Dog Days of April

I mean that title literally.

Why is it that when I am desperately trying to work on my next book (manuscript due in July), getting the postcard mailing out for my booksignings, going through my clothes trying to figure out what to pack for book tour (if I only weighed 10 pounds less I'd have plenty to wear), gearing up my perky persona for public appearances (as opposed to the scraggly, non-makeup-wearing, book writing hag seen only by my husband and the people at doggie daycare), why is it then that my crazy little puppy (Boo is six years old now!) starts vomiting indiscriminately?

The record was seven times one night. Now, at fifty-five years old (young? not feeling so young at 2 a.m.) that is rough. I'm dead the next day. So, of course, those of you who have animals know, I started the whole changing foods, consulting Internet sites, going to vet and having tests done. For almost two weeks Boo couldn't keep half his food down. Eventually, after many tests, including an ultra sound (for which he had to experience his very first Brazilian wax job--well, actually, they shaved him), it was diagnosed as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. So, he's being treated, is on a special diet and is doing much better. And I asked for a 2 week extension for my book, so I'm not quite as panicked as I was. I've also had some other personal family problems, but with the help of God and my faithful friends, I'm feeling pretty good about going out on the road. Just do me a favor and pray for good weather. My flying schedule is so tight that one thunderstorm could throw it all to heck!

I'm excited about coming out to talk about State Fair. I'll also be talking about Love Mercy, which comes out in paperback at the same time. I know many of you were waiting for the paperback and I'm looking forward to more people meeting Love Mercy Johnson, her best friend Magnolia Sanchez and Love's eighteen-year-old banjo-playing granddaughter, Rett. If the paperback book sales are good, it might convince my publisher that people would be interested in a sequel (so far, I don't have a contract for another Love Mercy book as the sales in 2009 weren't that good--hopefully because of the economy, not because people didn't want to read the book).

So, back to work now so that this time next year you'll have another Benni book to read. Hope to see you out on the road! (Check under appearances on website for my schedule).

Praying for safe travels and happiest of trails for everyone, Earlene

BOOK TOUR DATES ON WEBSITE!

Hi everyone!

My book tour is up on my website, so check it out and see if I'll be dropping by your neighborhood. The only change from my prior newsletter is that my publisher decided to take off Seattle and add Mission, Kansas (outside of Kansas City). I have no control over my schedule and I would have loved to come to Seattle, but it's my publisher's charge card. Maybe next year, Seattle! (And I have no clue why they choose the cities they do).

Hope to see some of you at my signings. Come on out and hear the story behind the story of State Fair!

As for what's going on in my life...I'm still working on Spider Web (next Benni book) and that's about it! See you all soon.

Happy Trails, Earlene

March? Already?

I'm sure I'm not the first person to look up from my work, blink and stammer--it's March? I see it was the beginning of February when I last wrote a blog. I will never be accused of excess blogging. My excuse is a good one. It's because I was writing! Seriously, I'm working hard on Spider Web, and the writing has been going good so except for the things I have to do (house, husband, dog, father, bills--not necessarily in that order), I've had my nose in my computer and my head in San Celina.

But, updates are needed on some things, so here it goes.

Yes, Tina and I did draw names for the contest. This is how my new mailing list works. It's entirely email and I don't have people's snail mail addresses or even their names. Everyone who is on my email list (that's all of you who've signed up for this newsletter) is automatically entered into the contest. When we decide to draw names, Tina has a computer program who randomly chooses the winners (I used to pull numbers out of a hat--seriously, I did--back in the 90's). So, then I email the three winners, ask permission to post their names and ask for their addresses.

Well, I emailed them three times over the course of three weeks. Finally, one answered. Barbara from Texas. She chose the State Fair cookbook and quilt book, which I've sent to her already. I finally gave up on the other two and Tina sent me two new winners...whom I will email today and inform them they've won. Once I hear from them, I'll post their names. So, you still might be a winner. I'll do another contest soon.

