What's For Dinner by Evelyn David

The author of Murder Off the Books, Murder Takes the Cake, Riley Come Home, Moonlighting at the Mall, Zoned for Murder and The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries e-book series, Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.

Marian lives in New York and is the author of eleven nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! For more information on these books, please visit her web site at http://www.marianedelmanborden.com

Rhonda lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is the director of the coal program for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person.

Please check out Evelyn's website at http://www.evelyndavid.com and their blog – The Stiletto Gang - http://www.thestilettogang.blogspot.com/ for information about Evelyn David's appearance schedule and writing projects.

 Zoned for Murder -http://tinyurl.com/ZonedK

First Book in the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries series

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries - http://tinyurl.com/psychicBS1

First Book in the Sullivan Investigation Mystery series

Murder Off the Books - http://tinyurl.com/motb3

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What's for Dinner?

by Evelyn David

First, thanks so much to Kaye for her delicious blog, full of insight, laughs, and wisdom. We're honored to be a return guest. Neither half of Evelyn David has had the pleasure of meeting Kaye in person, but on the other hand, neither half of Evelyn David has met the other. Yep, ten years into our writing partnership and we still haven't been in the same room together.

But as we've all learned, the Internet provides a remarkable opportunity to forge friendships. So maybe it doesn't seem so odd that Rhonda and I started planning a dinner party, even if we wouldn't be together for the event. But that's okay because our guests, we each got to invite three people, were our favorite sleuths, gathered around our virtual table, munching and chatting about constantly stumbling over dead bodies (somebody mentioned the Cabot Cove syndrome they all seemed to suffer from). The dinner was hosted by Maggie Brooks, the intrepid reporter, reluctant sleuth of our new mystery, ZONED FOR MURDER.

Marian, the Northern half of this writing duo, invited Mary Alice Sullivan Nachman Crane, the hysterical, six-foot, 250-pound older sibling found in the wonderful Southern Sisters series by the late Anne George. Always the life of any party, Mary Alice could out-eat, out-drink, but not necessarily out-detect the guest to her left, Miss Jane Marple of St. Mary's Mead. An elderly spinster (do we ever actually know how old Miss Marple is, because old wasn't so old when Agatha Christie was writing those books), Miss Marple insists throughout the dinner that detecting is just a matter of seeing the similarities in people, regardless of the differences in circumstances. Marian's final guest is Precious Ramotswe whose No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency makes her the only professional sleuth in the crowd. MMa Ramotswe, sharing an after-dinner cup of bush tea, challenged the others to solve the case of a husband gone missing after a Baptism ceremony in a river.

Rhonda, the Southern half, invited Park Ranger Anna Pigeon from the series by Nevada Barr. Experienced in navigating the wilds of the National Parks, Anna was at a distinct disadvantage in the fictional village of Milford, New York, a suburb of the Big Apple. She passed on the tea, suggested they open a bottle or two of red wine, and reminded Maggie Brooks to give her a call the next time she investigated a crime scene in the woods. Maggie nodded but knew she'd never make that call. She just didn't have the physical endurance or luck to survive an Anna Pigeon investigation. Rhonda's second guest was Judge Deborah Knott from the series by Margaret Maron. Deborah was more than happy to take up MMa Ramotswe's challenge, after she returned a half-dozen telephone calls from her new husband Dwight and her extended family back in North Carolina. She reminded the group of the time she was missing for days – stuck in a wrecked car on the side of a mountain. The final seat at the dining table was filled by psychic Brianna Sullivan, the heroine of our on-going series set in Lottawatah, Oklahoma. Widow Maggie Brooks wanted to ask Brianna if her deceased husband Pete was haunting the house, but decided if he was, she didn't want to know about it.

"I really can't detect without my sister," Mary Alice declared. "Are we sure that the husband is really missing? Was he fully immersed or just sprinkled?"

"The ghost I'm seeing looks pretty dry except for the blood." Brianna pointed towards the doorway. "If I had to guess, something blew up in his face. There's black stippling on his skin."

