Poisoned Pen Letters

Release dates

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Hi, everyone!

I've been writing and traveling, but just got a spate of e-mails asking for release dates, so I thought I might stop by and give an official update. (My web designer will be updating the web site soon.)

MURDER MOST MAINE and ON THE PROWL are both scheduled for release this November, and both are available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble's online site and on Amazon. I just finished the third in the Urban Werewolf trilogy just last week; it will probably be out next summer, and the working title is now LEADER OF THE PACK. I am now taking a few weeks to relax and think about my next projects, but will be at RWA in San Francisco at the end of the month -- hope to see some of you there!

As far as the KUT interview is concerned, it was a news spot about the Agents and Editors conference in Austin, and I talked a bit about the whole agent-finding process; to hear it, you can go here.

Hope everyone had a happy 4th -- I am visiting my sister in Washington, D.C. and plan to visit my old townhouse in Old Town Alexandria tonight, which should be fun -- and that you're having a relaxing summer!

KUT Interview tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:27:00 +0000

I just found out I'll be interviewed for KUT 90.5 tomorrow, in association with the upcoming Agents and Editors conference... it'll be a taped interview, and I don't know when they'll be running it, but as soon as I find out, I'll let you know. What a lovely surprise.

Oh -- and I'll be presenting Sunday morning at the conference, on one of my favorite topics: "Where do I go from here?" Query letters, new projects, and submissions... oh, my!

Hope all is well with you. I'm doing minor revisions on MURDER MOST MAINE, which is on schedule for November publication, reviewing page proofs for ON THE PROWL, which is also on schedule for November publication, and finishing revisions on the third TALES book.

And thinking of new projects. I'm letting my mind range, and finding I'm interested in all kinds of topics -- and reading fairy tales, of all things. We'll see what happens next!

Cheers, and I'll be back soon...

It occurred to me...

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:45:00 +0000

as I was buying yet another book labeled "Coming Soon as a Major Motion Picture!"

Have you ever heard of a minor motion picture?

The between-book blues

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:48:00 +0000

After a month (actually, five months) of intense work, I turned in the third GWI mystery, Murder Most Maine, on deadline (Monday). I then spent the rest of the day relaxing. (Of course, the page proofs for On the Prowl arrived Tuesday, so that ended quickly.) And although I still have to clean up the third book of the Tales trilogy by the end of this month, I'm taking a two-week break from all my projects... and am already feeling that angsty in-between-book feeling.

It's not like I don't have anything to write. I have plenty of options -- both in existing series and elsewhere -- but after spending a few years in the company of Natalie the innkeeper and Sophie the werewolf, I'm in the mood to step out and try something a little different. I even have a character in mind, and a chunk of story that's appealing to me. But it means creating a whole different world, and pushing myself by using a slightly different voice.

Just for fun, and to break from my habitual writing style, I pulled out an old composition notebook and the only pen I could find (which happened to be a rollerball with silvery-turquoise ink -- it must belong to my daughter) and started writing. And the jolt worked, even if it's virtually impossible to see the ink once it dries. You have to hold it at a certain angle, you see, or it vanishes.

But the change of venue -- writing on lined paper, not the computer, and with weird ink -- seems to be helping. Robin Hobb, when she changed writing styles, took a pen name -- and says it gave her greater freedom on the page. Isn't it interesting how these little mental tricks can help change course?

Of course, it's early days, and we'll see what happens; it may be a false start, but it's too soon to tell.

It's funny, though. I was going to give myself a two-week total hiatus, and seem to be incapable of doing it. I cannot not write. Which I suppose is better than the alternative.

Now all I need is a name for my character...

RIP iBook... and On the Prowl

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:36:00 +0000

I knew it would happen eventually, and I suspected it might happen at a crucial time... but I didn't guess exactly how crucial. Late last week, ten days before a big deadline, my trusty little computer finally went belly-up.

I was hoping it would hold out a while longer -- at least until I got my deadlines taken care of. Alas, I must have somehow displeased the computer gods.

After a big day of writing, I 'slept' it on Thursday afternoon. Imagine my dismay when it wouldn't come back on after forty minutes of hammering at the restart button! Then, when it finally did, it wouldn't stay on long enough for me to e-mail my working files!

