Who needs book recommendations when you have drinking buddies?

Me, Chris Kuzneski, Elle Lothlorien, Boyd Morrison, & Lissa Price

See this photo? It was taken in New York, four or five years ago. I’m looking bedraggled on the far left, and next to me is Chris Kuzneski, then Elle Lothlorien, Boyd Morrison, and Lissa Price. The four of us met about six years ago at the very first Thrillerfest conference in Phoenix, AZ. The only T-fest to be held in Arizona, actually. Anyway, I met these four and many others during what turned out to be a magical conference. At the time, Chris was self-published (on paper—this was before the Kindle was even invented), and the rest were completely unpublished.

Somehow Chris turned his initial self-pubbed thriller into a very successful mainstream publishing career. He’s published seven Payne & Jones novels at this point, and he's a bestselling author here in America.  In fact, his novels have been translated into 20 languages.  Intriguingly, I have it on good authority that he's at the very top of the bestseller lists in Britain.  The man’s a rock star over there!

Elle, who guest blogged here last week, had opportunities in traditional publishing, but is one of the new breed of novelists who has found great success self-publishing both electronically and in print. Like, quit-your-day-job success. She was recently named one of the 25 Self-Published Authors to Watch. (Boyd and several other friends made that list, too.) Elle’s readership is growing exponentially with each novel released, and fans are clamoring for her next, Rapunzel.

Lissa you may not have heard of yet, but I think that will all change in the next few weeks. Her debut YA novel, Starters, is being published by Random House on March 13, 2012. Less than a month away now! I read it a few weeks ago. It’s as close to Hunger Games-level awesomeness as any YA title I’ve read since falling in love with Collins’ series. We all think Lissa is poised for greatness.

And then there’s Boyd, who is the first member of this group that I really clicked with. I’ve been a huge fan and supporter of Boyd’s work since before anyone else discovered him. I’ve been reading (and criticizing the hell out of) his novels since we first met all those years ago. After failing to sell three novels to a “big 6” publisher, Boyd decided, What the hell? He posted his novels for free on the internet, and for sale in the Kindle store. Seven thousand sales later, Boyd was the first writer to turn self-publishing via Kindle into a major publishing contract. I’m still his biggest fan, (and FYI his next Tyler Locke novel may be the best yet).

This group of friends and I have looked at this photograph many times over the years. What amazing success they’ve each realized! What are the odds? All of them? Heck, they might as well crop me right off the end of that photograph, LOL.

I’ve discovered that one friendship leads to others. The gang above befriended Graham Brown before I did, but I met him through them several years ago, and now he’s my friend too. Boyd introduced me to Sophie Littlefield over a casual dinner in San Francisco while he was visiting a few years ago. As Sophie and I both live here, I get to see her more often, now, than he does. Not only is she just a lovely, lovely lady, but I started reading her novels out of curiosity after we met and now I’m totally hooked. Graham, too, for that matter!

In fact, in the past few weeks, I’ve read published or forthcoming works by Elle, Lissa, Boyd, Sophie, and Graham. I’ve got an audiobook of Chris’s on deck that I’ve been meaning to get to. And earlier this week I acquired a galley of Clawback by Mike Cooper, Sophie’s brother, who I had the pleasure of meeting at T-fest last summer. And just today I recieved a galley of the lovely Allison Leotta’s  sophomore novel, Discretion. I can’t wait to dive right in! I really loved her debut, Law of Attraction—another novel I read out of curiosity after meeting her a couple of years ago. Ali is also part of the gang of friends above. Membership just keeps growing and growing! And like so many of these people, Ali and I keep in touch and get together whenever we’re in the same city.

Elle Lothlorien, Paul McEuen, me, Lissa Price, Ali Leotta - All we do is eat.

Even I bring folks into the fold occasionally. Last summer, at the T-fest opening reception, I sought out novelist/physicist Paul McEuen to tell him how completely awesome his debut novel, Spiral, was. I walked up to him and said, “Dr. McEuen, I’m a big fan!” He wound up kibitzing with me and my girlfriends, until Lissa said, “Let’s all go grab dinner.” And abve is a photo from that dinner. I’m looking even more bedraggled than usual, but what a fantastic night that turned out to be! Now Elle, Lissa, Ali, and I are all fans of Paul’s, and I look forward to the day that I can add his next novel to my reading list.

