache, and all was well.

I'm flying high and every time someone calls the house today they ask what's up because I'm so cheerful. This has been a wonderful, wonderful weekend and I thank everyone who had anything to do with Bouchercon, Indy. A superbly run conference and great people. Thank you!!!

I'm mad at myself for missing the opportunity to meet Sue, but at least no one was hurt by my oversight. The only one who suffered was me. And that's okay.

The rest of the day (Anthony Awards) was pretty darned spectacular, so I am *not* complaining.

I'll be posting more about the awards and celebrations tomorrow on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, so if you care to, please stop by. There's another contest running, too!

Bouchercon, here I come!

2009-10-14T08:29:00.002-05:00

I am so excited - Bouchercon is finally here! I still have a few more things to throw in my suitcases. Yes "suitcases," plural ;-) and then I'll be taking off about noonish to meet a friend about 20 minutes from here and we'll drive together to Indy!

Two suitcases are necessary, by the way. With all the Hot Ticket supplies (bags, mostly) and MWA banner, pamphlets, etc. I need to bring, I think I'm justified in bringing along a second bag. And that means I now have room for more shoes!

Interestingly, Robyn dropped Violet (her cat, and Kitka's sister) off yesterday for us to watch for the next five days while she and Andrew are out of town. I thought I would be suffering double with two cats in the house (in case I haven't mentioned, I discovered I'm allergic to cats. I've never been allergic to *anything* before). But the two cats keep each other company so well that they mostly leave me alone. Of course, right now they're making a liar out of me and sleeping here on my desk as I type this. But yesterday was an easy breathing day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cats are fun to watch. And when they tumble around themselves instead of constantly crawling into my lap, my nose appreciates it!

I'm now thinking I could have maximized this and gotten a lot of writing done while Violet is here, but I'll be getting home just when Robyn and Andrew get back. Hmm... maybe I should "borrow" her until this manuscript is done. (Have I mentioned I'm not writing while I'm in Bouchercon? Yikes. Time is getting short...)

Anyway, I won't be popping in here until next week at the earliest. Not that I post regularly or anything ;-) But I hope to share some pictures and fun stories from the conference when I get back.

Okay -- can I just add one more thing?

I'm incredibly excited about both the Anthony and Barry nominations. That's, of course, part of why I'm giddy about this particular Bouchercon. From the moment I learned of my nominations until this moment -- when the conference is actually here -- has been the *best*! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. This has been one of the finest honors I've ever enjoyed and I am so thankful.

So ... thank you ... to everyone who has have read my books, sent me e-mails, posted positive reviews on Amazon, nominated State of the Onion for the Anthony or the Barry - and those who have supported me always. You are all wonderful and I thank you so much!

Okay, gotta run. Still a lot to do!

Hugs,
Julie

A little fun with Ten-Twelve

2009-10-12T11:57:00.003-05:00

Today is 10/12.

That may not mean anything to you, but it does to me. In fact, every 10/12 I wait in breathless anticipation, wondering what this year's date might hold. In fact, a friend of mine just commented on the date and it occurred to me that the topic might just be bloggable. A little weirdness, a little fun. You ready?

I was born --ahem-- number of years ago at 10:12 AM.

My husband was born --ahem-- number of years ago at 10:12 PM.

And his birthday is exactly 10 months and 12 days before mine.

Pretty cool, huh?

Ever since we put this together (years ago, when we went on a cruise and needed to carry birth certificates), we've been hyper-vigilant every October the 12th. So far, all our 10/12s have been unremarkable and that's okay. Although I keep hoping for some exciting and fun surprise, I need to keep in mind that 10/12 might be an omen...

Hmmm...I think we should probably avoid traveling together on this date....
;-)

Julie
Bouchercon is coming up this week!!! I absolutely can't wait! Hope to see you there.

Diana Gabaldon

2009-10-01T14:50:00.008-05:00

Yes!! My friend Rene and I went to Diana Gabaldon's book signing last night. The event was held at North Central College, sponsored by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. Wonderful event! Ms. Gabaldon is just so entertaining. As Rene put it, we could have listened to her for three more hours.

This is us before the event started and before the "pre-show entertainment" began. Can you imagine being such a popular author that you get a warm-up act? We listened to bagpipe music and watched highland dancers for about a half hour before the 7:00 PM start.

Ms. Gabaldon was gracious enough to pose with us and I think it was probably her husband who took the picture. Look at this woman (I'll have what *she's* having!) - she's absolutely lovely and claims to have been married for 34 years. She barely looks that old. Oh my gosh - I would *love* to look half that good when I'm married for that long.

Let me tell you a secret.... I really, really hoped that when we first got there and picked up our tickets, the Anderson booksellers would say, "Julie Hyzy? Don't you write the White House Chef books?" But of course ::: sigh ::: that didn't happen.
;-)

No matter. We had an absolutely *great* time and I can't wait until this manuscript is done so that I can lose myself in the Outlander series once again.

Resistance is Futile

2009-09-22T15:16:00.008-05:00

I never thought this day would come. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Curt has won only one real concession all these years ;-) and that has been, "No cats." Not that I argued all that hard. I like cats and always have, but I've always preferred dogs.

But when you have children -- even older kids -- you need to be prepared for the unexpected. Sara and her boyfriend, Luke, found two sister kittens up near his apartment at school. One kitten is black, the other black and white. Robyn and Andrew adopted the black one and named her Violet Oakley after a famous illustrator. Sara named the black and white one Miss Kitka from the old Batman movie. (Who says kids these days don't know the classics? Heh. Heh.)

