The Great Hockey Rink in the Sky Monday, Mar 31 2008 

Uncategorized , , , , Auntie M Writes Crime 12:43 am

Auntie M has just returned from the wilds of the midwest, visiting her 4 Grands and far too many hockey rinks…where she picked up a stomach flu…in the middle of a hockey tournament (I leave the details to your imagination, but trust me, the ladies room is NOT like yours at home)…which the 16 mos old had two days later.  Reminded me why younger people have babies,  as I did those three baths and changes of clothes in one 8AM to 1 PM shift when Mom was teaching.  Since 3 of 4 Grands plus Mom play hockey ( you are in serious trouble out here if you don’t), and  since hot chocolate wouldn’t stay down, it was not my favorite part of the trip.  But I digress.

Being around children who remind me of the natural curiosity and wonder of this world is  worth a few trips to the ice rink.   Taking a trip to the bookstore was my favorite outing.  Along with Green Girl of Wisconsin’s blog last week, I agree that there are plenty of non-fiction books that rival those of the storied kind.  My 7 yr old g-dtgr. asked for The Dangerous Book for Girls for her May birthday, and you know it’s coming to her.  9 yr old g-son is reading a series where he can design his own ending for the book!   That they are all in love with books is a real delight to this Nana.  Reading aloud the original Peter Pan, chapter one, the G’s were astounded to find that “Nana” was the Darling children’s dog nanny.  Score one for this Nana.

We also took the three bigs to see “Horton” and where else can a couple laugh with delight at an animated movie with abandon unless they are surrounded by the kids the movie is designed for.  Too loud, a pet peeve of mine at cinema’s, but well done.

I did manage to reada few by Claire Curzon, the Mike Yeading series, and R. M. Kinder’s An Absolute Gentleman, which neatly illustrates everything you wanted to know inside the mind of an academic serial killer, as opposed to the purely sociopathic one of the Dexter novels.  Which is coming on CBS tonight.  So if you want to wander around for a bit with a serial killer, read either or the above or tune in at 10Pm EST.  You just can’t make this stuff up.

 

On the road again… Thursday, Mar 13 2008 

Uncategorized , Auntie M Writes Crime 1:30 am

Auntie M and her Silver Fox, not to be confused with Green Girl’s own Wisconsin Silver Fox, are headed out to the great Midwest to visit our Grands.  The four youths in question range in age from 9 to1 1/2 and provide us with an endless supply of hugs, giggles and laughs, not to mention stories to read on four different levels, and at this time of year, hockey games to see.  We will go to swimming lessons and gymnastics lessons, ride bikes and visit the park.  We will also get tons of sloppy baby kisses and keep the Chunkey Monkey toddler out of things he shouldn’t be in, like the freezer.  In short, a grandparents dream time.

Although I notice as they age that I need more time to recoup when I get back from these visits…one of us must be getting older…I wouldn’t trade these visits for anything.  The undying affection of your grandchildren is right up there with the unconditional love your pets give you.  They are always glad to see you, even if they do suspect there just may be a present hidden in your luggage.

Most of all, I love how they retrain me to look at things in wonder and awe, from a new and different perspective, or from an eye that is untarnished with cares of life.  These visits help me to connect with my inner child, stimulate my creativity, and remind me how children really talk when I’m writing dialog.  And at the end of the day, when they get cranky or irritable, hey,  their Mom or Dad steps in and I slip into the background.  Pure bliss.  And nothing smells as good as the back of baby’s neck, right up there with puppy breath~

 

Basketball Monday, Mar 10 2008 

Uncategorized , , , , Auntie M Writes Crime 5:15 pm

Down here in NC, basketball is the sport everything revolves around.  In particular, the teams of UNC Chapel Hill and Duke play out a long rivalry going back too many years to count.  Dukies, also known as Cameron Crazies, with blue faces, wigs and bodies, appear to cheer their Coach K team on.  Over at Chapel Hill, Coach Williams has taken his team to a number one spot with the Amazing Tyler Hansborough.  So Saturday night’s game was watched in households too numerous to count.  But wait: an amazing thing happened.