Basically, I could read more books than the vast majority of Americans without ever stepping outside my social circle. Some months, it seems like all I’m reading are books written by friends, and believe me, this isn’t social obligation. It’s pure pleasure! I don’t read every writer I socialize with—even I don’t have enough time to do that. And perhaps it makes sense that I enjoy these writers’ work so much, since I enjoy the people creating the work so much.

Come to think of it, I have a few more books by friends on tap for the immediate future. Jeremy Bates's forthcoming debut novel, White Lies, is waiting on my Kindle to be read. As is Raymond Benson’s second Black Stiletto novel, Black & White. I really enjoyed the first Black Stiletto novel, so I'm looking forward to the new installment.  Heck, I even have a galley of Owen Laukkanen's The Professionals on hand.  I've never met the guy, but any friend of Elle's...

Many of us will be converging on Sacramento late next month for the Left Coast Crime conference. I’ll be in the bar, nursing a Coca-Cola and hanging with my friends. Who knows who I’ll meet at that conference? But I wouldn’t be surprised if I pick up a new favorite author, because who needs book recommendations when you’ve got drinking buddies?

The night we ditched Kuzneski for Boyd's far more beautiful and charming wife, Randi.

GUEST BLOGGER POST: Finding Your Inner Bitch on Valentine’s Day by Elle Lothlorien

Let’s talk about Cadbury eggs. No, seriously.

A good friend of mine loves Cadbury Eggs. You know—those fondant crème chocolate eggs that are ubiquitous as Peeps just before Easter. Sure, I’ve seen them at other times of the year, but they’re usually relegated to a remote corner of a Walgreens, lurking on an untouched section of shelf, and covered with enough dust to give you Black Lung Disease.

So I was surprised when I walked into a grocery store right before Christmas and saw a fresh-looking display front-and-center, overflowing with dust-free Cadbury eggs. I immediately called my friend, sure she’d be excited by the news. “You’re not going to believe this,” I said in a taunting, sing-song voice. “I am staring at an entire display of fresh Cadbury Eggs right now!”

I figured that after she did a backflip and saluted the judges, she’d demand that I buy every one of them on the spot. Instead, she sniffed, “I never eat anything the Easter Bunny’s laid before the Christ Child is born.”

Okaaaaaay.

Let’s talk about Forrest Gump. No, seriously.

At a writer’s conference a couple of years ago, a group of us were enjoying a round of drinks in the hotel bar, when the topic of Forrest Gump came up. All agreed that it was a fine, funny movie and, well into our second, third, and even fourth cocktails, each of us threw out their favorite Forrest Gump platitude. There were the usual suspects: “Peas and carrots,” and “I was ruuunning!” and “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

My friend, who I will refer to as “Forrest” solely for purposes of anonymity, paused briefly before saying, “I never understood that one. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get?’ What do you mean you don’t know what you’re going to get? You’re going to get f**king chocolate!”

Oh dear.

Each of these anecdotes has two things in common. 1) Chocolate. 2) They both eventually found their way to a file in my computer called “Funny/Stupid Shit My Friends Say When Sober/Drunk That I Will Later Use in a Novel/Guest Blog Post at Some Point with Only a Minimal Effort to Hide Their Identity.”

No one is spared. To be fair to me (and I love to be fair to me), I give these people fair warning. When I meet someone for the first time and discover that they’re very funny, I tell them, “Just to let you know, anything you say can and will be used in my next book.” You can ask anyone.

It’s at this point in my guest blog posts that I usually provide a tie-in of sorts between the humorous anecdote and the business of publishing or the pleasure of reading. Now, you might think these two stories share no immediately discernible commonalities. Ah, but you’d be wrong.

As you can see, they both have to do with chocolate. Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day, it’s almost obligatory.

And…that’s pretty much it.

No, wait! There is one other thing. Let’s talk about Your Feminine Side. No, seriously.

Your Feminine Side is the part of you that you’re supposed to be “getting in touch with,” as if it’s an old college roommate you stopped calling fifteen years ago after they became richer and more successful than you.

Instead of “Getting in Touch with Your Feminine Side,” I recommend that you “Find Your Inner Bitch.”

Because your Feminine Side wonders if their significant other will buy you chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Your Inner Bitch just drives to the store and buys those dusty Cadbury Eggs for herself.