Can you say sweaty palms? :)

After twenty minutes of muttering oaths and prayers, I managed to bring it back to life long enough to e-mail my crucial files before it gave its final death rattle. I didn't lose anything, but since I didn't have time to ship the thing to California to fix it, I ended up spending more money than I care to think about on a new computer. On the plus side, this one has all twenty-six letters on the keyboard and backs itself up automatically. Which means I can stop e-mailing huge documents to my nearest and dearest every other day. :)

Anyway, now that my computer travails are over, I'm back on the home stretch of Murder Most Maine. I'm just taking a break from revisions to pop in -- and to post the cover that Sarab so kindly mentioned was already on Amazon.

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day weekend, and I'll be back soon!

Murder Most Maine!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Greetings from your favorite vanishing blogger! (In case you're wondering where I've been, scroll down to my last post.)

I'm happy to report that after several weeks of more or less constant work, I'm on the home stretch of Murder Most Maine, the third book in the Gray Whale Inn series, and Running with the Pack, the third book in the Tales of an Urban Werewolf series, is finished. Save for revisions, that is.

I was going to post both covers today (I got both of them last week), but the colors keep coming up reversed for On the Prowl, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow (hubby says he can fix it tonight). Here, however, is the cover of Murder Most Maine -- complete with a lighthouse, which I got to incorporate into the plot this time. There's a story behind this cover that I will share at some point, incidentally, but not just yet. Maybe once the book is out, and I'm celebrating with too much champagne...

On a completely different note, I was noticing yesterday that many of the letters on my keyboard seem to be vanishing. (Perhaps this is connected to my work schedule of the past six weeks.) So far I've lost A, S, D, C, L, and half of M. The benefit of this is that my children are less inclined to 'borrow' my computer, as it's hard to type when you can't find almost 25% of the alphabet. But I do worry that perhaps I've worn out something on the inside, as well. The question is, should I replace the laptop before it crashes? Or keep backing it up and pray that it won't die at a crucial point?

Like, say, the next two weeks?

Okay, back to the salt mines. I hope all is well with you and your writing, and as soon as I get the color issue resolved, I'll post the cover of Running with the Pack here! (And get the contest winner up on the web site, which I've been meaning to do, but haven't had time. Everything's kind of gone on hold while I get my work done.)

I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to summer vacation!

Ack!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Nothing like discovering you have two books (only one of which is finished) scheduled for release in seven months to get those creative juices running!

Gulp.

I just found Murder Most Maine on Amazon yesterday. I thought it would be out in 2009, but evidently I was incorrect in that assumption.

Off to the word processing program now...

Writing and risk-taking

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:56:00 +0000

So I’m teaching my bi-annual writing class on Monday nights this month, and as I see the apprehensive/excited faces behind the desks each evening, I realize again what an act of courage it is (and it is) every time a writer sits down to commit an act of prose. (Or poetry, or whatever it is you’re perpetrating.)

I used to think it got easier as it went along. And on some levels, it does; I’ve written over 2,000 pages of fiction at this point, so I’m pretty comfortable that when I tell my subconscious to come up with something I can transfer to paper, it will. But it still isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

When you are working on an established series, you have the benefit of a pre-created world and characters who have been developed in earlier books, which definitely helps. But there’s still a lot of work to be done; each plot needs to be fresh, and as Susan Wittig Albert discussed last week, characters can’t stay static — they grow and change with time.

On the other hand, when you break from an established series, especially one that’s well-liked, it’s exciting, but also a bit stress-inducing. Particularly if your new work is in a different style, and deals with a completely different subject. (Say, sassy and filled with werewolves instead of cozy and chock-full of coffee cakes.)

Since I committed myself to writing a trilogy that would be more than 2/3 complete before the first book hit the stands, I am particularly aware of the risks of jumping off in a new direction. (And the direction changed more than once after I jumped off, to be honest — for one thing, HOWLING was originally sold as a light werewolf mystery, but the editor decided to publish it as romance once the trilogy was well underway.) And it has been tough going this last several months, as I learned my way around a new genre and went through multiple editor changes — and waited for the first reviews to hit. (Thank goodness they were good.)

