Vix Voice

Here Comes the Sun!

After endless days of grey skies, pounding rains, snow, more rain, floods, building an ark, the sun came out today. Yeah! Just gorgeous, with not a cloud in the sky.

On a completely different note... Here's my new cover for The Bone Man, which will be out in late August/early September. It's the fourth Tally Whyte homicide counselor novel, and takes place in Boston, Martha's Vineyard, and New Mexico. Yup - New Mexico!

Isn't it juicy? I LOVE it! Hope you do, too.

Vonnegut

Vonnegut has died. He was crazy and funny and brilliant and, ultimately, believed in humanity. If you haven't read him, give him a shot. What a legacy!

A poem of Kurt Vonnegut's is particularly apt in these days:

When the last living thing

has died on account of us,

how poetical it would be

if Earth could say,

in a voice floating up

perhaps

from the floor

of the Grand Canyon,

“It is done.”

People did not like it here.

****
Snow remains on the ground here in Hancock, and I miss the spring. So here's a taste of what's to come in a few weeks.

Almost There...

The Bone Man is almost done. Almost. So my frantic pace has picked up to hyperdrive. I expect to pop a champagne cork or two on the night of Feb. 28, my due date.

Yes, this is an incredibly boring post, but what's a girl to do when she uses up so much brain power on Tally's latest adventure.

See ya later, alligator,
When your legs are straighter!
(My mom's fave expression.)
Toodles

Winsworth...

Hi Cookie - Thanks for writing. I lived in Ellsworth, Maine, for six years. I loved it. I loved her people and her town and so much about the community. When I wrote Dead Stone, I changed it to Winsworth, as I didn't want anyone thinking I was writing about a particular town person. I never do that. I do "steal" settings, but not people. If you go to Ellsworth, you'll recognize a lot of the buildings. It remains a great place, and Bill and I will be speaking at the libe there in May.

Here's a basset photo - a cousin of Gracie's - that might make you smile. It did me.
Burrrr. It was ten degrees when I drove home from my class tonight. Time for crawling under the covers and watching "House!"

Hope you're all doing swell.

Interview

I recently did an interview for the California Literary Review, an awfully interesting online magazine. They offer terrific reviews, essays, and interviews. I wrote answers to questions posed by the writer which, for me, was a little different method. Back when I was freelancing I wrote lots of interviews with people from Celtics basketball legend Bob Cousy to a wheelchair-bound fella who was a marvelous scuba diver. I loved doing interviews.

Is everyone gearing up for the election? I sure hope so, as it's a huge one. We're lucky that in this country we can vote without fear of being shot. Then again, some voting areas are now insisting on photo IDs. Hummm. Makes me wonder. The thing is, if I didn't have a driver's license, I wouldn't have any photo ID. There are an awful lot of folks out there who don't drive and don't have photo IDs. I don't think it's fair or legal to disenfranchise them. How about you?

I am currently knitting a Christmas gift that's given me... Well, let's just say that after Christmas, I don't plan to knit this ever again! It's fun, but frustrating.

I would like to present Toadalicious. He appeared several years ago, then disappeared until this fall, when I spotted him again in the lily patch. Isn't he marvelous? I love him.

Toodles.

Fire Engines! & Book 'em!

Fire Engines!
Originally uploaded by Vix Photos.

As well as slave to fire engines. I always want to toot the horns and spray the water. Shame on me. We had a ball. The parade was terrific.

Speaking of terrific... On Saturday, Bill and I will be participating in the Book 'em event in Lebanon, New Hampshire. This ground-breaking Book Fair highlights the connection between illiteracy and high crime rates and will feature dozens of authors who will be signing their books and giving talks on writing, the publishing industry, and other topics of interest throughout the day. In addition to Bill and myself, Janet Evanovich, Archer Mayor, and dozens of other authors will be participating in this event sponsored by the Lebanon Police Department and the City of Lebanon. Admission is free.

The Ever-Fab Edie Clark

The Ever-Fab Edie Clark
Originally uploaded by Vix Photos.

Bill and I were judges, along with the marvelous Edie Clark of Yankee fame. Edie writes the back page for Yankee magazine, and her most recent publication is The View from Mary's Farm. Edie's an incredibly talented writer and essayist, not to mention a huge amount of fun.

The Cutest Thing...Almost

Many cute things exist in this world. Babies, of course. Dogs. Even better: puppies. Perhaps best of all: puppies and babies. I know, saccharine overload, right?

But an animal facility (their words, not mine) in Mombasa has outdone itself on the cuteness scale. I could not possibly pass up posting this photo. If your skeptical about it, do visit: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/hippo.asp

This site, which is a totally cool urban-legends-exposed Web site, confirms that the photos are very real. Awwwwww.

Been working on Tally Four and bubbling with excitement that The Grief Shop will be out in three days! I can't believe it.

The Grief Shop

The Grief Shop
Originally uploaded by Vix Photos.

My new novel, the third in the Tally Whyte homicide counselor series, will be out at the end of August. I'm fortunate to have a great quote from Robert Parker (Spenser), Gary Braver (FLASHBACK), and others who have read the book.

A bit about the book: Tally Whyte has seen a lot of dead bodies in her years with the Massachusetts Grief Assistance Program, but this is the first time a murder victim has been brought there by the murderer himself. During the night, someone brokeinto the Office of the Cheif Medical Examiner, aka the Grief Shop, and left behind a tragic calling card—the body of a young girl, bearing the message: Sins of the Fathers.