Your Feminine Side sits at home on Valentine’s Day and wonders if it’s okay to be single after all this time. Your Inner Bitch goes to a hot-tub party with other single girlfriends, and agrees with the group that if you were married/in a relationship, you’d probably be spending V-Day picking dirty boxer briefs off the floor, and telling him for the umpteenth time that him farting constantly in front of you drastically reduces the odds that he will ever bed you again (the limp bouquet of flowers he picked up on the way home notwithstanding).

So, whatever your status today, married or single, find Your Inner Bitch and just make it happen. Save Your Feminine Side for when you’re PMS-ing and reading your free copy of The Frog Prince or Sleeping Beauty, my two romantic comedies that I’m giving away FOR FREE, in the Kindle Store today in honor of Valentine’s Day.

And don’t forget to have Your Inner Bitch pick up the chocolate on the way home.
________________________________________

A “military brat,” Elle Lothlorien was born in Germany, and spent her childhood in such far-flung places as Puerto Rico, Charleston, S.C., Italy, and Washington, D.C. Sadly, the only language she ever became semi-fluent in is English. An early mid-life crisis propelled Elle Lothlorien to take a Lindy Hop swing dance class at a Denver bar. Three years (and a few ankle and knee braces) later she does a mad Charleston and can pancake like nobody’s business.


Elle lives in Denver, Colorado, and keeps two dachshunds around the house to provide comic relief.
You can find Elle Lothlorien’s romantic comedies The Frog Prince and Sleeping Beauty on Amazon. Her third romantic comedy, Rapunzel, will be released in the spring. You can read more about her and her upcoming novels at www.ellelothlorien.com, Facebook, and by following her on Twitter.

Mailbox Monday: I need a vacation edition

In case you're wondering, these mailboxes are in Palos Verdes, California, and the photo was taken by Tash.  Stunning!

Meanwhile, I'm counting the minutes until Labor Day Weekend, because unfortunately, I'll be working every day until the not-long-enough weekend.  Mostly, I need to get away from this unrelenting cold.  Blech.

So, I got a little reminder this week that people occasionally read what I'm spewing out onto the 'net.  Last Monday I was geeking out about getting a letter from David Ebershoff?  Yeah, he posted in the comments over the weekend.  *blush*  (You're awesome, David.  I wrote the #1 review for The 19th Wife on Amazon.com, and I'm totally available to do freelance editorial work for Random House.)  And, yes, I'll be reading that novel he sent me, the Orphan Master's Son, sooner rather than later.  I need to see what all the fuss is about.  Okay, moving on...

This past week, I had a great book group meeting in a local bar, as is our custom.  And, a bookseller friend and I had the first of what we've decided should be a quarterly dinner to compare notes on what we've read, and what interesting titles are about to be released.  Also, we gossiped about people we know.  This coming week, I would love to catch Lev Grossman's local book tour stop at Kepler's, but I'm not sure my work will allow it.  It's graduation week at the university.  I'll let you know next week if I make it.

Happily, it's a short list of books this week, but a very cool list.  And this first book will have a place of true honor in my home...

Devil's Plaything
by Matt Richtel
Release date: May 3, 2011
Source: Limited edition hardback from author and publisher

When this novel was published a few months ago, there was a SNAFU and the acknowledgements page was omitted.  This is unfortunate, but not the end of the world.  At his book signings, Matt had pre-cut acknowledgement pages that people could slip into the books.  But he wanted the people who had helped him with what turned out to be a challenging novel to get the real deal.  So, this past week, I received a signed, very limited edition hardback of Devil's Plaything.  I have one of only 50 in the world.  And I am very kindly acknowledged.  Thank you, Matt.

Sanctus
by Simon Toyne
Release date: September 5, 2011
Source: Paper galley from publisher

I may have heard of this religious thriller at some point, but looking at the galley, it seems like it's going to be a high-profile debut.  I got kind of burned out on religious thrillers in the wake of The Da Vinci Code, but this does look fun.  I think I'll be giving it a read.

The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman
Release date: August 23, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I really enjoyed Lippman's last stand-alone, and I am very much looking forward to reading this one.  Thanks, Shawn!

A Bitter Truth
by Charles Todd
Release date: August 30, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I live this novel's cover, but don't feel compelled to jump into this series in progress.  If we've got a swarm of Todd fans here, speak up about a giveaway.  Otherwise, I suspect it will be given away via the face-to-face book group.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
Release date: April 28, 2009
Source: Trade paperback from bookseller

Apparently the tiniest of crumples on the corner of this book makes it "damaged merchandise."  My bookseller friend threw it at me an suggested I read it.  I have heard good things and been interested in the series...

