I WANT MY MUMMY!

Answers to Contest #6 are as follows:


1)The first Girl Detective to appear in a series was:
a-Judy Bolton
b-Nancy Drew
c-VIOLET STRANGE
d-Trixie Belden


Has anyone out there read the Violet Strange stories? I'd love an essay on VS. Let me know if you're interested!

2)Girl sleuth Judy Bolton married which of her devoted suitors?
a-Ned Nickerson
b-Arthur Farrington-Pett
c-Frank Hardy
d-PETER DOBBS

Peter Dobbs. The name says it all, doesn't it? Good old salt of the earth, regular guy, and career boy next door Peter Dobbs. None of those wealthy, effete Arthur Farrington-Petts for our girl Judy. We all know you CANNOT trust a hypenated man.

3)Which actress was fired from playing Nancy Drew due to racy photographs in a men’s
magazine?
a-PAMELA SUE MARTIN
b-Bonita Granville
c-Emma Roberts
4-Maggie Lawson

Yeah, good career move, Pammy. Love everything you've done since.

4)The “Mother of Detective Fiction” was:
a-Agatha Christie
b-Mary Roberts Rinehart
c-ANNA KATHERINE GREEN
d-Mildred Wirt Benson

Anna Katherine Green was the creator of Violet Strange--see above. Violet is not her only claim to fame, but it's the one we like her best for here at Girl Detective.

5)Girl Detective Veronica Mars fights crime in what small town?
a-Cabot Cove
b-NEPTUNE
c-River Heights
d-St. Mary’s Mead

6)Kate Mulgrew starred in which TV detective series that was later retitled Kate
Loves a Mystery?
a-The Snoop Sisters
b-Police Woman
c-Honey West
d-MRS. COLUMBO

That's one of the odder spin-off ideas Hollywood cooked up. I mean,
picture Columbo. Picture Mrs. Columbo. Are you getting Kate Mulgrew?
'Cause my receiver is picking up something utterly different. Maybe
Mildred, the MacMillan's housekeeper?

7)Jessica Fletcher, the middle-aged mystery-writing amateur sleuth who means
death to friends and family when she comes to visit is:
a-a spinster
b-divorced
c-WIDOWED
d-separated from Dr. Seth Hazlitt

Yeah, and has anyone looked into Mr. Fletcher's early death?

8)Sister sleuths Jean and Louise are part of which detecting
family?
a-the Bobbseys
b-the Beldens
c-the Danas
d-the Ames

Despite having sisters (it was not always the successful venture it is these days), I adored the Dana Sisters--and yet, somehow I could never FIND any of their books, so I've only read two of them.

9)The original team of Charlie's Angels trained as police women in which major
metropolitan city?
a-LOS ANGELES
b-San Francisco
c-New York
d-BostonQuestion

10) Kellie Martin stars as an amateur sleuth and bookseller in which TV series?
a-Veronica Mars
b-MYSTERY WOMAN
c-Jane Doe
d-Ghost Whisperer

So how'd you do on it?

Sounding Off on Influential Films

This week's topic for discussion is Films
That Influenced You--because although we can all
probably name a dozen books that shaped our writing--not to
mention our notions of how the world worked (and our place in it)
--sometimes we forget the impact of film.




So who better to kick off the discussion than guest
Girl Detective Libby Fischer Hellman. Libby, in case you
didn't know this, is the award-winning author of the Ellie
Foreman series about a film-maker sleuth.


==========================================================




Vintage Films: The Sound of Music



First off, as a stable-mate of the Girl Detective (we share
the same agent), I’m honored to contribute to a discussion of
vintage films. Thanks for having me!



I was 16 when “The Sound of Music” came out. It isn’t a classic –
in fact, my top 5 are The Godfather, Chinatown, The Battle of Algiers,
Citizen Kane, and Casablanca. The acting wasn’t great. The story was
somewhat contrived. It was basically just a sentimental musical with
pretty pictures and Julie Andrews’ wonderful voice. Still,
The Sound of Music changed my life.


I cried when the Captain Von Trapp finally declared his love
for Maria. I marveled at their daring escape from the Nazis. I
sang along with “My Favorite Things” and, of course, “Sixteen
Going on Seventeen.” But what touched me in a visceral way and
made me go back to see it three times -- those being the days
before VCRs and DVDs – were the sweeping panoramic shots of
the Austrian hills.



I remember one particular shot at the beginning – it must
have been an aerial, although I didn’t know what that was
back then – of Julie Andrews. The camera started on an
extreme wide angle – she wasn’t much more than a dot on
the screen. Then the camera panned and moved in on her
as she was twirling around singing the title song. They
must have cut to a stationary shot of her after that, but
I still remember the camera move. It wasn’t slow, in fact
it must have been rather fast, because it wasn’t at all
shaky. Even so, for me those few seconds became one of
those fundamental Proustian “Petite Madeleine” moments
in my life.





I still can’t tell you precisely what it was about the shot:
the greenness of the hills, the natural contours of the hills
and valley, the achingly blue sky, or the snow-capped mountains
in the distance (Were they the Austrian Alps?) But for the first
time in my adolescent life, I wanted to know that world.
Not just observe it on film. I wanted to sink myself into
it, to revel in the beauty, to understand the people and
the culture that sprang from it.



It was that simple. From that moment on, my only goal
was to go to Europe. To Austria. To see and feel that
scene for myself. I remember coming home from the movie
theater and writing the Experiment in International Living.
Two years later, I achieved my goal. I went to Europe for
two months. Not to Austria -- I didn’t speak a word of German
– but to France. And four years after that, I ended up at
NYU’s graduate school of film. I’ve produced films and
videos ever since, and my mystery series features Ellie
Foreman, a documentary and industrial video producer.



Was The Sound of Music responsible? Who knows?
Maybe it was simply an adolescent girl becoming
aware -- for the first time -- that a world beyond
high school, boyfriends, and the Beatles existed.
Maybe it was some kind of ancestral mitochondrial
DNA calling me -- my ancestors did come from that
part of the world. But maybe it was a subconscious
realization that film can kindle a need to explore
places, people, and stories that broaden and enrich
our world.



Now… can I tell you about the movie “Z?”



Libby Fischer Hellmann
A Shot to Die For, Readers Choice Award
for Best Traditional Novel
An Image of Death
A Picture of Guilt, Finalist Ben Franklin Award
An Eye for Murder, Anthony nominee

Mummy Mia, Mummy Mia, Mummy Mia let me go....

It has been a mighty interesting couple of weeks. Today I received the hot-off-the-press copy of SONNET OF THE SPHINX. Ohmigod it's in print!!!







Really, I'm too old a hand to be excited by this...BUT I AM!!!

Ahem.

Composure regained.

Meanwhile the much-anticipated review from Publisher's Weekly was quite a disappointment. It wasn't a bad review, just...confused. To start with, they listed SOS as following HIGH RHYMES AND MISDEMEANORS. Jeez. Not the sort of mistake one expects from PW. Then they actually made a plot error. Gosh, did this guy even read the book?

But the very next day I learned that RT -- Romantic Times, that is--chose it as one of their TOP PICKS. 4 and 1/2 star review--color picture. Woohoooo!

Meanwhile, the Curse of the Mummy Contest continues. Contest #4 by all accounts was the very easiest so far. Mr. Thrilling is still promising to do a set of questions for me, but I've got him so busy doing bookmarks and ads that he really doesn't have much spare time.

Anyway, these are the questions and answers (in all caps) to Contest #4. Good luck to those of you scratching your heads over contest #5.

#1Which pairing below is NOT a husband and wife sleuthing team?
a- Jeff and Haila Troy
b- Nick and Nora Charles
c-BERT AND NAN BOBBSEY
d-Pat and Jean Abbott



#2 Vintage crime writer Leslie Ford is best known for the Grace Latham and Colonel Primrose mystery series. But she also wrote an earlier series—this one set in Britain—under which pen name?
a-David Lohr
b-David Lawrence
c-Lindsay Davis
d-DAVID FROME



#3 Name San Francisco Police Commissioner Mac and his wife Sally MacMillan’s idiosyncratic housekeeper:
a-Millcent
b-Murgatroyd
c-Merriweather
d-MILDRED



#4 Which of the following novels is by Cornell Woolrich?
a-THE BLACK ALIBI
b-The Black Rustle
c-The Black Shrouds
d-The Black Honeymoon



#5 Who won the 2004 Edgar for Best Short Story?
a-Laurie Lynn Drummond
b-G. MIKI HAYDEN
c-Barbara Serenella
d-Katherine Hall Page



#6 Nancy Drew’s dog was named:
a-TOGO
b-Toto
c-Snoopy
d-Scooby Doo



#7 Who of the following was NOT one of Agatha Christie’s sleuthing duos:
a-Tommy and Tuppence
b-Poirot and Hastings
c-Mr. Satterthwaite and Mr. Quin
d-MRS. BRADLEY AND INSPECTOR CHRISTMAS



#8 Raymond Chandler’s final novel Poodle Springs was completed by crime writer:
a-Ross Macdonald
b-Robert B. Parker
c-Stephen King
d-John D. MacDonald



#9 At the end of the The Maltese Falcon, the falcon is:
a-returned to its rightful owner
b-broken in a scuffle
c-traded for valuable letters of transport
d-STILL MISSING


#10 Which coveted mystery award is a teapot?
a-The Edgar
b-The Leftie
c-THE AGATHA
d- The Thrillie

THIS DAME FOR HIRE

This week we have something very special for you—absolutely nothing about me or my dadblamed contest!!! Instead we’ve got an interview with veteran crime writer Sandra Scoppettone. Scoppettone has been writing since the 70s. She’s written nineteen novels—five YA (young adult) and the rest crime stories for adults—including the critically acclaimed Lauren Laurano series.