But even if things had gone the other way, and my work hadn’t been well received, I’m still glad I took the risk.

Because I think the most important thing as a writer — no matter where you are in the process — is to have faith in yourself, and to allow your creativity to go in whatever strange direction it chooses. Even if it does end up in places you never thought you’d go. Because you know what? There’s something magical that happens when the brain switches off and your fingers fly across the keyboard of their own accord. Characters come to life, plots veer off in unexpected — and sometimes rather unwelcome — directions, and sparks of new ideas flare up when you’re least looking for them.

And even if you screw up, you still learn something.

Writing is a risk. There is always the possibility that you’re the only one who will see the magic in what you’ve written. (Or, the day after, the absolute lack thereof — then again, we as writers are notoriously bad at judging our own work, so you never know.)

The key, however, is keeping that creative flame alive. Because that’s why we keep coming back to it, day after day after day.

So, for those of you out there who have been putting off writing a book for years out of fear it will never get published, or have a book you’ve never gotten around to finishing because it’s too hard, or have a steamy romance in mind that your afraid your grandmother will excommunicate you for (been there, done that, by the way), my advice is: Do it anyway. Take the risk.

Because that’s what this crazy business is all about.

Happy Thursday!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Hi, everyone!

I'm taking a quick break from writing to let you know that Susan Wittig Albert's guest post is up on the Cozy Chicks today... so drop by and check it out. And if you'll be in Round Rock this Saturday, I'll be at Barnes and Noble at La Frontera from 2 to 4... feel free to stop by and say hi.

It's springtime here, and I'm experiencing a real burst of creativity, so I've spent the last several days riding the wave and working on the two books I have due this summer. I'm hoping to get finished before school lets out for the summer; I've already booked my trip to Maine, and am looking forward to some R&R. But the weather here is lovely now, so despite my rather aggressive writing goals, I did escape for a walk this morning -- the peach trees are in full bloom on the trail, the redbuds are already dropping their fuchsia blossoms, and it's time to get my tomatoes in. Summer will be here before I know it!

Okay, back to the werewolves... I'm on a roll today, and I don't want to lose momentum!

Karen

A few things I wanted to mention

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Hi, everyone!

For the first time in two weeks, I am not sick. Hallelujah. And even better... the kids are back in school!

Since I've been off for a while, I'm going to make this brief so I can focus on my current novel. But I wanted to stop by and mention a couple of important items.

First, I'll be signing at the Westlake Barnes and Noble in Austin this Saturday from 2 to 4, so please feel free to stop by and see me! And Kimberly Swan of Darque Reviews just posted a review of Howling... and an interview with yours truly. Blogger Amberkatze also posted a review... she blogs from Vienna (lucky dog) and reviews lots of great books, so if you love paranormals, you should definitely check it out.

I also wanted to let everyone know that Susan Wittig Albert will be guest-blogging on Cozy Chicks Thursday, March 27 -- she'll be talking about how she created the inimitable China Bayles. I'll be posting more about that this Thursday on Cozy Chicks.

On a final note, if you're interested in taking a writing class from me, I'll be teaching one at U.T. Informal Classes at the end of this month. I hope to see you there!

Oh -- and perhaps most importantly -- I have not killed any family pets this week. So things are definitely looking up.

Cheers, and hope you're having a great week!

Strep throat, politics... and Firetruck

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:18:00 +0000

So I got my annual March bug last week -- usually it holds out for Spring Break, but I guess since we have no big plans this year, it decided to arrive early -- in the form of Strep Throat. I was only out for two or three days, but the timing could have been better.

I got sick Saturday night, you see, and Tuesday was the day of the primaries here in Texas. Which is not ideal if you're trying desperately to sleep so you can stop feeling like you're the bottom of someone's shoe. The bottom of a marathoner's shoe, actually. A marathoner's shoe on a track frequented by cattle suffering from gastrointestinal distress.

But I digress.