"A gun! Was he a hunter?" The question was asked simultaneously by both the Judge and the Park Ranger. Deborah and Anna immediately got into a discussion over firearms and the statistics concerning the likelihood of being killed by your own weapon.

"No," MMa Ramotswe said, softly. "He lived in Gaborone, not on a farm. But the ceremony was in a river, filled with crocodiles and with dangerous snakes in the area. So you are surmising that this was a tragic hunting accident?"

"My last by-line concerned a fisherman who was killed." Maggie served a platter of Girl Scout Thin Mints. "Sorry about the dessert. I didn't have a chance to pick up the cake I ordered. My daughter is a terrible cookie saleswoman and I'm no better. I have a whole freezer of these stockpiled for a rainy day. I buy them and both Zoe and I avoid a lot of stress. We keep it a secret from the Girl Scout leaders."

Miss Marple accepted a cookie. She took a small bite and placed it on her teacup saucer. She'd declined the bush tea and had very reluctantly accepted a cup of Lipton's brewed from a teabag. Maggie heard her murmur something about "Americans."

The little old lady with the lace gloves spoke so softly, everyone had to lean forward to hear. "I wonder about the wife's role in the disappearance. Reminds me of a young maid in St. Mary's Mead who insisted that her boyfriend had disappeared, when in fact, she had killed him. I knew it the moment I saw how she had hung out the wash."

Maggie Brooks was confused by Miss Marple's comparison of the two cases, not to mention the concept of hanging out the wash. She resolved to look up St. Mary's Mead on Wikipedia. The evening closed with stories about bear baiting, moonshining, World War II spy craft, electronic voice phenomenon detectors, and a bare-bottomed Birmingham, Alabama landmark (which elicited a roar of laughter from Mary Alice and a quiet tut-tut from Miss Marple).

As the "all-knowing" narrator, both halves of Evelyn David sat back and enjoyed the party. We hope you have too.

We had fun imagining such a dinner party. But what it actually tells us is something that we, and all writers, know. Our characters are our friends. We know them as well, if not better, than people we know in real life. We can envision spending time with them.

Which sleuths would you like to see around the dinner table? Sam Spade and Nick Charles (with or without Nora and Asta)? V.I Warshawski (playing opera in the background?) and Stephanie Plum who brings a bag of Cheetos for the host?

Leave a comment and win a free download of I TRY NOT TO DRIVE PAST CEMETERIES, the first Brianna Sullivan mystery.

Thanks again to Kaye – and with whomever you dine, may your meal be filled with delicious food, (fictional) murder, mayhem, and (very real) fun.

Author Awakening by Evelyn David

The author of Murder Off the Books, Murder Takes the Cake, and The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries e-book series, Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.  Marian lives in New York and is the author of eleven nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! For more information on these books, please visit her web site at http://www.marianedelmanborden.com   Rhonda lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is the director of the coal program for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person. 

Please check out Evelyn's website at  http://www.evelyndavid.com  and their blog – The Stiletto Gang - http://www.thestilettogang.blogspot.com/  for information about Evelyn David's appearance schedule and writing projects.

Murder Off the Books and Murder Takes the Cake have been printed in a 2nd Edition with Wolfmont Publishing. Trade paperback and all e-reader formats of both books are available.

The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries include: I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries, The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah, The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah, Undying Love in Lottawatah, and A Haunting in Lottawatah. All e-reader formats of these books are available.

Evelyn David has also written an ebook collection of short romantic stories - Love Lessons

 

Author Awakening 

by Evelyn David

The topic of authors and how much, when, and by whom they will be paid for their literary efforts has always been part of the creative conversation. Lately we've seen much Internet chatter about major mystery authors boldly walking away from traditional publishers offering bucketloads of money (we definitely consider$500,000 one big sandpail of cash) in order to self-publish their own ebooks.  Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler discuss the long-term financial implications far better than we can (http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/).

Also helpful in understanding the history and the future of e-book publishing is Mike Shatzkin's blog (http://www.idealog.com/blog/). He gives the long-view of the biggest change in publishing since Johannes Guttenberg printed the Bible on a moveable type printing press (and wanted to be paid for it, by the way).

