Shirley Tallman, mystery author

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

2011-05-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you moms out there.

I was sitting here working on my new book which is due in to my publisher on July 1st (yes, this year I even have to work on Mother's Day), and I started thinking of the fun I had raising my brood of lively kids -- some pain and aggravation, too, of course, but in hindsight, lots of fun. Those days and years passed by so quickly, it hardly seems possible that they're all grown up now with children of their own.

Perhaps the greatest compliment anyone can give a mom, is to observe the great job her own daughters are doing as moms. It lets you know that you must have done something right, in amongst all the trials and errors. I think the most important, basic ingredient for success in the job is love. And despite the many mistakes I'm sure I made, my kids received lots of love. Now they're passing it on to their own children, and in the most beautiful and imaginative ways.

So to my own daughters, and to all of you moms out there, I wish you the very happiest of Mother's Days!! Sit back, enjoy, and receive all the love you so richly deserve. As far as I'm concerned, there's not a more important job in the world than being a mother!!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, I did promise to blog more frequently, but then personal things came up that stopped the train for a while. However, next week I promise to get to it again.

Don't give up on me!!

Hope 2011 is a great year for us all!

Shirley

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!

2010-10-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today would have been our much loved son Chris' birthday. It's been two and a half years since his sudden death off the coast of South Africa, but I continue to miss him so much every day. Since he died, I haven't been able to write about him like this, but after a lot of tears shed since last night, I decided it was time to stop crying and celebrate his life!

He accomplished so much over his all too brief time on this earth, and I'm always astonished when every day at least one or two people Google his name. Over two and a half years, that's a lot of people! And every day dozens of readers watch the brief photo slide show that appears on the bottom of each of my website pages: www.shirleytallman.com. A few of the pictures are serious, most of them fun, and some just downright silly. I love them all!

Chris was an adventurer, an avid sports enthusiast, a loving son, brother and husband. He climbed mountains, was an expert snow skier, went on adventure vacations, and lived life to the fullest. He would have made a fantastic father! I was already planning a scrapbook to fill with pictures of he and Sarah's children. He and his lovely Sarah were married only a tragically short five months when he left us. And she's gone through hell since then, believe me! But she's done it bravely and with unfaltering love and devotion to the handsome young man she married! I'm constantly amazed by how hard she's worked to keep Chris, his memory, and his music alive.

Chris was an extremely talented musician. Months before his death he signed a contract with MTV, and thanks to his wife Sarah's tireless efforts, his music has aired on CNN and many other outlets. His music has won posthumous awards and has reached the finals of even more. (My favorite of his songs, "BELIEVE", plays on the photo side show that appears on my website.)

Time and again since that terrible day in April of 2008, people young and old have approached me to tell me some wonderful story about how Chris touched their lives. More than a few young men have actually cried while telling me how Chris was always there for them, or how he could always be counted on -- day or night -- to help them out of a tough spot. He was always tops in my book, but I never truly realized how important he was to others.

Chris touched my life, his father's life, and the lives of his six brothers and sisters, too, in very profound ways. In many ways he was the glue that held us all together. He was the surprise baby we didn't expect, he provided the ongoing nature lessons for his older siblings throughout my nine month pregnancy, and he was the cute little guy everyone wanted to hold, feed and yes, even change! Amazing!

I know he's in a happy place now; of that I have absolutely no doubt!! Probably looking down on all of us (as our granddaughter Danielle said today) with love in his eyes. She remembers him as the happy young uncle who always had a smile on his face, who never failed to hug her, and always said how adorable she was. That's the kind of guy he was.

Gradually, time is helping his family and his beautiful widow to heal, but the emptiness he left in all our hearts will likely never be filled. How can it be? Our son, brother, husband Chris was truly one of a kind!

This evening, instead of crying, I want to celebrate the life of my son, Chris Tallman. Thank you God for bringing that beautiful little boy into our lives. Thank you, Chris, for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to look out for our friends and neighbors (and even a few strangers along the way), for showing us how to have fun and laugh at life's ups and downs, for filling our hearts with music, and most of all for just being you!

We love you forever and with all our hearts. We will always believe!!!

My first romance novel comes together!

2010-10-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

After days spent getting to intimately know the characters in my first contemporary romance novel, SECOND HARVEST, I was finally ready to start writing in earnest.

I'd like to say that at that point the book poured out of me, but it required some practice before I could easily place myself in my hero's and heroine's heads, so that they would react and behave "in character." As harvest time in the story approached, I had to once again refer back to the books I'd found on New Zealand vineyards and wine production. Fortunately, I found the process to be totally fascinating. And as I wrote I was delighted to discover that the vineyard a magical setting for a romance, albeit a reluctant one, and even I cheered as the two former enemies began to fall in love.

I made my deadline with a couple of weeks to spare, printed out my "baby", and lovingly sent it on its way to New York. Then began yet another wait (if you have hopes of becoming a novelist, be sure to develop a generous measure of patience!) Days, then weeks, passed without a word back from my publisher. Naturally my imagination went wild: Did they like it? Did they hate it? Was everyone in my editor's office taking turns tearing it to pieces? Were they so disgusted with my manuscript that I was going to get a call demanding that I return my advance? What the @#%&*! was going on?!

I'd become convinced that a special corner of hell must be reserved for agents and editors who kept writers waiting half a lifetime before letting them know if their "baby" was going to live or die, when the phone finally rang. It was my editor's assistant, informing me in a sweet voice that SECOND HARVEST was absolutely wonderful and had been scheduled for publication the following September. In fact, she informed me, they were already talking to my agent about signing me to a contract to write the second of my three book proposals -- the one set in Japan.

In that one deliriously happy moment, all my anger and resentment toward my publishers disappeared. There was a song in my heart and once again all was right with the world!

(Next: My second romance, FLOWER OF THE ORIENT, is born!)

Good background, now how to deal with the actual romance elements!

2010-10-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

When I'd completed my first general research into New Zealand's wine vineyards (I'd have to delve into it more thoroughly as the story progressed), I faced the most important, and for me the most challenging, element in the book: the romance!

It wasn't that I'd never experienced the joy and pain of first love, along with the intense heartache when that love was over. Far from it. The problem I faced now was how to put those feelings into words, then weave them into a passionate and believable story. This dilemma really gave me pause to think and, I admit, more than a few worried moments. In fact, I was terrified. I finally had a book contract, but what if I couldn't pull it off? Sure, I'd managed the first 3 chapters, but the truth was I hadn't given the entire book enough thought, especially not with the guidelines my editor had sent. And while this gave me a fair number of fitful nights, it was eventually to become one of the best "on the job" writing assignments ever. Writing plots with a lot of action, mystery and suspense came fairly easily for me. But it was high time I learned how to make the people in my books come to life. For that's what keeps readers turning the page: truly caring about the characters in a novel and what happens to them!

I don't know how other romance writers do it, but I began by getting as completely into my heroine as possible: Who was she? How had her previous marriage affected her views on men? What were her preconceptions about her brother-in-law who ran the vineyard? Why did she both hate and fear him? What would cause her to defy her fears and fly to far-off New Zealand and confront him?

On the other side of the coin, how would he react to her? Why did he resent her, even hold her responsible for his brother's death? How could they ever work together in the best interests of the vineyard? Despite his anger and resentment, how would he react to the overpowering sexual attraction he felt toward her?

I made copious notes on both of my main characters, and slowly but surely I began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Never before had I spent so much time getting to know the people I was writing about. Before long, I felt I knew them almost as well as the members of my family. In fact, in a way they became members of my family!

(Next: My first romance novel begins to come together!)

Do not disturb! I'm being paid to write a romance novel!

2010-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Despite the daunting letter I received from my Silhouette editor (see "Guidelines for writing a Silhouette Desire," 9/29/10 blog), it was such a wonderful feeling to be writing a book to contract. Soon I'd receive a check for half my advance ($5,000), then when I actually turned in the finished manuscript, I'd get the second half. After I'd sold enough books to cover the advance I'd be eligible to receive royalties. YAY!

Now all I had to do was to write the actual book. I cleared my desk, made sure my computer was behaving itself (I'd started working on a computer in 1980 and took to it like a fish takes to water. But to state that those earlier computers were extremely temperamental, would be an understatement of gigantic proportions!) and set to work -- following the lengthy guidelines I'd been sent, of course, yet at all costs keeping the novel original. YIKES! Not an easy order.

Once I was ready to rock and roll, I taped the editor's letter on the wall beside my desk, with the more pertinent instructions marked in bright yellow highlighter. I decided that before I started chapter four of the book, I should go back and make some changes to the first three chapters which had been sent to the publisher. Fortunately, this turned out to be no big deal, but I figured the sooner I set the stage for what was to follow, the better.

Okay, now I was ready to tackle chapter four and new material -- and face my first major stumbling block. During my years working as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airline, I'd toured a New Zealand wine vineyard on one of my layovers there. However, the notes I'd taken didn't come even close to explaining the more minute aspects of the business. (I think I mostly wrote about the beautiful scenery, and how impressed I was with hundreds of rows of vines stretching out as far as the eye could see). Now I had to show everything through my heroine's eyes. And it had to be correct!

So, it was off to the library to pour through books on vineyards, including when and how various grapes were harvested, how they were processed, how they were bottled and finally marketed. To my relief, it turned out that there was enough research material on the subject to fill several novels. I made photo copies, took copious notes, and settled myself back behind my desk to begin writing the "all American romance novel!"

(Next: Good background, now how to deal with the actual romance elements!)

Guidelines for writing a Silhouette Desire!

2010-09-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, I had no idea how to fashion my recently purchased contemporary romance proposal, SECOND HARVEST, into a Silhouette Desire. And since no books in this line had as yet been published -- this was in the mid-eighties, remember -- I wasn't even sure how to begin.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon how you looked at it), my editor sent me a three page, single-spaced typed letter describing in some detail how I should proceed. As I read the instructions, my mouth fell open until it very nearly reached my chin. Here is a brief list of what it covered:

First: It was of utmost importance that my story be totally original -- as long as it followed a standard set formula, that is.

Second: I must not allow the book to become bogged down with plot. The crucial things here were characterization and passion. I was told I had to get inside the heroine's head until readers felt as if they knew her as well as their best friend. (I had a lot of trouble with this at first since I'm a big fan of plot. But I must admit that it turned out to be better than any writing class in teaching me how to portray characters in such a way that they come alive on the page.)

Third: Among other things, this formula laid out which parts of the body could be named with anatomical correctness, and which ones could not. Generally speaking, anything below the waist was to be referred to with "inoffensive, non-specific euphemisms." The word "bosom" was allowed, but not the word "breasts." (It made no sense to me, either. Since the Desire line was aimed at women between 18 to 45 years, I figured there was a good chance they'd all heard the word "breast" at least once in their lives. But evidently they were not allowed to see the offensive word issuing from my pen!)

Fourth: The letter established very specific guidelines on how to handle the love scenes. At least five or six pages must lead up to the act. The act itself was to go on for another set number of pages. (These were the most difficult pages to write, since I was so limited on what I could say, and which body parts I could name. Trust me, you can run out of euphemisms really fast!) At the conclusion of the act, the heroine and her lover must spend at least three more pages talking so that readers could see that the two really cared for each other, and that the act had not been tawdry.

Fifth: Hero and heroine must begin the book as enemies. However, the issues which divide them have to be realistic and too serious, or complicated, to be resolved through a simple five-minute conversation. When the two finally do come together, it must be with irresistible passion and love -- even if the characters do not yet recognize their true feelings.

Sixth: Something unexpected and beyond our heroine's control must come between them, once again dividing our lovers. Then, when all seems lost the obstacles are somehow overcome and love triumphs. The Desire line, as with all romance novels, MUST HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!

Seventh: A final reminder: The book must be completely original!!

(Next: Do not disturb! I'm being paid to write a romance novel!)

Welcome to the world of romance!

2010-09-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I carefully read the agreement my new agent mailed me, showed it to my husband Bob for his opinion, then signed and sent it back to her. It was short and appeared to be fairly standard, stating that she was to receive 10% of any book earnings I received. She also wanted to be paid for postage, copying the manuscript, phone fees, and other incidentals, but I crossed these fees off and signed my initials to every change I made to the document. (I did this upon my husband's advice, since he regularly dealt with contracts at work. I have to admit I was a bit nervous that this might scotch the deal, but agreed with Bob that over the long run this might result in significant savings).

To my surprise, my new agent never even mentioned the changes I'd made to the contract. She just called me about a week later and said she was submitting the first proposal to Simon and Schuster's Silhouette romance division. She knew that they were launching a new contemporary romance genre to be called the "Desire" line, and thought my book might be what they were looking for.

Then the waiting once again began. Oh, how I hated counting the days and wondering if my book would be accepted, or if I needed to start reading the Employment pages in the newspaper. One way or the other, it was clear that we would have to bring in more money with so many children approaching high school and college age.

Thankfully, the wait was much shorter than I expected, and in less than a month I was informed that Silhouette Books had bought my first proprosal, and that SECOND HARVEST was to be one of the first books in the Desire series. These books, they told me, were to be more mature and sexually explicit than any other romance novels that Silhouette had published up to this point. I found this a bit surprising, not to mention a little daunting, but oh well...

My new editor promised to mail me a set of guidelines that I would be expected to follow while finishing my book. I was also told that they expected me to complete the book within the next six months, since they operated on a tight time-line, and that SECOND HARVEST would have to be added as soon as possible to the publishing schedule.

(Next: Guidelines for writing a Silhouette Desire!)

Crossing my fingers, I send in my romance proposals!

2010-09-24T16:26:00.001-07:00

The time had come to send out my three contemporary romance proposals – each consisting of three chapters and a concluding outline – but I was anything but sure where to submit them. I knew I wanted an agent to represent me, but I hadn’t been entirely happy with the woman Nancy and I had chosen on our trip to New York. Once she had agreed to represent us, she’d seemed a bit distant and less than thrilled with our work. Yes, she’d dutifully submitted the manuscript to a number of publishing houses, but I never had the feeling that she was putting her all into the effort. Her attitude seemed to be, sure, I’ll give these new writers a try, but no skin off my teeth if their book doesn’t sell.