Other than that, not much else going on in my life. I'm going to Left Coast Crime convention this weekend in Los Angeles. Maybe I'll get to see a few of you there. My panel is on Thursday at 2:15 pm. It'll be fun staying in LA a few days. My very first job when I was seventeen years old and just graduated from high school was in downtown LA at what was then called Occidental Life Insurance. It was down by the garment district and we used to shop for deals during our lunch hour. That was back in the Stone Age--1972.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be posting my book tour schedule for State Fair soon. My publicist is putting the final touches on it (waiting to hear back from bookstores). I'll be going to Dayton, Ohio, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Scottsdale, Arizona, my regular Southern California places (plus a few new ones like Bluebird Quilts in Grand Terrace), Central California (likely Bakersfield and Fresno, though not certain yet) and, of course, the Central Coast. I'll send out a quick newsletter to let you all know when the dates are posted. The official State Fair publication date is May 4, 2010. Come out to one of my signings and hear the story behind the story of State Fair!

Happy Trails, Earlene

I Can't Think of a Title January Blog Letter

And, besides, it's February! Please, I'm still vacuuming Christmas tree needles out of the carpet (actually not true, I had an artificial one this year). Still, I had a crazy, crazy January which is why I'm writing this post on the first day of February.

First, Boo got bit in the ear (by a Golden Retriever named Shrek! Not, apparently, a gentle giant), then he got sick (a stomach-colon thing...won't go into detail). Then he hurt his front paw (a stone bruise we think) and couldn't walk for two days...then he got the stomach-colon thing again! That's as of yesterday. Poor Boo's had a hard 201o so far (and so have I since I'm the one who has to cart him to the vet who should be able to put a down payment on that new bass boat now). He's doing better, but I'm tired!

And during that time we've had one of the worse rain storms I remember experiencing in Southern California. Our 500 pound pergola/patio cover blew over (I made the weight up...not sure exactly how heavy it is, but it is steel). It happened on the same day they reported a tornado in Huntington Beach. Unreal! I was lucky it didn't go through our sliding glass door. I was at the bank at the time and came home to a hysterical dog (well, now that I think of it, it's no wonder he's got a nervous stomach). Allen had to take it down and we now have an umbrella that we can roll up when the bad weather hits.

But, in spite of all that, Spider Web (the next Benni book after State Fair) is coming along well. During January I also reread State Fair one last time for errors and also reread Love Mercy and corrected errors that you all have sent as well as some I found on my own. So, hopefully, the paperback will be correct now. Biggest blooper was I had Tommy and Karla Rae, Love Mercy's son and daughter-in-law getting married in two different places! Believe it or not, at least a dozen people read my manuscripts before they are printed (including me, many times, though it's often hard to find errors in your own writing as I'm sure you know). But, in defense of the employees at my publisher, they are so, so overworked. It's amazing books get finished at all!

We've drawn the three winners for the contest and will be announcing them soon. I have to contact them first and get permission to post their names. Boo is on the mend (and on boiled chicken and white rice diet); I'm still writing; Allen's going to the dump this weekend with our broken pergola while I take my dad out for a birthday dinner (he'll be 85). Life goes on.

I am going on book tour this year. The places aren't finalized yet, but once they are I'll be posting them on my website so keep watch. I'd love to have you come to a booksigning. I have some great stories to tell about the writing of State Fair.

Seems like it's crazy weather for everyone in the world so keep dry, stay safe and drive slow. As the roll call sergeant used to say on Hill Street Blues--"Let's be careful out there."

Happy Trails, Earlene

One-armed photos, blizzards, Bingo and Christ is born!

How do you like that title? They are all relevant, I promise.

Is is truly only four days until Christmas? The older I get the more I'm amazed at how quickly time appears to pass. I do know time doesn't actually go faster, though to millions of children across the world this week will creep as slowly as traffic in a blizzard.

