Month: March 2018

What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

I’ve been continually impressed by the activism of the upcoming generation.  (And am waiting for the day that Emma Gonzalez files for public office.)  Is it any surprise that folks are turning to the ubiquitous books from their childhood and referring to J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard and his seven-book arc as a rallying cry?

The original 1980s iteration of “Roseanne” is one of the closest ways that I can point to my childhood and say “There.  That’s my life in a nutshell.”  Some of my friends may have wanted to be Kelly Taylor or Jessie Spano (OK – I wanted her hair.), I wanted to have the snark, the wit, the bro wardrobe, and the curls of Darlene Conner from “Roseanne.”  (And Sara Gilbert? Perfection.) I haven’t watched the reboot yet.  I’m not sure if I’m going to, but I have hopes that it represents the blue collar, middle class that’s never really represented on primetime television.

Michelle McNamara’s final book “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” is out, published posthumously.  I’ve been reading the tribute articles and will be reading McNamara’s book soon.

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Listening: Work has been insane lately.  The mellow sounds of Gregory Alan Isakov are getting me through.  I also read this article about Annie Mack, a southeast Minnesota-based musician, with interest.  Going to have to check Ms. Mack out the next time she’s playing in my community.

Reading: Picked up Ariel Lawhon’s “I Was Anastasia” at the library this week.  I’m something of a Romanov nut, so this is up my nerdy little alley.

Also, while I was in Chicago, I finished Meg Hafdahl’s “Her Dark Inheritance.” Damn. Good.  Hard copy is out now too … click here to see my review on Goodreads.

Writing Life: Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Dragonfly …

Have a good weekend, friends!

What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

My love for “Jane Eyre” is well documented.  Was happy to see this article from the New York Times about Charlotte Brontë.

Dana Chamblee Carpenter is the reason I knew about Killer Nashville and its Claymore Award.  (Her debut novel “Bohemian Gospel” won a few years back.)  I had the pleasure of meeting her last summer and she is kind to boot.  I liked this post of hers called “The Magic of Maybe.”

It. Is. Almost. TIME!  Meg Hafdahl‘s debut novel “Her Dark Inheritance” is out on Kindle on SATURDAY!  (Paperback is out later this month.)  Meg’s become a friend and she loves coffee about as much as I do, which makes her fairly awesome.  I am really excited to download my copy of Meg’s book.

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Watched: My bestie Anne and I went to “Red Sparrow” last weekend.  And I basically told her that she’s in charge of picking movies from here on out.  (The last movie night we went to was “The Mountain Between Us” which was fine [hel-lo, Idris Elba!], but “Mountain” was more of a renter than a goer.)  I love Jennifer Lawrence.  Joel Edgerton is a hot Australian, but man … too much violence and nudity.  I’m not a prude, but when those elements are gratuitous it ruins what could be a great movie experience. 

Reading: Well, since the movie was a dud (and I’m still trying to figure out why Joel Edgerton’s character willingly slept with Jennifer Lawrence’s spy [trained to seduce and kill, y’all]), I went out and bought a copy of Jason Matthews’ “Red Sparrow.”  Because seriously …

Listening: Well, hey – I do have a “new to me” band to share this week.  Meet First Aid Kit, a folk duo of sisters from Sweden.  You’re welcome.

Writing Life: Oh, this is going to be a good weekend … I’m going to be in Chicago at a couple of mystery events! On Saturday, when the Chi-town Irish are turning the river green, I’ll be rubbing elbows with some of the Midwest’s finest mystery writers (and fans) at Murder and Mayhem in Chicago. Then on Sunday afternoon, I’m taking a class hosted by the Mystery Writers of America – Midwest Chapter.  Our teacher?  The masterful Jeffrey Deaver.  I. Can’t. Wait.  Plus – I’m going to be in a hotel room.  With my laptop.  Dare I say that some writing’s going to happen?  You betcha.

Have a great weekend, friends!  If you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, make good choices – avoid the green beer and make sure you have a sober driver!

What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

I’m ridiculously proud of this man and cannot wait to get my hands on his latest book.  Congrats, Jerry!

Frances McDormand, my woman crush, earned her second Oscar earlier this week.  And according to The New Yorker, she made the Oscars weird again.  #squadgoals

I had the pleasure of meeting Max Allan Collins at Killer Nashville.  He’s been keeping Mickey Spillane’s work alive, even after the master’s death.  A neat piece from Wall Street Journal about two mystery legends.

Steel Magnolias makes me ugly cry; Garden & Gun did a neat piece looking at the phenomenon of the play turned movie, thirty years after its release.

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Listening: I’m embarking on a road trip next weekend to a mystery-packed weekend in Chicago.  Leave me comments below if you have any suggested songs for my time on the interstate.

Reading: Still reading Cal Newport’s “Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World.”  It’s good, it’s now officially overdue at the library, but apparently I’m too distracted to plow through it.

Writing Life: I got through what felt like a major round of rewrites to Dragonfly, so now it’s time to double down and get through the rest of the draft.

Another part of my writing journey is making public appearances and one of my favorite things to do is moderating author panels.  On Tuesday, March 6th, I got to facilitate a panel celebrating the amateur sleuth with Sherry Roberts, Barbara Deese, and Carl Brookins.  I adore these writers – from a craft perspective and from the standpoint that they make my job as a moderator super simple.  My friend Jessica Ellis Laine took this picture from Tuesday’s event.  (PS – I gesture.  A lot.)

What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

 

Book me a ticket to Ankara to see this most amazing library.

I’ve talked about the Salt Bae before.  Here’s how he spends his Sundays.

Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers?  I can be sold on that casting.

February was “Women In Horror” month and I’m proud to have a friend who writes in that genre.  Meg Hafdahl is releasing her debut novel in March and is garnering a nice amount of press coverage for her upcoming book.  This piece from PromoteHorror.com was a nice interview that traces Ms. Hafdahl’s roots as a horror writer.

So, I keep going on and on about my love for Frances McDormand.  And while that love is true, I revel in the fact that Laurie Metcalf is getting a huge amount of press for her turn in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”  The New York Times Magazine did a nice profile on Ms. Metcalf.  I love these strong, unconventional leading ladies.

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Listening: Eh … I got nothing. I have been streaming the “Riverdale” soundtrack off of Amazon which simultaneously makes me feel cool (I’m streaming!  I’m listening to stuff that I haven’t listened to before!) and old.  At the same time.  (Old:  I remember the original rendition of the single “Kids in America.”  And I remember how cool I thought that song was in the 1980s as I grooved to it in my jelly sandals that gave me the WORST blisters.)

Reading: Preston and Child’s latest Pendergast was marvelous, as expected, and was snarfed down by my brain like a sugar addicted kid eating marshmallows.  I also finished John Gaspard’s “The Ambitious Card.”  That was a great read and I highly recommend it.  Now I’m reading Cal Newport’s “Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World.”  I’m only through the introduction and already liking what I’m reading.  Hopefully I can glean some tips that help me maximize my (increasingly limited) time and work output.

Writing Life: Last week’s sniffles for my family was replaced this week by vomiting.  Between that and some other outside distractions, I’ve been doing more reading than writing / editing.  But I’m reading more books versus articles / blog post on my phone, so we’re going to chalk that up as a quasi-win.

Spring is in the air, friends!  Beware the ides of March and that sort of thing.