More recently Scoppettone authored the Faye Quick series—and that is just up our mean streets here at Girl Detective, because Faye is a 1940s P.I. Actually she’s a 1940s secretary who gets roped into playing P.I. when her boss goes off to war. The first book in the series is This Dame For Hire, which I highly recommend. The second in the series, Too Darn Hot is due out this June.

DL: Were you a fan of girl detective novels growing up?

SS: Never read a one.

(All the Girl Detectives in the audience promptly faint—I mean, if Girl Detectives fainted—which they don’t.)

DL: How did you come up with the idea for doing a series about a woman P.I. during WWII?

SS: I honestly can’t remember how it came to me. The only thing I can recall is telling my writer friend, Marijane Meaker (Vin Packer), that I had an idea for a woman in the 1940s who takes over a detective agency when her boss goes to war. I can still see that moment because she was so enthusiastic about it.

I love the Forties and I’d never written about them. I’d written about most of the decades in the 20th century, but not that one. I don’t know why as the music and movies of the period were and are very important to me. I was a little girl during that time and I don’t remember a lot about the early 40s except movies and music. My parents took me to the movies every Friday night. And the music played on the radio. We didn’t get a television until I was twelve. Although at the time I sulked about that I’m very grateful for it now. I think listening to radio strengthened my imagination. I didn’t know that at the time but The Shadow Knew!





DL: What kind of research is involved for the series?

SS: I read some books about the period, especially the war years. And Marijane loaned me a lot of material. She had a bunch of Commemorative Yearbooks published by Champlain Publishing Inc. They were called Time Passages and had a page for every month and squares for every day that listed books, music, sporting events, everything that happened on those days in that month in that year. There are also pictures. The most important book I used was the Random House Thesaurus of Slang. This is a completely different type of thesaurus. You don’t have to know the slang word first. It’s the other way around. I would look up girl and be given a myriad of slang.

DL: Is Faye Quick based on anyone -- your grandmother perhaps? Do the women of your family have any particular stories during that era that you were able to draw on for the series?

SS: Faye isn’t based on anyone. I think she’s more a composite of 40s movie stars. Part Stanwyck, part Ann Southern, part Joan Blondell and all the others. There are no surviving women in my family from that era. You couldn’t know this, but the thought of Faye being based on either of my grandmothers is very funny. Of course there’s always a little bit of me in any character I create…especially if I’m writing in first person. I don’t remember any stories, but I do remember my mother crying when the bells sounded that the war was over.

DL: How relevant is the story about a vintage P.I. for contemporary readers?

SS: People are people. I get fan mail from men and women in their twenties, thirties, forties, and I got one from an eighty-two year old man. I think it’s very relevant right now as we’re in a war. But we didn’t need a war to make it relevant to readers. I hope my characters are universal.

DL: I found them real and refreshingly true to their time. Are you familiar with the writings of women writers of the 30s and 40s? Any favorites?

SS: I guess you mean crime writers. The best one of all in the Forties -- or any other time for that matter -- was Dorothy B. Hughes. Three of her novels were made into movies. Probably the best known was In A Lonely Place with Bogart and Gloria Grahame. I would have to say she’s my favorite. I never much cared for Christie. I don’t deny that she was the master of plot, but that isn’t all I look for in a crime or mystery novel. Josephine Bell was English and was very prolific. Helen MacInnes was Scottish. We had Craig Rice and Vera Caspary, but I’m sure I’m forgetting many, although I have a feeling there weren’t lots of American women crime writers during the 30s and 40s. I can hear the tapping of keys now telling me how wrong I am.

(Yes, but we'll let that go.) ;-D

DL: How much of a challenge was it finding a publisher for this series?

SS: No challenge at all. Ballantine was the first to see it and bought it on the basis of 100 pages. This doesn’t happen to me everyday.

DL: What are the unique challenges (or pleasures) of writing a historical series?

SS: My friend Annette Meyers, who has written an historical series with her husband Marty Meyers, is always kidding me because from the time we met I said I didn’t like historical mysteries and she considers the Quick novels historical. I don’t. I guess I don’t think of anything in the 20th century as historical. For me, historical begins with the 1st Century through the 19th. I know I’m wrong but that’s how I see it.

Okay. The pleasure to me in writing in the 40s was not having to worry about DNA or other forensic techniques. And I didn’t have to write sex scenes. Yes, I know people had sex then. But to show Faye or any other character having sex wouldn’t be right in the context of these books. If Faye ever gets around to it there’ll be a fade out or a cut to a roaring fire.

(The Girl Detectives are chuckling at this, being rather fond of fades and fires ourselves.)





DL: Tell us a little about the new book, TOO DARN HOT.

SS: This one takes place in the summer of 1943. All I’m going to say is nobody is who they seem to be. And I deal with anti-Semitism.

DL: Okay, well then we'll just have to buy the book--which I, for one, planned on doing anyway. So what's ahead for Faye Quick--and Sandra Scoppettone?

SS: I don’t know about Faye. Ballantine hasn’t offered me a contract for another Quick novel at this point. So it might end up being a series of two. As for me, I’m writing a stand alone crime novel. It’s contemporary and I’ve never written anything like it. But I’ve always wanted to. It’s a slippery devil and I’m learning as I go along. Some days I feel very confident and then there are those other days we all know about. This one has multiple points of view and is written in the third person. I don’t intend to give a hundred pages to my agent this time. I want to write the whole thing. Just to make sure I can actually do it.


------------------------------------------

Thanks to Sandra, and our sincere hopes that Ballantine is smart enough to give this series time to find its audience!

For more information on Sandra Scoppettone, check out her website or her blog.

OH MUMMY!

I actually hate doing this contest. It is so damn hard to be fair. Everytime I see a name I know crop up -- which is an awful lot of entries -- I want to rig the drawing. And then when I see names that have entered each time...I want to rig the drawing.

I really have a hard time disappointing people.

Anyway, while I work on my lack of competitive spirit, here are the questions and answers from CONTEST #3

1)The term "gewgaws" as used in Diana Killian's HIGH
RHYMES AND MISDEMEANORS means:
a – a hard English candy similar to Jawbreakers
b – A DECORATIVE TRINKET OR BAUBLE
c – a colloquial expression of amazement
d – an ignorant country person (i.e., anyone not from
London)

2)Millionaire Bruce Wayne's butler is named:
a-Jeeves
b-Godfrey
c-ALFRED
d-Mr. French

3)The creator of gentleman thief A.J. Raffles was
brother-in-law to which famous Victorian writer?
a-Rudyard Kipling
b-ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
c-Maurice Le Blanc
d-J.M Barrie

Elementary, my dear Watsons!

4)Golden Age mystery writer John Dickson Carr also
wrote under the name of:
a-CARTER DICKSON
b-Nick Carter
c-G.K. Chesterton
e-Caleb Carr

5)"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is
the opening line to which Gothic novel:
a- Jane Eyre
b- Glenarvon
c- REBECCA
d- Carmilla

6)What ethnic background did Dashiell Hammett give
suave detective Nick Charles:
a-French
b-Italian
c-Belgian
d-GREEK

7) Which well-known mystery writer also penned
successful Broadway comedies?
a-MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
b-Mignon Good Eberhart
c-Lenore Glen Offord
d-Dorothy Cameron Disney

The show must go on!!!

8) In Diana Killian's VERSE OF THE VAMPYRE, a play is
being produced based on an earlier play by:
a-Lord Byron
b-Mary Shelley
c-Percy Shelley
d-JOHN POLIDORI

9) Who among the following does NOT write a mystery
series featuring a gay private eye:
a-Richard Stevenson
b-Greg Herren
c-JOSH LANYON
d-Dorien Grey

10) The wealthy intellectual wife of this is pulp
fiction writer committed suicide:
a-Paul Cain
b-RAOUL WHITFIELD
c-Erle Stanley Gardner
d-Frederick Nebel

BUT WAS IT REALLY SUICIDE??? I keep warning Mr. Thrilling that this is a cautionary tale for those who marry crime writers.