Anyway, that stupid thing rang SIXTEEN times on Monday. By four o'clock, I was huddled in bed with the covers around my ears raving to whoever would listen (not the recorded voices on the phone, alas) that if they called again, I'd start actively campaigning AGAINST all three candidates.

It didn't help.

Speaking of campaigns, I was thinking the other day how proud I am to be an American. Why? Because regardless of how you feel about them politically or personally, two of the three people currently running for the top political office would at some point in our country's history -- including, in one case, the first two decades of the twentieth century -- not have been ALLOWED to vote.

Wow.

Isn't it encouraging how far we've come?

Well, that's my pithy thought for the day. On yet another note -- I'm rather ADD today, aren't I? -- I've loved reading your comments on Firetruck's mishap last week. I plan to respond to them tonight -- but feel obligated to share the sad news that he did not last the week. I feel awful about it, to be honest, but Ian took the news well. (Probably in part because I didn't mention the whole egg noodle/disposal episode.)

RIP, Firetruck... may you have a cleaner tank and a better keeper in the fishy hereafter!

A Fishy Situation

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:25:00 +0000

It's been a busy week for me; Howling at the Moon is finally out (yea!), my children have come home with science projects that require parental assistance (enough said), and I'm working hard at getting another book written. So in the spirit of multitasking and time management, I decided to make a phone call while changing out some of the water for my son's Betta.

Of course, because I was on the phone, I didn't scoop the water out with a glass. I just poured a little of it out of the top of the tank.

Which would have been a triumph of efficiency, except for one minor detail that I'm guessing you've already deduced. That's right. The stupid fish went too. And let me tell you, there's no worse feeling than watching your son's favorite blue betta literally circling the drain -- particularly when you're the one who put him there.

I hung up (a tad late, alas) and spent the next ten minutes with my hand down the disposal, wondering (a) if it would be more humane to run the disposal or just keep the water going to send the fish downstream; (b) how quickly I'd have to drive to replace the betta before Ian got home from school (answer: not a legal or even physically possible speed); and (c) which slimy thing was old egg noodle or something even more disgusting and which was fish. Something did flip around from time to time, so I knew not all hope was lost, but all I kept coming up with was egg noodles. At least I think that's what they were. Although we haven't had egg noodles in weeks, come to think of it. Best not to think of it, actually...

Anyway, after the twelfth egg noodle, it finally occurred to me to use a flashlight. To my (massive) relief, there the poor thing was, blue and forlorn, marooned between two egg-noodle-like objects and the jaws of the disposal. After another few minutes of him squirting through my fingers to even more difficult corners of the disposal, I managed to extricate him.

Firetruck, I am happy to say, is back in his tank now, and despite the missing scales on his nose and a couple of places on his back, he's remarkably undamaged. And nobody has noticed. Thank God.

I'd stay and write more, but I have to go slice potato and apple chunks for a science experiment and then find a bug to feed the gecko now. Cheers, and hope you're having a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:39:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I was just thinking last night as I perused the card section of the grocery store and selected eight (yes, eight) valentine's cards, four colorful potted plants, and two 24-count plastic bags of candy valentines (which I later filled out and hotglued together for my children's classmates) that the romantic aspect of this particular holiday is somewhat diminished for me these past few years. And I'm thinking the problem is that I'm a mom.

Most -- not all -- men feel they have managed a coup when they (a) remember that February 14 is a holiday that theoretically requires some action on their part and (b) show up with anything -- including the rubber chicken they substituted when they discovered the store had sold out of actual flowers -- in hand. And if they purchase a card that does not involve raunchy comments about female anatomy, they're in great shape till the next Valentine's Day -- or at least till the next anniversary. I saw several of these valentine-savvy men tonight as I waited in line to buy a drink at the local supermarket. (You can recognize them by the furtive glances at their watches and the plastic-wrapped, luridly colored roses.)

A mother's responsibility? Purchase, label, and distribute trinkets and/or live greenery to all the people capable of creating future psychoanalysis bills for one's children. And relatives, of course. Who I guess fall into that category, come to think of it.

Now, I can't complain -- my own sweet spouse arrived last night with a lovely, anatomy-free card and a beautiful bouquet of the same flowers that were in my wedding bouquet. Had he not had a meeting in Temple until ten last night, I'm sure he would have joined me in the hot-glue-a-thon. And it's not like I'm totally on top of things (exhibit a: my blog record for the past, oh, three months or so).