This was enough to cause me grave doubts about sending her my own book proposals. I was so unfamiliar with the romance genre that I felt I needed all the help and enthusiasm from an agent that I could get. I talked to Nancy about it, and went over the notes I’d taken about our meetings in New York. After much agonizing, and way too many cups of coffee, I finally decided to submit the proposals to the agent we’d visited the morning of our second day in the city. She’d been a bit reserved (which is one of the reasons Nancy and I had chosen the other agent), but she seemed very knowledgeable about the business. Perhaps I was naïve to think she’d turn out to be anymore successful than the first agent, but I comforted myself with the thought that she couldn’t be much worse.

Since little happens quickly in the publishing world, it was nearly three months before I heard back from the agent. By then I had convinced myself that she’d been so turned off by my first stumbling efforts to write a contemporary romance, that she’d simply tossed all three proposals into the waste basket. Evidently, I wasn’t even worth an, “I’m sorry, but upon further consideration your story does not fit in with the manuscripts our agency is currently handling.” Or, “I’m sorry to have misled you, but our agency is not presently seeking new authors.”

I’d done such a job on myself, that I almost passed out in surprise – and of course joy – when a letter finally arrived informing me that she would be delighted to represent my romance novels. Talk about beginner’s luck! I'd had no idea at the time I contacted her, but it turned out that this woman was one of the most successful romance agents in the business. Included with the letter was an agency contract, which I was instructed to sign. After that, she promised me that she would begin her representation by sending off the first of my three proposals to likely publishing houses.

(Next: Welcome to the world of romance!)

A crash course in writing romance novels!

2010-09-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

The night I brought home those three books from our library's "Honor Bin" (anyone could borrow these books without a library card, but were honor bound to return them when finished), remains a blur in my mind. For some reason I honestly can't remember, I decided to sleep on the living room couch that night, sparing my poor husband having a light on until all hours, read the books and figure out the formula for writing them. Easy peasy, right? NOT!

For openers, since my goal was to finish all three books in one sitting, they managed to intertwined with each other in such a way that I never could say where one left off and another began. They all just ran together in my sleep-deprived brain. Despite this, I was surprised to find the books not only interesting, but well written. Of course it didn't hurt that I just happened to choose books written by three of the most talented authors in the business. How lucky can you get? If I'd picked novels by lesser writers, I very well might have given up the whole idea that first night, which would have required me to hit the streets in search of a real job.

Despite not being able to remember the plot lines of each book, I was nonetheless inspired to try my hand at this genre. After few inquiries, I learned that the best way to submit a romance story to a publisher at that time, was to send them the first three chapters of the novel, along with a concluding outline. I bravely swallowed my doubts and set out to come up with some unusual -- and romantic -- ideas.

Searching out the journals I had kept of my travels as an international flight attendant following college, I let my imagination go wild in an attempt to come up with interesting story lines. Happily, one of my flights to New Zealand brought back memories of the wonderful vineyards I'd visited there, and a story quickly was born which would eventually be titled, SECOND HARVEST.

Shortly after finishing this first proposal, I began to imagine a romantic tale set in Japan, another of our flight destinations. Believe me, Japan is one of the most beautiful places in the world to place a romance; the love scenes practically wrote themselves! This book was titled, FLOWER OF THE ORIENT, and eventually went on to become a Silhouette Special Edition.

I set my third romance proposal in France, titling it, TIME FOR TOMORROW. Because my family had originally come from France many years ago, this book was especially fun to write. While researching it, I was excited to find many of the customs, French dishes, and sayings I fondly remembered from my childhood. Although some of the romance scenes made my grandmother roll her eyes and caused her face to flush, I think she secretly enjoyed the book. I know for a fact that she showed it to several of her French-speaking friends, so she couldn't have found it too outrageous!

After a couple of months, and a great deal of work, I finally had three proposals to send out. But how to maximize my chances of making a sale remained the $64,000 question!

(Next: Crossing my fingers, I send out my romance proposals!

New rejection slips to paper our walls!

2010-09-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

There's no need to drag out the next part of our story. Suffice it to say that our fun, funny, clever book, WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK , evidently wasn't as fun, funny and clever as we thought. Before long, the dreaded rejection slips began to fill our mailboxes. This time they were being forwarded to us by our new agent, but the pain of being rejected still pierced our hearts as much as when they had come to us directly. To give her credit, our agent continued to submit the project for the better part of a year, until even we had at last given up hope. When she could think of no more places to send the manuscript, we thanked her and released her from representing us. With admirable class, she agreed with the condition that we send any future manuscripts her way. Believe me when I say that this went a long way toward softening this latest blow to our fragile egos.

For anyone who hasn't experienced this kind of rejection, it's difficult to describe the way it makes you feel. Putting your thoughts and ideas into words is rarely easy and what follows -- letting other people read your material -- is always scary. There are just so many doubts: What makes me think I have the talent to write? Just because I consider my ideas clever and original doesn't mean anyone else will. What if people read my stuff only to laugh about it behind my back? What if someone finds out how many rejections slips I've received? Do my family and friends think I'm just wasting my time, but are too polite to actually come right out and say it? Sadly, the list goes on and on, especially when you're trying to go to sleep at night.

Clearly Nancy and I had reached a critical point in our "writing careers". Nancy was itching to get back to writing her plays (always her first love), and although my husband Bob made a good salary, our children were rapidly approaching college age, which would necessitate our finding some extra income to pay for so many tuitions. (At one point, we had five children in college at the same time, with two more to follow! You can see the problem.)

It was about that time that one of my friends happened to mention how much money could be made by writing romance novels. They'd long been popular in England, particularly the Harlequin books, but were just starting to catch on in the States. Since I was primarily a mystery, suspense, history and adventure buff, I really had little idea what kind of books she was talking about. In the back of my mind I think I had the notion (unfounded as I soon discovered!) that these books were a little sleazy and not very well written). But, in the interest of research -- and motivated by a dire need to earn college money -- I slipped on a pair of dark glasses (yes, I actually did!), ducked into our neighborhood library where I was well known, ergo the disguise, arbitrarily picked up several paperback contemporary romance novels from the "Honor Bin", and brought them home to read.

(Next: I set out on a crash course in writing romance novels!)

Why must everything in this business be so darn hard?

2010-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Nancy and I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area feeling very pleased about our trip to New York. All four agents had promised to get back to us as soon as they'd read the rest of our book, WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK, and we had no reason to doubt that they would do just that. (As I mentioned earlier, could we have ever been that naive?)

Well, we waited, and we waited, and then we waited some more. Nothing. Not a single word from any of the agents we'd seen. When our patience was finally exhausted, we gave each of them a call, thinking perhaps that it had just slipped their minds. Yeah, right! To our dismay, we discovered that two of the agents -- the man we'd met who worked out of his apartment, and the last young woman we'd spoken to the next day -- had both decided to pass on the project. Oh, had they neglected to inform us about this decision? Sorry, their assistants must have forgotten to put our letters in the mail.

Our last two phone calls produced even more astonishing -- and bewildering -- news. It seemed that the teenager we'd met that first afternoon (okay, maybe she wasn't exactly a teen, but she couldn't have been more than a year or two out of college), as well as the woman we'd spoken to who had been in the business for nearly thirty years, had both taken it upon themselves to send out the book pages without bothering to tell us. On the one hand, the fact that they'd both liked the book enough to submit it to publishers was exciting. On the other hand, we suspected that the two women would be less than thrilled to discover that they weren't the only agent sending out the same proposal. We might be new to the publishing business, but even we knew this kind of behavior probably wasn't looked upon as kosher. The question now was what the heck were we going to do about the mess? Which agent should we keep, and which one would we be forced to "fire"?

As far as dilemmas went, we figured this one wasn't all that bad; after all, two New York agents thought enough of our work to actually send it out to publishers. No matter what we did, however, we were sure to make an enemy, the last thing we needed at this stage of our writing careers. We finally decided to go with the more experienced woman who'd been in business for several decades. We figured that during all those years she must have made a lot of good contacts. At least we hoped so.

Instead of calling the junior agent on the phone and admitting our mistake, we gave in to our mutual cowardice and wrote her a letter instead. We kept it short, polite, and hopefully professional. Signed, sealed and in the mail, it was time to start biting our fingernails. How would she respond? Was there an agent hot line somewhere out there and our names were even now being added to a black list? Would editors burn any manuscript that landed on their desks bearing our names? Had we just sabotaged our careers before we'd even been published?

For the next week we cringed every time the phone rang or the mail was delivered, expecting a blistering response to our letter. None ever arrived. For all our worrying and gnashing of teeth, we never heard from the woman, or her agency, again. It was as if we'd never existed. In one way it was a relief. It was also @#!&*# humbling to say the least!

(Next: More rejection slips for our walls!)

Our second day in New York!

2010-09-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Our second day in the Big Apple started off a lot more smoothly that the previous morning. With Nancy's friend Bridget's help -- and benefiting from our mistakes of the previous morning -- we even managed to arrive at our appointment half an hour early. Using this unexpected time to fortify ourselves with coffee and a bagel, we made our way to see the third agent on our list. Her literary agency was located on the top floor of an old office building, which was constructed along classic lines, and had been tastefully furnished to make the most of this larger than life old-world style.

The agency we entered was not particularly large, but we knew from our research that it had been doing business in the literary world for nearly thirty years. A young and cheery receptionist showed us into the office of the agency's owner and namesake, offered us coffee or soft drinks, then scampered off to fill our orders. The room we found ourselves in was neat and well arranged, as was the woman behind the large maple desk. She was middle-aged and beautifully turned out, with carefully coiffed hair, perfect make-up, and a tailored suit that displayed her slender frame to excellent advantage.

The woman's manner was pleasant and very self-assured, as if she knew the publishing business inside and out. (Which, it turned out, she did.) After we'd received our soft drinks, she went over the WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK pages we'd sent her, then proceeded to suggest a few things here and there which should probably be changed in order for it to better fit the current marketplace. Her critique was delivered in such a matter-of-fact, pleasant manner, that it was much easier to take than the ones put forward by the man we'd met with the previous morning. And the changes she recommended weren't nearly as extreme as his had been. We took copious notes, and left her office confidant that most of the things she'd suggested were reasonable, and well within our abilities to achieve.

Our second and final appointment that day was with a younger woman who seemed to work on her own out of a very small office sandwiched between two restaurants on a busy side street. Although she seemed nice and was easy to talk to, Nanc and I had the distinct feeling that she really didn't "get" our book. It was as if she'd glanced through the pages in too much of a hurry, then jumped to the wrong conclusions. She kept referring to the manuscript as a romantic drama, which left us more than a little baffled. WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK, if you'll remember, was about a 76-year-old woman who is erroneously declared dead by a large funeral home, thereby nullifying all her benefits and social security. She has several elderly male friends, but the story hardly classified as a romance! At least in our opinion it didn't.

(Next: Why must everything in this business be so darn hard!)

Nancy and I go agent shopping in the Big Apple!

2010-09-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, Nancy and I were young enough that a night spent sleeping on her friend Bridget’s floor resulted in little more than a few stiff muscles the next morning. This was a good thing since we had appointments to see two of four literary agents that day. (We had picked up one more agent the day before we left California for New York. We would see the second two agents the following day).

Our first appointment was in lower Manhattan, which necessitated our taking two subway trains.  Well, that was an adventure. Although I’d spent the first two years of my married life living in New York, I was every bit as lost as Nancy when it came to negotiating the mass of humanity swarming through that maze of underground tunnels. (My husband and I had lived in Queens, but we did our best to avoid the subway during the busier hours. That morning we had picked the height of the morning rush to try to make it to our appointment on time!)

Without naming names, the first agent we saw worked out of his apartment, which was spacious but very old. Coming from California, this struck us as slightly strange, although to give the man credit, he went on to become a big name in the business. We were offered coffee, which we gratefully accepted, and shown to a couch in his living room. So far so good, until he took out the book pages we’d sent him and started tearing them apart. When he’d finished his critique, he picked up a manuscript from a young man he was representing, and began reading from the guy's book. Obviously, he was convinced his prize client was going to become the next Herman Wouk. (For all the fan fare, we never did see that guy’s book in print!)

An hour later, Nanc and I left Mr. X’s apartment a bit bewildered as to why he’d asked to meet with us, since he obviously wasn’t that enamored with our work. He did agree to represent us if we made radical changes to our book, including the main character and the conclusion to the story. Despite this, we both felt a bit discouraged as we downed hamburgers at a nearby diner. Maybe our afternoon appointment would prove more encouraging.

She did. The young woman we saw next was just that, VERY young! Good heavens, could she even be out of high school? At least her office was in an established agency, although Nanc and I suspected she was the most junior member of the staff. Whatever her age, she treated us cordially and with respect – or was that because we were probably 15 years older than her?

All in all, the meeting went well. The young agent had obviously read the chapters of WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK, and thankfully didn’t suggest that we make major changes to the book. Instead, she requested to see the remaining book pages, which we happily left with her. She showed us out of the maze of offices herself, promising to get back to us as soon as she’d finished reading the book.

We left the agency walking on air. Surely she wouldn’t have asked to see the rest of the novel if she wasn’t already hooked, we reasoned. It was all but a done deal. We decided to celebrate by taking Bridget out to dinner and then to a movie. Sure, we’d still keep our two appointments for tomorrow, but what a great feeling to know that no matter what happened the next day, we wouldn’t be returning home without an agent!

Yikes! Were we ever that naive?

(Next: Our second day in New York.)

Nanc and I fly to the Big Apple!

2010-09-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Three literary agents had responded to our query letters about our new book, WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK! Exciting stuff. But how to choose which agency was right for us? At long last we made up our minds that there was only one way to make this important decision: We had to fly to New York and talk to each of the agents in person!

Nancy and I were excited by the idea; our husbands a bit less enthusiastic. First, there was the money to consider. Flying to the East Coast, staying in a hotel, paying for ground transportation, not to mention feeding ourselves (all at New York prices!), had to taken into consideration, bearing in mind that our two families were operating on a tight budget. On the other hand, even the guys had to admit that it seemed like a great opportunity, especially when Nanc arranged for us to stay at a friend's apartment. No hotel bills! Maybe we could make this thing happen after all.

After a lot of thought, planning, juggling car pools and hiring baby-sitters, we finally made our flight reservations, and set up appointments to visit all three literary agencies. We wouldn't be going first class, but we would be going!

I'll never forget our excitement as we stepped off the plane in New York. We felt like two kids playing hooky from school. It was a great adventure, and we were determined to make the most out of the trip.