And then there's the story of 26-year-old Amanda Hocking, who made her first million dollars by self-publishing her paranormal romance tales, and now has elected to sign with the same traditional publisher that Barry Eisler rejected.  But she got a tractor trailer full of cash for her next four books, $2 million in all.

As it happens, the collective Evelyn David has not been late to this particular party. Last October we decided to get on the self-publishing bandwagon and began releasing The Brianna Sullivan Mysteries. The stories feature a psychic who inexplicably ends up in Lottawatah, Oklahoma. It's a small town with a population of 1482 and an unknown number of ghosts wanting to move on, but who need Brianna's help to solve the mysteries that are keeping them tethered to this world. These tales are intriguing, funny, romantic, and have captured our imaginations and stirred our creative juices. Bottom Line: We're having a blast writing this series.

But as every self-published author will tell you, there's work in them thar hills. All of a sudden, we're not only authors, but cover designers, editors, marketing execs, tech wizards, and a myriad of other tasks formerly handled by publisher's staffs.

And the funny thing is: that's more than okay with us. Because what we've discovered about self-publishing is that it feeds directly into our Type-A personalities. In some ways, authors are consummate control freaks.  Who else beside an author (and God) gets to fashion man any which way she wants? We decide who lives and who dies. With a stroke of the keyboard, we can make a character filthy rich – or just filthy.

The payoff has been pleasantly surprising. While neither of us can give up our day jobs, we weren't able to do that with traditional publishers either. But from our self-publishing "empire," we are getting steady monthly checks, rather than waiting for twice-a-year royalty checks. Our cut of the sale price is bigger. The books are released when we are ready – not when the publisher slots us into a schedule.

Lori L. Lake argues convincingly that this self-publishing ebook craze will wane as the market becomes glutted with some good, but many bad books (http://www.sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/). But frankly that's always been the case with traditional publishers as well. Cream rises to the top, so to speak. Readers figure out who they want to read – and who was a waste of $2.99.  And it's a lot easier to forgive a bad book if it hasn't set you back $25.

We're not giving up on traditional publishers. Though perhaps a tad late, they too have discovered that they need to figure out a new business model that works for both the author and the publisher. The third book of our Sullivan Investigations Series will be published in print and ebook version by the incomparable Tony Burton of Wolfmont Press. We don't see this as an either/or situation. Sales of our print books helped develop for us an audience who are willing to try our ebooks. The synergy is working.

Special thanks to Kaye who has supported and encouraged Evelyn David from our very first book. We invite all her fans to visit us at our website http://www.evelyndavid.com or stop by our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/evelyn.david1

Any of Kaye's readers who email us the correct answers to the following questions will receive a coupon equal to the purchase price of any one of our e-books at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/evelyndavid )  To qualify to win we must receive the emailed answers by 5 pm Eastern time on May 31, 2011. Send your emails to evelyn@evelyndavid.com

1. Name the Irish Wolfhound in the Sullivan Investigations Mystery series.
2. Name the English Bulldog in the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries series.

Special bonus question worth a second coupon – Name the towns and the states where the two mystery series are set. 

A New Ride by Evelyn David

The author of Murder Off the Books and Murder Takes the Cake, Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.  Marian lives in New York and is the author of ten nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! For more information on these books, please visit her web site at http://www.marianedelmanborden.com.  Rhonda lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is the director of the coal program for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person. 

A New Ride
by Evelyn David

We're Back: Bigger, Badder, and hopefully Wiser. Well, maybe two out of the three.

Change ain't easy. At least for the collective Evelyn David. You're looking at two people who often insist that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," which is a great excuse for not changing anything at all. Our once fervent hope was to keep things "just the way they are." So sometimes kicking and screaming, sometimes holding our collective breath, and sometimes with open arms, both halves of Evelyn David have confronted challenging situations over the last twelve months and, in spite of ourselves, have undergone a whole lot of change. And much to our surprise, if we say so ourselves, we've emerged the better for it. As that famous writer, anonymous, once said, "If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

There were health crises, family crises, work crises, but thank God, those are behind us (poo, poo, as the original Evelyn would add to ward off the evil eye.) But the net effect is that there were months when the only writing we were doing as collaborators were e-mails to check on one another.