But you know what the worst of it is? Valentine's may have come and gone, but the Easter stuff is already in the stores.

Calgon, take me away...

A quick update...

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Hi, everyone.

Just checking in -- I've been working on books rather than blogs lately, so if you're missing me, that's why -- to say hi and let you know what's going on!

On the writing front, I'm currently working on the third book in the Gray Whale Inn series and the third in the Tales of an Urban Werewolf trilogy (hence my rather ghostly presence here); I'm also thinking of ideas for future projects (which is always fun).

I've also been working with my web designer to retool the web site, and hope to have the new version up next week. Fingers crossed!

On the publishing front, I just got some exciting news this week. HOWLING AT THE MOON, the first in the Tales trilogy, is already in its second printing... and the book isn't out until February 26th! It's also getting some great advance reviews, which is wonderful -- and a huge relief. MaryJanice Davidson, who writes the fabulous UNDEAD series and who's sold more books than God -- okay, well maybe not that many, but a whole lot -- wrote: "Sophie was a delight, and HOWLING AT THE MOON was like a big bag of potato chips...I kept reaching for the next page, and the next, and the next..."

And here's another one, from Reader to Reader Reviews: "...you’ll have the reading time of your life with talented author Karen MacInerney’s tale about a female werewolf who’s caught between the world of werewolves and humans. She has a foot in each and her balancing act will keep you howling too. With laughter, that is."

After being closeted with Sophie Garou for two years, it's wonderful to hear that other people enjoy her as much as I do. Whew!

At any rate, I just wanted to stop in and let everyone know that despite rumors to the contrary, I have not been crushed by a fallen piano or suffocated by the twenty cases of Girl Scout Cookies I've been hauling around town for the past month. Isn't that a relief? And come to think of it, does anyone want a few dozen boxes of shortbread cookies? I think I know where you can get them...

I hope all is well with everyone out there -- and if you have any favorite light recipes, please feel free to send them on; I'm working up the light fare for the third Gray Whale Inn mystery, MURDER MOST MAINE, so any and all ideas are much appreciated.

Stay warm, read lots, and I'll be back soon!

The perils of volunteering... and Merry Xmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:22:00 +0000

In a fit of good will some weeks back, I volunteered to help out with my son's Winter Party, which is scheduled for tomorrow. Which means I've got to figure out a way to transport and serve enough hot chocolate to satisfy 70 kindergarteners. Yes, that's right. 70!

I'm not completely insane, of course. In fact, the reason I volunteered is that I was hoping the coffee place where I've hung out for four years would be able to provide me those clever cardboard containers filled with chocolate bliss -- and at a discount. Unfortunately, only after I volunteered did I discover that they don't do that for hot chocolate: only coffee.

So tonight found me standing in front of the stove, singing along to Santa Baby and stirring a cauldron containing two and a half gallons of milk, an entire can of Hershey's cocoa, and about two pounds of sugar. And vanilla.

The only issue is, I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to get it there.

I've borrowed thermoses from everyone I know, but I still don't think it's enough. Come to think of it, I haven't bought cups yet, either. I do, however, have two cans of Reddi Whip and a giant bag of mini marshmallows. Because the pot is so darned large, though, I'm going to have to get up at five to get it heated up in time.

What was I thinking?

How are your holidays going? Mine are about par for the course.

Ho, ho, ho. I'm off for another glass of mulled wine now, and to set my alarm clock for five. Cheers!

Christmas? Already?

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:06:00 +0000

How the heck did it get to be the Christmas season?

Every year I sail through November, thinking that I'll have plenty of time to get things ready before the madness begins. And every year, Thanksgiving comes and goes in a wash of stuffing and cranberry sauce, and after a few hours of lying on the couch groaning, I look at the calendar and realize that Christmas is mere weeks away. At which point the panic sets in.

My problem, I think, is that I refuse to think about Xmas -- on principle -- until after the last bit of cranberry sauce is gone and the kids have cracked the wishbone. But if you wait that long, you're almost too late.