Our spirits were only slightly dampened when we stepped out of the airport to be greeted by 90 degree, extremely humid temperatures. I swear it was like walking into a very hot, very damp sauna! As we drove into town, our taxi driver explained in a thick Bronx accent, that the piles of garbage littering the gutters were the result of a two-week long strike by the city's department of sanitation. New York was very, very odoriferous to say the least. Welcome to the Big Apple!

Even more surprises greeted us when we reached Bridget's tiny -- and I mean TINY -- apartment, only to discover that it was on the eighth floor and the building's elevators were all on the fritz. Weary from our long flight, roasting from the unaccustomed heat and humidity, we each hauled our two suitcases up the stairs to Bridget's UN air-conditioned, one bedroom flat. While Bridget was genuinely happy to see us, when she showed us to the two sleeping bags she'd spread out on her minuscule living room floor, I couldn't help but wonder if the trip was such a good idea after all.

(Next: Nancy and I go agent shopping!)

WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK!

2010-09-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

As Nancy and I got close to the end of writing our new book, WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK, (a long, laborious job considering we had two husbands and ten kids between us to take care of!) we began to discuss how we could avoid the mistakes we made submitting PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING to publishing houses. Yes, the novel had been published, but we'd been forced not only to design a new cover for our "baby", but to do nearly 100% of the distribution on our own! This time around we hoped to find a publishing house that would put more money and enthusiasm into the project.

By now we had made a few writer friends, and we began to pick their brains for helpful hints on how to do this thing right. It soon became clear that the best way to get a book published was to do it through a literary agent. They had the advantage of getting our material into the hands of the right people, whereas we were shooting the pages off to names and addresses from a book, sealing our packages with little more than a hope and a prayer. Besides that, we learned that unsolicited manuscripts had a sad habit of ending up in a very high, seldom read "slush pile."

Unfortunately, we soon discovered that landing a good literary agent was just as hard, if not more so, than finding a publisher -- and of course, like everything else we attempted, we learned this lesson the hard way. Hanging out at our neighborhood library, we camped out in the reference section trying to keep one eye of our eyes on two extremely rambunctious little boys, while the other eye combed through tomes like THE WRITER'S MARKET, PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY, and other books that listed agents and described what they were looking for, along with how they wanted material to be submitted.

Generally speaking, most agents wanted a brief cover letter, along with the first one to three chapters of a book. Okay, we could do this. With great energy and a whole lot of naivete, we spent the next several months mailing out proposals to one literary agency after the other. With nary a bite. Then, glory hallelujah!, we heard back from three agents in as many days! Proving, of course, the old adage that it never rains but it pours. Now all we had to do was figure out which one we wanted to represent us. Which one of the three had the magic touch?

(Next: Nanc and I -- leaving on a jet plane for New York!)

No fame or fortune but Nanc and I are stoked to try again!

2010-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks after Mother’s Day, Nanc and I retrieved all the copies of PLEASE STAND BY – YOUR MOTHER’S MISSING that hadn’t sold in bookstores, as well as the money from those that had sold, and made our way home to sulk. Obviously, we hadn’t set the literary world on fire. When all was said and done, though, we really had had the time of our lives!

I continued writing my newspaper columns and fiddled around with ideas for a new mystery to write (turns out there were a couple more rooms in the house that needed new papering with rejection slips), but working on my own just didn’t do it for me. Not after the ride Nanc and I had just been on. Not much money, oh but honey, we sure had fun!

Turns out my neighbor felt the same way. After talking it over, we decided that we’d learned so much our first time out of the gate, that we really owed it to ourselves, not to mention the reading world out there eagerly awaiting our next production, to give it another try. But we were determined not to make the same mistakes twice. This time, we were going to very carefully plan our strategy.

Happily, we went back to snatching brief periods of time whenever and wherever we could find them, and played around with new book ideas. While driving our kids to doctor appointments, soccer and baseball practice, ballet lessons and dozens of other excursions, we finally came up with a fun storyline for a new novel that we tentatively titled: WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK.

The novel was about an elderly woman who is mistakenly declared dead by computer error at a large funeral home. Only the ruler of this powerful undertaking empire can reverse the mistake and he refuses, realizing that altering the program would expose his real business, which is shipping caskets of cash to secret overseas accounts. When the government cuts off her Social Security payments and Medicare coverage, she is determined to reclaim her life. Gathering together a motley crew of misfits, the 76-year-old firebrand comes up with a strategy to take on the seemingly invincible undertaker. After two unsuccessful attempts to undo him, the “little old lady” and her straggly gang finally hit on one last plan to put him out of business --- for good!

(Next: WE INTERRUPT THIS FUNERAL TO BRING YOU BACK!)

We learn the book business the hard way!

2010-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Although I've never self-published a book, I think I have a pretty good idea what it must be like. When the publisher sent us our first copies of PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING we were so disappointed! It was nothing like we had imagined it would be. The story, although dealing with some serious issues, was written in a fun, self-effacing, lighthearted manner. Nancy and I thought the book jacket should reflect this style. Instead, the publisher went with a black and white cover depicting Nanc and I as negative images, to represent the fact that in the story we both go missing. We understood what he was aiming at, but the final result was just way too depressing. At this stage of the game the publisher wasn't about to go to the expense of redesigning the book jacket just to pacify two disgruntled authors. So, if we wanted to see the cover changed badly enough, clearly we would have to do it ourselves!

Naturally we hadn't the first idea where to begin. But as they say, "Fools rush in..." We spent several days playing around with different ideas, finally settling on a picture of a clothesline, with the clothespins spelling out each letter of the book title: P--L--E--A--S--E.....S--T--A--N--D.....B--Y...--...Y--O--U--R.....M--O--T--H--E--R'--S.....M--I--S--S--I--N... The letter "G" from the last word "missing" has fallen to the ground next to a spilled clothes basket, as if whoever was hanging out the wash had suddenly disappeared. This was all done in bright colors, just the way we'd imagined it. I still think it was a pretty good idea. I just wish we'd had the money and the know-how to make it look more professional!

Since it was obvious the publisher wasn't going to do much by way of distribution, we asked him to send us about 500 books and set out to place it in bookstores ourselves. Hauling around a car full of kids, we hit every store we could in San Francisco, Oakland, and the Bay Area. The biggest thing in our favor, I'm convinced, is that it was about a month before Mother's Day. Because of this, we were able to get the book into far more stores than we might otherwise have expected. What a thrill to see copies of our "baby" gracing bookshelves and, in several cases, prominently displayed in store windows and even by the cash register. Nancy and I were ecstatic. We were finally real, honest to God authors!

(Next: No fame or fortune but Nanc and I are stoked to try again!)

No need to hold the applause, we finish our book!

2010-08-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING was finally finished. Since by now I'd had considerable experience submitting manuscripts to publishing houses, I volunteered to start the process. One by one I sent out the book pages, and one by one I received the rejection letters. Really, after three go-arounds at this, it was getting downright discouraging!

Finally, after six months and forty-some-odd rejections, it finally happened! We received a letter from Libra Publishers in Roslyn Heights, New York, that PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING had been accepted. Hurray! Please, everyone, don't hold your applause. Nancy and I certainly didn't. We were walking on clouds.

Unfortunately, our contract with Libra didn't exactly make us millionaires. In fact, it barely classified us as thousand-aires. But at least we were going to be published. From now on the sky was the limit!

Which, of course, goes to prove the old saying that "ignorance is bliss." Not that the publisher didn't fulfill his promise to print our book, but other than that we were left pretty much on our own. By that I mean we were forced to do most of the distribution, publicity and bookkeeping. Not exactly what we'd had in mind.

(Next: We learn the book business the hard way!)

Our families react to our new obsession with writing a novel!

2010-08-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Nanc and I were on a roll! Aside from our smaller boys painting her couch in bright yellow enamel paint -- and taking advantage of our preoccupation to climb on top of the kitchen counter in search of cookies and leftover Halloween candy -- things were going swimmingly. At least we thought so. Evidently our husbands, and my six older children, were not quite as thrilled with our exciting new project.

At first, both families tended to regard our writing efforts as the new "hobby" their wives/mothers had taken up. But as PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING took up more and more of our time, the natives began to grow restless . Although my older kids were fairly good at helping out around the house, the rule was that school and homework came first. Consequently, loud complaints began to be heard in the morning regarding a shortage of clean underwear and socks for school. Later than usual dinners were also a bone of contention, as was our "hogging" the phone in the evening when their friends were supposed to call. (I know it's hard to believe, but remember this took place before the emergence of the cell phone and email). Clearly it was time Nancy and I remedied the situation before the troops staged an all out rebellion!

For those of you who read PENNY PINCHERS back in the day, this will explain the new spate of "How to fill your freezer with homemade dinners" that began to appear in my columns along about then. I had developed a new respect, and deep sympathy, for mothers who spent their days working outside the home, and was determined to make life easier for all of us. Instead of preparing a single dinner at a time, why not double the recipe, freeze the leftovers, and reheat them a day or two later, I thought. It was truly amazing how many meals could be prepared ahead of time, including desert, then alternated with other pre-cooked meals to create variety.

The dirty clothes issue was solved by moving our "office" into one of our laundry areas when necessary (her back porch, my basement), the busy phone by resolving to make no more calls after dinner. We began jotting down new ideas in notebooks, and repressing our enthusiasm to share our latest brainstorm until we could do so in person.

(On Wednesday: No need to hold the applause, we finish our book!)

Nancy and I have the time of our lives!

2010-08-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Cigar box notes!

After we'd established the premise of our book that mothers are going missing all over the country, we brought in the heavy artillery: the ten children we shared between us! In chapter two of PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING, the phone service goes on the blink, forcing Nancy and I to attach a cigar box on top of the fence between our backyards in order to communicate. Soon our kids are adding their own touches to the box in the form of "loving lavender" paint from my son Steve, and doll house carpeting compliments of my daughter Lisa.

When my old-fashioned Aunt Gertie descends on us for her annual Mother's Day visit, complaining non-stop about any and all my activities that don't actually take place in the house, it opens up a can of worms. Nancy and I compare our respective backgrounds and upbringings, and realize that we've each been raised with diametrically opposed philosophies. While good old Aunt Gertie insists I'm spending too much time outside the home -- even when it's to drive the kids all over the countryside -- Nancy's friends and colleagues badger her to leave her three preschoolers with a sitter and return to her college teaching career. My neighbor and I both begin to think that we women can't truly satisfy anyone anymore!

And PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING takes off from there. It wasn't long before Nanc and I were having the time of our lives! The chapters were flying off our typewriters (Yes, we actually worked on those old black machines that required erasers to correct errors and carbon paper to make copies. OMG!!!) But this drawback did nothing to dampen our fun. We drove my kids to swim meets, baseball and soccer games, then set up our typewriters and worked in my VW minivan in the parking lot. We met for picnics, at doctors' offices, in her house, my house, our respective garages and even, I swear this is true, from atop my washing machine and dryer when our 3-year-old sons threatened to take over the house while we worked. One day at Nancy's house, while she and I had our heads together working through a thorny section of the book, Chris and Tommy decided to try their hand at home decorating by painting her family room couch a vivid, oil-based canary yellow. Ouch!

(On Monday: Our families react to our new obsession with writing a novel!)

Nancy and I set out to re-write HIS-story from a woman's point of view!

2010-08-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Once we'd made the decision to write a book together -- which we'd already titled PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING -- Nancy and I tried to figure out the best way to pull this off.

After writing weekly newspaper columns for over three years, as well as draft versions of two mystery novels, I realized I hadn't the foggiest idea how to meld my literary style with someone else. Neither, evidently, did Nancy, although I think she was a lot better at it in the beginning than me. After a number of trials and just as many errors, we finally settled on a style that suited us, as well as the book. Drawing upon episodes in our own busy lives, and incorporating the ten children we shared between us, we set to work.

Chapter One set the premise for our story: A corporate executive is on his way to a church where he is to meet a talented communications physicist. When he arrives there, however, all he sees is a young mother and her two small daughters sitting on the steps. The executive settles down to wait, scrutinizing everyone who passes by, but sees no one who looks as if he could be the noted scientist he is scheduled to meet. Without this important physicist, the man knows the project his company is planning is sure to fail. But he has a another pressing appointment he must keep. Finally, he pens a brief note requesting the scientist contact him on his home phone (Gasp! Horrors! Please keep in mind that this was book was written before the widespread use of the Internet or cell phones. Yes, hard as it is to believe, there really was such a time!)

The man approaches the young mother, hands her the note, and asks her to give it to the physicist if he should appear. The woman examines the note, then after he leaves, tears it up.

Of course the scientist never contacted the man, although the two did talk in front of the church that morning. Unfortunately, the executive missed the chance to save his troubled project because he failed to see the physicist. All he saw was a nondescript young mother and her children, and for our corporate world shaker that was not enough.

An observer, had there been anyone interested in the little domestic group on the stairs, would have been startled to see that there were now only two young girls standing by the church entrance. Their mother no longer stood with them. She had disappeared, the first of such happenings to be reported.

(On Saturday: Nancy and I have the time of our lives!)

PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING (literally)

2010-08-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Over the months, Nancy and I frequently discussed women's place in the world, and where we each fit into the scheme of things. Although I now considered myself a feminist, I stood firm on my decision to remain a stay-at-home mom. I talked about this to my husband and, bless his heart, he said he'd stand by whatever decision I made, whether it was to continue to be a homemaker, or head out into the business world. Looking back on it now, I think if he had opposed the idea of my going back to work I probably would have done it just to prove that I had a right to follow my own path. But he was so darn nice and understanding about it, that I didn't feel put upon or isolated by my decision. (Of course it would be pretty hard to feel isolated when you're caring for seven children, busy with PTA, coaching Little League, acting as class mother, teaching guitar, writing a weekly newspaper column, and playing in a church folk group!)

Then something happened to change my life forever -- an event I think back upon as my "Aha Moment". One morning a vice-principal from my oldest kids' high school came to our house to discuss some volunteer work I was doing for the school. I didn't know the man very well, but I thought it was a little strange that from the moment he entered the house he never once looked me directly in the eye. In fact, I received the distinct impression that I was just another housewife he was forced to deal with because the principal had placed the job on his desk. As I served him coffee and homemade coffee cake, he still didn't make eye contact, instead rummaging through the pile of paperwork he'd pulled from his briefcase and describing the part I was to play in the project. This went on for so long that I was beginning to get distinctly hot under the collar, to phrase it nicely. I knew that if my husband were sitting there at that dining room table instead of me, it would have been a very different story.