We had to pause and reevaluate where we wanted to go with our fiction writing - where we wanted to be in five or ten years. We also had to deal with the insecurities that most writers face when the last book has been out a few months and the new one isn't on the horizon yet. For us, taking a break, even an enforced one, wasn't a good thing. Writing, like riding a bicycle, is much easier to accomplish if you keep pedaling. If you stop, you lose momentum, fall, and worse yet, may never get going again.

But spring finally arrived and with it came renewal: physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Maybe things weren't normal as we had known them, but now there was a "new normal," and we were stronger and ready to tackle it. We decided to recommit ourselves to growing as mystery writers. Stagnation wasn't an option. There were new stories to be written–and the ideas, some crazy, some not, started flying back and forth between New York and Oklahoma. We refocused and rather than be reactive to circumstances, made conscious decisions about our professional future.

With great respect and appreciation for the opportunities afforded us by our original publisher, we made the decision to move on. We are proud, excited, heck downright giddy, to announce that Wolfmont Press (http://www.wolfmont.com) helmed by the incredible Tony Burton, is reissuing in print and e-book formats the first two books of the Sullivan Investigations Series. *Murder Off the Books*, with a new cover and one significant detail changed, will be published at the end of this month. It's already available in Kindle and for the i-Pad. The trade paperback edition of *Murder Takes the Cake* will be released in November. It too is already available in e-book format. And finally, we can scarcely contain our delight to tell you that plans are in the works for book three, *Murder Drops the Ball*, to be published in all formats in spring, 2011. Mac Sullivan, Rachel Brenner, Whiskey and the whole crazy cast of characters are back investigating, squabbling, and dancing around the new year and new relationships. It has a story to die for, humor to make you laugh out loud, characters you know and love, and the gentle giant, Whiskey, the Irish wolfhound.

Robert C. Gallagher said, "Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." So things are changing and so are we. Hope you'll join us on the ride. Fasten your seatbelts, it may be bumpy, but it's going to be fun! Check our website at http://www.evelyndavid.com for more details and our appearance schedule.

Rhonda's work space - Marian says hers looks the same but with a diet coke on the desk

Gumshoe Moms by Evelyn David

Evelyn David is the pseudonym for Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett.

Marian, who lives in New York, is delighted to be attending her third Malice.

Rhonda, who lives in Oklahoma, attends vicariously. They are the authors of the Sullivan Investigations series.


Murder Off the Books was published in 2007.


Murder Takes the Cake made its debut at Malice on May 1, 2009. Please visit their website at http://www.evelyndavid.com


Gumshoe Moms

In honor of Mother’s Day, we thought we’d pay tribute to those fictional amateur sleuths who are Moms. We’d send each a virtual breakfast in bed, some roses, maybe a hand-made card or two from their offspring.

But as the two halves of Evelyn David went through the list of popular female protagonists, it became abundantly clear that parenthood and sleuthing don’t mix. Yes, our own protagonist, Rachel Brenner, has Sam, a freshman in college.

But sad to say, Sam’s not a particularly attentive son, so we wouldn’t bet on him calling 1-800-Flowers anytime soon.

But then we got stuck trying to find Moms who are detectives. Miss Marple, the darling, was most decidedly childless. So too are Jessica Fletcher, Pam North, Nora Charles, Stephanie Plum, Kinsey Millhone, and Annie Darling. The list goes on and on. These women may have significant others, perhaps share home and hearth with dogs and cats, but no kids.

To be fair, it’s not that there are many detective Dads either.

Playing detective means following the clues – whenever and wherever they lead.

But if you have to worry about finding a sitter before you can confront a suspect or track down what turns out to be a red herring – then the story may go off into different directions. We’ve yet to hear a detective on a stakeout agonize over getting two dozen cupcakes ready for the PTA bake sale (although word to the wise: Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins are a perfectly fine substitute for homemade goodies).