The Time in Between
by Maria Duenas
Release date: November 8, 2011
Source: Galley from bookseller

So, after our dinner, my bookseller friend and I sifted through the store's galleys for the next six months.  Both of us agreed that it was a sad collection.  Where's the copy of the new Eugenides?  Why can't she get hold of the forthcoming Murakami?  Anyway, I suggested a couple of books she might read, and I walked away with a galley of this Spanish debut that Simon and Schuster is promoting.  It's a bit of a doorstop, so we'll see. 

Sleeping Beauty
by Elle Lothlorien
Release date: unknown
Source: Draft from author

I've only just begun reading this draft, but I like what I've seen so far!





Books finished this week:

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
The Accident by Linwood Barclay
Sister by Rosamund Lupton
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler


Currently reading:

Sleeping Beauty by Elle Lothlorien
Luminarium by Alex Shakar


So, faithful readers, what have y'all been reading?  What books did you acquire this week?  Please let me know in the comments!

Thrillerfest VI: Thursday

So, I don’t participate in the first part of Thrillerfest. That consists of “Craftfest” and “Agentfest,” and since I’m not trying to learn how to write and I’m not seeking representation, there’s no point. The Thrillerfest part of the conference officially kicks off late Thursday afternoon. Happily, I didn’t need to accomplish too much on Thursday before the festivities began.

This was good, because I was experiencing “cascade failure” with my body. It had started the previous day. My contact lens was bugging me early in the day, so I took it out. The previous night, while sitting quietly in a darkened theater, suddenly my eye went nuts. Tears were gushing out of my left eye. I’m dabbing with a Kleenex, and Elle is wondering why I’m crying in a comedy. Soon enough, my nose is also dripping and my throat was sore. I had a head full of salt water. I woke the next morning feeling like I’d been pickled in brine. A week later, my eye is still slightly wonky, though much, much better than during the conference when I was surrounded by cameras and couldn’t put any makeup on my face. *rolls eyes* My throat no longer hurts, but my voice is, if anything, worse. You’ll be glad to know, I’m never speaking again. But I was lucky. Symptom-wise, I was kind of disastrous all weekend, but I never felt sick. I kind of hurt and I felt tired, but there was a reason for that.  No sleep.

So, my first agenda item for Thursday was move into the Grand Hyatt, Thrillerfest’s host hotel. Unfortunately, the Hyatt was not so grand this year. The lobby is being redone, and not to put too fine a point on it, it’s a train wreck. This is disappointing, as the lobby has traditionally been prime mingling and meeting real estate. There was literally no place to see and be seen. Potentially even more disastrous, our bar had been turned into office space! Now, those that know me IRL will attest that I am a girl of moderate habits. So, too, on the road, actually, but when in Rome… What I mean is writers spend a lot of time in bars, and when I’m with them, so do I. Even more than the hotel lobby, it is the place to be. Our old bar at the Hyatt was a sort of dim, intimate Hernando’s Hideaway of a bar. The new bar is a long, stretched out glass and chrome hot house on the lobby’s mezzanine level. It’s a lovely, sunny spot for breakfast or lunch, but how many extramarital affairs or other scandals are going to start in a glass house? (I’ve been hanging with these people for seven years. You haven’t seen the things I’ve seen.)

I met up with Elle in the non-lobby of the Hyatt, because we were going to be rooming together for the long weekend. I was already looking and sounding pretty pathetic at check in, and Elle was having issues of her own. Consequently (?), we scored a fairly nice double room with a small attached seating area. That is where our luck with the Hyatt ended. I am not going to go into excruciating detail, but we had issues, many issues in the next 36 hours. I’m a calm girl, but at one point I threatened to shoot “someone” at the hotel. The next time we came up to our room, there was a bottle of wine chilling on ice, a selection of non-alcoholic beverages, a fruit basket, and cookies. In addition, over the course of three days, we were comped four breakfasts, $200 in hotel credit, and two room nights. I’m pretty sure they lost money on our stay, but things were handled very, very badly. And then once they finally got their act together, everything was fine. So, enough about that.

