No Post This Week

I'm deeply immersed in a rewrite this week, and at a crucial point in it. So no post this week. Hope to be back next week. Have a great week-end!

Celebration Time Again

Goodness, it's celebration time again. Where did the week go? Well I know where my week went, and I'll tell you in a minute. But a reminder that this a blog hop, a really nice one called, "Celebrate the small things." It's co-hosted by Lexa Cain @ Lexa Cain with co-hosts
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog     

You can go to any of these sites to get all the links and add your name to the links. 

So, where did my week go? That's what I'm celebrating. I'm about a fourth through the re-write of my current WIP. Makes me pretty happy.

My office corner in one of its rare moments
of almost neatness. 

I hope your week is going well. I know you have something to celebrate, too, so please do share your celebration. 

Celebrating a New Interview at Rachna's Scriptorium and Our House-sitter's Baby Boy.

This is such a fun blog hop: "Celebrate the small things." It's co-hosted by Lexa Cain @ Lexa Cain with co-hosts
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The EdgeTonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog     
You can go to any of these to get all the links and add your name to the links. 

1. Today I'm celebrating because Rachna Chhabria is interviewing me on her wonderful blog, Rachna's Scriptorium. Rachna and I go way back. She was one of my first blog friends when I started my blog. She's a published author in India and her blog is full of interesting posts about writing, as well as interviews and reviews. You can check our her blog and the interview HERE.

2. I'm also celebrating the arrival of our house-sitters' new baby, Owen. Owen it just the cutest thing, and my husband and I got to meet him three days ago. He's utterly precious! I'd post a picture, but I think that's the parents' prerogative, not mine. Trust me, he's adorable, and my husband and I took turns holding him and cooing at him and making ourselves really dopey over him. New babies are such a wonder!

Hope you are celebrating something nice today and that you have a great week-end. Please leave a comment about your good news.

Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls is available at:
Amazon
MX Publishing           
Book Depository
The Strand Magazine

                                     

A Reading and Book Signing at Swan's Fine Books in Walnut Creek

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of reading an excerpt from my book, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, at a wonderful bookstore in Walnut Creek. Swan's Fine Books, owned by Laurelle Swan, is located in a small shopping center at 1381 Locust Street, Walnut Creek. You can learn more about this fabulous bookstore at her website HERE. Let me just say "fine" is an accurate word to describe this shop. There is a treasure trove of rare and fine books, early editions, signed editions. Many are expensive, as you would guess, but many are also quite affordable for those on a more limited budget.

Laurelle, introducing me.

First, Laurelle introduced me. And then I talked about the background to my book, and then read the excerpt mentioned in the picture above.

Dear family friends.

One of the great pleasures of bookstore signings is the opportunity to get together with a lot of book-loving friends.

Another pleasure is the opportunity to browse books before and after. So I was in book heaven in more ways than one.

Great audience.

Dear writing friend on left; a mother
 and daughter on the right who saw Laurelle's flyer. 

Good friends and good listeners!

College chum and fellow
book lover. 

 And of course, it's always fun to sign those books!

Book club friend.

Dear family friend.

On right, a SBCWI friend

More dear family friends.

Socializing afterward.

We started at three, and by the time the talk, the reading, the signing were over and we did a little socializing, it was time to go. Afterwards my god family had dinner plans for Rajan and me, so off we went for a very enjoyable evening. This was truly an afternoon to remember. Many thanks to all who came. 

And many thanks to Laurelle Swan for this opportunity. If you are in the area, do stop by her store for a treat you won't forget. Both Rajan and I bought books there. (I can never leave a bookstore empty-handed.) So did some of our friends. 

Meanwhile, how about you? Do bookstores have a hold on you? Can you pass hours and hours browsing books? Like me, are you unable to leave a store empty handed? 