And yet, motherhood is probably the best training for being a detective short of going to the FBI Training Academy at Quantico. Think about it. A good mother is:

(1) A master at noticing details.

a. Personal grooming defects: She knows exactly the number of hours since last tooth brushing and whether or not a shirt was worn one day or three.

b. Odd odors: The super sniffer can detect a soiled diaper and 10-day-old leftover pizza under the bed without entering the room.

c. Identifying physical characteristics and clothing: She can accurately estimate the height, to the quarter inch, of the subject, as well as the exact color, style, and price of the criminals' outfits.

(2) Great at detecting lies and interrogating suspects.

a. Moms can find the inconsistencies in a subject's retelling of events with laser-like accuracy.

b. With a well-practiced stare and guilt-infusing declarations, experienced mothers can elicit confessions ranging from minor transgressions to multiple counts of murder.

c. Mothers have a wide-ranging social network with lots of "snitches" from which they can obtain rebuttal evidence.

(3) Appreciative of long, quiet, hours spent alone on stakeouts.

a. After creating Halloween costumes for multiple kids, most moms have plenty of outfits for disguises.

b. After years of staying up with sick babies, mothers have enough patience to maintain a 24-hour surveillance without getting bored or nodding off.

c. After filling day planners with detailed school events, music lesson schedules, and overlapping medical appointments for the brood, keeping good, legible stakeout notes with timelines on one suspect is a breeze.

Happy Mother's Day to all the fictional and real mothers out there. Maybe next year you'll be wearing gumshoes and a dark trenchcoat in a whodunit of your own.

Why I'm Here, and Ta DA! - Introducing the Meanderings & Muses 2009 Dream Team

I have a cold.

I hate colds.

It would be so easy to fall into “poor pitiful me” stuff, and I’ll admit to a little of that, but honestly? Whining gets on my nerves, so I try awfully hard not to do it. ‘Course, I don’t always succeed, but dang - what can be more fun sometimes than an all-out wailing, poor, poor, pitiful me party, complete with a gallon of ice cream and one huge spoon while dressed in your favorite jammies. Boy howdy.

O.K. - two spoons.

Donald has the same cold and is fighting the pity party thing right along with me.

But. As tempting as it may be, I just can’t be pititful right now. Anyone who has been graced with the kind of support and friendship I have this week couldn’t dare allow themselves to fall into pitidom.

After years of not understanding the world of blogging and swearing it wasn’t for me, when I step back and take a look at where I am now, it makes my head swimmy. Not only am I writing a blog, I have what can only be a blogger’s dream team lined up to play with me for the whole of next year. Take a look at this list on the left - Gloriosa.

A lot of you are going to remember me saying I was not a fan of blogging. Talk about eating your words - oy. Though, I must say, in this particular instance, I am happy to do so. But. HOW did I get here, especially with this tremendous group of people agreeing to do guest spots at Meanderings and Muses, along with a group of people who have written me asking that I continue blogging after I wrote a couple of pieces, just because they enjoy what I have to say? How on earth did this happen?

Well, for one thing Meanderings and Muses wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Robin and Deborah who have written me with ideas and suggestions they want me to write about. They have shown a level of support and encouragement that has floored me, but as it happens, they've provided just the push I guess I needed to do this. I just didn't know it.

And I can tell you for sure it wouldn’t have happened without a group of people who need to remain nameless because it’s a VERY secret society. A group gathering almost daily on the internet to chat, gossip, support one another in a myriad of activities, and occasionally get irritated with one another. They’re the group of people who tapped my desire to write these pieces you’ve seen and will continue to see here. It a group I love without bounds.

Oh, O.K. - one name I gotta give up.

Earl Staggs. Or as you’ve seen me refer to him all over the internet; “Earl Darlin’.” Earl is one of my favorite people on God’s green earth. He’s also one of my favorite writers. He’s a master. If you haven’t read his short stories, you’re missing out. If you haven’t read his MEMORY OF A MURDER, gracious - what ARE you waiting for??

Additional reasons I'm here include that very first invitation to blog from Evelyn David at The Stiletto Gang (Thank You, Rhonda and Marian!), with follow up invites from JT Ellison at Murderati, and Rob Walker at Acme Authors, and Patti Abbott for her Friday's Forgotten Books. Thanks, guys - very much. More than I can say.