I will tell you, though, that my favorite part of Christmas is that first time you go to Central Market and see all the European chocolates wrapped up in gold paper like little presents, and the smell of fresh baked bread, and the carols piping through the speakers... Christmas is an abstraction at that point, a pleasant diversion, not a deadline.

I love that abstraction, by the way, and adore the scents of gingerbread and Christmas trees and bayberry candles, and paper snowflakes and frosted windows. Oh, and homemade fudge -- if you haven't tried Maggie Sefton's mint fudge, you're missing out.

Hopefully I'll get most of the shopping done this week, and can spend the rest of the season downing eggnog and feeling smug. (Hope springs eternal, I guess.) In any case, hope your holiday seasons are off to a good start, and I'll be thinking of you as I take down the rest of the Halloween decorations! (Or glue Christmas stockings to the pumpkins.)

K

Coming up for air

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:39:00 +0000

Hi, everyone, and thanks for being patient through my unplanned sabbatical. As much as I enjoy blogging, there are times when I just need to tune out the world for a bit and recenter. And finish those pesky manuscripts, of course! In the future, I'll try to do better giving everyone a heads-up, and I thank you for understanding. Like many of you, I have a lot of balls in the air, and sometimes I have to put a few down for a while just to retain my sanity.

I have cut back a bit recently, though, and am consequently feeling rejuvenated, which is wonderful. The second werewolf book is done now, and I'm working on the third GWI; am hoping to have it done relatively quickly before turning back to the werewolves for the third of the TALES series. I got a fabulous quote from goddess MaryJanice Davidson the other day, by the way -- I'll post it on the web site soon. (Oh, and I love my new editor, Kate Collins, who fortunately also loves the ms I recently turned in. Whew.)

I'll be back later on today catching up on comments... again, you guys are wonderful, and thanks for bearing with me!

K

Not the most productive week

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:18:00 +0000

So last Sunday, my e-mail downloaded twenty-three-thousand e-mails to my inbox. Yes, that's right. Twenty-three thousand.

I called the stupid internet company and they told me that it was because I had (somehow, while sleep-walking, perhaps), changed the settings on my mail server, and it was downloading every message I'd ever gotten since 2001.

So I deleted all of them -- I have some sorting to do, because it wasn't until I got a few thousand of them in that I realized I should relocate the contents of my inbox -- and the mail server started working correctly.

Until the next day, when it downloaded all twenty-three thousand of them again.

It seems to be taken care of now -- and no, evidently it was not due to my sleepwalking that it happened, it was a problem with the Yahoo! server -- but between that and the fact that one of my kids was home with a fever most of the week, making me a bit short on sleep and working time, I haven't gotten quite as much done as I'd hoped.

However, I finished the rewrite today, am planning to review the rest of my page proofs tomorrow, and plan to dive into the home stretch of this book (ON THE PROWL) on Monday. Hopefully it will be done ahead of schedule.

Oh, and I read a book called Arctic Homestead and made a batch of yummy blueberry preserves, but I already blathered on about all of that over in Jam making and cabins on Cozy Chicks.

BTW, I was thinking about how many hours of my day get swallowed up by cooking and ferrying children around and emptying lunchboxes and doing laundry and taking out the trash, and realizing that I don't consider that 'work', but I think I'm wrong. What do you think?

P.S. Just found out this week that my editor at Ballantine is moving to England. That'll make this the third editor I've had for this series... and the first book isn't even out yet! Can you believe it?

Happy September!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 03:09:00 +0000

We're back from Alaska, nobody drowned, the kids are in school, Labor Day is over, we're all done having the stomach flu... and I have a SCHEDULE again.

Hallelujah!

Alaska was marvelous -- I have lots of pictures I have to figure out how to transfer -- and I just found out I also have the new cover of HOWLING AT THE MOON. (Since I found it on the Random House site, I figured it was public knowledge now.) I think it's gorgeous -- it's always amazing to see what the artists come up with, and I think this one is fabulous. It gives me chills to see it in print! (Although Sophie is definitely rather different from Natalie, don't you think?)

