Where everybody knows your name...

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came ...

Okay, did you hear the ol' Cheers theme song make you think of a local pub? Not me. I heard it today and thought about my local bookstore.

I'm lucky. A lot of people at my local Chapters store (Canuk equivalent to, say, Borders) know who I am and not just 'cause I write books. I buy a lot of books. I buy books for myself, for my kids and as gifts for just about anyone. Every time a friend writes a book (and I've got a LOT of friends who write books), I run out and I buy a copy (even if they give me one). As a matter of fact, I usually buy more than one copy because I always know at least one other person who NEEDS the same book I'm buying for myself :)

I've noticed a lot of the people who work at my Chapters store feel the same way about books that I do. Man, oh man, can we get into some great discussions about what we've read lately. I love it! If my kids are with me they start rolling their eyes and groaning the second someone strikes up a book conversation.

Still, I have to admit that if I had a really great independent mystery book store nearby I'd do a LOT of shopping there. I have a real soft spot for the independents. How can you not with names like Poisoned Pen, Murder on the Beach, The Cloak and Dagger and Grave Matters? The names alone beg you to drop everything and buy a mystery book!

So do you buy books online these days? Or are you, like me, well known at your local bookstore?

Too Bad ... So Sad ... Someone's Gotta Die

I've been listening to the Dixie Chicks sing Goodbye Earl. Not because I'm a country fan (I'm not) but it's a fun tune that puts me in the mood for murder.

You see, I finished the first draft of book two. Yay! But even as I typed The End I knew it was only *ding ding* the end of round one.

So heading into round two I realized early on I needed another dead body. Someone has to die. I don't know who. Sorry Dixie Chicks it won't be Earl.

It really doesn't matter who, what matters is HOW. I'm open to your ideas.

In the meantime ... La la la ...
"And they don't lose any sleep at night 'cause Earl had to die"

Trailer & Updated Site!

My web gal, Rita, has been working hard on updating my site and creating my new trailer.

Click here to go to my site then let me know what you think!

Knock it off already!

Like most voracious readers I particularly enjoy my summer beach reads. I picked up Rhonda Pollero's Knock Off at Thrillerfest but it would've found its way onto my bookshelf even if I hadn't gone to the conference. I've been a Pollero fan since Kelsey Roberts :) Back in the days when I was targeting Intrigue, I read and re-read those Landry Brother books trying to discover Rhonda's secret. Well, the secret was no secret. Intrigue rejected me time and time again LOL! Anyway, onward to Knock Off.

I really enjoyed this chicklit style mystery. Heroine Finley Tanner is a paralegal with a penchant for designer clothes. She also finds herself put-off and then curious about a widow's insistence that her husband's death was no accident. Before long Finley uncovers a trail of "accidents" that are no accident and she digs deeper finding herself in the midst of a mystery. Along the way, she also gets cozy with sexy investigator, Liam McGarrity. I don't want to give too much away but I will say you'll love this story's sassy tone and quick pace! Oh and there's another in the series coming down the pike and I caught a glimpse of the fab cover in NYC. Too bad I can't remember the title but maybe Rhonda will pop in and give me a hint.

I also picked up (and devoured) Janet Evanovich's latest, Lean Mean Thirteen. Now I've heard the critiques grumbling that the series has lost its edge. The love triangle has grown stale and the humor just isn't fresh. To all of that I say :-P~~~ (that's me blowing a raspberry by the way). I enjoyed Thirteen just as much as I have the other twelve. I love Stephanie Plum and all her zany antics. I'll keep reading the series as long as Evanovich is willing to bless me with books to read.

Now, what are YOU reading this summer?

Exhausted

I got friends in wet places.



Vacations with four kids are not exactly relaxing but lounging on a cruise is as close as you can get. Of course a few days running the pavement in Disneyland in hot, hot weather afterward pretty much eliminated any relaxation factor given by Carnival.

After a couple weeks away from my home computer my fingers feel strange on the keyboard. I did balance my Dana on my knees poolside a couple times but I've gotta admit that what I write with a Margarita in one hand is never as good as I think it'll be :)

Have any of you ever swam with the dolphins?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles ... Oh and Ships

This weekend I'm off on THE BIG FAMILY VACATION. I won't be around for a couple of weeks.

I'm bringing my Alphasmart so that I can write on the plane. Usually I love to read when I travel but my vertigo is acting up. For some reason I can type without problem when I'm in the air but if I crack open a book the world starts to spin. Go figure.

Anyway, I hope all of you are having an enjoyable summer. If you get a chance, please post a comment about your favorite vacation spots. I'd love to read them when I get back :)