It's that Time of Year Again!

I've just enjoyed a great week on Rhys's Pieces, with almost 700 visitors on the best day. So I've been checking past stats and interestingly enough the post with the most views was last year's Halloween blog about why people like to be scared.

Halloween is, of course, a Celtic festival. It was the time when the veil between our world and Otherworld was lifted, when spirits, ghouls, and all manner of horrid things passed into our world for one night. Thus the wearing of scary masks and dressing up as ghosts and monsters was to make the creatures from beyond think that we were one of them and thus not try to grab us and take us back with them.

So I wonder if Halloween is part of our collective psyche, like being attracted to the smell of wood smoke and the fear of the dark (and spiders in my case). Some part of us remembers sitting around a camp fire generations ago, feeling safe and protected while one of the group told a scary story.  My children and grandchildren certainly have enjoyed transforming themselves into frightening things. Sweet little Mary Clare, aged 6, apparently told the other kids in her class that she was really a vampire, making them all terrified of her. The teacher complained to my daughter who made her promise not to do it again. "So promise mommy you won't tell anyone you're a vampire again," my daughter said. Mary Clare gave her a sweet smile. "Okay, mommy," she said. Then she went to school the next day and told them that she wasn't a vampire.... she was really a werewolf!

I have to admit that it's fun dressing up and being someone else for a while, but my costumes usually are of the harmless variety. Last year I was my character Lady Georgiana and John was an aging seducer from the Thirties. And this year I've written a special Halloween story featuring Lady Georgie. It's called Masked Ball at Broxley Manor--an extravaganza involving royalty and at least one gate-crasher. You can find it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble to put you in the Halloween spirit.

Bouchercon--Rhys tells all

After a horrible flight via Chicago that took forever I'm back from Cleveland with a bag full of books and terrific memories of the Bouchercon world mystery convention. You'd think that people who kill for a living would be mean and anti social but one look at the bar at the convention hotel would prove that we really love hanging out together (and drinking). Many of the big names of our profession were there--mingling with us lesser mortals--Mary Higgins Clark, Lee Child, Elizabeth George, Robin Cook, Michael Connelly, Sara Paretzky, Charlaine Harris--who delivered my favorite line of the convention. She said her husband used to look upon her writing as a little hobby he had to subsidize. Then she paused and smiled. "He doesn't say that any more," she added..

My Cleveland experience started with an interview for NPR, after which they asked me to do an i and mpromptu plug for public radio for an upcoming fund drive. I love public radio but wish that I'd had some time to prepare something witty!
Then the convention kicked off with opening ceremonies at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As you approach the building you are greeted by row after row of giant guitars. Inside it's glass and steel, lots of neon lights--and loud with several hundred people crammed into it. John Connelly, the toastmaster, introduced guests of honor and the MacAvity and Barry awards were presented (I didn't win this year). Then I had to rush back to the hotel to rehearse for the famous Jungle Red Writers Family Feud. The rehearsal was a disaster and my Jungle Red sister Hank Phillippi Ryan suggested it might be a career-ending move.

However on the day it was a huge success. The ballroom was crammed to overflowing. The audience laughed and called out answers and got prizes. I was on a team with Red Julia Spencer-Fleming's adorable husband Ross, who kept calling out really weird answers--resulting in my wrestling the buzzer away from him (which the audience loved!).

The panels at these conventions are usually earnest and sober affairs so the chance to laugh was good for everybody. The next day I moderated one of these in depth panels when I hosted "Across the Pond" with British superstars Val McDermid, Stuart Neville and Peter James. We discussed the roots and differences between crime and crime writing in Britain and the US, and my favorite line was Vals. She described Scotland as having Iraqi weather: "Occasionally sunny but mostly Shiite."

There were receptions hosted by publishers, a chance to meet the Canadian writers and an Anthony awards ceremony that was preceded by the longest raffle in the history of mankind. Next year's crew please note--DO NOT REPEAT.