At any rate, how are you? If I've missed your e-mail in the past few weeks, I'm working through them -- feel free to drop me a reminder. I just posted on Cozy Chicks about what I've been doing other than writing, although for the next six weeks, writing is going to be at the top of the list (next deadline Oct. 15 -- yikes).

Cheers, and happy end-of-summer!

Karen

And we're off...

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:58:00 +0000

I'm stealing a few quick minutes to check in (need to get as much bookwriting in as possible today, followed by finishing packing... what fun!).

We're off to Houston today, and three long flights to Alaska tomorrow. Abby is back from camp, and anxious to return next year. Right now, I'm playing hooky from my house, sitting in a Starbucks next to two German women who are looking at a stack of photos and talking (in German) about how ugly someone is. (It's fun -- I still remember it, and don't even have to think about it. Like riding a bike, I guess.)

At any rate, I hope you all have a wonderful week. I just got a huge edit from my agent two days ago and have been working like a madwoman to get through it. Why does this always happen just before vacation?

Cheers for now, and more when I get back! (I did pack the camera, and hopefully will remember to use it.)

Gosh... how did it get to be the end of July?

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:57:00 +0000

So Abby comes back from camp this Saturday, and apparently things have been going less than swimmingly (har, har, har) the last few weeks. We got a note from her counselor two days ago that was -- well, let's call it tepid. Evidently (according to the camp coordinator, anyway) Abby is not overly fond of the swimming activities. Which is a bit of a problem, since they comprise approximately 80 percent of each day.

Since we have received exactly one written missive since her departure (written on the bus to camp, I suspect -- "Glad to be here, you can send packages!!!"), I have no idea how she's doing, and am rather anxious to have her back in the familial fold.

We'll know soon enough, I suppose -- and we'll celebrate her belated birthday (it happened at camp -- grrr) Saturday night. And some of our relatives may or may not attend, because approximately twenty of them will be in town, and the whole informal invitation process seems to have evolved into something like the Middle East peace talks.

*sigh*

Anyway, in other news, I am creeping along on the werewolf book -- if I'm feeling particularly motivated after signing off tonight, I will crack through the 80K mark. But if I decide to bag it and eat chocolate pudding instead, there's always tomorrow. Speaking of pudding, I made a great batch the other day -- a bit lumpy, since I poured the milk into the egg yolks a bit fast (it boiled over on the stove while I was cleaning up the bottle of Worcestershire I dropped on the tile floor while looking for the cornstarch, so it was all a bit hurried). Nevertheless, the whole thing was very chocolatey and yummy. Mmm. I think the pudding is going to win.

And I CAN eat pudding now, come to think of it, because I finally got my head shot done (it's the new profile pic -- I'll have a couple of others on the web site soon, too). I've been procrastinating for months, but finally had to bite the bullet, since I had to turn one in July 30. I don't know if you've ever had one done, but it was an all-day process, and when I've recovered from the trauma, maybe I'll blog about it. Right now, I'm just glad it's done, and I plan to use the thing until I'm 80. Maybe longer.

Oh, and according to Signe (isn't that a great name?), one of my editors at Ballantine, the new pub date for HOWLING is Feb. 2008, which I think is a month later than originally planned. All three books are coming out next year, and since I'm not quite done with the second, I'd better get cracking.

How are you? Oh, I posted on Cozy Chicks today, too -- am off to Alaska next week, which means lots of relatives, no Internet, and hopefully a few moose. I'll take pictures and forget to post them. I promise. ;)

Toodles... I've missed you all!

On the home stretch!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:57:00 +0000

So, despite the fact that I've been moping around this week (which has been accompanied by copious brownie and Dorito consumption, unfortunately), I've been writing like a fiend, and hit the 70K mark on my WIP. You know, the one I started back in January, then had to stop for a month or two so I could fix the previous WIP?

Anyway, this means not only that the end is in sight, but that I may actually beat my Oct. 15 deadline... perhaps by as much as two months!