Earlier this week, the President of UNC’s Student Body was murdered, senselessly, for her car and her ATM and credit cards.  This bright, 22 yr old woman lost her life so thugs could use her cards, probably to support their drug habit.  The entire campus was outraged and in mourning.  That spread to the town and community and then to anyone in NC watching the news, as photo’s of her ‘alleged’ attackers were shown on television, trying to use her ATM card in her car, the driver wearing garb now identified as that of a Los Angeles gang member.

At the Saturday night game between these two teams, competing for first place in the ACC, everyone (yes, everyone, regardless of which team they were rooting for) were given and wore Carolina blue ribbons in Eve Carson’s honor.  Mothers wearing Duke corsages for Senior Night wore their blue ribbons on the other side.  The Duke team wore black bands on their shirts.  UNC’s Tarheels had EVE inside a black circle embroidered on their shirts.

There was moment of silence just before the National Anthem.  Ten thousand (yes, 10,000) hyped up fans fell completely silent.  Some had tears in their eyes.   Others shook their heads at this crude and cruel loss of life.

Once the game started, both teams played their hearts out.  Each camera shot reminded us they were playing for their team, their school, the rivalry, the win.  But each camera shot also reminded us they were playing for Eve.

Godspeed, Eve Carson.   You will be missed.  And your team won.

 

Writing on the River Sunday, Mar 9 2008 

Uncategorized , , Auntie M Writes Crime 4:54 pm

I have to admit I’m very fortunate.  Each day that’s nice enough, I can drag my laptop onto our screened porch and sit and watch river life whilst writing.  The weather is just starting to turn enough here that I can do that soon, the bulbs coming up and the trees budding.  Fred and Ethel, our pair of mallards, visit the dock and swim along the bulkheading.  If they’re seen by our dogs, Murray and Radar take off down the dock, barking their respective heads off, saying in doggie language: “SCRAM! This is our dock!”

While I try to look up frequently, my eyes are usually cast down to the computer screen.  Now that the manuscript for our Screw Iowa book is in good shape, I can get back to my own writing.  Right now that means revision, where P. D. James told me ‘the real writing gets done.’  I’m trying something new, changing to first person POV, and with that comes the challenge of my main character having to be present in every scene, or the action can’t happen.

And in between that revising, I’ll be working on my bits for our Screw Iowa website, finding pieces to revise to send out to other publications hoping to garner another publication credit, querying the editor at the magazine send articles to with my latest idea, and working on dividing our Screw Iowa concept into five coherent small ‘talks’ as we prepare to publicize our project with panel discussions.

And you thought a writer’s life was just sitting there having fun, right?

 

The Royals Monday, Mar 3 2008 

Uncategorized , , Auntie M Writes Crime 11:20 pm

Anglophile that I am, Auntie M will be glued to the Ba-Ba Walters special tonight on the Royal Family.  It’s supposed to contain footage gleaned over several months showing how they live on a daily basis.  Don’t have a clue why I care; guess it’s because I lived there in another life, I swear.  And love their mysteries; and those crooked little streets and gorgeous buildings; and Dickens and Christie and Wilkie Collins and Shakespeare; the Lake District and canals; gardens and High tea and OXFORD–should I stop now?

On the home front, heading to the airport tomorrow to pick up one of the Screw Iowa gals.  We’re a writers workshop of five women who live across the country.  We met at the U of Iowa a few years ago in a novel class and bonded.  After maintaining email contact all year and trading bits and pieces of our novels for critiquing, we approached Iowa and asked for a course that would allow us to critique our entire novels, instead of the lowly 20-25 pages that are usual.  They said no.  We said, with great respect, “Screw Iowa, we’ll do it ourselves.”  And so we did, and continue to do so, meeting annually to critique each other’s entire novels, trading and supporting and communicating by email all year long.  It’s been so successful we’ve written a book about it.