So I had a great time meeting old friends, making new ones and putting names to faces of fans who have written to me. And now I'm back to reality and laundry waiting to be done. Cinderella has left the ball.

Big Week for Bowen

I'm sorry if I've been silent on the blogging front for a week. I had a double deadline to complete by October 1 and I'm delighted to say that I sent off both items this weekend. One was the new Lady Georgie novel, called HEIRS AND GRACES. The other was a Molly Murphy e-story to come out next February ahead of the new Molly book. And that story is called THE FACE IN THE MIRROR. It was rather scary to see it already listed on Amazon when I hadn't even written it. But now it's done and I'm pleased with it.

So I'm already to enjoy my big week ahead. First tomorrow, October 2nd sees the launch of a new Lady Georgie e-story on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and everywhere e-books are sold. It's a prequel to her career as Her Royal Spyness and it takes place at a Halloween masked ball at a stately home with all the elements we love about the Georgie books--a repulsive prince, a masked stranger, danger, political intrigue and a very naive young woman. Please be warned that it is not a whole novel. It's a fun story.

Then on Wednesday I set off for Ann Arbor, MI to be part of the 20th anniversary celebration of one of my favorite bookstores AUNT AGATHA'S. I've been welcomed at that store for all 15 years of my writing career and I'm so thrilled they are still flourishing when so many others have gone under. I'll be interviewing the owner on my other blog (www.jungleredwriters.com) on Wednesday. And by the way, I'll be hosting Jungle Reds all this week so do come on over and see what fun things we're discussing--like whether we can kill in real life, and whether we believe in love at first sight.

On Thursday I go on to Cleveland where the world mystery convention, called Bouchercon, is being held. Again I'll be joining my Jungle Red sisters for a fun mystery version of Family Feud, then moderating a panel called ACROSS THE POND with such stellar Brits as Val MacDermid and Stuart Neville.

I'll try to take pix and keep you updated on the inside scoop of mysterydom. All the dirty details! So stay tuned.

Revisiting Rigoletto

Last night I went to a stellar performance of Rigoletto at the San Francisco Opera house. Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak was sublime with a pure soaring voice that could produce those sweet high notes even when she was slumped over dying. And what's more she looked like a sweet young girl too--slim and lovely. Remember those old opera heroines who were as wide as houses?

Rigoletto has always been special to me because it was the first opera I saw. My aunt took me to the Bristol Old Vic, thinking we were going to see The Merry Widow. But she had her dates wrong and it was Rigoletto instead. "I don't know if this is too old for you," she said, but I loved it. I cried when Gilda died and I was hooked on opera forever more.

The interesting thing is that I know what's going to happen at the end but I still want to see it again and I still cry. The same happened when I saw Romeo and Juliet in Ashland this month. I know the play by heart but I still cry.

I guess this ties in to reading the same books over and over. My husband can't understand why anybody would want to read a book more than once. I, on the other hand, visit books as old friends. There are certain comfort reads that I turn to in times of stress--the Agatha Christies of course, Jane Austen, Gerald Durrell. There are books like Possession that blew me away the first time I read it and I got even more out of it the second and third times.  I have read the Lord of the Rings over and over, still savoring every moment.

So how about you? Do you like revisiting old favorites? Do you ever tire of seeing familiar plays, reading familiar books?

Defending Kate

I don't know about you but I'm furious that someone photographed the Duchess of Cambridge naked, and that a magazine published the pictures. Kate is someone who has worked hard to do everything right and with royal dignity.  She has every right to sunbathe topless at a very private and remote villa in the South of France.

Obviously this brings back shades of Princess Diana, hounded to her death by paparazzi  Clearly royals are public figures and as such cannot expect the same degree of privacy as the rest of us. Every time they go out they are fair game and their behavior is on display to be judged. But in the privacy of their own home? No way. What will be next..super long distance lenses catching them in the bathroom or bedroom?