The Caper Film Caper

I’ve been a fan of caper flicks ever since my first Felix the Cat cartoon.

A good caper film has lots of action and suspense, humor (especially snappy dialog), a few surprises—and a little pinch of romance. The caper never really goes out of style, but at the same time it’s never a box office staple like…romantic comedy or action films--except maybe in the 1960s when they seemed to have made the majority of the classics.

A bad caper film is predictable and heavy-handed. Many a potentially good caper film has been ruined by stupid and unimaginative decisions—like…The Mummy Returns. (Don’t get me started on that one--WHY would they saddle the protags with a KID that early in the franchise?!) I think this usually happens because half the time Hollywood decision makers have no clue of why something succeeds or doesn’t.

I sound bitter, don't I? I took that Mummy misstep very badly--you all know how I feel about mummies.

When I write I write scenes from the movie playing in my head, and most of the time the movie is a caper film, so I guess it is natural that I would be so partial to the genre.

So I thought I would share a couple of my favorite caper films—and hopefully you’ll share some of yours.





One of my very favorite caper flicks is HOW TO STEAL A MILLION with Audrey Hepburn. Actually, this is probably a chick lit caper film—it’s the Audrey Factor. Those clothes! They’re worth the admission price alone—speaking of which, did you know Audrey Hepburn had size 10 feet? I find that very reassuring.

If you haven’t seen HOW TO STEAL A MILLION it’s about the daughter of a Parisian art collector and forger who has to steal back one of his statues from a Paris museum before the fake is discovered. She enlists an amateur thief who, unbeknownst to her, is actually a cop. The thief/cop is played by Peter O’Toole who I find sort of annoying. In fact, I find him a lot annoying, but the movie is still fun—though yes, occasionally verging on adorable. (Some people like adorable, though.)

The scenery, both of 1960s Paris and Audrey (okay and cartoon-cute O’Toole), is splendid.

I should probably mention TOPKAPI because it is one of the most famous of the 60s caper films—and I refer to it off and on during the Poetic Death series. But the truth is, I’m not that crazy about the movie. It’s well done, I give you that, but that Melina Mercouri is SO ANNOYING. Gosh!

That laugh!

So let’s not think about TOPKAPI. Check it out at Amazon or on the net. It’s a classic. If you enjoy the genre it is a must see. Once. With earplugs on.






A film that I do like, and that I think is really much more of a caper than a spy film, is ARABESQUE. Starring the always amiable Gregory Peck (who we DO like--but then everyone likes Greg Peck) and the exotically beautiful Sophia Loren at the peak of her EB, this 1966 film is about…it’s about…um…. Okay, so Peck is a professor of ancient languages in London. He’s hired to decode some ancient hieroglyphics that somehow reveal a plot to murder the Prime Minister of one of those teeny tiny extremely important middle eastern countries. It’s one of those International Intrigue things but with scads and scads of style.

I think style is also an element of the best caper films, but maybe that's just me.

As I said, it does seem like a lot of the best caper films were crafted in the 60s--and that ties in with the whole style thing, because say what you will about the 1960s, it was about as stylish a decade as you'll find.

Hmmm. CHARADE is not exactly a caper film, but it has a caper feel. It's another 60s gem, but...is it a caper? They are searching for something....

Oh, there’s a terrific Michael Caine caper film—not THE ITALIAN JOB, though that’s quite good (oh, how we love Michael Caine). This one has Shirley Maclaine… GAMBIT--1966.





Caine plays Harry Dean, a career cat burglar who has targeted a priceless statue of an Asian princess belonging to a rich and ruthless widower. He enlists the help of Eurasian waitress Suzy Chang/Shirley Maclaine, who just happens to be the dead ringer of both the billionaire's late wife and, coincidentally, the princess of the statue.

This one is probably the smartest film of the bunch—and definitely worth checking out.

So what are some of your favorite caper films? Any good ones made in the last decade or so?

I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and...

I notice that a few of you--well, actually A LOT of you are having trouble with the current contest (#3 for those who are keeping count).

One question in particular seems to be throwing my little gumshoes.

9) Who among the following does NOT write a mystery
series featuring a gay private eye:
a-Richard Stevenson
b-Greg Herren
c- Josh Lanyon
d-Dorien Grey

As many of you have pointed out, ALL of these novels feature gay sleuth protagonists. The key (or the "trick," if you so choose to think of it) is the term "private eye."

The P.W.A (Private Eye Writers of America) define a "private eye" as any mystery protagonist who is a professional investigator, but not a police officer or government agent. The full definition is, and I quote, "a person paid for investigative work but not employed by a unit of government. Thus books and stories about private investigators (licensed and unlicensed), lawyers and reporters who do their own legwork, and other hired agents are eligible; works centering on law enforcement officers or amateur sleuths are not."

And I repeat..."AMATEUR SLEUTHS ARE NOT."

See what I'm hinting here? (If all caps can be considered a hint.) You are looking for the sleuth who is not paid to sleuth. You are looking for an Amateur Sleuth.

When I first joined the DorothyL listserv oh so many years ago I didn't realize that there was a difference between a private eye and an amateur sleuth. Then of course I met Mr. Thrilling and all was revealed. (But I'll protect you from THAT.)

Because I'm rather frantically busy at the moment I've left Contest #3 up for a second week--therefore we will have two winners from Contest #3--meaning if you blew it the first time around, you can go ahead and re-enter with the correct answer.

Also the winner to contest #2 submitted an email address that doesn't work. So we had to re-do the drawing (thank goodness I hung on to all the names). I felt especially bad because he was the only gentleman we've had so far who correctly answered all the questions. What up with that?

Just another puzzle in a rather mysterious world!

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

So the bad news is that a lengthy and, I thought, quite amusing blog I did on my favorite caper films has disappeared into the nether. How the heck does that happen?

And the good news is that my agent just sold my chick lit yoga mystery series to Berkeley in a three book deal. Of course I haven't actually signed the contract, so perhaps I shouldn't jinx it by speaking of it openly. Perhaps I should just hum my new theme song...

The streets of town were paved with stars,
It was such a romantic affair.
And as we kissed and said "Good-bye,"
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

I've always loved that song--and in fact I associate it very much with the Poetic Death series--which reminds me! Apparently Publisher's Weekly has reviewed SONNET OF THE SPHINX. Gulp. I keep reminding myself of my mantra--that the most important thing is simply being reviewed in the right places--but I admit I'm hoping the review is favorable.

Mummy Dearest

I know, I know! Enough with the cute mummy titles!

Contest Two (which I tried to make a bit easier than Contest One) went as follows:

1) Lauren Willig's mystery-romance THE SECRET
HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION is a kind of sequel to which
historical novel:
a- The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar
b-Green Darkness by Anya Seton
c-THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL BY EMMUSKA ORCZY
d-The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer

EMMUSKA???


2) Dashiell Hammett was romantically involved
with--and may have lent a creative helping hand--to
which writer:
a-Myrna Loy
b-Mary McCarthy
c-Raymond Chandler
d-LILLIAN HELLMAN

3) Who of the following did NOT play Jane Marple,
the quintessential spinster sleuth?
a-Joan Hickson
b-MARGARET HAMILTON
c-Angela Lansbury
d-Helen Hays

Oh, dem ruby slippers!

4) Which author initiated a lawsuit against
bestselling author Dan Brown, claiming that the DA
VINCI CODE bore "striking infringements of protected
materials?"
a-Lewis Carroll
b-C.S. Lewis
c-LEWIS PERDUE
d-Pardee Butler

5)Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series is set in
which era of British history:
a-Edwardian
b-Victorian*
c-Regency
d-Georgian

(This ended up being a giveaway -- I explain why on my Amazon page)

6) Grace Hollister, the protagonist of the Poetic
Death series, is romantically involved with which
dashing reformed jewel thief:
a-Edward Fox
b-John Smith
c-R.J. Raffles
d-PETER FOX
d-Edward Fox

7) Name the 1944 film about a detective who falls in
love with the portrait of a murdered woman:
a-Portrait of Jenny
b-LAURA
c-The Woman in the Window
d-Posessed

8)Bouchercon, the largest mystery convention in the
world, was first held in:
a-1970 *
b-1960
c-1950
d-1940

9)The 2002 crime film THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE was
actually a remake of what film starring Audrey
Hepburn:
a-Wait Until Dark
b-Love Among Thieves
c-CHARADE
d-How To Steal a Million

10)The current cover on the Thrilling Detective Web
Site is based on artwork by which famous paperback and
pulp cover illustrator:
a-Raphael de Soto
b-Robert McGinnis
c-ROBERT A. MACGUIRE
d-Rudolph Belarski

Your Mummy's Calling!

Sooooooo aparently some of you sticklers for details want to know what the correct answers to these contest questions are--cannily surmising that I might recycle a few questions down the line.

Okay, I can do that.

CONTEST #1 (The correct answer is in bold--assuming I remember the correct answer!)