As for the guests you’re going to find here next year, as you can see they include writers who are well known, writers who are on their way to becoming well known, and some who are just getting started, bloggers, readers and mystery fans. If there’s one common thread, besides being lovers of books and words, its that each and every person you see here as a guest will write something that will touch you in some way. It might make you cry, or laugh, possibly anger you, or just make you think. Remember please, that it will not necessarily be an opinion that matches mine, but the very thought of censoring what someone says disgusts me as much as I’m sure it does you. It might be a light and fluffy piece about cooking or what someone did on their summer vacation, or it might be hard and tough. It might just be something they have on their mind and want to share or get off their chest. That’s what I’ve discovered blogging is all about. A sharing in which the writer invites others to participate and give back. An exchange of words, ideas and/or feelings in which things get tossed around and back and forth.

That’s another part of the puzzle of how I came to start Meanderings and Muses. I gave in and actually started reading blogs as I would hear about them. I swore I didn’t have time to do this - and really, who does? There are a beezillion of them out there. But as you browse your way through them you come to realize that while they’re not all for you, some of them are touching you in some way and you find yourself going back for more. Or they’re providing one place in which to give you information you’re interested in - such as one of my all time favorites; Sarah Weinman’s “Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.”

There are several which have me captured, and I’ve added them here as a permanent part of Meanderings and Muses with links so that you can all get to them quickly. And will add more as I discover them, so send me recommendations, please! I don’t read them all every day, but I always know that when I do settle down for a day of catching up on things, they’re there and I’m going to enjoy them. They’re just like books in that some writers will appeal to you, while others will not. Its no surprise that some of my favorite blogs are written by some of my favorite writers. Over time, I am no longer surprised that some of them are written by people I’ve never heard of. Voices that may never find their way to the New York Times Best Seller list, or be the recipient of one of the awards given out at writer/fan conventions. And you know what - that’s not the goal for many of these writers. That does not, however, diminish their writing skills in any way. Not one iota. You know this to be true. So take a minute and take a peek at some of the blogs I have listed here and possibly discover a new voice you’ll enjoy.

What has evolved from the early days of blogging is that there are many bloggers who have a dedicated following. I know, for instance, that when I drop in at “Murderati” to see what any of those wonderful people (GREAT writers, every one!) have to say, the chances are that I’m going to run into the same folks leaving comments most days. They have become an integral part of the group. Seeing their responses is as interesting, and as important, as the original post. And what’s become obvious is that while we agree on a lot, there are things we’re not going to agree on. The interaction that then takes place is just like it would be if it were happening in the real world. A quick little snappy retort, some hurt feelings, some apologies and some making up. I find this phenomenon immensely intriguing.

So, I hope you’ll continue watching this spot. I can’t promise you there will be something new and exciting here every day - actually I can promise you that there won’t be! I have a job, and I have Donald and Harley, and I have to read (a LOT) or I get grumpy. One little tidbit I really do want to share (I'm a pushy old thing sometimes, you know). Women out there reading this who are not married. This is some good advice, people - listen up!! Make sure, please, if you do decide to marry, that you marry a man who makes you laugh. And if he can make you laugh every single day of your life for over 22 years like Donald Barley has me (well - O.K. - not "every" day, but a gracious plenty of 'em), you'll be able to handle whatever curves life throws at you.

So.

On January 12th one of my favorite people, a very good friend and an excellent writer, Pat Browning will kick off Meanderings and Muses, 2009. Mark your calendars and come see what she has to say and chat with her a bit. She wrote the book FULL CIRCLE, which has just been re-released under the title ABSINTHE OF MALICE. Its terrific! If you’re a member of the community of DorothyL, you’ve seen me and a bunch of other people rave about Pat's book.

Then dear friends, stick around. I can promise you a year filled with people you’ll enjoy. I know the schedule you see here will be changing, so keep your eye on it, please.

Which brings up a point. Emails and announcements. I know I’ve been sending out a lot of emails while this project has been getting off the ground. If you’re like me, they’re not really always appreciated. So tell me if you want your name removed from the mailing list. You are not going to hurt my feelings - I promise.

Happy Holidays, all!