Reviewer extraordinaire Jeff Ayers

After checking in and getting the lay of the land, I headed down to the Conference Level and picked up my T-fest badge, tote bag, and other random items. This is, of course, where you start greeting friends. The awesome book reviewer and librarian Jeff Ayers was one of the first people I saw. Jeff is… he’s a shiny, happy person. I have never seen that man without a smile on his face. He is the very definition of likeable, and I admire him in so many ways. I also wish I could spend more time with the guy, ‘cause I think I could learn so much from him. Suffice it to say, if Jeff Ayers is the first person to greet you at T-fest, you’re off to a good start.

I’ll admit that I was killing time. I’d connected with several friends, but meetings with agents and the like were happening at the bar. It wasn’t quite social hour yet. There was a welcoming cocktail reception at 6:30pm. Having nothing better to do, I wandered back up to the Conference Level. It occurred to me that for the first time in six years, I might listen in on M.J. Rose and Doug Clegg’s Buzz Your Book session. It’s sort of the transition between Craftfest and Thrillerfest each year, and I haven’t sat in once. I approached with the best intentions, but as I neared, I saw novelist Alan Jacobson enter the room, camera in hand. Alan’s been the official T-fest photographer since forever. Why? He has skills. Skills beyond writing a fine thriller. Anyway, I was lurking outside when the flashes had stopped, and I grabbed Alan for a nice catch up. He lives right in the Bay Area like me, but I hadn’t seen him since Bouchercon. So typical. Happily, Alan and I generally do manage to carve out some one-on-one time wherever we are, and it’s a pleasure for me, because he’s a lovely, lovely man. Seriously, a favorite in the industry. And I’m a bad lady, because I still haven’t read any of his Karen Vail novels. He gets all these starred reviews in the publishing trades, but I’ve been reticent to jump into an ongoing series. I’m going to remedy that soon. He’s got a new one coming out with the enticing title: Inmate 1577. Hear me now, I will read Alan soon.

Let me address something… I speak very highly about a lot of people in these circles. See Jeff Ayers and Alan Jacobson above. This is because I think very highly of these people. I’m super lucky to move in some very, very cool circles. Ironically, what I’m famous (or infamous) for in these circles is speaking my mind. So, sorry if I’m boring everyone talking about how totally awesome these people are. There are a lot of unbelievably awesome people at Thrillerfest. That’s why I’ve made and kept so many friends over the years. Not everyone is awesome, and I don’t mind naming names. I don’t know him personally, but I’m sorry to say that no one has a nice word to say about Stuart Woods. The consistency is stunning. But I don’t know him. I choose to surround myself with amazing, cool, beautiful people. And that leads us right into the opening cocktail party…

Me with Paul & Christi a couple of years ago.

OMG, so many good people that I haven’t seen in a year! ITW Co-President and all-around good guy Doug Preston; my buddy Bob Liparulo who I haven’t seen for two or three years; Paul and Christi Kemprecos who I love sooo much, but I can’t do more than wave at because I’m trapped by my own social circle! The frequently teasing David Liss gave me a warm hug. I connect with my dear friends Boyd and Randi Morrison. I’m chatting at length with Lissa Price, about whom you’ll hear much, much more later. Elle’s here too. Boyd, Lissa, Elle, Jimbo, me, and several others all go back to the very first T-fest in Phoenix, six years ago. We all bonded, and that bond has really held. It’s a wonderful, special friendship. And the nice thing is, as we each make more friends over the years, we share them. I met hunky novelist Graham Brown through those guys, but unfortunately our good friends Graham and equally hunky Chris Kuzneski had bailed at the last minute to meet their writing deadlines. Do you readers understand that you’re negatively impacting my social life? Another friend I’d met through Boyd Morrison is another Bay Area writer, the lovely and delightful, and very sociable Sophie Littlefield. Yes, I know everyone who reads this blog is very familiar with all of these names. It’s a combination of me reading my friends, becoming friends with the people I read, writing about my friends, and my friends being imminently newsworthy.



Mike Cooper & Margery Flax of the MWA

 Back to Sophie. She pulls me over and introduces me to her brother, Mike Cooper, about whom I’ve heard much. He’s a lovely friendly fellow, and pretty soon I’m introducing him to half the party as “Sophie’s brother.” It’s not that he’s not a talented and successful author in his own right, but as I explained to him, he just happened to be in a quadrant of the room that was essentially the Sophie Littlefield fan club. Me, Boyd and Randi, Elle, Lissa, Allison “Ali” Leotta, even Sophie’s editor Adam Wilson wandered by and joined the conversation. There were others, but I can’t even remember anymore. Is there anyone who doesn’t love Sophie?