An Evening at Baker Street West

Perhaps you didn't realize that some genii has transported Baker Street from the heart of London to a remarkable bookstore in the town of Jackson, a historic town in the California foothills. There, on the second floor, a motley collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters comes together on the first Tuesday of every odd-numbered month. They belong to the Holmes Hounds, a Sherlock Holmes Society with members scattered as far away as New York and as nearby as Volcano. On even-numbered months, they enjoy mystery theater, Holmesian films, and sometimes a Victorian dinner. At all events, they enjoy a scrumptious assortment of nibbles, and a glass of fine wine. This is "Baker Street West."                                                                                                                                                                
          "Baker Street West" is the brain child of Linda and Wolf Hein, owners of Hein & Company Rare and Used Books. The bookstore is a book lover's delight. Their second floor, "Baker Street West", so far is a recreation of the living/dining room of Sherlock Holmes and and Dr. Watson's living quarters at 221B Baker Street, as well as Mrs. Hudson's Tea Shoppe. But it soon will be a recreation of a Victorian era street, with shops (or should I say "shoppes") capturing the spirit of Victorian London, and named after some of Doyle's characters.

Before the evening started. Sherlock's
quarters are behind this partition. But
this has lots of atmosphere, as you
can see. 

Members were seated and then the meeting came to order.

This list is hard to read,
but here is what you can
expect to see in the future: 
Dr. Watson's Apothecary
(herbal remedies of the day);
Irene Adler's Dress
Emporium (imagine the dresses!)
 Wiggins Toy Shoppe
(Victorian toys),
The Wolf and Bear Pub,
Southdowns Apiary
and on and on . . . . 

Holmes paraphernalia.

   

A character dressed for the times. 

Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, you can imagine how pleased I was to get a chance to read for this group and, plunged in the atmosphere where it really is 1895. Not to mention being surrounded by books. (My downfall. My addiction. Forget violins and the 7% solution.)

 I read two
 "excerpts". One
 was the famous
 Vincent Starrett's
 sonnet, "221B",
 shared earlier in
 the day with me and other MX authors online,
 by Amy Thomas,
 one of the Baker Street Babes. The Baker Street Babes is a Sherlock Holmes Society that you can read about HERE, and you can read this moving sonnet there as well. In a team effort, the members translated this poem into over 30 languages in commemoration of the 85th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's death. When I read it, the audience was hushed.

Then I read a chapter from my book, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, which was quite rewarding, because this was an attentive audience.

Copies of my book, along with issues of The Sherlock Holmes Journal,
a quarterly  journal published by The Sherlock Holmes Society of London

You don't see them, but there were some wonderful costumes

As I say, an attentive and rewarding audience.

Reading the sonnet: "2221B" (where it's always 1895).

Amy, they really liked that poem.

For someone who just loves to read, whether or not you are into Sherlock Holmes, Hein & Company Rare and Used Books is a book lover's delight. You could spend hours there, curled up on comfortable chairs, visited by the resident cats, surrounded by the wonderful musty smell of books.

And, who knows? You might find me curled up reading an irresistible book.

How about you? Are you addicted to books? Do you like used book stores? Are you a Sherlock Holmes fan?

Celebrate the Small Things - Two Book Signings

Today I'm celebrating two book signings coming up next week for Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls: 

1. Tuesday evening (July 7th), 6:00 p.m., I"m at Hein & Company Rare and Used Books,  204 N. Main St., Jackson, California. I'll be discussing and reading from my book (and signing) for a Sherlock Holmes Society in the foothills area called "Holmes Hounds". How cool is that? (Sherlock figures in my book.)

A word about Hein & Company: If you are in the area, you must see their second floor, which is a recreation of Holmes related Baker Street - with hidden passages for mystery performances and the like. It is way cool!

2. Saturday after noon (July 11th), 3:00 p.m., I'm at Swan's Fine Books, 1381 Locust Street, in Walnut Creek - again, reading and signing.

If you are in either area at the right time, do come and enjoy light refreshments and cool books - because both these bookstores are stores you want to walk around in and enjoy their selections. 

This blog hop is co-hosted by LEXA CAIN and L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog . I wasn't able to get the linky to work on my blog, but you can check out the links of the other participants at each of these sites. Go check them out. It's always satisfying to read good news others are enjoying. Have a great day!