Speaking of blizzards, my sympathies to all who've suffered because of the massive snow storm that crippled the nation this last weekend. I have never flown during this part of the year (though if I ever want to see Christmas in New England and New York--a personal wish of mine--I'm going to have to brave it someday) so I can only imagine the nightmare. The worse weather I've experienced was a thunderstorm in Houston that caused our plane divert to San Antonio. We sat on the tarmac for seven hours. Lucky for us the plane was only half full, I'd brought lots of snacks and books and there were about fifteen passengers on board who were flight attendants in training! Once we got to Houston, it was a nightmare. We were on our way to Washington DC. We'd left the OC at 7 am and eventually arrived in DC at 2 am. Though we were exhausted, it was incredible flying into an Reagan International Airport with the Capitol and other buildings lit up. I'll never forget the sight. So, those of you who are still in the midst of it, take heart. You'll have exciting stories to tell someday of the Great Blizzard of 2009. You were there! (Take photos!)

We will be having an intimate Christmas this year. It will be me, Allen, my dad and my friend, Katsy Chappell (I based a character on her in my new book so you'll read about her fictional counterpart in May). Katsy's an actress and stand-up comic so I'm sure we'll have a great time. (She's been in hundreds of productions, but one of her most famous parts is playing the best friend to Jamie Lee Curtis' character in "True Lies"). And, of course, Mr. Boo will be there. I'd invite Katsy's kitty, Bingo, but not sure she and Boo would have the proper, peace-filled Christmas spirit (at least I know Boo wouldn't--he doesn't like cats, though doesn't seem to know exactly why). So I'm sending a gift home to Bingo.

Whatever you all have planned for Christmas and Hanukkah, I hope you will make some wonderful memories (don't forget to take pictures!). I'm in the process of scrapbooking my forty years of Christmas photos and have gotten them (finally!) divided by decades. What it's brought home to me is how we often take too many pictures of the same things. I wish I had photos of the first apartments Allen and I lived in, the gifts we gave each other (and those we received), the food we made (I do have a photo of desserts the one year my sister and I made 18 different kinds), even what our favorite shopping center decorations looked like (so many have been torn down). So, be creative in your photographs. Think about what you might want to see about these days twenty years from now. It truly is history you are recording.

And don't forget those one-armed photos! When I had a Christmas dinner with my friends, Beebs and Millee, we took photos of ourselves that turned out darn good! And when Allen and I went to a Bill Engvall show in Las Vegas, rather than pay $35.00 for one of their photos, we did it ourselves. It took a few times, but turned out great (I may post these later when I can find someone to show me how to do it). So, don't forget those one-armed photos! The person with the longest arm is usually the best option :)

And, for me, I'm most grateful that God was gracious and loving enough to send His Son to the world so that we might have eternal life. Hallelujah, Christ is born!

With fondness and the hope that you all have a prosperous and healthy 2010,

Earlene p.s. See, I did get all the elements of my title in this post!

Deep Breaths Need to be Taken

Less than twenty-four hours until T-day! I know a lot of you are probably frantically rushing around making that special cornbread-sausage dressing, pumpkin chiffon pie and green bean casserole (How does that Rachael Ray chick actually get all this done in an hour? Oh, that's right, she has helpers). If I could I'd drop by your house and offer to peel potatoes. Really, I would. Now, take a deep breath...there, feel better? Think of those great turkey sandwiches you'll get to eat on Friday! I like mine with white bread, Miracle Whip (lots of it as my thighs can attest) with a side of BBQ potato chips (leftover dressing is good too).

But, no leftovers for me this year. It's going to be a quiet Thanksgiving with just me, Allen and my dad. We're taking Daddy to a restaurant because even a couple of hours at my house can make him nervous these days. He doesn't like to get too far away from his assisted living home. He loves going out to eat though. Then Allen and I will head home where I have to work! Yep, on Thanksgiving. The copy edited manuscript arrived (via computer) and it's due by December first. Then I'll be able to really get back to writing Spider Web (which is already behind--story of my life since 1992). The next time I'll see State Fair it'll be a bound galley (that's the one they send out to bookstores and reviewers).