As he was returning the papers to his case, I decided to put my theory to the test. Keeping my voice casual, I mentioned that I wrote a newspaper column titled PENNY PINCHERS, which appeared in a dozen newspapers throughout the San Francisco peninsula. His reaction was totally amazing! He suddenly sat upright in his seat, raised his head, and for the first time since entering the house stared me straight in the eye. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Why was it that as a housewife I was the invisible woman, but as a newspaper columnist -- one that he claimed his wife read religiously -- I was all of a sudden a real honest to God person?

I couldn't wait to tell Nancy about this remarkable experience. We had a good laugh at the vice-principal's expense, but it also touched a deeply sensitive nerve that we couldn't ignore. Over the following weeks, we spoke to other women only to discover that they, too, had similar stories to tell. The more we thought about it, the more the idea for a book began to take shape in our minds. What if this was happening to women all over the country, women who appeared as shadow-figures rather than viable, self-actualized individuals? And what if, because of this, women were suddenly and mysteriously starting to disappear all across America?

(On Thursday: Nancy and I set out to re-write HIS-story from a woman's standpoint!)

Nancy and I discover we come from two different worlds.

2010-08-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

I felt as if I'd known Nancy (my playwright friend from the guitar group) all my life, which was a bit strange since we came from very different backgrounds. I'd been raised at the tail end of an era that preached that a women should be a homemaker, while her husband brought home the pay check and was revered as the undisputed king of his castle.

Nancy, on the other hand, grew up in the vanguard of the Women's Lib Movement. She and her peers were expected to launch successful careers with the goal of finally breaking through the glass ceilings that had until now prevented the fairer sex from competing in a man's world.

So, here we were, the feminist and the homemaker, each from vastly different backgrounds, yet slowly discovering that we had more in common than either of us could have imagined. To better understand Nancy's world, I started reading every book I could find on the subject: Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Adrienne Rich, along with many other authors. I even helped Nancy with workshops she periodically conducted as part of "sensitivity training" for various corporations. According to her, I was one of the fastest learners she'd ever met, taking roughly three months to learn, process, and absorb feminist philosophy. I was pretty proud of my rapid evolution into the modern world!

Yet something bothered me about both of these philosophies. It was all well and good for a wife and mother to stay at home if that was what she wanted, as I had. But what if she didn't? What if she were drawn to a profession: doctor, teacher, scientist, writer, artist? Who had the right to tell her she was failing her husband and family if she followed her passion? Or what if taking a job provided her family with a higher standard of living, college for the kids, a better retirement some day? Wasn't this the kind of decision that should concern no one but the couple involved?

Conversely, who had the right to tell a woman that she was a failure if she truly desired to be a full-time homemaker? Did one size really fit all as Friedan and Steinem preached? Bottom line, why was everybody trying to tell women what to do with their lives?

(On Monday: Something happens which leads Nancy and I to co-author a novel)

Playing in a church guitar group changes my life!

2010-08-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

My PENNY PINCHERS column was a success, but I wasn't sure I wanted to syndicate it as my editor was pressing me to do. To be honest, I was growing weary of using my kitchen as a laboratory to try out new recipes, driving to speaking engagements all over the Peninsula, and answering dozens of letters every week. All for very little pay and a great deal of invested time! Although my first try at writing a murder mystery novel had provided me with enough rejection slips to paper my office, I couldn't quite squelch the desire to try it again.

I think I mentioned earlier that I taught folk guitar through a local adult education program, and in my basement home studio. A love for music was a close second behind a passion to write. This turned out to be an unexpected blessing when I joined a guitar band that played folk masses at my church. There were about five or six of us in the group, including a young woman who would become my best friend and writing collaborator: Nancy Hersage. Have you ever met someone you immediately clicked with, like you've known them forever? That's how it was with my husband, Bob, and with the newest member of our guitar group. It didn't hurt that Nanc had a little boy the same age as our youngest son, Chris, and that the two toddlers bonded as instantly as did their moms, or that she was dedicated to writing plays. We quickly got into the habit of meeting at each others' homes every week to work on various writing projects, while the two boys played and got into every conceivable sort of mischief.

As Nanc worked on her plays, I devoted most of this time to writing a second murder mystery, this time featuring a Gestalt psychiatrist with a Freudian-minded side kick. When Nancy became pregnant with twin girls, however -- and I was rapidly acquiring enough rejection slips on the new book to paper yet another room -- we started to play around with the idea of writing a book together. This venture, which no one took seriously but us, miraculously went on to become our first published work of fiction!

(Coming Friday: PLEASE STAND BY -- YOUR MOTHER'S MISSING. Literally!)

Nobody ever told me how hard it was to sell a book!

2010-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

I had written a masterpiece of mystery literature, I was sure of it. The characters -- especially the heroine (mother of seven, writer of a weekly newspaper column, stealthy detective) was cagey, curious and open to adventure. When a dead body is found in her garage, she has to find the real killer before the police arrest her husband for the crime. With the help of her children, our feisty homemaker defies incredible odds -- and quite a few laws of nature -- in her quest for justice. The exciting, action packed climax of the novel is nothing short of miraculous! And, according to the numerous rejection slips clogging my mailbox, impossible to believe.

Any of you who have poured your heart and soul into attempting that first novel, will understand my disappointment and feelings of failure. Firmly entrenched on my pity-pot, I contemplated the injustice of it all. After all, my newspaper column had been an almost instant success, which had foolishly -- and far too prematurely -- led me to consider myself a professional writer. A humbling revelation!

As ever more rejection slips arrived in my mailbox, my newspaper editor continued to pressure me to agree to syndicate my PENNY PINCHER column. It would mean more money and more exposure. But did I really want to make this a full-time career?

(Tuesday: Playing in a church guitar group changes the direction of my life)

Penny Pinchers column inspires a mystery novel

2010-08-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

My Penny Pinchers column seem to be a success; at least my editor thought so. And judging from the amount of mail I was receiving every week, the readers did, too. I was now being asked to speak to groups all up and down the San Francisco Peninsula, describing how to clip newspaper coupons, the best way to choose fresh vegetables and fruit at the supermarket, how to cook wholesome yet low cost meals, and how to pack nutritious, yet hopefully fun, lunches for the kids. I was happy to share what I had learned, but it was beginning to take up an inordinate amount of time. Don't forget I had seven children at home, was teaching four guitar classes a week at the local night school, as well as volunteering at school. And I'd turned my kitchen into a food discovery zone, trying out new recipes nearly every day of the week. It didn't require a rocket scientist to figure out why my husband began to complain that I was turning into the invisible woman!

When my editor approached me with the idea of syndicating my column, I was forced to think long and hard about what I wanted to do with my professional life. To be honest, after three years I was getting tired of writing the weekly column. While it was true that I loved writing, I increasingly longed to write something different. Dare I say it? Maybe even a novel? This was even scarier than when I'd first thought of writing my newspaper column. I finally decided that before I burned any bridges, I'd try to see if I could even come up with a book idea.

Since mysteries had always been my favorite genre, I figured that would be a good place to start. What if my story featured a heroine who had seven children, taught guitar, was chief cook and bottle washer, drove her kids all over town, and wrote a weekly newspaper column? Now there was an original idea! (Oh, well, they did say to write about what you know, right?) Fired with inspiration, I once again pulled out my mother's old upright typewriter and set to work. I still remember the intense satisfaction I felt as page after page of text collected in a neat, ever growing pile beside my ancient machine. This was it. I'd found my life's calling. Look out world, here I come!

On Sunday: Nobody ever told me how hard it was to sell a book.

I write my first PENNY PINCHERS column

2010-08-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

At my publisher's suggestion, we used those first half dozen sample columns to launch my career into journalism -- yes, including those bogus letters purporting to be from eager readers. (I promise you that after these initial articles ran, I used only genuine letters received from REAL readers -- and there were lots of those!)

My publisher informed me that he wanted at least six new columns from me on his desk at all times, so that he'd always have a ready PENNY PINCHERS article to run, just in case -- God forbid! I should come down with the Black Plague or some other debilitating illness. In my zeal to prove my worth and professionalism, I provided him with a dozen. Thankfully, before I could run out of ideas, letters from readers began to pour in. It seems I really had stumbled upon a vein worth mining!

The initial PENNY PINCHER articles focused on subjects such as planning meals before shopping, tips on buying fresh vegetables, fruit and meat, the soup pot, what to pack in your child's lunch bag, and how to entertain on a budget. Turning my kitchen into a research center, I began trying out every low budget, yet hopefully tasty and nutritious, recipe I could find. Unfortunately, the results were not always a success -- especially in my kids' eyes, or perhaps I should say their stomachs. The first time I served homemade soup, salad and French bread for an evening meal, my oldest son demanded to know when the main course was going to arrive. My answer was to begin making my soups very nearly as thick as stew, and adding good, filling deserts such as homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, rice pudding, and low-sugar carrot cake. Every recipe that passed the "cranky kid test" made it into my next PENNY PINCHERS column.

(Coming Friday: PENNY PINCHERS becomes a full-time job with very little pay)

My first hesitant steps into the world of Journalism

2010-08-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Once I had made up my mind to write a newspaper column, the next step was to figure out where to start. I began by combing through San Francisco and Bay Area newspapers. A few featured cooking and special occasion menus, but none addressed the specific theme of feeding a family, nutritiously, on a limited budget. I gave myself a mental high-five; I was beginning to feel more confidant about this insane idea I'd hatched.

Second question: Where should I try to sell my column? I was way too intimidated to approach the larger San Francisco newspapers, but there was a local network of about twelve to fourteen newspapers that published weekly issues on the San Francisco Peninsula, as well as in my current home town of San Jose. This group might provide me with better odds for making a sale.

Titling my column, PENNY PINCHERS, I wrote three sample articles, including contrived letters purporting to be from enthusiastic readers which I -- in all my housewifely wisdom -- went on to answer. Composing a short cover letter explaining why I felt I was qualified to write such a column, I crossed my fingers and submitted them to the newspapers' headquarters. To my astonishment, an editor got back to me requesting I send him three or four more sample columns to demonstrate that I could sustain the weekly flow of ideas. Shortly after I'd submitted the additional pieces, I was hired! The pay he offered me was pathetic, but the important thing was that I had taken the first step toward my goal: I was a professional writer!

(Wednesday: I write my first PENNY PINCHERS columns)

Where do I go from here?

2010-07-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

I knew I'd been bitten by the writing bug, but wasn't sure what to do about it. What should I write, I wondered? A short story? A book? A movie? They all sounded extremely daunting, especially the movie. I mean I didn't know anyone who had ever written any of these things, much less sold them. I'd heard somewhere that you should write what you know. I took stock and my heart sank. It seemed that all I really knew was how to be a wife and mother: cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, grocery shopping, and all the other day to day tasks that make up any stay-at-home mom's agenda. Oh, and driving my kids everywhere under the sun, including school, little league, ballet, piano, and karate classes, soccer and Pop Warner football practice. Not to mention acting as class mother at school, volunteering for yard duty, and playing wandering troubadour with my guitar at some of their classes.

On second thought, I decided I did know those jobs pretty darn well, especially feeding my large family on a budget. Although I had a college degree, my husband Bob and I decided that one of us should stay home to raise the children (we had both been raised as latch-key kids and wanted to avoid this with our own offspring). Since he'd been making considerably more money than me when we married, it seemed like the logical person to stay at home was me. Because of this decision, which neither of us really wanted to change, we were now attempting to raise seven children on a single income. And accomplish it, moreover, in a healthy manner, with nutritious as well as filling meals. With each additional child, this had turned out to be a lot harder than we'd anticipated!

After several weeks of self-doubt and procrastination, I finally dusted off my mother's old -- VERY old, before computers old! -- upright typewriter and sat there, fingers poised, with absolutely no idea how to put my homemaker's skills to work on paper. Surely I couldn't be the only mother engaged in the never ending battle with the checkbook. There must be hundreds, nay thousands, of like-minded souls just waiting to hear my words of wisdom.

Taking out the calculator, I spent every spare minute that week trying to figure out just exactly how much I spent on each member of our family each day for food. The answer astonished me: I was spending approximately 37 cents per person, per meal! And this was for good, solid food, mostly cooked from scratch. Granted, this was over thirty years ago, still I'd had no idea just how good I'd become at stretching the illusive dollar. Surely that would be a good thing to write about, I decided, and in the one medium I hadn't even considered: a newspaper columnist!

(On Monday, my first hesitant steps into the world of journalism)

How I was first bitten by the writing bug

2010-07-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've had so many readers ask me how I happened to start writing, that I decided I was missing a great blogging opportunity. From writing PENNY PINCHERS, a weekly newspaper column about how to feed a family on a budget, to authoring 15 novels and co-writing several TV movies, it's been a fun journey.

It all began after the birth of the youngest of our seven children (4 girls and 3 boys). By then the older kids were in school, and I started daydreaming about what I wanted to be once the final little Tallman also boarded the school bus. I took stock of what I might have to offer the world: I had a college degree in radio and television -- used working at a local TV station to pay for tuition and board, but not touched since I'd graduated -- a love of snow skiing, bike riding, listening to music and watching movies, none of which was likely to provide me with a pay check. I also loved reading books, ever since childhood, although that didn't appear any more promising as a career choice.

Or was it? What would it be like to actually write a book, I wondered? Kind of scary. I comforted myself with the thought that nobody had to know what I was doing -- so no embarrassment if I failed. Right? But could I even pull it off? Hmmm.

(On Saturday, my first, faltering efforts to write professionally)

Our granddaughter Vaneza is on her way to Tanglewood!

2010-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to share the happy news that our son Mike and his wife Norma's daughter, Vaneza, is on her way from Sacramento, California, to Tanglewood (near Boston) for a 6-week summer music camp. For those of you who haven't heard of the camp, Tanglewood chooses only a handful of kids throughout the entire country to participate each summer in their highly regarded music program (there were ten boys and girls nation wide -- including Vaneza -- who were chosen for the violin). Vaneza hopes to one day make her career in music. Her goal is to attend Juliard in the near future. Tanglewood is definitely a huge step in achieving that dream.

Okay, I've bragged on long enough. I know I shouldn't, but do you know of one single proud grandma who could keep this kind of news a secret?

Just wish my husband Bob and I could make the trip Back East to hear our beautiful Vaneza play with the rest of the youth orchestra. Oh, well, maybe when she makes Juliard!

