I’m writing this as I scarf down my usual breakfast Luna Bar, bolt a little coffee, with only 10 minutes before I leave for the airport.
New York always feels like a reward. I get to see friends and the marvelous Morrow crew, along with my agent. But it was a little bittersweet this year, as it was the first time in my publishing career that I couldn’t stop at the Black Orchid. The store closed last year. Still, I got to sign a book to the owners, Bonnie and Joe, as Joe was classy enough to stop by the signing last night. In fact, friends really swelled the attendance, making me look like a bonafide arthur, as we say in Baltimore.
I think I’m in USA Today today; I don’t have the heart to take the hotel copy out of the wrapper. I’ve been trying not to read too much about myself, skimming things after a cooling-off period. Even when the coverage is nice, as it has been so far (knock wood), I find that helps. However, a shout-out to Karen of the News-Post in Frederick, who really went the extra-mile on the feature about the Brunswick signing. People were knocked out by that.
And I have finally seen the official proof that WHAT THE DEAD KNOW made the New York Times bestseller list. This was utterly unexpected; the mass market list is extremely competitive and the writers near the top are moving books in numbers that are mind-boggling. I’m in the penultimate spot, but as we used to say when I rowed: No DFL!
And we never were. But we were often next-to-DFL.
Your talk at B&N in Baltimore was great. I was particularly impressed with how poised and gracious you were despite having been up and “onstage” for so many hours already. I’d have been a cranky mess. Congrats on the NYT bestseller list! Well deserved.
I’m dizzy trying to keep up with your daily posts, but it’s fun imagining you whirring around in your golden metallic trench coat, like a superhero, fighting for the unalienable rights of good books and good writers to be read.
The NYT best-seller list is very fine news–I remember a vignette you relayed as you spoke at the last Dying to Write conference,about a drunken and bold assertion you once made at your kitchen kitchen table–that the one thing you really wanted was to write a NYT bestseller. Your speech stopped me in my tracks, by the way–especially the part about “if you can possibly live without writing, do it, you’ll be so much happier.” I remember coming home from the conference and waiting until the dark and comfort of bed before breaking into sobs. My poor husband–I couldn’t even talk, and he lay in the dark with me and murmured helplessly, sure that we were on the brink of some hidden marital disaster. Eventually I could gulp out, “Laura Lippman is right, I would be so much happier if I didn’t want to write…” I’ve recovered from your speech, but it did take awhile. And every so often I’ll test your theory, and spend a weekend doing something other than writing, and end up feeling unfinished, restless, a little empty, a little sad, as if the day’s hum of reading, of thinking has gone to waste.
Diana, I feel as if I owe you an apology.
Meanwhile, let’s just do the roll call of class acts — Sarah Weinman, Dave White, Lisa Respers-France, Keith Snyder, Joe Gugliemelli (am I even close on the spelling? So in a rush!) . . . I know I’m not listing every friend who attended last night, but it’s really nice when other writers support writers on the road.
In fact, I’m not even going to tease Dave, that’s how grateful I am.
I want a gold trenchcoat.
Congrats on the accolades. My copy arrived yesterday from B & N, so my weekend reading is set. Will plan on catching up with you at one of the Baltimore readings.
As for the USA Today article . . . . is the neighborhood of Hammett, Baker and Mencken off of Frederick Road?
<a href=”http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-03-12-lippman_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip”>USA TODAY</a>, <a href=”http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/article/56066/laura-lippmans-latest-tess-monaghan-novel-goes-on-the-set-of-a-tv-miniserie/”>McClatchy</a> and the <a href=”http://www.calendarlive.com/books/cl-et-book13mar13,0,3634039.story”>LA Times</a>, which strikes me as kind of a genius matchup of reviewer and author.
Keith, you can carry that look. Definitely.
I love how the busier you are, the more you post. Now you’re on the Path of the Blog Way, Grasshopper!
CONGRATS on reviews! If they are good. If anything is not, mutual irritation over here.
I was actually surprised that it looked so sharp. Never having seen one before.
The only thing about <a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=11566226&id=11567197&s=143441″>this song</a> that reminds me of you is the title, but you know these guys own gold trenchcoats. And probably purple ones, too. And other stuff with feathers on it.
Sarah, thanks for the links.
Gold trenchcoats, NYT best seller lists…hm…still want to play basketball at Bouchercon?
I haven’t played basketball at Bouchercon since 2000. Sometimes, I do learn from my mistakes.
No doubt you’ll see plenty of DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Laborer) people when you arrive in Minnesota. I look forward to your visit to Uncle Hugo’s/Uncle Edgar’s in Minneapolis.
Congratulations on making the NYT list!