City of Dragons Tour - The Great Northwest!

So for the first leg of the tour, we flew to Seattle the morning after the M is for Mystery launch party, and relished being in my home state at Seattle's finest bookstore, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, with the wonderful and awesome Fran and JB! I met some folks, signed books, hung out with the gang, blogged, listened to the soundtrack for City of Dragons and had lunch with a friend in Seattle's oldest bar. Stayed at the Sleep Inn in SeaTac (and wished I actually could), but it was another early morning and a drive to Portland the next day.

Along the beautiful I-5, we stopped in Olympia to thank Linda Dewberry of Whodunit Books for nominating City of Dragons for the IndieNext list! We also enjoyed a great lunch next door at Olympia's finest sandwich shop.

And I've gotta say ... as a native Washingtonian, I'm very proud of my state's hospitality. All along I-5, you come upon rest stops with highway signs advertising "free coffee." Charities get donations of coffees, cookies (sometimes cupcakes and donuts) and offer them to travelers, who then donate cash. It's a wonderful system. :)

In Portland, we stayed at an Arts and Crafts guest house in the Hawthorne District, close to Murder by the Book. I love this store! Informative, friendly, wonderful, they--like Seattle Mystery Bookshop--are a must on any northwest tour.

Before the signing, we caught dinner at a cool restaurant called Belly Timber that also had the advantage of being directly across the street (and it was raining--hard!). Tried some lovely fried chickpeas as an appetizer, and now I'm addicted. Seriously, if you're ever there, try 'em--they're even better than popcorn!

Dear, dear friend and brilliant writer Bill Cameron joined us at dinner and showed us how to cross a rainy and dark Portland street like a native. We had a good turnout for the Murder by the Book event, including the wonderful Theresa Bergen, ITW member and writer, who wrote a great recap for Reading Local. I got the chance to pass around ephemera and answer a lot of interesting questions and do a little reading. And of course--had a lot of fun!!

The next morning, we left for Seattle, eating lunch at a seafood cafe along the way (halibut tacos--yum!). We made good time--stopping for our prerequisite I-5 coffee--and squeezed in fifteen minutes of childhood thrills before heading to the rent car center and airport. :)

I was born in Tacoma and lived there until I was seven, and have very fond memories of Brown and Haley--makers of the famous Almond Roca. And my mom used to take me to the factory outlet store ... which is still there!

The building is adorable, and we found out that it was originally built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, then transported to the factory when the fair ended. So my love of World's Fairs really did start early ... in person at Expo '67 and home in Tacoma with Brown and Haley!

The next leg of the tour takes me down to Los Angeles and points south ... to Mysteries to Die For, Book 'Em Mysteries, The Mystery Bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy and Poisoned Pen! I'll be blogging from the road. As always --- thanks for reading!

City of Dragons Launch!

Last Tuesday, February 2nd, was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

City of Dragons launched, released into bookstores and libraries and readers' hands ... despite the fact that at the time, it was blacklisted from Amazon, along with all other Macmillan titles.

But it didn't matter.

All the hopes, all the dreams, all the wishing and wanting and waiting. It coalesced into magic at my favorite bookstore, M is for Mystery.

So what are the ingredients for a once-in-a-lifetime moment that makes you incredibly touched and proud and feel like George Bailey at the end of It's A Wonderful Life?

Well, Chinese food of all kinds ... bourbon and sake and drinks served by two of the most talented bartenders in the world -- Edgar nominee Sophie Littlefield and Julie Goodson-Lawes ... goodie packs in Chinese New Year envelopes, complete with packs of candy cigarettes and party poppers ... Doll, the official mascot of Noir City, dressed in a fedora ... champagne toast ... and even a surprise birthday cake for Miranda.

And, of course, the most important ingredient: friends, starting with the amazing M is for Mystery staff: Pam, Jen, Anne, Charlotte, and of course Ed Kaufman. I was truly, truly humbled, and the warmth and love and memory of this special launch into the major leagues will always be a highlight of my life. :)

Books are like children ... it takes a village to raise them. And City of Dragons, Miranda and I are incredibly blessed and lucky to have the village--the family--that we do!!

One Week Countdown ...

I looked around and it was January.

Not New Year's Day, mind you, I remember that, even with the champagne. And I started the New Year off like everyone does ... full of plans and resolutions, one of which was to blog more often! ;)

I hope you forgive me. The whirlwind that has been leading up to the official launch of City of Dragons has been whirling ever faster, and in between book tour preparations and everything else I'm also going on a virtual blog tour and hanging out with friends--so I actually have been blogging. You can catch me on Working Stiffs and the Femmes Fatales ... and Notes from the Handbasket, Type M for Murder, The Rap Sheet, Meanderings and Musings, Pens Fatales, The Kill Zone, The Page 69 Test, My Book, My Movie, Coffee with a Canine, Detectives Beyond Borders and Jen's Book Thoughts are all upcoming!