I’d forgotten to eat all day, so I was snarfing up food while socializing. But eventually we started to talk dinner. God bless Lissa for practicality. But then my attention was caught by a very recognizable stranger, the debut author of one of the best novels I’ve read this year. I walked right up to him and said, “Dr. McEuen, I’m a big fan of yours!” In general, I’ve found this to be an acceptable way to begin a conversation, and it worked like a charm. Paul McEuen is not only a brilliant, world-renowned physicist working in nanotechnology, he is also the author of the uber-smart thriller Spiral. I think I was gushing when Lissa walked up and said, “Come to dinner with us.” (God bless you, Lissa, for being cool and assertive!) And he did!

The final contingent was me, Lissa, Elle, Ali Leotta, and Paul. We’d gone looking for Mike Cooper to extend an invitation, but couldn’t find him. Poor Paul, he was stuck with four ladies. Our concierge directed us to Avra, an upscale Greek seafood restaurant a few blocks away. We had a reservation, which worked out great. The ambiance was lovely, and I was feeling very New York chic. We were given this fabulous semi-circle booth, and I was seated smack in the center, with Paul and Elle on one side, and Lissa and Ali on the other. We had plenty of room, but this had the unfortunate side effect of fracturing our conversation in two. At one point, someone had the bright idea of us all smooshing closer together. It was unbearably adorable, all of us taking up about 2/3rds of our booth, but it worked like a charm! Conversation was vastly improved! There’s a photo in existence somewhere, and if I can ever get my 

Ali back home in DC

hands on it, I’ll post it.  For now, you'll have to make due with stock photos of everyone.

Now, let me tell you a little more about my girlfriends. They’re all beautiful and wildly accomplished. It’s enough to give a lowly blogger a complex, but I’m working on my issues. Ali Leotta is a Harvard Law grad who spent 12 years as a federal sex crimes prosecutor before writing her first legal thriller, Law of Attraction. She's also the married mom of two little boys aged two and four. Oy. I call her "The Underachiever." We met at Thrillerfest only last year, but have kept in touch since. I was so looking forward to introducing her to “the rest of the gang” this year, and she just hit it off with every single person I introduced her to. I didn’t even have to join the conversation.

Lissa Price, the Next Big Thing

You haven't heard of Lissa Price yet, but you will. As I said earlier, she's been my friend since the very first T-fest, and her forthcoming futuristic thriller, Starters,  will be Random House's lead YA title for Spring 2012. (Check it out, it's available for preorder now--cool!)  They're going all out for her, and it sounds like they're positioning her to be the Next Big Thing. So many of our good friends have achieved big success in the years since we’ve met that at times it seems astonishing, but there’s always room in the pool for one more. We're all very excited for her!



Sophie Littlefield & Elle Lothlorien

 And lovely Elle Lothlorien hasn't been traditionally published. She's had several near misses. She's another friend who I've known since the very first T-fest six years ago. After her thriller failed to sell, she decided to go in a completely different direction. She wrote a chick lit novel called The Frog Prince and posted it to Amazon. Without any name recognition or platform, she's selling steadily at a rate that would impress any publisher. The reviews and word of mouth have been stellar, and fans are clamoring for her next novel, Sleeping Beauty, which should be available soon. At this point, she holds all the cards with her career.

Paul McEuen, my new favorite person

And, as mentioned earlier, Paul McEuen will probably be, like, a Nobel Laureate one day. I mean, can you imagine the honor of just being allowed to sit at that dinner table? The conversations were FANTASTIC! At one point, Paul looked around and said, “This table is so not typical of America.” I think it was because Elle and I were totally geeking out over the science, like the geeky science nerds that we are. Anyway, by the end of that dinner, basically all of us girls (married and single) were crushing on Paul. Jimbo (Rollins) later dubbed us "techno-sluts" because we wouldn't shut up about him all weekend, LOL. (And relax, Mrs. McEuen, it was all very innocent and intellectual, I swear.)  But he is kind of a hottie.  Am I right?  In a brainy, mountain man kind of way?

After dinner, we found ourselves back at the Hyatt’s bar, where we reunited with our other friends. I saw Jimbo for the first time since our cab ride into the city. After greeting him, he was like, “When did you become Brenda Vaccaro?” The voice truly was awful, and the worst part is the people who were only just meeting me don’t know that I don’t (in the words of David Liss) sound "like a 90-year-old smoker." I had fun introducing Paul to Jimbo and Boyd and so many others over the course of the weekend, leading him to believe I’m a Yenta.