1)Who among the following does NOT qualify as a spinster sleuth?
A – Maud Silver
B – EMILY POLLIFAX
C- Jane Marple
D – Hildegard Withers

2)Frances Iles was the pseudonym of which mystery writer?
A – Ronald A. Knox
B – Anthony Boucher
C – Ronald Anthony
D – ANTHONY BERKELEY COX

3)Which of the following was an early mystery story by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle?
A – OUR MIDNIGHT VISITOR
B – Mr. Midnight Goes Trick or Treating
C – The Crime of the Midnight Express
D – Death Swims at Midnight

4)The original manuscript of Diana Killian's Sonnet of the Sphinx was
titled:
A) The Mummy Case
B) Death Comes as the End
C) DOCKETFUL OF POESY (Which I still plan on using one of these days!)
D) The Egypt Game

5)The author of the Jarrod Jarvis mystery series also has film
credits for what cartoon sleuth?
A – SCOOBY DOO
B – Inspector Gadget
C – Kim Possible
D – Elmo the Aardvark



6)Diana Killian's self-published mystery The Art of Dying is set in:
a.The English Lake District
b. A CALIFORNIA ART COLONY
c.Northern New Jersey
d.The south of France

7)The term "bibliophile mystery" refers to:
A -Christian mysteries approved by the CBD
a-MYSTERIES SET IN THE WORLD OF BOOKS AND BOOK COLLECTIONS
b-Any mystery novel
D-A mystery or crime novel set in a library or bibliothèque

8)Which of the following items does Diana Killian NOT list on her
Amazon Profile page?
A – McMillan & Wife Season One
B – THE THIN MAN BOX COLLECTION
C-Raymond Chandler Stories and Early Novels
D – The New Avengers `76


9)Which of the following Hitchcock films did Grace Kelly star in?
A – Vertigo
B – Marnie
C – Psycho
D – REAR WINDOW

10)The graphic image on the Girl Detective web site is taken from
which classic Dell map back cover ?
a)No Crime For a Lady
b)LADY IN THE TOWER
c)Wife vs. Secretary
d)The Lady is Afraid

The Egypt Game

Or How I came to devise what appears to be one of the toughest mystery quizzes on earth in an apparently misguided effort to promote my latest and greatest novel.

Okay, it's not quite THAT bad, but it is surprising that out of 67 contest entries only three people managed to get a perfect score on Contest #1. Let me just say here and now that it wasn't much of a drawing!

So we are now on Contest #2.

I don't think the questions are quite as difficult this time, but then I didn't think the questions were that difficult last week! I mean, I knew they were challenging, and I'll be the first to admit that it's not like I know all this stuff off the top of my head. This is not a quiz that most people--even most mystery fans--could pass without doing some...detective work. That's the whole idea! But almost every single answer is to be found on the web.

Most people missed the first question right off the bat.

Who among the following does NOT qualify as a spinster sleuth?
A – Maud Silver
B – Emily Pollifax
C- Jane Marple
D – Hildegard Withers

Nearly everyone thought Hildegard Withers was the non-spinster sleuth, but Withers is most definitely a spinster sleuth. She's the creation of Stuart Palmer (who also created John J. Malone). She is, in fact, one of THE quintessential snoopy, middleaged spinster busybodies (American to boot, which makes a change). I think I even refer to her in VERSE OF THE VAMPYRE (but maybe it's SONNET OF THE SPHINX).

No, the non-spinster sleuth is Emily Pollifax. She's a widow. Half her books have the name "Mrs. Pollifax" in the title.

See, it's THAT kind of a contest. Not super easy, but not certainly impossible. I tried to make sure it wasn't boring, that's all. I thought it was a good thing!

So anyway, I only had three people successfully complete the quiz, and I felt so bad that I drew two of their names for prizes. The winners are:

Shelley McKibbon & Gwendolyn Gwin

I sent congratulatory emails off to both of them. Shelley, of course, I know from Wicked Company She's got a really amusing blog over at...I think it's Live Journal, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, now we're off again with Contest #2 and another ARC of SONNET OF THE SPHINX to give away, not to mention a very kooky little mummy case with letter opener. I'm hoping that this week enough people will get the questions right so that we can have a REAL drawing next Saturday.

We still have about 19 weeks of contests to go! And so far the odds are definitely in YOUR favor.

I'm Free! Don't Pay the Ransom!

I’m not sure how to explain a two month absence from blogging.

I remember reading Miss Manners once. There was a lady writing because she felt her husband had made a faux pas at an elegant party—one of the guests (a well-endowed woman in a tight fitting dress) had slipped and fallen on top of a table with a large and elegant blanc mange. When the lady landed, her breasts had escaped the tight-fitting dress and flopped into the blanc mange, I believe. And the husband of the woman writing Miss Manners had…laughed.

The lady seeking etiquette advice felt that the proper thing to have done would have been to have preserved a polite silence, but as Miss Manners pointed out, a polite silence under those circumstances would have been bizarre. More what you would expect if pod people had taken over the party. There are some things one simply cannot ignore—however, I think missing two months of blogging falls into the politely ignore category, so let’s just pretend it never happened.

Anyway, the time has been well-spent. Some minutes better spent than others—I think fewer minutes eating chocolate might have been wiser in the end. And I do mean the end. But I finished the Corpse Pose proposal.

This was an interesting one—actually my agent came up with the idea about a year ago when I was feeling disheartened that Pocket showed no interest in another Poetic Death mystery.

Let me rephrase that. Pocket neither showed interest nor disinterest. They said it was too early to discuss. So...okay. But I had to write something, and since I was not ready to delve into Grace Hollister's next caper, why not write about a New Jersey yoga instructor?

Apparently theme mysteries are still very saleable, and my agent felt that yoga might be hot (since no one had done a yoga series at the time). I have to admit that I am not exactly a yoga expert. Does a nodding acquaintance with Pilates count? How about a rudimentary knowledge of San Soo Kung Fu?

Anyway, she had the title and she cooked up the outline and I worked on it a bit, but it was harder than I thought to wrap my head (and heart) around someone else’s concept and characters.

A few months ago she received a proposal from another writer for a yoga series with the first book called…Corpse Pose. There is a Corpse Pose in yoga, so it’s an obvious title, and I’m guessing a publishing house will probably change it anyway (although you never know). That sort of got my competitive juices flowing, and I finished the first three chapters and revised the outline and characters after the holidays were finished. It ended up being a lot of fun, so I hope we do sell it and I do end up writing it. VERY different from the Poetic Death series, that’s for sure. Much more chick litty and smart-ass.

I also had a request for a full from my proposal to Harlequin NEXT, so I’m working on that right now. The struggle is balancing the writing with the fact that it’s now time to seriously start promoting Sonnet of the Sphinx. I signed up for the new Amazon Connect program, which seems like it will be very useful, and I’ve been figuring out how and where to spend my limited advertising dollars. I’ve booked myself into the Malice Domestic Mystery Conference in April, and I’m thinking about doing Bouchercon. I was also thinking about RWA, but that’s in Atlanta in July or something. Yikes!

It’s always a balance between the creative and the business side. I love writing. I always intended to spend my adult life writing, so it’s bewildering to me that I still have a day job. (In fact, bewildering hardly covers it, but we’ll avoid that for now.) So my goal this year is to do every possible thing I can to better position myself for my dream career. Short of getting myself fired, which would be fast but definitely stressful. Although I remember reading one of those self-help tomes years ago—it might even have been How to Win Friends and Influence People, and the author’s point was that sometimes you have to burn your bridges in order to force yourself to move forward.

Which does make sense, but…why waste perfectly good architecture if you don't have to?





Anyway, I’ve been chattering on here and not a word about some of the delightful books I got for Christmas. None of which I’ve had time to read—although I did finish Margaret Scherf’s The Gun in Daniel Webster’s Bust. That one was a lot of fun. It’s been newly reprinted by Rue Morgue, but I got a very cool 1949 copy with a great cover.


Mr. Thrilling and I are thinking seriously about starting our own eBay “store,” so that we can fund our addiction and share some of these wacko books with our kindred…but I digress.

Murder on Martha’s Vineyard by Kelly Roos. Kelly Roos, as we previously discussed, was the writing team of Audrey and William Roos. They did the Jeff and Haila Troy series, but this one is a standalone from 1981.

“Nancy Webster moves back to Martha’s Vineyard to confront the painful past and get on with the business of living. What she doesn’t know is that her past is waiting for her. And it wants her dead.”

I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard, but it’s one of the places that I would definitely like to visit someday. A number of mysteries and mystery series have been set there, but then a number of mysteries and mystery series have been set in Los Angeles too, so that’s not really an endorsement. I like the idea of vineyards and wineries, and in fact the current project is set in a former Northern California winery.

First line: “The island ferry churned into the slip, gleaming white in the late autumn sunshine.”