Anyway, after much discussion and after meeting Miss Kitka in person, Curt has agreed to let her stay with us until Sara graduates college (2 years from now) but he stipulated that someone else needs to take the cat during the Christmas holidays. We understand that cats love to climb real Christmas trees and that's the one thing Curt won't give up (I turned him to the "dark side" on that one years ago). Robyn and Andrew have graciously agreed to take Kitka during those weeks. And if for some reason they can't, it will be up to Sara to find a friend (Luke??) to babysit for the holidays.

This may sound like a strong request, but believe me, allowing the cat to stay at all is a huge concession for Curt. He's such a softie though.

When we were discussing this away from nosy ears, he said he was feeling a little like Jean-Luc Picard in First Contact ... (paraphrasing) you give a little, you compromise a little, and then it's too late. "The line must be drawn here!" (pronounced "heah!") LOL

Well the line is at Christmas. The girls assure me they'll comply. And with any luck they won't force our assimilation during the holidays. We've discovered, too late, that resistance is futile ;-)

Pictures from Kerrytown

2009-09-15T17:23:00.003-05:00

The Kerrytown Bookfest in Ann Arbor, Michigan this past Sunday was wonderful! Robin Agnew of Aunt Agatha's bookstore was in charge of the festival and she did a masterful job. The day was sunny and warm, but the people in Ann Arbor were even warmer. I was so lucky to have been on a panel with Joanna Carl and Miranda Bliss who were charming and full of great ideas.

Just want to share a few pics:
This is our panel in action. Angelee was a wonderful moderator. She read all our books and had specific questions prepared for each of us. That was such a delight!

Posing for pictures before running off to the signing tent....

Here we all are signing after the panel. We were also welcome to sign at the Aunt Agatha booth during the day, which I did for about an hour or so.

I met so many nice people at this event. Ann Arbor is beautiful. And of course, Curt and I had lunch at the famous Zingerman's Deli.

Delish!

Kerrytown Bookfest Sunday

2009-09-11T10:20:00.003-05:00

If anyone is in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area this Sunday, September 13th - please stop by the Kerrytown Bookfest and say hello. My panel is at 2:00, and we'll be talking about culinary mysteries, of course. Click on Bookfest for more details. Doesn't it sound great? And Jeffrey Deaver is the big guest star. I *love* Jeffrey Deaver. He's not just an amazing writer, he's a great guy. I had the pleasure of meeting him at one of our Midwest chapter meetings at Love is Murder and he was so gracious, so warm.

Anyway, can you tell I'm thrilled to be part of an event where he's featured? Of course, he isn't on the panel talking about culinary mysteries. LOL Could you imagine that? I think I'd be afraid to eat anything one of his characters prepared ;-)

The Kerrytown Bookfest in Ann Arbor has lots to offer and I can't wait to get there.

Hope to see some readers there. Please do say hello!

Julie

Fan Girl

2009-09-09T12:22:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited. My friend Rene and I have just bought tickets to go see Diana Gabaldon when she comes to Anderson's Bookshop later this month.

I have loved the Outlander series since I picked up the first in the series in 1998. I read the first four books twice, and Outlander three times. I confess that with all my book *writing* I haven't been able to keep up. Who'd a believed Diana Gabaldon could write these massive tomes faster than I could read them? I'm about halfway through The Fiery Cross and I still have A Breath of Snow and Ashes to get through before I start this new one, An Echo in the Bone.

You can't just walk in to this event. You actually have to purchase a book ($30) and a ticket ($5) in order to be allowed in. This speaks volumes about Gabaldon's popularity. I would love to be that much in demand, but I have to tell you -- I don't like the idea of charging people to attend a book talk. Maybe there are things at work in the background that I'm not aware of (and that's likely), but even as I hope to become that popular over time (I'm dreaming here), I hope no bookstore ever charges people to come to my booksignings.

But that obviously hasn't stopped me from ordering our tickets...
;-)

Hate Mail Hazards of Being Famous

2009-09-08T12:54:00.010-05:00

No, I'm not talking about myself. I'm nowhere near "famous," and that's okay. I wouldn't mind if my books were famous, but that's not something I have any control over.

But today on Writers Plot, my friend Lorraine Bartlett talks about a letter she received about one of her books. I can't call it a fan letter because the writer is no such thing. The letter Lorraine received is angry, vehement, and personal. What about? Food issues. Yeah, seriously. Check out the link above for the details.

In the comment section of the blog, Shelly nails it. I have to believe Lorraine was stunned and hurt by this missive. Lorraine is a wonderful story teller and a really nice person to boot. Fortunately she seems as though she's shaken it off quickly -- but this nasty letter makes me wonder, as I often have -- do the people who write angry letters and cruel reviews really understand that there are *people* behind the books? That books are written with the hope that with our stories we can entertain readers, cheer them up, or let them escape for a little while?

When authors read horrid reviews of their books (for an example or two, check out SJ's reviews of my two WHChef novels on Amazon -- or, better yet, *don't* read them), believe me, it hurts. I sincerely hope SJ does *not* pick up a copy of Eggsecutive Orders when it comes out. It's pretty obvious to me she doesn't care for my style.

I understand that not everyone will enjoy my books. And that's okay. It's not the message, it's the tone -- the spite with which the reviews (and Lorraine's letter) were written -- that really stings. As though the writers *wanted* to hurt us. I have to wonder what's going on in the lives of those who so easily diss others. Why spread such anger, such negativity? Does this make them feel better? If that's the case, let them have their say. We'll deal with it. We have to. But I will do my utmost to not let the cycle continue.

Anyway, that's my rant for today.
Let's all try to be kind to one another.

:-)
Julie