By the way, Vaneza has two sisters and a brother who play a pretty mean fiddle, as well. Melissa, Danielle and Mikey. They're pretty darn good on the piano, too. And there's a five-year-old little sister, Scarlet Emma, who already shows signs of following her in siblings talented footsteps.

Sorry, but you can expect to hear more bragging from this proud grandma in the future.

Summer is finally here!

2010-06-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

After way too many weeks of rain and clouds, it feels so good to finally welcome summer to Oregon! I don't know how the rest of country is doing weather-wise, but it seems as if our winter and spring just didn't want to step back and let the sunshine in, as the Fifth Dimension song goes.

I'm hard at work on my new book -- the 5th in the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series, tentatively titled DEATH ON TELEGRAPH HILL. After a few rocky pages, it's finally rolling right along. Maybe all I needed was the sunshine.

Our daughter Karen just arrived from California for a visit, which is always great fun. If the weather holds, we may even drive over to the coast for the day. I'll keep you posted. I've been way behind on my blogging, but I promise to do better this summer.

Don't forget to sign in for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate. I'll be giving one away each month. Also check back frequently as I'm getting ready to launch some new fun giveaways!

Talk to you again soon. I promise.

Great event in Portland!

2010-04-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm off to bed, but just had to tell you about the great book signing event I had at Murder By The Book in Portland last Sunday! The owners do a really great job putting together an author event. Lots of wonderful people attended, including three old friends from Eugene, Oregon. What a surprise to see them there! Small world.

I spent the night with a friend at her beautiful home in Vancouver, Washington. Talk about southern hospitality! Kathi spread out the red carpet and wined and dined me in great style. And does this woman have a fabulous collection of jokes! I don't know how anyone can remember so many and tell them so well. Amazing!

I've re-scheduled the Seattle book signing events I was supposed to do in Seattle for next Wednesday and Thursday, April 28th and 29th. I'm still coughing a bit from a nasty bout of bronchitis, but I'm feeling better with every day.

I hope to see any of you who live in the Seattle area. Please check the Events Page on my website for more information.

Goodnight!

Ready to start my book tour!

2010-04-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Bob and I arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area about an hour ago and were greeted by bright sunshine and clear skies! Since we've had days of rain in Oregon, it was a great welcome.

Tomorrow I start my book tour for SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL. Two book signings tomorrow -- the first one starts at noon, a lunch/talk/get together at Towne Center Bookstore in Pleasanton. Yes, a lunch, isn't that something? I'm really looking forward to it! Then tomorrow evening at 7:00, I'll be at Books Inc. in San Francisco, for a San Francisco Mystery Panel. Sounds like fun!

At one o'clock on Friday, I'll be visiting Book Passage in Corte Madera. Since I spent my senior year of high school at a Marin County school, I'm hoping for a good turn out. Then at 2:00 on Saturday, I'll be signing books and answering questions at a really fantastic bookstore -- especially if you're into whodunits, thrillers, or just great mysteries -- M is for Mystery in San Mateo. It's always great fun to visit Ed and his wonderful bookstore! He knows how to treat readers right, and writers, too!

Since I attended three schools in the SF Bay Area, and college at nearby San Jose State University, I'd love to see as many of my old school friends as possible! Come on, guys, show up and support me! It will be so fantastic to see you all! And I promise it will be fun.

Tune in to my Blog Page again tomorrow to find out how Thursday's book signings went. If nothing else, looks as if it's going to be a sunny, glorious day!!

Hooked by the Internet!

2010-04-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that I'm spending way too much time online these days. Granted, when a new book is released it's almost carved in stone that you have to check your book's ranking on Amazon (which changes every hour), and the publicity work every writer is forced to do online never seems to stop. Nonetheless, I think checking email, Facebook and Twitter gradually, or not so gradually, grows to be more than a habit; it becomes an addiction!

I've tried promising myself that I'll only check my email two or three times a day, that's it, no more three times a day max! I'm sure I don't have to tell you how well that worked. My inbox is like an irresistible magnet, taking physical control of my fingers and forcing me, always against my will, of course, to click on that harmless-looking link. Come on now I ask you, how can anyone resist that kind of power?

One day last week I kept track of how much time I spent reading email, tracking Facebook and Twitter postings, and taking a "quick" peek at Amazon and Barnes and Noble book rankings. It came to a staggering two hours!! Two hours that could have been spent far more productively working on my new book. But I can't seem to change -- I admit that it's controlling me. Two hours a day times seven days a week is 14 hours a week, 56 hours a month! My name is Shirley and I'm an addict!!

If anyone out there in cyberspace has a cure for this illness -- tricks that work, meditations, hot line phone numbers, anything! -- I beg you, please share them with me!

Singing is good for the soul!

2010-03-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I belong to a singing group. Actually, I belong to two singing groups, a very large one -- approximately 80 women -- and a smaller group of about a dozen women. I love them both!

My life (like so many of us!) is hectic and stressful. Some people have told me that adding yet one more activity to the mix is downright foolish -- okay, so some have used stronger words than that, but I don't feel it's appropriate to mention them here. But they're wrong. Singing truly is good for the soul. When I'm singing my head feels better and so does my spirit. Ironically, after three hours of practice, I come home feeling rested and rejuvenated. Funny, huh? Not only is it liberating to belt out some catchy tunes, but I'm surrounded by wonderful friends, women who share the same love for music as I do. It's very special.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my life as a mystery writer. But when you sit at a desk all day, usually by yourself, it can get lonely after a while. What a great release to join with a group of like-minded women and sing your heart out.

I just got home from my Monday night rehearsal tonight, and I feel so much better for it. As I drove home, I was still humming some of the songs we'd practiced. It was pouring rain outside (I do live in Eugene, Oregon, remember), but there was truly a song in my heart. A great way to celebrate the release of my new book tomorrow. Sing! Sing! Sing!

Less than a week to go!

2010-03-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

I just realized yesterday that my new Sarah Woolson mystery, SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL, will be released next Tuesday, March 30th! This last month has really flown by. Still so much to do, and even less time to do it in!

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, here is the schedule for my book signings/talks, etc.

Thursday, April 8th, 12:00
Lunch & Book Signing at TOWNE CENTER BOOKSTORE, 555 Main St., Pleasanton
Phone: (925) 846-8826
Website: http://www.towncenterbooks.com
Email: info@towncenterbooks.com

Thursday, April 8th, 7:00
San Francisco Mystery Panel, BOOKS INC, 3515 California St., San Francisco
Phone: (415) 221-3666
Website: http://www.booksinc.net/SFLaurel
Email: inystrom@booksinc.net

Friday, April 9th, 1:00 pm
Book Signing/Chat BOOK PASSAGE, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera
Phone: (415) 927-0960 , (800) 999-7909
Website: http://www.bookpassage.com
Email: kwest@bookpassage.com

Saturday, April 10th, 2:00 pm
Book Signing/Talk M IS FOR MYSTERY BOOKSTORE, 86 E. 3rd Avenue, San Mateo
Phone: (650) 401-8077 , (877) 405-8077 (toll free)
Website: http://www.MforMystery.com
Email: info@mformystery.com

I'd love to see as many of you as possible at one of these events. If we haven't met already, it's time that we did. Come prepared to have a lively discussion about Sarah, Robert Campbell, Pierce Godfrey and life in 1880s San Francisco. Most of all, come prepared to have fun!

Just a reminder! You still have until March 30th to enter to win an Amazon Kindle, a $75 Amazon gift certificate, a $40 deluxe day planner, and a $20 Flex book light. Just click on the "Contest" link on the Welcome Page of this website to enter. Good luck!

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 31st.

A Beautiful Farewell

2010-03-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Bob and I attended the funeral of our son Mike's mother-in-law Beatrice Aceves in Sacramento, California. It was a long ride down from Eugene, Oregon, but we were determined to be there in order to say goodbye to a truly wonderful lady.

The funeral service was one of the most touching I've ever attended. Mike and Norma's four beautiful and talented older children -- our grandchildren Melissa, Vaneza, Danielle and Mikey -- played their violins, filling the church with music that seemed to come straight from the angels. When Melissa played the piano and Danielle sang a particularly poignant song for her late grandmother, I doubt if there was a dry eye in the entire, overflowing crowd.

After the funeral service and reception, Bob and I got back in our car and made the long, sad drive back to Eugene. But though we feel her loss keenly, we know in our hearts that Beatrice was with us all in spirit. I know that she heard the heavenly music played by her grandchildren, and felt the waves of love coming from her family and many friends. It was truly a celebration of a life well lived.

Goodbye, Beatrice. We're going to miss you!

Sad News

2010-03-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to announce that my son Mike's much loved mother-in-law, Beatrice Aceves, passed away early this morning after a long illness. Beatrice was a wonderful, caring woman, who devoted her life to her husband and family, including her six grandchildren. Although she'll be greatly missed, we're fortunate to be left with so many loving memories of this great lady.

Mike, Norma and kids, all our thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time!

Still in Lake Tahoe

2010-03-09T15:43:00.001-08:00

Wouldn't you know it -- my sore throat developed into a full fledged case of SICK! Three days in bed running a fever and hurting all over, and three days further behind on all my projects. But at least I'm up and around today, thank God! Although with the bad weather right after we arrived, then coming down with this "bug," I didn't get to ski, worst luck.

On the plus side, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer spot to be sick in than beautiful Lake Tahoe. Watching the snow fall in front of a blazing fire is pretty darn hard to beat. Putting it that way, it's hard to complain. And I have to say that I got a lot of reading in, mostly audio books on my iPod, since my head hurt too much to actually use my eyes. Something else to be grateful for!

We were supposed to head back to Eugene, Oregon, last Sunday, but obviously I was in no fit state to travel, so we're going to try for this Thursday or Friday. If I didn't have so much on my plate, I'd vote to stay here for another week, in the hope I could yet hit the slopes. But then I guess I'd better to stick to counting my blessings.

Anybody have any home "cures" for this cold/flu/virus thing I've latched onto? Believe me, any and all hints will be gratefully accepted!!

SORE THROAT IN LAKE TAHOE

2010-03-05T15:33:00.001-08:00

Unbelievable! I've waited since before Christmas to get in some ski time, and here I go and get sick in beautiful Lake Tahoe. My husband Bob took to the slopes this morning and said it was absolutely glorious! There ought to be a law against a husband bragging about how great the skiing was when his wife is stuck in the cabin!

Yesterday it snowed all day, and tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. Oh, well, maybe next time. At least I'm getting some publicity work done. And, glory alleluia, I'm actually making some progress on the 5th book in the Sarah Woolson series. (Between sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose, that is).

Sorry, if it sounds as if I've got a good case of the "poor me's", you're probably right. Then again, when will another "perfect ski day" come along? (When I'm here to enjoy it, that is).

OMG! I'M SO EMBARRASSED!

2010-02-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

I owe so many of you a HUGE apology! In the past I've been pretty honest about my lack of computer skills, but today I found out that I'm a whole lot worse than even I suspected!

When I went online to write this blog today, I discovered -- yes, believe it or not for the very first time -- that I had quite a few comments sitting in a little corner of this (to me very confusing) blogging website, all by themselves and waiting patiently for me to post them to the proper page. Some of them date back to over a year ago. Which also tells you how unfaithful I've been to my blogging chores -- and I want to apologize for that, too.

Anyway, I quickly added them all to the page (hopefully they got there safely without getting lost along the way -- and with me driving this "out of space car", who knows where they may end up?) And I really, truly promise this time that I will write at least one or two blogs every week! They may not be very long, but my intention is for you to get to know me better. And, I confess, to have friendly and hopefully loyal readers and friends I can blow off a little steam to.

Again, I am so very sorry that all of your comments got stuck in some internet black hole for so long. Please forgive me, and my lack of computer savvy, and write me again in the future. From now on I know where to look to find your comments. Each and every one of them WILL BE POSTED!!

ANOTHER GOOD REVIEW FOR SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL!

2010-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I received a great review today from Library Journal, which will go out to all the libraries in the county. I'm also happy to report that SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL pre-orders on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble online have been very brisk. Another big Yeah!

All in all, it's been a very busy month. Not only have I been spending hours on publicity for SCANDAL (for those of you who have never done it, this is a full time job all on its own!), but I've been sending out signed, hardcover copies of the first three books in the Sarah Woolson series -- MURDER ON NOB HILL, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, and THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER -- every day throughout February. (Check the "Shirley's Website" link to the right of this blog, then check the link for the "Contest" button at the top of the page to read the names of the winners so far. They've come from all over the country, plus one from Germany). Next month, I'll be awarding an Amazon Kindle, a $75 Amazon gift certificate, a $40 deluxe day planner, and a $20 Flex book light to four lucky winners, so if you haven't already signed up there's still time.

I'm trying to find a little time to watch the Olympic Games coverage on TV, but it isn't easy with all the work piled up on my desk. I'm so proud of our American athletes. They all work so hard. What dedication. Way to go USA!

Bob and I will be traveling to San Francisco next week to celebrate our daughter Karen's birthday. It should be a lot of fun! My fingers are crossed that we can head to the Sierra's for a little skiing before we make the long drive back to Eugene. It all depends on the weather. Wish us good luck! I'll let you know how it goes.

That horrible blank page!

2010-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I've started writing my new mystery novel, tentatively titled, DEATH ON TELEGRAPH HILL, and I'm sitting here staring at that infamous blank page. Although I've got the general outline of the story in my head, this is the time when all the little details -- such as the name of the first victim, the identity of the killer, the method of death, etc., have to be sorted out. Okay, so these details aren't so little after all.

My first problem is whether or not to use a real historical person as part of the mystery. It would be okay if he were the detective, or at least a good guy, but probably not such a bright idea if he ends up as one of the suspects -- which it turns out could be a distinct possibility. I'd hate to be sued by one of his ancestors for defamation of character, even if in life he wasn't all that great a guy. On second thought, I guess maybe I should just invent a fictional character based on the real person.

Another problem is how the killer is going to commit the crime without standing out like a sore thumb. If you think it's easy doing someone in without giving away the bad guy's identity try it some time. Not easy.

I think I've pretty much decided on HOW the murder will be committed, which is something at least. But pulling it off is going to be a whole lot more difficult. The trick always is to remain honest with the reader, without giving too much away about the crime itself. Sheesh!