That would be the Roos's first line, not mine. And theirs is as smooth and effortless, as you would expect from a writing team with more than forty years experience.





The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears. This was recommended to Mr. Thrilling by the wonderfully helpful ladies at Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks (which reminds me—I have to call and see if they’d like me to sign there again). Mr. Thrilling thought (correctly) that it sounded like my kind of thing being about art (a long lost Raphael) and murder and a bit of romance.

First line: “Generale Taddeo Bottando walked up the staircase covered in stolen works of art slightly before the bell of San Ignazio struck seven in the morning as usual.”

Anybody read this? It got a lot of attention on mystery lists when it first came out, I recall.

The Indigo Necklace by Frances Crane. This is a goodie from 1945.

POISON KILLER MENACES JEAN ABBOTT!

And from the back cover...
MURDER comes with silken steps…walking softly through velvet and brocade, rustling across the courtyard grass, signaling its menace only by the gentle click of a falling latch.

In the old mansion in French New Orleans, Jean Abbott heard the small sound of the clicking latch, and discovered the terrors of whispering footsteps along the fretworked balcony outside her room (we are definitely shooting for atmosphere here). Alone and terrified, she found a ghostly white-robed body, dead on the moonlit flagstones in the courtyard. Then she knew that she was living under the same roof with a murderer…a killer who dealt in rare exotic poison, and who walked by night, softly, softly…

Sounds like fun. I imagine a lot of crime and mystery novels will be set in New Orleans over the next few years.

Tomorrow (or...er...maybe the next day) I'll tell you about the contest I'm planning to run next week. Free advance copies of Sonnet of the Sphinx and some really neat prizes.

The Face of Murder

Mr. Thrilling and I were recasting MacMillan and Wife the other night for the remake that I fondly hope someone will make one of these days. They remake cartoons into movies, so why not rework a successful series?

We'd started out recasting Banacek--since that was what we were watching at the time--which was one of Mr. Thrilling's boyhood favorites. He was rather disappointed to learn that I did not care for Banacek in my formative years--in fact, I faithfully skipped every episode. Anyway, Mr. Thrilling envisions them bringing Banacek back as a MOVIE, and therefore he selected George Clooney for the title role. I tried to tell him that we were working with a TV Land budget here--and that no one would be interested in a Banacek movie (even with Clooney, who has aged rather well--at least I really liked him in that flick where he played the smarmy lawyer...what WAS the name of that film?). Mr. Thrilling, however, is a man of conviction. He also saw Mark Wahlberg as the chauffeur, but that would only work if we were going to really beef up the chauffeur's part. Mr. Thrilling is SO unrealistic about these things. There was also that really annoying girl-woman character (Callie? Cassie?), but we didn't get around to casting her last night. Maybe that chick who played Karen Cisco?

Anyway, then we moved on to casting MacMillan and Wife, which is (was) the FAR BETTER show, IMHO.

I was handicapped in my selections by the fact that I just don't watch much current television. Basically I hang out at TCM and the Mystery Channel (which should be called the Horror channel, since the mysteries they show are few and far between--do NOT subscribe to STARZ on the basis of the Mystery Channel; you'll be wasting your time and money).

So anyway I came up with Jennifer Love Hewitt as my new Sally, to which Mr. Thrilling made gagging sounds. I was sort of going by the fact that she LOOKS like I picture Sally MacMillan--and I think she can sort of act (I saw her in a horror flick a while back), and although she seems like she would be ghastly at comedy, you never know.

Mr. Thrilling suggested Sandra Bullock, who is adorable, granted, but waaaay out of our budget, as I tried to remind him.

So then I threw out Angie Harmon, who is my absolute favorite TV actress. Eventually we both agreed that she would be terrific in a PI show--and maybe we should write one for her--but that she wasn't really Sally MacMillan material. Sally has to be sort of...well, not ditzy, exactly...but a little naive and a little impulsive. Cute. More cute and intuitive than brainy.

So then I turned my expert attention to Mac, since I would rather think about handsome men anyway. I came up with Chris Potter.

He's Canadian, so it was difficult for Mr. Thrilling to nix him, however, based (I think mostly) on the fact that I was raving just a little too much about how abso-damn-lutely perfect Chris was--and maybe I should play Sally, Mr. Thrilling said, no. He said Chris was too young to be a police commissioner with a heroic war record and a thriving law practice.

Mr. Thrilling suggested CLIVE OWEN. He suggests Clive Owen for just about everything, so I don't feel that it really counts as a choice. I'm partial to Clive too, don't get me wrong, but not for Mac.

So here are our choices for the MacMillan and Wife remake:

For the role of Mac:
Chris Potter
Chris Noth
Jeff Fahey
Peter Wingfield

Here's my logic--you want someone experienced with a lot of "character," but who hasn't been...um...overused. These guys are all underappreciated and can really act.

For the role of Sally:
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jenna Elfman
Neve Campbell

Yes, I know. Not a lot of variety there. I really need to watch more TV.

Yeah, THAT'S what I need to do! Because that writing thing is fun, but where is THAT going to get me?

Hey, remember to vote for your favorite MacMillan and Wife cast. Vote smart and vote often, that's what I always say.

The New Phone Book is Here! The New Phone Book is Here!

Name that quotation and win a free copy of the Laser Hair Removal link!!

Just kidding. That's sort of how I feel, however, announcing that the new and improved Girl Detective website is up and running.

It doesn't look like most people's websites, of course, but I like it anyway. It's...me. That may not exactly be a good thing, but surely it's not a BAD thing?

Mr. Thrilling worked his fingers to the bone to carry out my ever-increasingly wild demands, and of course he still has other "tweaks" in mind, but this will do for starters. (Wait til you see what he has in mind for the site map, though--I can't wait til he implements that one!)

It has been an extremely hectic week--and it only goes downhill from here as the holiday madness begins. I've done zero shopping so far, and I still aim to have three writing proposals in the air before the end of the year--and really at some point Mr. Thrilling and I must concede defeat and CLEAN THIS PLACE UP.







I don't own this mapback. It would make a nice Christmas present for me (are you listening, Mr. Thrilling?) but I chose it for the title, which seems apropos. You just know a mystery that involves footprints on the ceiling is going to be fun--it seems like something the Little sisters would have come up with it. We do not actually have fingerprints on the ceiling so far, but there are fingerprints just about every place else--and a layer of dust you could stay warm under. My dad was kind enough to tell me that it made for a wonderful Halloween touch, and not to worry about it.

I'm getting those end of year blues. Well, not really BLUES, but don't you feel sort of pensive when it gets to be this time of year? The temperature is dropping (48 degrees last night) which means it's time to bring some of the potted plants inside--the succulents definitely, and apparently morning glory can't handle much colder than 40 degrees (UUUUUUH oh); and it's dark early, which somehow makes me sleepy by about 7:30. I should have been a bear; I think I'd enjoy hibernation. (Can you read between naps?)

I like the winter, though. I love rain and dark skies--I'm just tired of driving in it because California roads (and drivers) are not built for wet weather.

I do seem to be rambling today. I'm putting off working on the new project. I keep promising myself that if I meet my commitment to have all three project proposals out by the new year I get to spend ALL of December reading (well, reading, shopping and cleaning--at this rate).

Oh well, it's Friday, and I get to sleep in tomorrow. Heaven! We little bears have to grab all the sleep we can get on the weekend.

COBWEB HOUSE

Between the updates to the soon-to-be-relaunched website, working on proposals ("Darling, will you publish me?"), and the usual necessary distractions (including that working for a living thing), I have been a laggardly blogger--not to mention housekeeper, hence the name of today's blog--which, by coincidence, is the name of one of my recent Ebay finds.

Yep, somehow there was time to buy a book or two on Ebay, though not time to seriously examine the haul.

Great cover, isn't it?






I'm excited about the new website--one thing that I think (hope) will be popular with readers is the new Grace Notes blog. This is the secret journal of Grace Hollister, and it will include all kinds of bits and pieces--everything from recipes to poetry snippets (possibly even some of Grace's less appalling efforts) to travel log notes to filling in the blanks within the series. At least that's the way I envision it now. Lots of fun stuff for fans of the Poetic Death series.

It probably sounds insane, since I can't keep up with ONE blog. But sanity is not all it's cracked up to be...if you know what I mean.

I've completed the Chick Fic essays--from now on I'll do them in blog format, and that will allow the rest of you to post your opinions and thoughts on these writers--I really would welcome that. Haven't quite completed the Mary Kelly serial: one more chapter to go, I suspect. I hope to have that done by Christmas, and then I want to work on putting together the proposal for a Mary Kelly novel. I have no idea if there would be interest in such a novel (beyond my own), but I love that character, and I notice that there have been a few recently published novels like This Dame For Hire (set in the 40s) by Scoppettone and Tears of the Dragon by Holly Baxter.

Haven't been able to get through the Baxter book. I reviewed This Dame For Hire at I Love A Mystery, but I digress.