My friends are always trying to propose an actual paying job for me in the publishing industry. That should be it. I’m a Publishing Yenta, a matchmaker. It really is what I do best, just ask anyone. The phrase I heard over and over all weekend is, “Susan knows everyone.” Clearly that’s not true, but of the people I do know, I like to get people who should know each other together. And I’m quite good at that.

I’m not sure how late we were out that night, but Elle and I were among the last to hit the road. I seem to recall us being among the last of the women, and at some point that night, we met these two guys, Ethan and Jeremy. It turns out they were sharing a room a few doors down the hall from us, and I seemed to see them constantly all weekend. Ethan Cross has just published his debut novel, The Shepard, and Jeremy Burns is still working on getting published. Now watch, he’ll probably become the next Lee Child or something. Seriously, everyone I meet at these things becomes wildly successful. Just a heads up for you, Jeremy. Anyway, these two were good fun, and we saw a lot of them as the weekend progressed, often late, late at night. Ah, to be that young again. Alas I’m not. I slept in the next day.

More soon…

Thrillerfest VI: Before the action started

I have so much to write about Thrillerfest, but my week in New York started a couple of days earlier than the conference.  I arrived on a red-eye flight from San Francisco at 7:30am.  Happily, my buddy James Rollins was arriving on his own flight from Sacramento about half an hour later.  I zipped over to his gate and caught a lift into the city with Jimbo.  It was nice, actually, that I began and ended my week with my closest ITW friend, as you will see when we get to the end of the week.

We were both exhausted after our sleepless travels, so I dropped him at his hotel and then headed over to my own.  I was staying for the first time (for a couple of days) at New York's Pod Hotel.  I had the smallest pod you can get, and I was very happy and comfortable there.  I crashed for a few hours before getting out and about in the city.  I rediscovered my favorite sandwich shop in Manhattan, Toasties on 51st, where I grabbed a late lunch.  Then I took care of a few errands.  I hit the drug store and picked up a couple of items.  Next up, I had to find a dirt cheap t-shirt for a Thrillerfest tradition I will write about later.  Three dollars later, I had an I (heart) NY t-shirt, and it was off to Times Square. 

Whenever I'm in New York, I like to get a feel for ticket availability.  I will frequently visit a few box offices of shows I'm interested in, so that I can have the most success acquiring the cheapest tickets.  Because I was getting a late start for the day, after scoping things out, I went to the box office of my "sure thing" show and got a $27 rush ticket to a brand-new Maury Yeston musical playing off-Broadway.  The show is Death Takes a Holiday.  I found it somewhat uneven, but quite enjoyable overall.  I was delighted to see a new work by Yeston, who is known for sophisticated shows like Nine, which was recently made into a movie.

I'd been on the phone with Jimbo on and off during the day, but we'd never quite managed to hook up again that first day, and I knew he was off to Boston by train first thing in the morning.  After the play, I just wandered back to my hotel, grabbing a light snack and many beverages along the way.  I was pretty pooped, as you can imagine.

Nonetheless, I dragged myself out of bed fairly early the next morning.  I was in line in front of the Eugene O'Neil Theater before 9:00am.  I had to establish myself in the line and make friends quickly, because I was going for a double-play that morning.  After accomplishing the two tasks above fairly quickly, I dashed a few blocks uptown around 9:40am to get in a second line.  I didn't bother to make friends there, but I did snag two rush tickets to Sister Act for that evening's performance.  Two center orchestra seats for $38 a piece.  After which I made my way back to the first line, stopping for a knish, several beverages, and a cup of ice along the way.  I was now prepared to wait.

And what I was waiting--in excess of four hours--for, was a single $27 standing room ticket to The Book of Mormon.  Yes, people have been asking me all summer if I've seen that show.  I finally have.  I wasn't going to pay $142 to see that show, and I was smart to wait for a standing room ticket for the Wednesday mat.  People wait nine hours or more for evening tickets every day.  These cheap SRO tickets are highly in demand, and part of me is amazed I snagged one.

