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!

I'm celebrating two things this week:

1. I'm celebrating our nephew's wedding, which takes place Friday - just two days from now. It's an Indian wedding that starts early in the day and goes on for quite awhile, and Thursday (tomorrow) I'll be on the plane to Pittsburgh, PA, where the wedding is taking place. I'm celebrating early, since I know I won't have time to post. I'll get to see a lot of relatives I haven't seen for awhile, and I'm looking forward to meeting the bride.

2. I'm celebrating being a guest on the wonderful Kirby Larson's Friend Friday post. Here is the link to her webpage: http://www.kirbylarson.com/blog/

She has a series of columns, one for Mondays, Tuesdays, etc. Fridays are always "Friendship Friday". If you click on it now, you'll get last Friday's guests, author LaurieAnn Thompson and illustrator Paul Schmid, who teamed up to write what looks like a charming picture book, My Dog Is Best. My post will be on the 26th, two days from now. Please do take a look Friday.

In the meantime, please go next door to my Fourth Wish Blog  to read about a wonderful Fado singer whom we met in Portugal when I was doing research for my next book.

Celebrate the Small Things is a nifty blog hop sponsored by Lexa Cain ,  Tonja Drecker of Kidbits Blog , and L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge 
Do have a look at these three great sites, and look into the links of others who are part of this blog hop. You'll meet some nice friends!

School Visit in Braga, Portugal

Wonderful students at Escola
Secundaria Maximinos

It's been such a busy time, that I'm opting out of the "Celebrating Small Things" blog hop for about two weeks to catch up on events in Portugal and Galicia. Then I'll get back to it, as I really enjoy all the friends I've met there.

Now that book events of the last week are winding down, I can get to a school visit in Braga that give me the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful students at Escola Secondaria Maximinos, a secondary school equivalent to our middle and high school levels in the United States. (Braga is divided into civil parishes, and Maximinos, where the school is located, is one of those parishes.)

The visit was arranged by Carla Pereira, a lovely person I met on a previous trip while doing research who has become a dear friend, and one of the teachers at the school. Carla had corresponded with me and asked if I would visit her daughter's school. Of course I said yes! The teacher who set up the event, Senhorita Carminda, arranged for us to meet in the library, which provided a warm and welcoming environment.

Carla, her 12-year old daughter,
Beatrix, and me.

Carla's daughter, Beatrix, is twelve, but the majority of students were between 13 and 15. Students from two 7th grade classes and two 8th grade classes met in the library, which hosts visitors and various programs. (You can learn more about the library programs HERE.)

A table had been set up at the front of the room, and what really amazed (and delighted) me was a screen that had a picture of my book cover! I had bought posters to pin up, but they were entirely unnecessary.

What to my wondering eyes did appear.

Senhorita Carminda, me, and a charming
supervisor from the school district. I'm
sorry I can't tell you her name. I met a lot
of people all at once. But she was warm
and welcoming, like all the staff. 

The students were a great audience: attentive, curious, serious, well-behaved. They understood English and asked interesting questions: everything from what made me come to Braga (another book I'm writing), what did I like about Braga (oh so much!), how long I had been writing (all my life), and a few other questions.

Following along. . . (you can see my
husband, Rajan, near the door.)

The students were pretty focused.

And attentive.

I really enjoyed their questions.

Some of the students told me they write, too. And -- impressive -- one young man is studying both Spanish and French, in addition to the English he already has been learning. Here are some
    pictures of these cool young
    students:

 
 Altogether, the visit took about 45 minutes, and the time went by very fast.


Before it was over, I was presented with a gift from the school - a pen with a wooden shaft in a beautifully crafted wooden box. And because they do things in such a special way, the box was wrapped in paper with a picture of my book cover!

The wrapping.

The special pen. My poetry pen. 

Even though I write my fiction on the computer, I write my poetry by hand, and this is now my poetry pen, which will always hold special memories for me of this lovely event. (I took these pictures when we got back to our house in Galicia.)