Oh, and here's a bit of news I should probably share: I'm the featured author this month at Mystery Lovers Corner

It's a nice little site put together by Dawn Dowdle; she's got reviews, interviews, a bookstore, updates--very nicely packaged. So of course I'm pleased to stand in the corner, as it were. And I didn't even have to get sent to the principal first.

What else? A little essay I wrote for Mystery Readers Journal is out now. It's their Bibliomystery issue, and I'm planning to head home tonight and read the thing from front to back. I love Bibliomysteries. It occurred to me the other day that nearly everything I write has to do with books, bookstores, writers or publishing. Does that make me a Bibliotech?

DEATH OF AN ANONYMOUS POSTER

One interesting discovery in my blogging adventures is how many spammers use other people's blogs to try and promote their own totally unrelated products--everything from laser hair removal to selling life insurance policies. God knows it's never anything interesting. Let alone relevant.

I can't imagine this is very effective advertising, since (speaking only for myself--but I know I'm not unique in my disdain for spam and the inbred halfwits who perpetrate it) I instantly delete these idiotic ads the second my email alerts me that they've been posted (which is about ten seconds after they show up).

Like here's an example:

ANONYMOUS SAID:

"I just came across your blog about ebay selling techniqueand wanted to drop you a note telling you how impressed I was with the information you have posted here. I also have a web site & blog about **keyword** ebay selling technique so I know I'm talking about when I say your site is top-notch! Keep up the great work, you are providing a great resource on the Internet here!"

Uh, well, I like to think so, but it's not actually a resource for ebay selling techniques. In fact, anyone who follows my technique is in for trouble--and probably refinancing. My dear Anonymous, can it be that you did not actually bother to READ WHAT MY BLOG IS ABOUT????

Golly. Are you just targeting every place on the web that mentions eBAY selling? Is your winning strategy truly no more sophisticated than random machine gun fire? Is this how financial wars are won and lost--and fiscal security achieved? You simply spam everyone on the web who mentions eBAY in passing?

Interesting.

(Kind of like newbie writers who send book announcements to an entire mailing list directed towards "everyone who loves a good mystery!" Yes, there are still people out there that...gosh, what's a nice word for it?...Naive?)

I know some of these goofs aren't even that subtle. They merely watch to see who has recently updated his / her blog, and then they add a little congratulatory post (often in broken English) with a spurious link to some weird product or service that only someone like themselves would be interested in. I mean, seriously, if I was going to indulge in laser hair removal, I wouldn't be scouring the web for a provider.

Does any of this stuff work? That's my question. These people must imagine it does.

Question of the day--heck, let's hear what the spammers themselves have to say, because after I post this, we'll get a couple of the usual "YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB COME SEE MY SITE OF SWEATERS MADE FROM HAIRBALLS COUGHED UP BY PEDIGREED CATS." Or the like.


Sorry. So the question of the day is...do you respond to spam? Those email offers or blogged advertisements: do you ever click through and check 'em out? And say you do, have you ever bought anything from one of those sites?

Speaking of which, think about it. It's not like we're exactly high traffic here--the spammers are our most faithful readership. So how sad is that? They're wasting their grand promotional efforts on each other--and something tells me they're not the best listeners in the world. They're wasting their time and energy on every little blog or site that happens to mention keywords like...eBAY???? That's a lot of hopeful clicking and clacking.

But getting back to Anonymous and his (her?) recent post. You've got to wonder if these random acts of spamming reflect the avaunted (Avaunted? Is that a real word? Did I just make it up?) bidding technique. Or was it her selling technique? I forget. I mean, if she's (he's?) so successful wouldn't she at least have written a book that she could be spamming us about on discussion lists?

Anyway, let's go fishing and see if Anonymous will show up on cue and prove my point. I feel like we're after the Loch Ness monster or something!

'Til Death Do Us Part

I'm not going to pinpoint exactly how old I was in 1971, but let us say that I was old enough to say stay up and watch the NBC Mystery Movies on a school night, but young enough that MacMillan & Wife had a distinct impact on my schemes for the future. Not that I planned to marry a police commissioner or solve murders for a living (or even for a hobby), but I did picture myself living an action-packed, amusing and affluent life-style with a handsome guy who adored me.

(Three out of four ain't bad! We definitely need more cash around here, though.)

Anyway.

In case you're quite a bit younger than me--or spent your formative years more productively--here's the official lowdown on MacMillan & Wife, the first season of which is newly released on DVD.


"They were the happening '70s answer to Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man movies, and when McMillan & Wife premiered as part of the "NBC Mystery Movie" lineup (in three-way rotation with McCloud and Columbo) on September 17, 1971, they were an instant hit with both critics and viewers. The two-hour pilot "Once Upon a Dead Man" set the serio-comic tone for the series: San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan (Rock Hudson, his film career in decline) and the goofy doofus Sgt. Enright (John Schuck) frequently found themselves in the midst of a mystery, typically beginning when McMillan's cute and kooky wife Sally (Susan Saint James) stumbled onto telltale evidence or a murder scene. The McMillans were the perfect image of '70s California cool, attending trendy parties and charity benefits while solving robberies, murders, and other malicious goings-on, sporting the latest fashions (Hudson's handlebar moustache and longish hair perfectly complementing Saint James's bellbottoms and shag hairdo) and verbally sparring with some of the goofiest dialogue this side of Hope & Crosby's Road movies."



How fun is that? Very fun, let me assure you as someone who has spent the last week watching them in bed (me in bed, that is, although Sally and Mac spent a fair amount of time between the sheets). And, best of all, NO SCHOOL TOMORROW!!.

The simplistic plots (Tolstoyian compared to some of what passes for prime crime time these days--the ghastly MONK, anyone?) were padded by the romantic interplay between Mac and Sally (Hudson and Saint James' on-screen chemistry was considerable regardless of off-screen preferences). I think the lack of nastiness between them is part of the charm. Mac teases Sally and Sally teases Mac, but there's no cutting edge to the banter--and that's refreshing in a day and age where meanness is so often mistaken for wit.

There's a lot of cuddling and tickling and flirting--they even have a special toast. (Which I wish someone would explain to me--Arriba, Aruba, Arigula? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING???) He adores her and wishes she would stay out of trouble (she's the daughter of a famous criminologist, however, so snooping is in her blood). She worships him and wishes her chest were bigger. I'm telling you, it's as real as it gets.





So, in short, I am advising you to buy this DVD in bulk, so that they will put out Season Two right away and I can add it to my Christmas list. And if you buy it through Mr. Thrilling's website, we will have more cash around here, and all my childhood dreams will be coming true.

You probably want to know what you'd be getting for your money. Eight episodes or about ten and a half hours, starting with Once Upon a Dead Man (the pilot). In this one an Egyptian sarcophagus is stolen during a charity auction that Sally helped organize. (No wonder I loved this series.) This is a fun one, though they had yet to define what the series would ultimately be.

In Murder by the Barrel, the MacMillans are moving into their new home when Sally discovers a body in a barrel that should contain her good china. I HATE it when that happens! This introduces Sally's enviable yellow roadster (a nice little Nancy Drewish touch) and we finally get to meet Mildred the Maid (Nancy Walker) who is amusing in small doses, but frankly needs her ass fired. (Okay, okay, but they did sort of overdo the eccentric family retainer thing in later seasons.)

The Easy Sunday Murder Case has some very funny bits concerning a woman who is more concerned with her kidnapped dog than her MIA boytoy husband.

I'm still not sure what was happening in Husbands, Wives and Killers since I drifted off--my last vision of Mac in a pink bunny suit (or did I dream that?). A valuable necklace becomes the target of a master thief at a masquerade ball.

Death is a Seven Point Favorite was clearly aimed at the male audience. I think the show was successful because they gave everyone a little something. Sally is smart but scatty--she's a non-threatening little darling but she plays a crucial role in solving crimes. Yes, Mac would undoubtedly solve the crimes without her help, but neither he nor we would have as much fun. And as for Mac, he is a man's man (yeah, yeah, we know) and he may suffer the occasional pratfall, but he is never the butt of any (female's) jokes. See what I'm saying? It's actually a delicate balance. She's not so dumb that she annoys the female audience or so capable that she annoys the men--and everybody loves Rock.

But I guess if they were going to offend anyone, it was the female audience, because a lot of Sally's dialog consists of bits like this:

Sally: "I know, Mac. I guess you're right. It's just that Billy is so terrific!"

Eeegah! Still, she's awfully darn cute and a lot of fun.



(This is not a photo from the first season, but I do remember this episode rather well--I bet you do too!)

Sally is kidnapped by a master jewel-thief (a lot of master jewel thieves turned up in the series--probably a social class thing) in The Face of Murder, but not for so long that it ruins the story. May I say here that I even LOVE the lead-in to the series? The music (this is scary) is sort of corny lazy 70s jazz--Harry Mancini, am I right?--that just seems perfecto, and those great photo overlays of Sally and Mac--they have a sort of nostalgic even poignant charm--and then all those terrific historic shots of San Francisco. Setting is a great part of what makes this series special--talk about a romantic locale!