Please stand by--- Hopefully the little grey cells will come up with some answers soon. Any bright ideas out there? Feedback from any of you armchair detectives is always gratefully accepted.

PENNY PINCHERS

2008-07-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

You may be surprised to learn that I led another life before I started writing the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series. In fact, the first thing I ever wrote was a newspaper column titled, PENNY PINCHERS (inspired by my efforts to feed my growing family on a budget that was looking more anemic by the week). The articles were never intended to be any big deal, just one mom sharing household hints with equally frustrated friends and neighbors, all of us doing our best to get by despite ever rising inflation. When my husband Bob dared me to submit the first few columns I’d scribbled to a local newspaper, I laughingly took him up on it. No one was more surprised than I was when the editor called up to tell me I was hired!

My astonishment continued to grow when the column was picked up by a dozen San Francisco Bay Area newspapers! Suddenly I found myself half buried beneath stacks of reader letters, asking me everything from how to slow-cook a turkey, to what to pack in their kids’ lunch boxes. Since I suspected this unforeseen popularity wasn’t due to my great writing skills, there could be only one answer: I obviously wasn’t the only mother in Bay Area having trouble making ends meet. Somehow I had inadvertently stumbled upon thousands of kindred spirits!

PENNY PINCHERS ran successfully for more than three years. During that time, I have to admit that I learned every bit as much from my readers as they learned from me. Since I felt obliged to try out every recipe I received in the mail (checking nutrition as well as cost), my family enjoyed a far more varied menu than they ever would have if I’d been left to my own devices. Not only that, but our budget finally became more manageable, which was what had started this whole thing in the first place!

When recent visitors to my website began asking me to feature some of the PENNY PINCHER columns, I initially hesitated. After all, they’d been written more than fifteen years ago. But as I played around with the idea, I realized the articles were just as applicable today as when they were first written. So, why not? I asked myself. Maybe there were still mothers and fathers out there struggling to make ends meet.

It seems as if I was right. In spades! Apparently things haven’t changed all that much as far as family budgeting is concerned. We all still want to feed our kids nutritious meals (without taking all day to do it), and we still have to somehow make our paychecks stretch. And how about those gas prices? Yikes!

All in all, it looks as if PENNY PINCHERS may be around for a long time to come!

CLEANING MY OFFICE

2008-07-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

I promised my husband Bob that I’d finally clean my office. Normally, I would consider his distinctly unkind comments about my overflowing bookshelves and cluttered floor space as nobody’s business but my own. However, since he’s set up a card table in one corner of my library/office (I have floor-to-ceiling bookshelves completely covering three of my walls), I had to agree that perhaps he had a point, especially after the last – but unfortunately not the first – time he tripped while attempting to navigate a safe path to his working area.

When Bob suggested moving from the San Francisco Bay Area some years ago, I threatened not to budge from our native California unless he promised to hire someone to build the above mentioned bookshelves so I could finally have the library of my dreams. (Hey, I’m not above using a little friendly intimidation if that’s what it takes). When the friendly, but slightly bemused carpenter, completed the job, I looked around at the mostly vacant shelves and sheepishly admitted that maybe I’d gotten a little carried away. “I’ll never be able to fill all these empty spaces,” I groaned. (Mind you, this had not been an inexpensive undertaking!) Bob didn’t reply, but just gave me a strangely enigmatic look that expressed better than words that he wasn’t about to underestimate my penchant for collecting books. Sure enough, ten years later I had filled every square inch of available shelf space, and books had begun to spill over onto the floor.

Now that I’d promised Bob to box up some of the books, though, I found myself eager to finally achieve a nice, neat office – you know, the kind you see featured in home-design magazines? Determinedly, I bent to my task. Yet after several hours of packing books into boxes – only to take them out again minutes later – I sat back off my sore knees and re-considered the situation. Performing a desultory count, I was dismayed to find only a dozen books had made it into the box and managed to remain there. Sadly, the path to Bob’s card table/desk remained as precarious as ever. I had never considered myself overly sentimental, yet I was finding it really hard to part with my old and treasured friends.

I’d like to say that in the end practicality triumphed over sentimentality, but it wouldn’t be true. Oh, I boxed up a bunch of books, all right. But if Bob ever takes a notion to explore the back area of our attic, he’s going to receive one very big surprise: six crammed boxes of books stored behind a collection of Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon.

I figure that if I can manage to survive the next few years without feeling a compulsion to dig out one of my old friends, I’ll finally be ready to haul them on over to the Goodwill.

How I Research My Books

2008-07-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

So many readers write to ask me how I research the books I write set in 1880s San Francisco. While it’s true that researching can take up a lot of time and energy, I have to admit that it’s one of the things I most enjoy about writing the Sarah Woolson mystery series. In fact, I’m sure I probably collect far more information about nineteenth-century San Francisco than I will ever possibly be able to use.

A lot of people I meet at book signings, readings and talks, seem to think that I do most of my fact-finding online, which, I admit, is frequently the case. But the astonishing breath and scope of the Internet notwithstanding, nothing beats the fun and adventure of browsing for hidden gems in second-hand bookstores! And although I’ve found wonderful old books up and down the west coast, the best place to search for them is in all the intriguing bookstores to be found in the city by the Bay itself.

Walk down just about any street, and sooner or later you’ll come across a small, narrow, frequently cluttered little bookstore, where poking about for treasures is a grimy, but ever so rewarding adventure. If you don’t mind a bit of sneezing, and are willing to risk coating yourself with a fine layer of dust, you can spend hours happily browsing through row after row of books looking for just the right volume to add to your library. And what a thrill it is to happen across a tome that delivers exactly the information you need for a new book. After years of visiting every second-hand bookstore I could find, I’m happy to boast that I now own one of the best collections of old San Francisco books outside the San Francisco Library. A few of them are well over a hundred years old.

I don’t see how I could get by without my computer – and I love surfing the Internet – but give me a nice tricky research project, an old second-hand bookstore, and I’m happy as a clam and set for a fun day of treasure hunting!

WRITER’S BLOCK

2008-06-24T16:07:00.001-07:00

I got stuck on the new TERROR ON RINCON HILL book this morning, so I went back and reviewed the first few chapters hoping for inspiration. Probably a bad idea, since it turns out I don’t like them. Somehow the beginning of the story doesn’t hit me the way it should.

Experience tells me that I should ignore the little knot that started forming in my stomach around page 3. This is unusual for me. Normally, after I’ve decided the major plot of a new Sarah Woolson book, the first sentence or scene pops into my head and almost always stays there. Not this time. This beginning doesn’t pack the kind of punch I’m looking for. The question is, should I take the time to fix it now, or go back after I’ve finished the first draft?

Logically, I know I should get on with it and re-work chapter one after I see how the book is going to play out. But sometimes you just don’t want to be logical; you want the satisfaction of knowing you nailed the book from line one. On the other hand, the beginning of a book is probably the most critical section of all – every writer knows that if you don’t capture the reader’s attention on the first or second page, you’re very likely to lose them altogether! I really need to go back right now, I decide, and re-work the first couple of paragraphs until they reach out, grab readers, and physically pull them into the story.

The knot in my stomach is growing bigger by the minute. Time to calm down and rethink the opening scene. Yeah, right, calm down. That’s like trying to suppress a volcano after it’s already begun to erupt. I’ve got a deadline, after all. I’ve got a deadline, a contract, and a nervous editor to please. Not to mention daily letters from readers wanting to know when book #4 in the Sarah Woolson series will finally be off the press. Oh, no, now my head is beginning to ache!

Time for a nice hot bubble bath, I tell myself, along with a few scented candles and a nice glass of wine. Maybe two glasses of wine. Oh, what the heck, make that three!

Ah, yes, that’s the ticket, I tell myself, lowering my tense body into the soothing bubbles. No sense making this worse than it has to be. Who ever said a little case of writer’s block couldn’t be put off until tomorrow?

Ride Down Memory Lane

2008-04-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

We visited our son Steve who lives in Piedmont, California, last Saturday. Steve’s lucky to live in a great area boasting dozens of wonderful little restaurants. It’s really hard to visit him without trying out yet another good eatery. That afternoon it was crepes, and they were delicious! Bob and Steve had chicken crepes, while I couldn’t resist one with strawberries, bananas and chocolate sauce. Out of this world!

After lunch, the three of us drove through the area where Bob grew up. It was like taking a walk down memory lane. Remarkably, my dear husband – who has trouble remembering our anniversary every July – could name just about every one of his then-neighbors along the entire block.

“This is the house we lived in when I was seven,” he proudly announces, gazing wistfully at a tiny, light grey stucco house with a handkerchief-sized front lawn and a driveway consisting of two narrow strips of worn concrete surrounded by gravel.

“It’s pretty small,” our son Steve comments, obviously unimpressed.

“It didn’t seem small then,” Bob counters, studying the house more closely. “I think it’s shrunk since we lived here.”

From there we drive a few blocks to a nearby grammar school that has definitely seen better days.

“I thought you said you walked a couple of miles to school every day,” says Steve skeptically.

“I did,” Bob replies. “They must have added a more direct route to the school since my time.”

“Uh, huh,” Steve grunts, rolling his eyes at me.

Next, we pass a liquor store that used to be an ice cream parlor, and next to it a kids’ arcade that had previously been the neighborhood movie theater.

“Now why did they go and change those?” Bob asks, staring morosely at yet another fading memory of his childhood. “Every Saturday we’d all meet to go to the matinee, then hit the ice cream parlor on our way home. The movie cost us a dime, and you could get a great hot fudge sundae for a quarter.”

“And for an extra nickel I’ll bet you could get tyrannosaurus rex to walk you home,” Steve says, stifling a chuckle.

“Hmph!” Bob grunts. “Laugh if you want, but the kids of today have no idea what they’re missing.”

About now, Steve realizes that this ride down memory lane has not lived up to his dad’s expectation. Our good-natured son looks guilty, then brightens as we pass a new Cold Stone Creamery that used to be a mom and pop grocery store.

“Hey, Dad,” he says, pointing at the creamery. “Stop here and I’ll treat you to a hot fudge sundae. For an extra quarter, I’ll bet they’ll throw a cherry on the top.”

“Look at it this way, Bob,” I say quietly as we follow our son inside. “Some day when Steve has kids, he’ll drive by this place and describe all the ice cream he used to be able to get for $5. Time for new memories, sweetheart. Time for new memories.”

The Inner Kid Inside Me

2008-04-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

While my husband Bob and I were on the road last week, we kept busy doing book signings as well as visiting friends and family. Although we’re forced by the sheer number of people we want to see to keep our visits brief, we always have a great time!

Last Friday night we took our son Mike and his family (wife Norma and 5 young children, Melissa, Vaneza, Danielle, Mikey and Scarlet) to see “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” It was a huge success. I have to admit I didn’t expect to enjoy the film, but I actually did. I found myself laughing out loud, and a few times even singing along with the chipmunks! I think that’s the greatest thing about having children and grandchildren, you’re forced to revisit your childhood – although my husband Bob claims this is stretching things, since he insists I never left my childhood in the first place.

At first I wasn’t sure that I appreciated that remark; after all, I’m a serious author and screenwriter, right? Then I got to thinking about it and I had to admit that it was probably true. Actually, I guess there is still a lot of kid in me.

After all, I love to ride my bike along the beautiful Willamette River here in Eugene, I enjoy roller-blading, eating ice cream cones and watching 007, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Ring and Indiana Jones movies. And I’m usually the first person through the gate at Disneyland or Magic Mountain, and the last one to leave at night.

I love swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, building gingerbread houses with our grandchildren, and getting down on the floor and playing games with them. I’m still passionate about popcorn, popsicles, bubble gum and Christmas. I like to sing and dance and laugh at silly jokes – in fact, the sillier the better!

So I’m not the prim, sophisticated woman I expected to be when I reached “a certain age.” But you know, that’s all right. I love my life, along with all the wonderful people in it. Sure our family has problems – what family doesn’t – and we’ve hit some rough spots along the way. But as long as we keep the love alive and aren’t afraid to show it to each other, and as long as we always remember how to have fun, then we’ll get through it all okay.

And if that means keeping that inner kid alive inside me, so be it! After all, why would anyone want to leave behind something that’s so much fun?

On Blogging

2008-03-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

When I started to blog, I promised myself that I would do at least three to four of them a week. That number didn’t sound too intimidating. I mean how hard could it be to write about your day, or your family, or your work? Well, I’m finding it really hard – much harder than I thought it would be!

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I never kept a diary as a young girl, or even as a teenager. I was never even a little bit tempted to pour my heart out on paper. For one thing I can’t write fast enough with a pen or pencil to keep up with my thoughts (I can barely do it on a keyboard!) For some reason it makes me really nervous to try. I’m a Gemini (the twins!) and my mind tends to take off in several different directions at once. Which one should I follow?

And when I was a kid just the idea of committing my deepest thoughts to writing gave me cold chills! What if someone found them? What if my MOTHER read them? YIKES!!

So, nothing much has changed now that I’m an adult, a mother and a grandmother. I still find it really hard to write what essentially amounts to a diary. Moreover, a diary sent out into cyberspace for the world to read! Very scary. While I want to be honest about what I write, it’s hard for me to share that much of myself. Maybe I still care too much about what other people think of me. I thought I’d gotten beyond that, but if I have, why is it so hard for me to put my feelings on paper?

In the end, though, maybe this is a good exercise for me – good for me to open up more and share some of my experiences, both in life and in my work. Maybe that’s why I became a novelist in the first place – so I could express all those thoughts and emotions through my characters. No wonder I love my job!

Anyway, a promise is a promise, even one made to yourself. Come hell or high water, I’m going to keep writing these blogs, even if it kills me.

Do any of you other bloggers feel this way? Or is it just me?

Another Book Signing

2008-03-24T13:43:00.001-07:00

I had another book signing yesterday morning – second one this week – and it went very well. Everyone there got involved in the discussion and asked a lot of really good questions, which always helps make these kind of events successful. I’ve never been very good at delivering monologues.

The only glitch in the day was that the event was held at Eugene’s largest mall. You see I hate to shop. Yeah, I know, I’m a disgrace to my gender. But I just can’t help it. I think it’s because I hate making decisions, and when you come right down to it, that’s what shopping is mostly about – trying to decide who wants what and what size it should be. Which is why I rarely give anyone clothes – I never seem to get the size thing right.