This comes after the Prince Harry scandal, again pictures of him at a private party, in a private suite, leaked by someone at the party, obviously for mucho bucks. He wasn't very wise, I agree, but he is a young single man and at the time he wasn't on official royal business. In fact we now know he was getting ready to fly back to duty in Afghanistan with his regiment, where he will be facing danger daily flying Apache helicopters. So he had a good reason to let his hair down.

This sort of thing didn't happen to royals at the time I write about in my Royal Spyness series. Although the press knew about the affair between the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Simpson they were asked by the palace not to mention it. So it didn't become public knowledge until he announced his intention to marry her. They remained silent for several years while Edward pursued her more and more openly (or rather she pursued him). Can you imagine any newspaper doing that these days?

Why do we feel we have a right to own celebrities? I know that A list people like Tom Hanks can never eat out, walk through a park, go to a movie without being mobbed. Fame comes at a hard price.
Writers like me experience this in a small way when we go to signings and conventions. It's not easy to be standing in line for the rest room and have the person next to me say loudly, "I just love your books. When is the next one coming out?" when all I'm thinking about is the need to pee.


So I feel for poor Kate. In fact I think it's about time the royals employed bodyguards who were instructed to shoot to kill invaders of privacy. What do you think?

Catching my Breath

I realize I haven't posted for a week, but too many things have come in the way. The first was a wonderful experience--going with a group of friends to Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival for three days. The drive is lovely, past Mount Shasta, over Shasta Lake, through wooded hills and the then town of Ashland is a delight, nestled in fir-covered mountains. We stayed only a short walk from the theaters and saw three plays in two days. The first was a modern rendition of The Merry Wives of Windsor, set in Windsor IOWA. The Falstaff character is a sleazy senator, trying to replenish his campaign coffers by seducing rich women.

The next play was the best Romeo and Juliet I have ever seen. The couple were played as their true ages, 14 and 16, as gawky, shy teenagers, thus making the tragedy even more poignant. At the end there wasn't a dry eye in the house, including mine.

And the last play was... well, weird. Macbeth, Medea and Cinderella. Yes, Cinderella, complete with fairy godmother and a pumpkin turning into a coach. Three plays going on simultaneously, sometimes with almost identical lines. Not sure that it worked but it was interesting.

Also interesting was our backstage tour given by one of the actors. He gave us lots of interesting insights and had a great sense of humor. Add to this some good meals, lots of laughs and some shopping and you have a perfect outing.

As soon as I got back I had to plunge into copy edits for my next Molly book, write two guest blogs and then a complete e-story to be delivered by the end of the month. So not much time to catch my breath. I finished those copy edits today (do you know that I hate serial commas?) and now just have the writing to do. I keep thinking I'll get ahead, but I never seem to. I've also a speech for a writers convention in San Francisco next week as well as panels to prepare for at the Bouchercon convention. Maybe I'll slow down one day.  Maybe not.

Back to School, Scary edition

I have been gearing up for new Lady Georgie releases in October and November and almost overlooked that I have a new release to celebrate this week:

I have a story in the anthology called AN APPLE FOR THE CREATURE, edited by Charlaine Harris of Sookie Stackhouse fame and Toni L.P. Kelner. It's a book of school stories with a horror/fantasy twist to them. Some of them are funny, some scary, some mysterious. My story is called Low School. 

Normally I shy away from horror because I'm too impressionable. I was the girl who watched a scary show on television and then had nightmares for a week. I managed to see movies in which giant ants or tomatoes take over the world, but not movies about haunted houses, possessed people. I still sleep with the light on in the hall. At my sister-in-law's 14th century manor house there is a haunted room. I slept in the room next to it once and lay awake all night watching for the ghost to come through the wall.

So you see I'm an absolute wuss. But Charlaine and Toni are good friends and I was honored to be asked, so I stretched my comfort zone a little and I'm glad I did. If you have a teenager complaining how bad her school is this year buy this book and say, "You think you've got it bad?"