Screw Iowa: A Twenty-First Century Writers Guide to Success is represented by Curtis Brown, Ltd.  Our book proposal and sample chapters are making the rounds to potential publishers.   And Miss L from Baltimore is arriving for 3 days of work to put the finishing touches on the complete manuscript.  One that five women have written together.  Now, I want you to picture that: five women agreeing on any one thing.  And then multiply that by about 200 pages and you can see how busy we’ve been this past year.  It’s a labor of love, intended to encourage writers out there everywhere to keep on writing.  Once it’s in print, copies will be available on our website, soon to be up and running.  Watch this spot for news at that launch.

And enjoy the Royals tonight!

 

Yee-Haaaa! Friday, Feb 29 2008 

Uncategorized , , Auntie M Writes Crime 1:14 am

Hello fellow readers and writers.  I’ve returned from Texas which was a hoot: borrowed a cowboy hat, imbibed too many tequila drinks to mention, ate tons of Mexican food & Texas BBQ, and hardly slept.  Heard some great music, esp. Albert & Gage, whose CD’s I would recommend. She is 1/2 French and has a lovely voice and does some songs in Eng/Fr, including my wedding song, “La Vie en Rose” so I’m a fan.  Learned to two-step, saw the countryside, the downtown and the UT campus, all thanks to my good friend and Shakespeare scholar, Susan.  This is one neat place, stuck in the 60’s and swinging on all counts.  And Susan’s kids helped to make our stay a great one, taking us on drives, entertaining us at home, joining us for music and food.   A fun time.

But now back to work and revisions have commenced on the newest novel, featuring RN Trudy Genova, who works as a medical consultant for a movie studio and is usually found helping out at soap operas filmed in the Big Apple.  Behind-the-scenes stuff at soaps mingles with her helping to solve the murder of actor Griff Kennedy, who may or may not deserve his fate, depending on your point of view.   Lead detective Ned O’Malley would rather she left the sleuthing to him, but our Trudy knows better, she thinks.

On the reading front, and since I’m revising Trudy in first person, I’ve kept reading Margaret Duffy’s series featuring novelist Ingrid Langley and Army Capt. Patrick Gillard, as they are written in first person and also highly engaging.  Duffy has a host of stand-alones, too, but this series is identified as having some kind of bird in the title: A Murder of Crows, Death of a Raven, Brass Eagle, etc.  They take place in the UK and I enjoy her description of the male-female relationship as much as the action.

 

Westminster 2 Wednesday, Feb 13 2008 

Uncategorized , Auntie M Writes Crime 5:11 pm

Auntie M is glad Roux agrees with me on those ridiculous poodle cuts.  The Best in Show last night had some unusual breeds for a change (Sealyham terrier, Australian shepherd amonst them) but at the end of the day, the little Beagle named Uno walked away with the silver bowl and top honors.  And he knew he won something, judging by his howling and leaping at the excitement and standing ovation.  Watch as the sale of this breed will take a giant curve upwards now, happens every year.

The Spinone who competed was a brown roan, and quite handsome, but overlooked.  Ah, well, as the judges get used to seeing this breed and understand its specialness, it will advance.  Doc and I didn’t make popcorn, but did watch on DVR after the NC game (Go Tarheels).  Now what an evening is that?  Winning basketball, winning dogs, Doc by my side, Spinone sharing my ottoman.  Great evening.

Auntie M will be offline for a week; heading tomorrow to Austin, TX, a state I’ve never been to, to reunite with gal friends from Oxford summer course.  We are all of certain age, which means our two-step will be sedate, but will still be out there.  I understand my hostess, Susan, has an itinerary planned that includes eating, music, museums, eating, antiquing, touring, shopping and eating.   Priorities.