'Til Death Do Us Part is probably the episode I best remember. It's one of the most original, although it's certainly the most preposterous I now realize. The tension slowly builds up to that moment when Sally and Mac wake to find their home tented by exterminators.

And then, last show of the first season: An Elementary Case of Murder. It's kind of The Parradine Case meets MacMillan & Wife. I have to confess I found Sally's pregnancies tiresome and disruptive (even as kid myself). Not as disruptive as when the imbecillic writers/producers decided to kill off her character in the last season (WHAT is the matter with these lame-brains--and I use the term deliberately. Do they honestly not credit the audience with the smarts to separate the actress from the role? The only time it doesn't work is when they don't pick the right replacement person). Anyway, I guess in those days it never occurred to anyone to CONCEAL Saint James' pregnancies, or that the child-bearing thing was liable to be a drag on the sleuthing.

One of my pet peeves, as you can tell. Don't get me started on The Mummy Returns AKA How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Franchise.

So that's it, the first season of the show that probably is at least partly responsible for my love affair with amateur sleuths and the crimes they solve. My private pet theory is that it was partly inspired by...wait for it... Bullit?

Or maybe not.

Anyway, they don't write them like this anymore.

No Crime For a Lady

I'm feeling oddly content at the moment--odd, because I'm essentially stressed out of my mind between the day job (gack!); music (Laura is suffering from a slipped disk, which puts the next three gigs in jeopardy); writing (got the copy edits on Sonnet of the Sphinx and just started a new project); and gardening (the weather has turned unseasonably chilly for September, so the race is on to get everything planted and repotted and mulched before the first frost hits). But it's a productive time, and feeling like I'm getting Things Done is the secret to my happiness.

Speaking of happiness, Ebay has been very disappointing lately. The book collections are nothing that interests me, and the Dell mapbacks are selling individually (which means shockingly overpriced). So I'm not buying, which is probably a good thing since the holidays are coming and my budget is about to go crashing out the window like a banker on the dawn of the Great Depression.

It doesn't matter as I'm still sorting through treasures previously purchased.







The Lady Regrets by James M. Fox, 1945 Dell mapback.

I bought this one based solely on the cover. This is often the case with the Dell mapbacks--the covers lure me in. Sadly the books themselves often don't live up to the promise of the artwork. The Lady Regrets takes place in 1945 Los Angeles.

Persons this Mystery is about--

Major John Marshall
Six feet plus of sophisticated, action-loving brawn and brain, has just bid four years of army routine a fond farewell. Never one to shy and mystery or murder, the young major finds himself plentifully supplied with both upon accepting a stranger's invitation to spend his terminal leave at a swank California estate.

Suzanne Marshall
The major's russet-haired bride and joy (cute!), 115 pounds of Varga Girl curves, is from Dixie way but she talks like that only for a fee. Devoted to Johnny, she is not one to stay at home and knit while her husband is out enjoying some nice danger.

Husband and wife sleuths--I love it. This one is going right to the top of the heap, although I do have a stack of contemporary stuff to work my way through first. (It helps to keep track of what the other girls are writing.)

First line:
"As far as I'm concerned it never pays to speculate about the laws and principals of fate, if any."


Five Passengers From Lisbon by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1946. Popular Library edition.

I'm very fond of Eberhart (in fact, I've got her slated for one of my Chick Fic essays one of these days), and she does a great job of creating truly death-deserving victims as well as moments of screaming tension. There's generally a nice little romance at the heart of the mystery.

"Boarding the ship was like entering a dream for Marcia Colfax. At her side was the man she loved. (Uh oh.) Awaiting them was long delayed happiness. (I'm thinking the happiness is going to be further delayed.)

"But now a bloodstained knife had slashed her plans to bits. (What did I tell you?) Now her dream had turned into a nightmare. Now her voyage to happiness had become a race against death as murder stalked the shadowed decks."

Now her...oh. Sorry. I got carried away.

First line:
"The three women sat miserably in the cramped stateroom and waited for orders to abandon ship."

Hey, that's pretty good!





Made Up To Kill by Kelly Roos, 1940 Dell mapback.

This is supposed to be one of the best of the Kelly Roos novels. Kelly Roos was the pen name for a husband and writing team writing about husband and wife sleuths, (although the books are always labeled "A Jeff Troy Mystery").

Jeff is "six feet one inch tall and handsome from any angle, pretends to be in the advertising business but has the most fun when he turns detective. Ambitious and energetic, he's trying right now to make enough money to marry his best girl."

Ah ha, so this is before Jeff and Haila were married? That could mean lots of witty repartee. Or not. Why is it, with the exception of the Thin Man movies--that married couples just do not banter as wittily as unmarried couples? What is about waking up side by side that knocks all the great comebacks out of young lovers wherever they are?

(With the real life exception of me and Mr. Thrilling, who banter just like we always did--and, of course, we find ourselves funny as hell.)

First line:
"I pushed the elevator bell and its feeble pinging sound floated up from the basement."

Yes, I seem to hear a feeble pinging myself...

The Murder of a Fifth Columnist by Leslie Ford. 1940, Popular Library. The cover offers a gun, a sword, a gold key and a crumpled envelope. Clews, my deahs!


Leslie Ford is one of my very favorite writers. Very popular in the 30s and 40s, she's somewhat underrated these days. Some people find her depiction of black characters patronizing. Interesting, because if her housekeeper had been a stereotypical Irish woman, we'd still find Leslie's work too too terribly charming. Or am I being cynical?

Leslie (pen name for Zenith Jones Brown) too is destined for an eventual chick fic essay.

"Sylvia Peele was beautiful, charming--and powerful: her newspaper column told international society things it never even dreamed about itself. Her friends were princes, millionaires and presidents; her enemies were legion.

"One particular enemy had front-page plans for Sylvia: smash her career, destroy the man she loved--and kill her with a very special vengeance."

I'm thinking we can make the funeral arrangements for Sylvia right now, since Ford prefers innocent ingenues in the romantic roles, and Sylvia sounds like a worldly career woman (always fatal).

First line:
"It was Pete Hamilton who first called the great J. Corliss Marshall the Fifth Columnist."

Maybe it was a publishing in-joke?


Skeletons by Glendon Swarthout. 1979 Pocket Books.

I was pretty sure that 'Glendon Swarthout' was a pen name, but it turns out that Swarthout was a Pulitzer-nominated writer of westerns (plays, films, books, etc.)

http://www.glendonswarthout.com/

"The skeleton in Jimmie Butters' closet is his ex-wife, Tyler. She is beautiful and obsessed, and enjoys painting coins and men's personals with red nail enamel. Her skeletons are two long-dead grandfathers and an old Colt revolver which she carries about with her like a doll. Tyler is also brilliant in bed and after a showdown between the sheets in New York, she sweet talks Jimmie into galloping to New Mexico in his classic Rolls-Royce to track down some crimes, dig up some graves, and sample the regional cuisine."

Jimmy, it turns out, is a Gucci-wearing children's book author who is enlisted by his ex-wife when her lover is murdered after a visit to Harding, New Mexico. It actually sounds kind of intriguing.

Opening sentence:
"I love GOOD and hate EVIL." First person narration from the point of view of the city slicker Jimmy.

We used to spend summers at Lake Isabella, and some very happy times were passed in the company of cowboys. Real cowboys, just for the record--elderly gents who had terrific stories to share about the good old days. I grew up reading Zane Grey and Louis Lamour and Max Brand, but somehow the delight of gun fights gave way to sneakier and stealthy death. Your normal teenage instinct.






No Crime For a Lady by Zelda Popkin, 1942 Dell mapback.

THINGS this Mystery is about:

A shattered STREET LIGHT
A quantity of DYNAMITE
A nice shiny LIMOUSINE (come on, how mysterious is that!)
A snowstorm PAPERWEIGHT (murder weapon, I'm guessing!)
A tattered HOSPITAL GOWN
A black NECKTIE
The wooden handle of a PICK (wouldn't the OTHER end be more useful?)
A cold LANTERN

First line:
"I'll be glad to kill him," Mr. Dengler said."

Holy moly. That's nearly the exact line I had in mind for the fourth Poetic Death novel, as yet untitled and as yet unwritten. Except for that first line. Lordy, lordy.


Murder on the Menu by Beverly Byrne. 1980 Leisure Books.

Another relatively contemporary offering. Isn't it weird to think that the 1980s were twenty years ago!? This one is about fine cuisine and France--two things I am rather partial to.

"The search for a fabulous recipe involves a celebrated chef in a young girl's violent death!" Sounds yummy.

Opening sentence:
"The trip from New Haven to Ridgefield is made into a swift asphalt passage by using Route 84. Louis Tisserant noted that his wife chose the backroads through the spring-flecked countryside."