So how do I feel, now that City of Dragons is only seven days away? Well, a little like Dorothy walking into technicolor. I've been stunned by the reception, and am immeasurably grateful for the all the support from this incredible and generous community. I'm trying to keep centered--that's what my wonderful agent tells me to do, and she's always right--but it's difficult. I alternate between absolute exhilaration and fear and anxiety, with gratitude and acknowledgment of my own extreme good fortune as the constants. :)

I'm looking forward to the book tour, which is taking me to Seattle, Portland, Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles, San Diego and Scottsdale ... I only wish I could venture farther. My ultimate goal is to be able to support myself through my writing, and if that day gets here, zipping all over and meeting wonderful readers is part of the plan! And I'm popping vitamin C and trying to get some rest, so I can withstand the rigors of travel in the rainy season. I hope to meet some Writing in the Dark readers along the way.

And like every other crime fiction reader and writer, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Robert B. Parker. His blurb for City of Dragons was an incredible act of generosity--a trait he was well-known for. I was looking forward to thanking him in person--I plan to be in Boston in July. Instead, I joined many voices in a heartfelt tribute on The Rap Sheet. As we head into the hurly-burly of actual publication, I feel like Miranda has Spenser's hand on her shoulder.


So, my friends, once more unto the breach, to use a line that was probably corny when Shakespeare wrote it. We write, we revise, we copy edit, we proof and proof and proof ... and, eventually, we let it fly, hoping paper-thin wings can withstand the weather, hoping it reaches readers who will love it and cherish it and make it their own, make it something we could never imagine.

Letting go is every author's challenge and every author's dream ... and in just a week, it will happen to City of Dragons.

Thanks for being a part of it!!

Bay City Holiday

I know San Francisco is supposed to be perennially shrouded in fog--and we do get quite a bit of the atmospheric pea soup variety--but sometimes it's just plain mild and sunny, even in December. Those are the days when you remember you're in California. :)

During the holidays, there's an ice rink in Union Square, smack dab in the middle of the downtown shopping district ... right next to lit palm trees. And cable cars and the vintage streetcars that travel down Market are decked out in wreathes and garland ... and the rotating star at the top of the Sir Francis Drake is just a little extra bright.

I had occasion to go downtown on Saturday--a visit to Melissa at Secret Agent Salon, the most fabulous stylist and team in the Bay Area--and thought I'd share some photos of what San Francisco is like during the holiday season.

Chinatown, as you can see, was thronged with shoppers, bargain-hunting in the small stores that line Grant and California. Gold garlands added a festive touch to the always festive lantern street lights, while banners and lanterns make every day a holiday when you shop in Chinatown.

Still ... atmosphere reins. The Li Po bar, like most of its brethren, opens early and closes late. And Sam Wo--one of my favorite places to eat, with its no-frills set-up, huge and delicious portions, cheap prices and dumbwaiter to deliver the food upstairs--is always quintessential Chinatown, as downscale as the Empress of China is upscale. (BTW, the Empress had a delicious drink of the same name, with Midori liqueur. Tell 'em I sent you. ;) ).

Not too many blocks away is Union Square, Christmas Tree and the Menorah keeping company with the Dewey Monument (the column), and the famous heart painted by Tony Bennett for our Hearts of San Francisco city-wide fund-raising exhibit a few years ago.

I was in Union Square for the ceremony when this particular heart was dedicated ... and had a chance to both hear Mr. Bennett croon a few notes of you-know-what song, and actually got to thank him for the years of artistry and enjoyment he's given me and millions of other fans around the globe. Tony may have been born in New York, but he's a San Franciscan, through and through. :)

Later in the evening--the sun sets early this time of year, particularly in the downtown canyons--I had a chance to eat at John's Grill, another favorite restaurant, and celebrated home of The Maltese Falcon. I indulged in a Bloody Brigid--their signature drink, named after Hammett's femme fatale, of course--and a Jack LaLanne Salad. I grew up with "The Godfather of Fitness", and he's still in good shape--and recently celebrated his 95th birthday at John's.

John's--which is next to one of my favorite buildings in the city, the stately Flood Building, where Hammett worked as a Pinkerton (I worked in it during one summer, decidedly not as a Pinkerton)--has a cameo in CITY OF DRAGONS. A more prominent role in the book is played by the Pickwick Hotel, which dominates the corner of Mission and 5th, directly across the street from the Old Mint.

The Pickwick is mentioned in The Maltese Falcon, and my own history with it goes back to a fondly-remembered 8th grade trip. :)

Market Street is busy this time of year ... it boasts lighted snow flakes on every corner, and street musicians share the street with the homeless.

San Francisco's not a perfect city, and it can be a mean and dangerous place ... even more so than in 1940. But there is something about the place we call The City that is timeless, that transcends its politics, its Mayors, its debauchery and its decadence.

She's a grand old dame ... and a profound inspiration. I'm lucky to be able to spend the holidays with her! :)

May you and yours have a joyous and festive season ... and thanks for reading Writing in the Dark! Noir City is just around the corner ...