After the students went to their next class, we had some pictures taken with our hosts, two hard-working librarians who also teach classes. They set everything up for us and created this inviting and comfortable atmosphere.

Rajan, Senhorita Carminda, me,
supervisor, and 2 gracious librarians.

Senhorita Carminda, Beatrix, Carla,
me, and charming supervisor. 

But there was another surprise, too! I actually received this the day before when I walked over to Casa Stop to arrange with Carla the meeting time to go to the school. Casa Stop is a cool shop with a little bit of everything, including needlework. (I waited until we returned to Galicia to take this picture in our little dining area.) The embroidery work featured is a logo of the Sé Cathedral in Braga.

A beautiful apron and potholder, and a little "pocket" to keep them in. Of course, I wouldn't dream of cooking with them. I'm a cook who sometimes spills things. These are a gift I will treasure, along with my new poetry pen, and the memories attached to them - examples of the generosity and kindness so typical of Portuguese culture.

Thank you, Carla! Thank you Escola Secondaria Maximinos! 

Next week: A very special Fado singer. Stay tuned.

Book Release - Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls

I have so many things to blog about, but:


Hip Hip Hooray,
Caloo Calay!
My book was just released today!

Here are the links: Imogene and The Case of The Missing Pearls is available from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine, Amazon USA,Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle and Kobo and will soon be on iTunes.


Meanwhile, please come back Friday for the first of several blogs about the trip to Portugal.

A school visit,
arranged by my friend, Carla

A fabulous Fadista, Maria da Luz

And, if you like historical novels, please go next door to my Fourth Wish Blog for a review of Nancy Herman's fine book about the Donner Party, told through thirteen-year-old Virginia'Reed's point of view.

Celebrating A School Visit and a Guest Post Next Tuesday

Carla Pereira in her charming
shop, Casa Stop

It's again and I'm celebrating two events that  are actually going to happen next Tuesday, June 2nd. 

One of them is a school visit in Braga Portugal! How did this happen?
   
Last May, Rajan and I visited Braga, Portugal for the first time so I could do research on a new book that I've set in Braga. At that time, I met the very gracious Carla Pereira in a charming shop called Casa Stop which offers a range of things for the home. (You can see more about the shop at its Facebook page HERE.) Carla gave us directions when we got lost, and when she found out I was writing a book, we struck up a nice friendship that we continued by email. (Don't you love the Internet?)

My husband and I visited again in September, and when she learned we were returning in June, Carla asked if I would pay a school visit to her daughter's school. Well, of course I said yes! I'm thrilled! The students speak English (I don't speak Portuguese), and they are curious about American authors. It's a class of 30 I'll be addressing, ages 13 to 15. Pictures will definitely follow in a post visit blog!

The second wonderful thing I'm celebrating next Tuesday is that I'll be a doing a guest post on the cool blog, Mad About MG History, a blog about middle grade historical fiction. It's hosted by several bloggers, one of which is Chris Eboch, who has another blog, Write Like a Pro, a free online writing workshop. (I've heard Chris speak at workshops, read and liked a some of her books, and bookmarked several of her articles. She knows whereof she speaks.) You can visit Mad About MG History HERE and tap into some good reads for middle grade readers. Come visit me there on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, I'm getting to celebrate all this with you, thanks to LEXA CAIN's blog and her co-hosts,
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Katie @ TheCyborgMom. Visit Lexa's blog and follow and join the other links. It's really nice to see what other people are celebrating.

Have a great day.












http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com

Guest Post and Giveaway on Natalie Aguirre's Literary Rambles

I'm excited to have a guest post and a giveaway of my new book, Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, on Natalie Aguirre's wonderful blog, Literary Rambles. You can read the post and maybe win your free copy HERE. Please visit her site and check it out.

Here's a teaser of the book, a trailer a friend made for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpBXxmTVdvM&feature=youtu.be



And at Natalie's blog, you'll find a wealth of information on agents and other authors.

Have you ever made a trailer for one of your books?