The chef sounds portly and middle-aged and dissatisfied. Just the right sort of person to get involved in murder.

Well, speaking of chefs, the steaks are on the barbecue and a Corona (attached to my husband) is calling my name. May as well make the most of my remaining weekend hours. Hope you are enjoying yours!

Mona Lisa Smile

So I'm lying there in surgery, and the doctor says, "I want you to smile for me."

????

I sort of glance up doubtfully--I'm not exactly having the time of my life here--and he says, "No, I'm serious. We're very close to the facial nerve that controls the muscles that move your lips."

Oh. My. God.

Just like that everything can change. And that always makes good material for novels, but--as I smiled weakly for my doctor--I realized that although these are the kinds of things that are supposed to build character, I would not deal well with this sort of challenge. Which is why I am abjectly grateful that everything went well, and I can still smile--and stick my tongue out. (And kiss.)

I can still sing. (Would I have been able to sing with paralyzed facial muscles?) And, believe me, I feel like singing.

I've been celebrating by working in the garden. There's something very grounding (no pun intended) about working in the dirt. The feel of the sun on your skin, the smell of earth and flowers (the hair blowing in your eyes, the sweat trickling down your back). Mostly I've been replanting pots. (Er--repotting plants.) I couldn't figure out what was wrong with all the plants this year; we had such great success by container planting last summer. Then, belatedly, it sank in on me that it wasn't the heat or lack of food or water--most of these plants are root-bound. That's the downside of container planting, but the soil is so lousy here, containers are often the best bet.

I've moved about 17 plants of various sizes and shapes to larger pots, and I've got another ten or so to go, including five large vines. (I'll get them moved just in time to put everything to bed for the winter.)

I think one of the best things about a garden is that hard work pays off. It takes time and requires patience, but you will be rewarded. Hard work doesn't always pay off and you don't always get your just reward in this life, but you do tend to get it in a garden.

Uh, which is why my garden currently looks like hell. (But the writing has been very good.)



I think by tomorrow afternoon I should be back in writing mode. I NEED to be. I've got deadlines and commitments. And one thing I've learned, you have to keep that creative muscle warmed and working.

And speaking of muscles, creative and otherwise, the last batch off Ebay are all Dell mapbacks. (I don't know why I get such a kick out of those goofy old maps and the even goofier "What This MYSTERY Is About" and "Persons This MYSTERY Is About" lists.


DATE WITH DARKNESS by Donald Hamilton, 1947. The map on the back is of the Chesapeake Bay area "Where action is rough and tough in DATE WITH DARKNESS."

The front cover offers a guy in a red shirt getting ready to punch a girl already falling out of her shirt. The girl looks more thoughtful than worried; I imagine she should know.

First line: "He took down her suitcase and her fur coat. She said she did not have a hat."

(No, it is not chick lit--there is no mention of her shoes.)

I noticed this one was going for $12.99 last time I checked on Ebay this afternoon, so perhaps it's well known.










SLIPPERY HITCH by Gerald Butler, 1949. Man and a woman tussling over a boat oar.

Fear came into her eyes.

"Then--you're a--" Horror choked her voice...

He's a--a--what?! Jeez!




The back cover is not really a map. There's a line ink drawing of a map and then five little illustrations: A terrified girl prisoner in a madman's car--Johnny and Bob must stop him...Not daring to ask police aid, they wait for a ticket while their quarry vanishes...Until an unexpected curve appears at the edge of a high cliff...A wild hunch leads them to a cottage on a lonely lane...Blood flows when pursued and pursuer meet and the chase goes on...

Actually I can't tell from the little arrows if the high cliff comes before or after the wild hunch and the flowing blood. Maybe it comes after because THE CHASE GOES ON!!!

The back blurb reads:

The savage passions of a twisted mind makes life a living hell for two men and a girl in this forthright psychological thriller.

TWO men and a girl? Someone is doomed.

What does "forthright psychological thriller" mean? Is this a polite way of saying the madman has his wicked way with the terrified girl? Or are they going to hammer us with a lot of medical terms? Inquiring minds want to know.

First line: "Johnny had never hit a woman before, and when he saw her go down, and lying there, her face and her hair in the light of the street lamp, suddenly knowing it was a girl, he felt sick and dizzy."

Kind of effective, if confusing.

HUNT WITH HOUNDS by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1950. I already have (and love) this book, but I couldn't resist it in a mapback. The cover shows a man in a red hunting jacket menacing a woman in a ball gown (it's the Hunt Ball, right enough). The cover reads PINK COATS AND RED BLOOD--Three murders terrorize an exclusive hunt club.

Sounds a bit like a gay mystery, doesn't it?





The back offers a map of the state of Virginia, then a smaller map of Bedford County, then a nice little picture of The Laurels. It's a good one. The blurb reads

Blooded horses, baying hounds--MURDER, terror, intrigue and false accusations in the Virginia fox-hunting country.

This book was part of my inspiration for the fox hunting motif in VERSE OF THE VAMPYRE. I really enjoy Eberhart's work although she did create some of the most aggravatingly helpless heroines in the history of crime fiction. Never did these chicks fail to pick up the fallen murder weapon or deign to speak in their own defense.

First line: "There had been, as Ruby said later, no other kill that day."

Ah, fox hunting...

JEWELS FOR A SHROUD by Walter de Steiguer, 1950. "She was the victim of a madman!" The spine reads, DIAMONDS AND DEATH. (Sounds like my wedding.)

The map is not really a map so much as four stamp-sized illustrations. The Big City Slept While Murder Combed the Causeways. (I do like well-groomed causeways.)

First line: "On a small piece of land near the junction of Fifth Avenue and one of New York's swankier cross streets stands a building that is better known in some circles than most of the city's tallest and more famous steel and stone spires."

Architecture as opening gambit. Hmmm.

I always find first line comparisons intriguing. First lines and last lines, but you generally have to read the entire book to fully appreciate the last word.

Speaking of last words, the last word for tonight is...Goodnight.

Run Run, Baby, Run Run, Baby, Run...

I think of myself as a philosophical person, but it occurred to me yesterday evening as I was driving home from work that fantasizing about having machine guns mounted behind my headlights so I could blow all the lousy drivers off the road, is maybe not an indication of my philosophical nature.

Was I always this impatient?

Anyway, it's a nice long drive for thinking--and generally my thoughts are of a more positive nature. The road winds through the pine trees and mountains, and now and again I see deer or a bobcat or a fox--there's a little black mountain goat I see most mornings. It's a good time to unwind, and often I'll sing with whatever is in the CD player (this morning it was Garbage's BLEED LIKE ME--hence the title of today's blog) or work out various plot points on the project of the moment. And on those days that I don't want to be alone with my thoughts, I'll pop an audio book into the player and amuse myself that way. I've heard a lot of good books over the past couple of years--things I might not otherwise have bothered with.

I like this Garbage album. I actually bought it for a song that turns out not to be on the album (further proof that I am not the master of organization that I believe I am). I almost didn't buy the album--the idea of a group named "Garbage" seemed to demonstrate that Trying Too Hard thing that I'm so weary of. But it's not bad. There's a song called "Happy Home" that moves me.

In my happy home I barely breathe
In my lovers arms I find relief
And there's a sky that's changing and a bird that sings
I never once in my wayward life was heading to run out

But then I am in a strange mood these days. It must be the end of summer. I'm an autumn baby, and every autumn I start thinking about reinventing myself...

The focus these days is almost entirely on writing. This month I'm planning to hammer out the partial on a project my agent and I have been kicking around. The interesting thing about this project (nameless for now) is that it is so totally NOT me. It's a challenge to write another person's idea, but it excites me--partly because it is a challenge, and partly because I find it very freeing to work outside of my own head. I sketched out a few pages last month, and glancing over them, they look like they have potential, so I'm forging on. Three chapters, that's the goal.

And it's time to think about winding up the Mary Kelly serial.

And, and, and... There's always got to be some project, the next goal. It's getting to the point where I'm trying to schedule my spontaneous outbursts.

One thing for sure, my sadly neglected garden is going to get some quality time. I walked out there last night and nearly cried. Even the lavender is dying. I mean, lavender is practically indestructible. There's not a rose on a bush--the only thing thriving are the weeds. Especially sad when I think how beautiful everything was just two months ago before this hellish heat hit.

The thing about a garden is that it teaches patience--it demands it. And it rewards hard work. It's so amazing what a little sweat and a lot of fertilizer can do--beautiful to look at, of course, but there's also the scent and texture of flowers and herbs and the other plants. It's almost narcotic. Anyway, maybe because it's so physical and so different from writing, but I find it relaxing to snip and prune and dig and plant and water. All of it. I enjoy all of it. Okay, I'm not crazy about bees or worms, but they are necessary, so I try to keep the squeaks of dismay to a minimum.

One day I'll tell you about my crazy little hummingbirds and the doves that wake me on Saturday mornings...