As for the show itself, it was entertaining.  Am I glad to have seen it?  Yes.  Did I have to see it?  No.  Will it revolutionize the Broadway theater?  Absolutely not.  The musical is very of it's time and topical.  It will become dated quickly.  Musically it isn't especially sophisticated, and some of the humor is offensive and/or sophomoric.  This production will run for years, but it's hard to imagine the future it will have beyond the original production.  I guess a film wouldn't surprise me.  I really did enjoy the show.  It's very funny, especially the quirkier lead actor, Josh Gad, who turns in a truly idiosyncratic performance.  As for Nikki M. James who won the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Tony Award, her performance was fine, but I honestly didn't find it all that dynamic or exceptional.  Production values were excellent.  I enjoyed the satire of and homage to other shows.  And I especially enjoyed the chorus of Mormon missionaries.  It was a fun afternoon, and the additional two and a half hours on my feet passed quickly.

After I got out of the theater, I finally connected with my friend, novelist Elle Lothlorien.  I had promised Elle that I would take her to her first Broadway show.  How exciting is that?  I was so delighted to share the experience with her!  Hence the second ticket line that morning.  I met Elle in the lobby of her hotel, and because we were both a little early, we had just enough time for a real dinner.  We walked up Ninth Avenue, and Elle chose one of my favorite haunts, The Delta Grill.  All I have to say is yum!  But we had to dash over to 53rd and Broadway, making it just in time.

Sister Act was not on my must-see list.  I didn't even consider trying to get tickets last month.  And when it was nominated for all those Tony Awards, I was scoffing a bit.  My expectations were not super high.  Well, let me eat some crow here; Sister Act was a completely enjoyable night at the theater.  Elle and I laughed and laughed, and had a really awesome time.  I don't think it will be hard at all to lure Elle back to the theater.  Leads Patina Miller and Victoria Clark gave great performances, and Douglas Carter Beane's book was hilarious.  The music was fun, the production values were great, and overall, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Elle and I knew that we had long days ahead of us, so we called it an early night.  Thrillerfest began the following day, and that's where the stuff you want to hear begins.  For me, that first night of the conference was the highlight, and I'll write about it tomorrow.  Amazingly, those three shows were the only ones I saw all week.  Let's face it, I've seen most of what I really wanted to.  For now, for those who never did get the full list of Broadway productions seen this summer, here's the whole list:

• Catch Me If You Can
• The Motherf**ker with the Hat
• Jerusalem
• House of Blue Leaves
• Arcadia
• Anything Goes
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
• Born Yesterday
• The Normal Heart
• Follies
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• Death Takes a Holiday
• The Book of Mormon
• Sister Act

This prince is charming!

The Frog Prince
by Elle Lothlorien

I don't mind admitting that I'm an unabashed fan of romantic comedies. Good ones are hard to find, but when you do it's a joy. Elle Lothlorien's debut novel, The Frog Prince, is a good one.

We all know there's a formula to these things, and this author is wisely not reinventing the wheel. The story opens with the required meet-cute. Her stiletto heel, his sandaled foot--in the unlikely comic setting of a funeral parlor. That is how protagonists Leigh Fromm and Roman Lorraine first encounter each other. There's an instant attraction, a slight antagonism, and only later does Leigh find out that the annoying hot guy is actually Roman Karl Franz Joseph Max Heinrich Ignatius Habsburg von Lorraine, Crown Prince of Austria. Well, not quite a "real" prince; she soon learns, "Austria's a parliamentary representative democracy. The monarchy was abolished in 1918." But close enough for the paparazzi.

There's nothing wildly original about the set-up above. It's essentially a fairy tale. What sets it apart is the voice of the protagonist. Leigh describes herself as, "a social misfit in a model's body." That's a hard character to bring to life. Well, at least I find myself skeptical about any girl that beautiful being that awkward, but Lothlorien pulls it off. And Leigh's running internal dialogue had me laughing out loud throughout the novel. She's like a character out of one of those classic screwball comedies from the 40's, and you just fall in love with her. It's easy to see why Roman does as well, warts and all.

There's really no need to summarize the twists and turns of the plot further. I will add that Lothlorien brings in a strong cast of supporting characters that add much to the goings on. The panoply of "almost royals" is a hoot. And she does a good job of showing the different facets that keep characters from becoming caricatures. For instance, Leigh's enemy does have her kinder moments.

In the end, I judge a romantic comedy on two things: romance and comedy. The Frog Prince is a winner on both counts. Leigh and Roman are a terrific couple to root for, and I found myself grinning like a sap long after the novel had ended.