So, knowing for months ahead where I’d be giving my talk, I started a list of all the items I needed to buy while I was actually in the mall. One or two were for me, but most of the stuff was for two of my granddaughters – Vaneza and Danielle – who are celebrating birthdays on the 1st and 9th of April. (I also spent an hour and a half in Hallmark’s trying to choose greeting cards to last until the end of the year. And we have a big family. And good grief, they have too many darn cards to choose from! See, this is what I mean about decisions. They can drive you crazy!!)

Once I’d paid for over two dozen cards (and yes, I realized I’d forgotten a few by the time I got home), it was off to find the gifts on my granddaughters’ wish lists. Naturally, they were all but impossible to locate – at least with the right animal or character on them, or in the right color. And talk about impulse buying, while trying to pick out a particular gift for Danielle, I ended up buying one for myself. Which I didn’t really need, but couldn’t resist.

When I finally got home it was late afternoon, I was exhausted and my writing day was virtually shot. And all I had to show for it was one medium-sized plastic shopping bag – and a huge headache. As for those impossible-to-find gift items the girls want, well, there’s always the Internet!

Last night's local book club visit...

2008-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was invited to visit a local book club last night. They had just finished reading THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER and wanted to discuss it with me. I have to admit that this always makes me a little nervous. What if they didn’t like the book, and thought it would be more fun to tear apart if I was actually there in person?

But having agreed to go, I change from my usual sweat pants – so comfortable to work in – wash my hair and get into the car. I’ve printed out the directions to where the meeting is being held, have my cell phone next to me on the passenger seat, and I’m raring to go. Except that I’ve printed out the wrong address. A quick stop at the house listed on the print-out, a husband who has no idea where his wife is – despite my insistence that she and her friends are at that very moment sitting in his living room waiting for me to arrive – and I’m back in my car and picking up my phone.

Several calls later, I’ve failed to connect with anyone on the phone list. Worse, I still don’t know where I was supposed to have been fifteen minutes ago. (I have by now traveled the same five mile stretch of highway twice, once going east, and once going west). I finally reach someone who is also running late for the book club meeting, and she cheerfully agrees to meet me at a highway turn-off I didn’t know existed. By now it’s dark and has started to rain, I’m on a winding two-lane street I’ve never been on before, trying to find a white SUV that’s supposed to be waiting for me somewhere on the side of the road. After passing my rescuer twice, she honks and we finally connect. Shaking her head, she indicates that I should follow her.

My white SUV Saint Bernard leads me down ever more windy roads – which have by now turned to dirt (or should I say mud) – further into the country which, if I could see actually see it through the driving rain would, I’m sure, be beautiful. After ten minutes in this maze, we make our way through a white picket fence and up a gentle slope to a lovely farm house. Our hostess and her husband, it turns out, raise Angus cows which are contentedly grazing in the pasture outside their office window. I see them by flood light and am very jealous of the view; my office window overlooks the street, sans cows, sheep, horses, or any other animals. Lots of cars, motorcycles and bikes, though.

I take off my jacket, gratefully accept a glass of wine and enjoy the great dinner that is placed before me – I’m in luck, it’s a dinner meeting and the food is great. So is the wine, which does its job by calming my frayed nerves before I’m called upon to speak.

To my delight, all twelve book club members loved THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, and do not seem in the least inclined to tear me apart or force me into the pasture to face the bull. We enjoy a delightful hour chatting, sipping wine and discussing the book, my childhood, how Sarah Woolson came to be, and age and sex prejudice in Hollywood. (Don’t ask, that’s a whole other story!)

The rich dark chocolate cake they serve me before it’s time to leave, is – you should excuse the pun – the frosting on the cake. A grand time was had by all, especially me since I don’t often find a dozen lovely, well-read women in one place who actually want me to talk about myself. This does great things for the ego!

My white SUV Saint Bernard offers to lead me out of the idyllic countryside and back to the highway, which by now I know by heart. I bid a fond farewell to the Angus cows, and dutifully follow her back to civilization.

Despite much wishful thinking, the view from my office window has not changed.

Hard to get back in gear

2008-03-14T09:09:00.001-07:00

It’s always hard to get back on track when I’ve been on the road. Bob and I spent a great two weeks in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, skiing, hanging out with family, and playing in the snow. Last Friday, we left Incline Village and drove to the Trinity Alps in California to visit a good friend. Talk about snow! Our friend is practically buried in the stuff. I did get some work done, but not a lot. It’s really hard to concentrate on writing when nature sits just outside your window in all its glory!

Our ride back to Eugene from the Trinity Alps was amazing. If less traveled roads over the mountains have been plowed, it’s faster and easier to take them to get home, rather than major highways that are well maintained but that take us miles out of our way. After Bob called road maintenance, he decided it would be safe to take the more direct route home, even though it’s mostly winding roads that are only two-lanes wide in most places. Well, these roads proved to be less traveled all right. We actually went 70 miles without seeing another car – either coming or going! That has to be a first. I guess most travelers decided to play it safe in case the roads hadn’t been plowed.

We arrived home to find two large bins of mail had collected at the post office, and more than 40 calls blinked on our answering machine. Very daunting. I figure it takes us at least a full day to unpack, go through the mail (for the most part junk), and listen to all the messages (again, most of it junk).

Then there were all the shows that taped on Replay TV while we were gone. Too many of them to watch the night we got home, but we did sneak in an episode of Monk. Always good for a laugh to help us unwind from a long trip. And it’s nice to look forward to the dozen or more other shows still waiting to be viewed. Lordy, what did we ever do before TiVo and Replay?

More after I’ve cleared a path to our bed and slept for at least 12 hours!

SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CARS

2008-03-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do while growing up in San Francisco, was to ride its awesome cable cars. I would drag Nana, my long-suffering grandmother – with whom I lived for several years – onto one of these moving national treasures every time we went downtown to shop. Rain or shine, I would always insist on sitting on the outside of the car, the better to watch the bustling, and fascinating, city as we rode up and down the hills.

Sarah Woolson – the fictional heroine of my 1880s Sarah Woolson historical mystery series; MURDER ON NOB HILL, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER – also likes to ride the cable cars, and frequently uses this mode of transportation to make her way around San Francisco. This has caused a number of readers to write inquiring about the history of these famous landmarks: Who invented them? When did they first start running? How do they work? How many cable car lines are still in operation?

Actually, it’s a pretty interesting story. The city’s first public transportation was a horse-drawn omnibus, which started carrying passengers and goods around rapidly growing San Francisco in 1850. But the omnibuses and privately driven horse-drawn cars and carts, found the city’s steep hills difficult going. That was when a London-born Scotsman, Andrew Hallidie, came up with an unusual and creative solution to the problem.

Arriving in San Francisco during the late 1860s, Andrew S. Hallidie – who had pioneered the use of steel cable in the west’s gold and silver mines – witnessed a horrific street car accident caused by a tired old horse trying to climb a slippery San Francisco hill. This caused him to start thinking about how he might conquer the many steep grades of this “City of Hills”. An expert in manufacturing wire rope and cable, he realized that if he could come up with a transportation system by using a cable traction system, he could move people, heavy goods and other prohibitably large loads up even the steepest of San Francisco’s hills.

Hallidie’s basic invention was an endless cable running in a slot just below street level, kept in motion by huge wheels which were housed in cable car barns. To control the car’s movement, its gripman would fasten onto the running cable to make it run, then disengage from the cable and apply its brake to make it stop.

Undeterred by public and newspaper ridicule and skepticism, on August 2, 1873 at 4:00 a.m., the first trial run of Hallidie’s “dummy” made its way down the Clay Street hill between Jones and Kearny Streets, a distance of 2,880 feet. Later the same day, the dummy with a car attached, made another round trip, this time with a large, curious crowd in attendance.

This new public transportation cost five cents a ride, and eventually it was able to reach any part of the city, opening whole new areas to development. In their heyday, as many as eight different cable car lines, extending 112 miles, sent cars up Telegraph, Russian and Nob hills, out to the Presidio, to Golden Gate Park, and even to the Cliff House at Lands End. In its heyday, San Francisco boasted eight cable car companies, operating 600 cars over 100 miles of track.

In 1947, the cable car was very nearly phased out by authorities in the name of “progress”. The outcry from San Franciscans, however, was so loud and outraged that after a long political struggle that didn’t end until 1955 – when there was only a few miles of track left – they were finally saved from oblivion. The cable cars received their official seal of approval in 1964, when they were declared a National Historic Landmark.

Today, there are only three cable car lines left running in San Francisco, but they continue to be as much a part of the City By The Bay as the fog, Coit Tower, or the Golden Gate Bridge.

I’m Behind Schedule – AGAIN!!

2008-02-28T12:57:00.001-08:00

I know it must be my fault I keep falling behind in my writing. My goal is to write 2,000 words a day, or roughly 8 pages, but some days I’m lucky to turn out even one or two decent pages.

The underlying problem is that I’m easily distracted. The darn phone is one of the main culprits. I screen the calls, but can’t not answer if it’s my husband or one of our kids. I finally got Caller ID so I could get rid of all the irritating “buy this”, or “you can’t live without this”, or “you’re cruel if you don’t donate to that” calls. But family – those I have to answer. And we have a lot of family!

And don’t get me started on the Internet and email! My agent, my editor, my publicist, my screenwriting partner, LA producers, all correspond via email. So do friends across the country and even those down the street, next for that matter. I constantly ask myself why I feel compelled to check my email every ten minutes? Would the world come to a screeching halt if I didn’t check for half an hour say? Or what about an hour? Could I survive a whole hour without opening that cyberspace mailbox?

Sometimes I put on my Bose over-the-ear headphones my husband gave me a couple of years ago, and pretend I live on the edge of nowhere with no one around to interrupt me. Unfortunately, audio silence doesn’t prevent my damn fingers from giving into temptation and logging onto my online mailbox. (Do you suppose Bose will ever come out with fingerphones??)

Actually, I think I use email as an excuse to postpone writing the next scene, or figuring out where to place that really important clue that I don’t want anyone to recognize as a clue until the end of the book. Of course it’s only postponing the inevitable, and I know I’ll have to pay the price later that night if I want to get anywhere near my words for the day goal.

For awhile a friend who owned the house next door let me use one of his empty rooms as my office, while he fixed the place up to sell. That was the best office I ever had in my life! No phone, no TV, no refrigerator stocked with yummy temptations begging to be eaten. Every day I was astonished by how many pages I wrote. Ten, twelve, sometimes even twenty or more. Unbelievable! Writing there was so great, that I half-jokingly approached my husband about the possibility of buying the house so I could continue to work there. He just shook his head and regarded me with that all too familiar look of amazement and said that would be one hell of an expensive office! Needless to say, he didn’t make a bid on the house.

Yeah, I know I have no one to blame but myself when I fall behind schedule with my book. I think my belated New Year’s resolution is to let the phone pick up messages, and to check my email only four or five times a day, tops! Surely that’s enough, isn’t it? Oh, lord, I’m already weakening! That blasted mailbox is just too damn addicting!

San Francisco’s Famous Cliff House

2008-02-26T14:04:00.001-08:00

Because of the latest book in the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series, THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, a lot of readers have asked me about the history of the Cliff House. Here's a brief account of the famed landmark, taken from the San Francisco Facts page on my website:

The first of the four Cliff Houses to occupy the northwest tip of San Francisco -- at the entrance to the Golden Gate where the land ends and the Pacific crashes against the cliffs and shore – was erected in 1863 by Charles Butler, a local real estate man. Not only did it afford a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean, but its many visitors were greatly entertained by the antics of thousands of sea lions, otters and the famous seals from which the massive sandstone cliffs – once a part of the mainland -- were named.

Before the first Europeans arrived in the seventeen hundreds, Ocean Beach was part of one vast sand dune with not a tree in sight. In 1857, Harper's Weekly had this to say about Ocean Beach: "The voyager is impressed with the gloomy appearance of the scene before him; a multitude of low, black sand hills are partially visible over which continually sweep, like disturbed spirits, flying clouds of dense mist. Passing gradually into the strait, the scene constantly increases in interest. The surrounding hills assume a more positive form; the islands become bold and rocky, and in some parts precipitous, swelling at times into towering mountains. The strong winds and heavy fog which constantly assail the land, prevents trees and luxuriant vegetation.

Despite the fog and frequent winds, this first Cliff House had everything necessary to ensure its success. Except easy access. Located at what was popularly referred to as Lands End, Ocean Beach was so far out of the city, and so difficult to reach, that it wasn't until a toll road was finished in 1864 that visitors could finally travel there in relative comfort and a great deal less time.

In 1866, the proprietor of the first Cliff House was Capt. Junius G. Foster, who was a jovial, innovative innkeeper. People flocked in from San Francisco for good food and drink, horse racing and other recreation. The mile-and-a-quarter-long "speedway" (one of the final sections of the toll road) was constantly rolled to keep it smooth and watered to hold down the dust. Such famous men as Senator George Hearst, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker regularly raced their trotters on this improvised speedway.

In 1868, Captain Foster tripled the size of the building by adding two wings and a long balcony to the original structure, thus making it what is now referred to as the "second" Cliff House, and providing overnight lodging for his guests. It became one of the premiere attractions for all the first families of the city. But in the late 1870s, the guests began to complain that the outings to Lands End weren't as much fun as they had once been. The reason for this wasn't difficult to find: Cliff House was now crawling with tourists. On nice afternoons, it wasn't unusual to see 1,200 teams hitched in front of the buildings. As the genteel clientele disappeared, the Cliff House began attracting more moneyed gamblers, politicians, and lobbyists, along with their assorted collection of lady friends.

In the early 1880s, Adolph Sutro – a quiet and scholarly German who made his fortune by solving the drainage and ventilation problems at the Comstock Lode – bought the Cliff House and much of the surrounding land, In fact, at one time Sutro owned 1/12 of the city of San Francisco! He went on to build a vast mansion, a conservatory, a park, and the largest indoor public bath complex in the world.

When the "second" Cliff House burned to the ground in 1894, Adolph Sutro rebuilt, but this time on a much grander scale. (Incidentally, this is the Cliff House pictured on the jacket of THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, chosen, if fifteen years ahead of its time, because it is so much more dramatic and recognizable than the actual building which stood there at that time). This new structure was so ornate that it quickly became known as the "Gingerbread Palace". It was a grandiose and eye-catching edifice, and went on to host many of the celebrities and luminaries of the day, such as Sarah Bernhardt, Adelina Patti, Presidents Hays, Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Taft. In his quest to attract more working-class families to the Cliff House, Sutro discontinued offering hotel services, leading the establishment to become a popular venue for dining, receptions, private lunches, galleries, gift shops and exhibits.