There's not much else to report which is why I haven't blogged. I write. I rewrite. I deal with promotion stuff. I clean house (well, not that often). I walk my dog (or take him to daycare) I eat (way too often--a bag of marshmallows has been my downfall today). Over the next four days when I'm not writing I'm going to attempt to scrapbook my Christmas photos. All of them. Since I'm not planning on decorating much this year, I decided that would be a good project. I have managed to cull most of them out of my 36 (or more) years of photos. It was surprising and sad how few I have of my and Allen's first five or six years of marriage. Or the three years we dated. We were poor, grant you that, but why didn't we take at least a roll of twelve for each Christmas? Answer: We were young, lived in the moment and it didn't occur to us we'd want a record of those moments later in life. (Or that we'd ever be old!) If today's generation is too photographed, I'd say my generation didn't take enough of our early years. Ah, well, that's what memories are for, right?

Hope you make (and take photos of!) lots of wonderful Thanksgiving memories. I'm most thankful for your support all these years.

Happy Turkey (and all the trimmings) Trails, Earlene

Kindles, Facebook and The Saddlemaker's Wife Sequel

One of the things that's great about this newsletter/blog is I can answer questions that people send me. Here are three that have come up more than once. If you have a question, please email me and I'll answer it when I can!

Why aren't you on Facebook?

To be honest, time. I know lots of people who belong to Facebook and from what I can gather, it takes a bit of work to keep up on your Facebook page. I can barely get my books written, my filing done, my dog brushed and my husband fed. I just can't add one more thing to my life. For now, this blog will have to do in keeping people up on what I'm doing. The time I suspect I'd end up spending on Facebook, I'd probably be better off organizing my forty years of photos!

Do you have a Kindle? Do you like it? What do you think about e-books?

I initially wasn't thrilled about e-books. I love the feel and smell and look of "real" books. When my agent and my webmaster both bought Kindles and LOVED them, well, I began to think about buying one.

Both my agent and webmaster are women who love books and reading. So I bought a Kindle. (And, yes, it was before the price went down, which annoys me, but that's life). I'll never like e-books as well as physical ones. But it does have its place, I think. I admit getting a book you want to read in 60 seconds is quite amazing and for traveling, well, I have forty books on my Kindle and it weighs about the same as a paperback book. You can't beat that with a stick. Will it be good for authors? I'm not sure as I'm not real clear how we get paid for the books downloaded (which, from what I hear, is only about 3 or 4% sold at this point).

I don't think we can avoid the fact it is likely the future of books. I suspect it won't overtake "real" books for a while, but this next generation is being raised on reading things on screens, so I'm guessing it won't bother them as much as me. But, I still buy my favorite authors in hardback real books. I've found I mostly buy paperbacks and non-fiction on e-book. I don't know why that is.

Are you really going to write the sequel to The Saddlemaker's Wife?

Yes, I signed another two book contract that will start after State Fair. I'm working on another Benni Harper book right now (Spider Web). When I finish that (my publisher wanted two Benni books in a row), then I'll write the sequel to The Saddlemaker's Wife.

Do I know what it will be about? Well, when you read TSW prologue you know that Ruby eventually comes back to Cardinal. What you don't know is what happened, how long it took and what her relationship is with the people there. That is, of course, what the sequel will be about. At the end of TSW she is going to Nashville to help her sick brother. That seems a logical place for the sequel to start, but I can't promise that is what will happen...because I don't know what will happen until I write it! How's that for being vague?

I'm off to Manhattan (Kansas, that is!). Allen, unfortunately, has to stay home and tend to the homefires (and the dog). If you're in Manhattan on Friday, I'll be talking and signing books at the Manhattan Public Library at 3:30. Come see me in the Little Apple!

Happy Trails, Earlene