On the book end, will take the next three in Margaret Duffy’s neat mystery series with me, about a divorced couple who remarry at the beginning of MI-5 to confound the baddies.  Not your typical spy novel, or I wouldn’t be interested for sure.  Duffy, who also has other stand alones, has a neat way of describing her main characters thoughts and actions.  And did I mention the guy is missing a limb? Give them a shout.

 

Westminster Tuesday, Feb 12 2008 

Uncategorized , Auntie M Writes Crime 8:35 pm

Those of you who know Auntie M personally already know that I am very fond of dogs, and so watching Westminster has the hallmark of the Oscars at our house, although for last night’s first session we did low calorie pudding instead of popcorn.

There are just so many adorable breeds, all puffed out and cleaned up, as well as a few absurd and ridiculous ones.  I mean, the Puli and those cords?  A black mop for sure.  And that sorry cut on the poodle?  I know it has a history back centuries, and those pom-poms keep the dogs joints warm and protected, yadda, yadda.  But I feel for the poor thing out there, strutting his stuff and pretending NOT to be embarrassed by such a horrendous ‘do.  You just know the poor things is thinking: “Get me outta here” but has been trained to keep his nose up and pretend he likes it.
Give me my scruffy Spinone anyday over those tricked out cuts.  A hunting dog with webbed feet and a double coat, this guy has a large nose, human olive eyes, and the silliest grin this side of the Rockies.  As I type this he’s curled up on his ottoman, sleeping off a romp with his choc. lab pal in the marsh.  He arrived home with only a white stripe showing down his back, the rest of him black with stinky marsh mud, requiring a cold shower outside before he could come in the house.  Now the fragrance of Wet Dog permeates the rooms and as he wiggles and stretches in sleep, remembering his morning romp, I have to refrain myself from going over and cuddling the big goofy guy.  Poodle Boy, eat your heart out.

 

Big Time in the Big Apple Wednesday, Feb 6 2008 

Uncategorized , , Auntie M Writes Crime 10:52 pm

For those of you thundering masses wondering where Auntie M has been, I’ve been to NYC for a writers convention and quite frankly, to enjoy myself.   The loan of a friend’s apartment coupled with a cheap ticket made this possible, and the days included a meeting with The Agent Who Knows All…but that’s another story.  Whilst there, I saw two movies on the big screen (versus none, since the closest cinema to me is over an hour away and we rarely get there–yes, I know, I live in a ridiculously rural area, usually spoken of with three ‘very’s, as in “very, very, very rural”–and how we got here from NY is yet another story.

There was something to be said for seeing “Atonement” in all its period beauty stretched across the wall in startling color, the fashions, the flat-chested  but well-dressed Keira Knightley, and of course, that darkly lit but lovely sex scene in the library.  What kind of bibliophile would I be not to like a movie that has  a sex scene in a library?  Fairly faithful to the book for a change, worth seeing, I’d give it an 8 1/2 out of 10.

Then “The Savages,” with an actor I admire, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I knew was destined for great things when I first saw him in “Dead Poets Society.”  He plays the brother of Laura Linney, also great in this sometimes amusing but mostly realistic heartfelt story of sibling coming to terms with their aging father, beautifully played by Philip Bosco.  His scene alone on the plane taking him to a nursing home should get him some kind of award for chutzpah.

I  was also gifted a ticket to “Curtains,” an old-tyme musical revolving around murder on a Broadway show set.  Plenty of singing and dancing, and the divine David Hyde-Pierce playing the detective.  So much energy in live theatre makes me want to run to my laptop and start revising a novel or writing a new one…or writing a blog!

 

Cotswolds Idyll Monday, Jan 28 2008 

Uncategorized , , , Auntie M Writes Crime 3:38 am

For those of you who enjoy a mystery set in the very English Cotswolds, check out Rebecca Tope’s trio set in that golden area. Her unusual heroine has an interesting mindset and empathy with the people she meets, and of course, she has an adorable dog…what more could you ask for in entertainment?

 

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