And, because I'm such a daredevil, I'm now writing two books at once! I started Murder Most Maine when I was in Port Aransas on 'vacation' (I'm compulsive, what can I say), and have been working on it in the evenings once everyone else has gone to bed. I've always been afraid to try two at once -- I don't know what I thought would happen -- but it's actually rather refreshing to switch gears. Besides, I'm always reading six or seven books (a conservative estimate) at once, and rarely get them confused. Why would writing be any different?

So I'm at 70K on the second wolf book (I'm calling it Wolf Under Cover -- what do you think?) and closing in on 5K on Murder Most Maine, which I started last week. It's so nice getting some momentum going again!

Am headed to Dallas for a marathon day of meeting with interesting people (e.g. my fab agent Jessica, one of my editors, who I can't WAIT to meet in person, and some of the good folks at Ballantine -- not to mention Renee Jones of CCTV Books in Review) tomorrow. And since I'm due to be up in six and a half hours, I'm off to bed now. I promise to respond to comments when I get back... and I did post to Cozy Chicks today. Thankfully. :)

Cheers, and more soon!

The first of many leavings

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:40:00 +0000

Well, my daughter left for summer camp (3 whole weeks!) today for the first time ever, and I'm feeling totally bereft. Which is silly. But there it is. Thank goodness I still have Ian at home, or I'd be... on a plane to Europe, come to think of it. Hmmm.... Maybe this camp thing won't be so bad after all.

So since I was at loose ends this afternoon (i.e. feeling sorry for myself and toking up on brownies) and my page proofs have to go out via FedEx tomorrow, I finished those up, then added about 200 words to the next Gray Whale Inn mystery (which I started in Port Aransas sitting by the pool, trying not to get splashed or carried off by a giant mosquito), and now I'm sitting on the futon next to a stack of library books I don't have the heart to pick up because I'm missing my girl. I know that camp is hardly a gulag, but I also know this is the first taste of many departures to come. But I need to snap out of it. Sheesh!

Tomorrow I will hopefully have coffee with the fabulous Susan Wittig Albert, who is one of my favorite authors (both writingwise and friendwise) -- provided she can get out of her driveway, that is. She lives in the flooded part of Central Texas, which is not, incidentally, very far from where I sent my precious daughter this afternoon, and she may be stuck. I hope she gets out; not only would I love to see her, but she's got a signing at BookWoman.

But that's not all I have to look forward to. Later this week, I'll be meeting with Kendra Crispin of That Other Paper, and I'll also spend a day in Dallas, meeting with agent extraordinaire Jessica, lunching with one of my Ballantine editors (and hopefully one of the publicity directors), and then taping a show for CCTV before attending a Ballantine cocktail hour and then driving home. I am, in case you were wondering, packing caffeine.

I did get some good news today -- two friends, Jim Bast and fellow author Sylvia Dickey Smith alerted me to the fact that Murder on the Rocks is number 7 on the local bestseller list according to the Austin American-Statesman. And something must have hit somewhere, because my Amazon numbers jumped up yesterday and haven't come back down. It's mystifying, this whole business.

But I still miss my sweetie. If only I had cable and could watch the Food Network!

What are you up to?

Happy 50th Melissa!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:46:00 +0000

Can you hear me singing from here?

And my helpful hint for the day; there is no sunblock on the planet equipped to deal with the summer sun on the Texas coast.

We all look like lobsters.

Off to have hot dogs now. Cheers, and I wish I could be there to celebrate!

Port A

noreply@blogger.com (Karen MacInerney) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 02:25:00 +0000

Hi, guys...

I'm writing this at nine-thirty at night on the sidewalk outside a circa-1980s condo in Port Aransas.

I can't e-mail out from here (even though I am getting them)... but I'm just fine. Thanks for checking, Laura!

The sea wind is at my back, my children are upstairs with someone other than me, and somebody else's kids are playing in the pool behind me. And the sprinklers just went off and completely drenched my computer.... ack!

I'm A-OK, but will probably (as you have perhaps noticed) be posting sporadically over the next month or two. What little time I have seems to be going toward the next book (but there's not enough of it); and my page proofs for Howling -- all 368 pages of them -- just landed on my front doorstep last week. Ack!

I will, however, be back more frequently when things are less nutty...

How are your summers going?

Hugs to all, and thanks for bearing with me...

Karen