Adolph Sutro died in 1898, and thus did not live long enough to see his beloved Cliff House bravely withstand the ravages of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Unfortunately, its good fortune was short-lived. On September 7, 1907, the Gingerbread Palace Cliff House burned completely down to the rocks. Sutro's daughter, Dr. Emma Merritt, erected the "fourth" Cliff House, but rather than creating another elaborate structure, she opted to build one of concrete and steel that would blend in with its surroundings. This Cliff House opened its doors on July 1, 1909. After the unique and expansive Sutro Baths burned down in 1966, part of its contents – the Musee Mecanique – moved into the Cliff House where it still remains. The Cliff House closed once more in 1969, but reopened again in 1973 with restaurants, bars and shops. In 1977, the Golden Gate National Parks Association became the owner of the property for $3,791,000.

To this day, the San Francisco Cliff House remains one of the city's most beloved and exciting landmarks, attracting millions of visitors every year from all over the world.

Sources: "San Francisciana: Photographs of the Cliff House," by Marilyn Blaisdell; "San Francisco's Ocean Beach," by Kathleen Manning and Jim Dickson, Arcadia Books; "Suddenly San Francisco: The Early Years of an Instant City," by Charles Lockwood, A California Living Book.

Online Publicity

2008-02-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yikes!! What have I gotten myself into?

I finally broke down and hired a talented and organized young woman, Tara Green with www.sirenprojects.com, to handle my online publicity. This wasn't an easy decision. First of all, I figured it was bound to be costly -- after all, if you want talent and organizational skills, along with a great imagination and unbelievable energy, you're going to have to pay for it, right? Then there's all those computer skills she possess that I lack, not to mention my pitiful knowledge of where to go on the Internet to make the best use of said skills. See? It’s not as easy as you might think.

Okay, so I searched hard to find just the right person for the job. Then I examined my dwindling promotional budget to see if I could afford her. So far, this was my thorniest decision. I mean, how far can you stretch a budget that is practically nonexistent? Finally, I threw up my hands in frustration. If I wanted to hire someone top-notch, who would do a bang up job of spreading my name all over the Internet, I damn well was going to HAVE to afford her!

At this point you might think it should all be clear sailing – someone else was now in charge, the weight of all those knotty decisions were now resting on her shoulders and off of mine. Well, if you thought that, you’d be wrong.

Since hiring my go-like-crazy publicist, I feel like a prize race horse is pulling my wagon, whip cracking over my head. This fireball is making me work my bootie-buns off! Six, seven, eight emails in one day! This woman’s mind just doesn’t quit. Ideas pour out of her like an oversized sieve. Most unsettling, at least for my pride, is they’re all really good ideas!

Although I only communicate with her by email, I swear I can see the smoke rising out of the top of her unbelievably creative head! The lists she asks me to okay every day, read longer than a chapter in one of my books. Where is she digging up all these websites, I wonder in bewildered admiration? How does she know all these people? Most important of all, how in the world am I going to keep up with her?!

Then, all too soon, she sneaks up on me to deliver the coup de grace: “I really need you to send me 4 or 5 blogs, she informs me. ASAP!” When I gasp – figuratively speaking, of course, since this is all written in an email – she says, “Hey, that shouldn’t be a problem for someone who writes complex murder mysteries!”

Oh, yeah? Well, right about now a good, complicated murder mystery sounds like a Sunday stroll in the park!

Our Son's Cancun Wedding Was FANTASTIC!!

2007-11-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

My husband Bob and I just returned from a fabulous 2-week vacation in Cancun, Mexico. The vacation was just an add-on, since the real purpose of the trip was to attend our son Chris' marriage to a beautiful young woman named -- yes, really -- Sarah. What a treat to meet Sarah's family! They'd traveled all the way from North Carolina and even London for the big day. Sarah's parents, John and Judy, along with Sarah's sisters and brother, Natalie, Virginia and Matthew, turned out to be great people who know how to have fun. It was such a joy seeing our two families come together.

We spent the first 9 days of the trip doing nothing but relaxing, which was a real first for me. Bob warned me that if I tried to take my computer he'd toss it into the first trash can at the airport. So, I went without it. Yikes! And I even survived. With no way to access the Internet, collect emails, or write on my new book, I actually was forced to lay back, read a good book, and even work on the silk shawl I was knitting to wear to the wedding. We took a day and drove out into the countryside to see some Mayan ruins, which were incredible, and then spent an evening aboard a fun pirate ship cruising to a small island for an outdoor dinner. The wind was really tossing the ship around that night, so believe me it tested our seaworthiness.

Since I find it impossible to find the words to describe the wedding, I've decided to post pictures instead. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, here's four thousand of them. (To enlarge the pictures just click on them)

The top right-hand photo is of Bob and I posing with the bride and groom. They make a great looking couple, don't you think? Naturally I'm not the least bit biased!

Congratulations Chris and Sarah!!! We love you.

THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER has sold out!

2007-11-04T23:22:00.001-08:00

I've got some great news! THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER -- book #3 in the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series -- has completely sold out and is going into a second printing! I want to thank all of you for making the book such a huge success! Please tell your friends who haven't yet read the book that it will be back on book shelves soon!

On a more personal note, my husband Bob and I are off to Cancun, Mexico, tomorrow for a week's vacation and to attend our son Chris' wedding. Away from the fog, the rain and the cold. Yes!!

Chris and his fiance, Sarah, plan a beach wedding at sunset. Can you think of anything more romantic? It ought to be spectacular. I wish all of you could be there to help us celebrate. Since that's not possible, I'll do my best to party, dance and sing enough for everyone. And I'll take lots of pictures to post on my website.

I'll be thinking of you as I curl up with a good book on the beach and sip my margarita!

Hasta luego!

Mystery books I've read lately and recommend

2007-10-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

People are always asking me what mystery books I've read recently and which ones I would recommend. I've hesitated to list them because personal tastes differ so widely. On the other hand, with the understanding that this is just one person's opinion, I'll be happy to share my recent reading list with you. In fact, I think I'll make it a regular part of my blog.

Here are some of the books I've read over the past month:

P.D. James, "The Lighthouse"
Dean Koontz, "Forever Odd"
Charlaine Harris, "All Together Dead"
Laurell K. Hamilton, "The Harlequin"
Dick Francis, "The Edge"
Dean Koontz, "The Good Guy"
Diana Gabaldon, "Dragonfly in Amber"
Clive Cussler, "Trojan Odyssey"

A few of these were books my husband and I listened to on our iPod in the car, but I'd recommend all of them as pretty good choices.

I'd love it if some of you would add your own favorite reads to the list. I'm always on the lookout for new authors, and this is a great way to find them, by personal recommendation. Thanks!

Some recent book-signing/reading events.

2007-10-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

It turns out I'm not a very faithful blogger. I've had more than one reader cite me for having way too little to say on my new blog -- which, I'm sure, would totally amaze my husband Bob who maintains I ALWAYS have something to say! Today, I actually have a little news to share with you.

I've been to 3 book-signing events over the past 2 weekends and they've all been a big success. Not only did I get to meet some fellow authors, but some very interesting readers, as well.

The first event was held at Bob's Beach Books in Lincoln, Oregon. They've started this summer to present an Authors' Fair once a month throughout June, July, August and September. They had tables and chairs set up in an outdoor court outside the store, and about 20 authors showed up to display their work and sign copies. Bob's Beach Books provided tea, coffee and cookies (of course I ate more than I should have), and a great time was had by all.

The second event held at Books Without Borders in Eugene, Oregon, was also fun. For one thing, the place reminded me of the Student Union at my old college, so I immediately felt at home. In fact, I longed to bring a book, make myself comfortable on one of the overstuffed couches and read to my heart's delight. The other writers on the panel covered the range from novelists to columnists, and we all took a few minutes to read something we'd recently had published. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to read the séance scene from my new release, THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER. Another author read a couple of short pieces she'd written, and managed to do so in a "Tom Sawyer"/"Huck Finn" dialect. Really good!

This past Saturday, I was the guest at the Junction City, Oregon, library. (Actually it was held at Freedom Hall because the Junction City library is too small to hold all of us). What a great audience, and a very well organized event! I wore my Victorian costume (including black-lace reticule) which was a big hit. The ladies of the Library Guild served delicious cookies, tea, coffee, cocoa and a great variety of cookies. Sooooo yummy! (Again, I ate too many. At this rate I'm going to resemble a tank before I get through publicizing CLIFF HOUSE) I didn't hesitate a minute to say yes, when they asked me to return when the 4th book in the Sarah Woolson series comes out!

I can't say I'm sorry I have a few weeks off from the book-signing tour. I truly need some time to rest up and get back to work on my new Sarah Woolson mystery tentatively titled, TERROR ON RINCON HILL. I also have a very large pile of books I've been waiting a long time to read. In fact, I think I'll start adding the names of books I've read and loved to this blog. I know how much I enjoy hearing about new books from people who've actually read them. You can let me know what you think of this new addition!

Letters that arrive in my mailbox

2007-09-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

I receive some interesting mail in my InBox. Aside from the endless stream of junk mail that seems to pour in every day, readers often offer comments, praise and helpful advice about my books and my Blog.

One reader responded to my laments about poor organization, by suggesting that I look into hiring an organization specialist. She explains that her office was also a disaster area. In desperation, she broke down and hired a specialist she found listed in the phone book. According to her, the expense was worth every penny. It's embarrassing to admit, but I didn't even know that such specialists existed. So, tomorrow I'm getting out my yellow pages to see what I can find in the Eugene, Oregon, area. I'll let you know what happens!

Another reader, who was traveling with her husband to San Francisco, wrote to ask me if she could buy a copy of THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER in the Cliff House Gift Shop. The answer is yes. The manager and clerks who run the gift shop, have been more than gracious about stocking the book.

One reader asked me if I hadn't exaggerated the prejudice Sarah is subjected to in the series. Actually, I've downplayed it, in some cases considerably. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to find a book titled, WOMEN LAWYERS AND THE ORIGINS OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY IN AMERICA: The Letters of the Equity Club, 1887 to 1890. This volume covers the many letters written by early women attorneys throughout the country, detailing their experiences practicing -- and in most cases NOT practicing -- the law after they'd passed their State Bar Exams. Believe me, if I'd strictly adhered to these predominantly discouraging stories, Sarah would have faced a great deal more prejudice than I've portrayed! In fact, my editor strongly suggested that I tone down some of the prejudice against my heroine in my first mystery, MURDER ON NOB HILL. Being new to St. Martin's Press, I thought it best not to argue. That's why I found it so funny to be accused of exaggerating the situation!

Then there's my neice who wrote me from New Hampshire saying that if Pierce Godfrey (a character from THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS) didn't come back into Sarah's life she'd never speak to me again! Relax, Melody, Pierce will be visiting Sarah again in book four in the series, TERROR ON RINCON HILL.

A show of hands

2007-08-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

This was the headline in a special section of our newspaper this morning, a Labor Day headline saluting all the laborers that keep our country thriving. I found the accompanying essays so inspiring that I headed for the kitchen and actually spent the afternoon at the stove cooking, an activity I usually spend a lot of time trying to avoid. Several loaves of great smelling homemade bread and a hearty pot of minestrone soup later, I felt like I'd actually accomplished something. Not only had I astonished my husband, but I felt a part of -- as the newspaper put it -- "all those American hands dedicated to one idea: A job worth doing is worth doing well."

So, to all you laborers out there -- mechanics, carpenters, nurses, computer techs, farmers, millworkers, lumber workers, homemakers and yes, even writers, I salute you!!

Organization

2007-08-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that my life lacks organization. True organization, that is, not just the ability to toss half a dozen balls in the air and hope that I can keep them up there before gravity drops them all back onto my head.

I've decided that the problem comes from being born a Gemini. Geminis are commonly referred to as "the twins", meaning we are easily distracted and have a tendency to take off in two or three directions at any given time. We also tend to be a bit scattered and frequently bite off way more than we can chew. We almost always mean well -- proving that old saw that the road to you know where really is paved with good intentions -- and we usually possess more than our fair share of energy. In my case, at least, this excess energy just contributes to the illusion that no matter how many irons I have in the fire I can easily cope with them all -- which of course I can't.

What got me off on organization today, is the current state of my office. At the moment I have at least five or six projects going on at the same time. And I'm definitely NOT coping, much less coping with any degree of ease. My office is, in short, a disaster! My grown kids regularly send me newspaper and magazine articles on "How to get your life in order" and "A cluttered room leads to a cluttered mind". Unfortunately, my mind is usually too cluttered to process the advice.

The only solution is to ruthlessly start ground-filing all those "vital" projects I've started over the past five years but never finished. Yup, tomorrow I'm going to give this room a thorough cleaning!! Unless, of course, I get sidetracked by something that looks like more fun. Now where did I put that Sudoku book Bob gave me last Christmas....?

Hurray!!! I'm finally entering the 21st century!

2007-08-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

To those of you who swore it would never happen, it has! After many excuses and endless procrastination, I've finally made the leap into the world of blogs. Never one to even keep a diary, the whole idea of sharing personal feelings and observations with others is downright scary. My agent, my editor and most of all my children, however, have at long last convinced me that baring my soul does not have to be frightening. As one writer friend told me, it's actually cathartic and lots of fun! I sincerely hope she's right. So, starting today, Friday, August 10th, I'm making a pledge to share with you if you'll share with me.

I'll start off by saying that I live in Eugene, Oregon, with my husband Bob and Vizsla Beau (a Hungarian bird-hunting dog who is completely terrified by guns). Here's a picture of Beau sitting on Bob's lap -- where he can frequently be found. And yes, I'll admit that he's just a little bit spoiled, but he's also loving, active and ready for a good romp any time of the day or night.

We had a beautiful white cat named Fletch (after the Chevy Chase movies), but gave him to our daughter when Fletch protested (non-stop) about being on the road so much. He now reigns happily and majestically as King of the Hill at her home in northern California.

Speaking of being on the road, I'll be visiting Murder By The Book in Portland, Oregon, this Sunday from 4 to 6 pm. If you live in the area, please drop by and say 'Hi". (Check my events page for contact information) Bye for now!