***

I also wanted to share some really wonderful news: CITY OF DRAGONS is an Indie Next Pick for February, and just received a starred review from Publishers Weekly! I'm very, very grateful ... and proud that the subtitle is "A San Francisco Mystery." :)

I'm also giving away a scarce signed advanced reading copy of CITY OF DRAGONS, along with a gift basket from Chinatown. Just go to my website and sign up for my newsletter to be entered ... the drawing will be at the end of December!

Gratitude

I seem to be posting from holiday to holiday these days. Partially from being behind (thanks to the flu) partially because life is whizzing by in a blur and there's a lot on all my myriad to-do lists.

Hard to believe it's only three months until CITY OF DRAGONS is out. And still videos and podcasts to come!

As for me, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Whether or not I lose my noir street cred and sound like a sap, here goes ... I am extraordinarily thankful and blessed to have a lot of wonderful people in my life.

To have both my dear parents. To have a wonderful family. To have a circle of amazing friends, many of them incredibly talented authors, whether of books or blogs or book reviews. To be blessed with the best agent and agent team, the most supportive, wonderful editor and publishing team. To have my books published in a very tough economic climate and get a chance to literally see my dreams come true.

See? I told you I was going to be sappy. ;)

But seriously, I am thankful for so many things, and one day just doesn't begin to cover them all. Right now, I'm looking at a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific Ocean. And I'm thankful for that, too.

Wherever you are, dear reader--and I hope it's someplace warm and safe--I hope you have a joyous week ahead, whether or not Thanksgiving is part of this month's calendar. Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

All Hallows' Eve

As I write this, my neighborhood is full of ghoulies and ghosties and short-leggedy beasties, all scrambling for candy. Dressed in hodge-podge homemade costumes and store-bought accessories, kids of all ages revel in Halloween and the celebration of social trust it represents. I do, too. :) All Hallows' Eve is a magical night ...

It was just three years ago, on a Halloween night in 2006, when I finished the sequel to NOX DORMIENDA. I had neither a publisher nor representation, and I wasn't at all sure I would be able to find either. But I had to finish MALEDICTUS (Cursed), had to finish a story that was wrapped up, in a way, with Halloween. A story dealing with curses, with ghosts, with necromancers, and with violations of that social compact that underlies our modern holiday.

Sure, it takes place two thousand plus years ago, nine months after the events of NOX DORMIENDA -- in October, 84 A.D. But it's a Halloween type of mystery, and a continuation of Roman Noir, all the same.

It's been quite a three years. NOX was published, won the Bruce Alexander Award for best historical mystery, was nominated for a Macavity, and will be published in Italy and Greece. My second series, set in 1940 San Francisco, is going to be published by Thomas Dunne/Minotaur starting with CITY OF DRAGONS on February 2, 2010. A short story prequel to CITY OF DRAGONS will be in FIRST THRILLS, an upcoming International Thriller Writers anthology featuring bestselling and emerging authors, publishing in June of next year by Tor ... my story "Children's Day" will be in print among writers whose work I venerate.


And now ... the Arcturus Series will continue! My Halloween book, finished three years ago tonight, will be published by Thomas Dunne/Minotaur. We're calling it CURSED, and hoping that it does NOT live up to its name. ;)

We celebrated at Bouchercon, this and other good news ... CITY OF DRAGONS will be available through all three major book clubs (Mystery Guild alternate selection; Book of the Month, Quality Paperback Book Club). We gathered as a community of mystery readers and writers and publishers and media, and in that gathering I celebrated career things, personal things, family things, mostly the feeling of being very, very blessed in many ways. I count those blessings every day.

And on Halloween ... even with a lingering cough from a bout of bronchitis ... I like to spread those blessings around. :) Have a safe, blessed, and wonderful All Hallows' Eve ... and thanks for reading Writing in the Dark!

Bouchercon Countdown!

In about three weeks I'll be on the way to Indianapolis and my third Bouchercon. I can't wait!

CITY OF DRAGONS got the push off from goal to paper after my first Bouchercon in Anchorage, in 2007. I now have the thrill of going to my third Bouchercon, knowing the book will be coming out February 2nd from Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books, and that it is dedicated to my family and the friends I met in Anchorage.

It's been quite a journey. :)

In the meantime, I've been busy. I'm involved in several events at the PPWebCon (first ever virtual crime fiction convention!), and have a lot of work to do before leaving for Indianapolis. I just concluded a two part interview with Jen Forbus on the fabulous Jen's Book Thoughts. I also enjoyed an interview with thriller writer Kathy-Diane Reveille on her wonderful Behind the Books blog. I've got a post for the always interesting WordNerd coming up, and I just wrote a Noir Bar review on one of my favorite film noirs--In a Lonely Place--for Pop Syndicate.

I've also released the trailer for CITY OF DRAGONS ... and am proud to say that the footage is genuine 1940 San Francisco film, in color.



I hope you like it ... and hope to see you at one or more of my stops along the way to Bouchercon ... and maybe even at the conference itself. Thanks for reading Writing in the Dark!