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Sophie Littlefield

City of Dragons Launch!

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

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

But it didn’t matter.

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

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

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

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

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

New York, New York!

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It’s been an adventurous week!

No time to write about Vertigo, unfortunately–gotta save it for next time. I haven’t had much time to do anything but work on some deadlines for the website relaunch, which we wanted to have happen before Thrillerfest, but looks like will happen the week after. And speaking of Thrillerfest …

New York awaits! The conference is always exciting, and it’s in the most exciting city on the planet, so … I’m gearing up. Meetings. Parties. Panels. Non-stop, “city that never sleeps” fun! I leave early Wednesday, and will probably not be back to my Writing in the Dark post until the following week, though I’m hoping to squeeze in a blog or a tweet or two.


What else? Well, we just got word that the Greek rights to NOX DORMIENDA have been sold, so Roman Noir will be available in Athens and all over the remarkably beautiful country of Hellas.

I’m a bit emotional over the fact that my first foreign rights sales have been Italy and Greece–the foundations of western civilization, the countries and cultures I’ve spent so much time in, physically and mentally. From my first D’Aulaire’s Greek Mythology (checked out of a Tallahassee, Florida library when I was in the second grade), to now seeing my first book published in modern Greek … it’s like an affirmation. Efcharisto!

Friday was photoshoot day … we need new head shots for CITY OF DRAGONS, so ventured to the sunny side of the Bay and Berkeley, over to Lisa Keating, photographer extraordinaire. Lisa makes you feel immediately comfortable, in a beautiful, airy, naturally lit studio, complete with a black lab named Happy, who makes you feel exactly that.

Despite a TV movie-like mishap–my dry cleaner didn’t give me my entire order, and so I arrived in Berkeley without a shirt and had to fight through horrendous 4th of July traffic to get back to San Francisco and then turned immediately around so I could make it back to Berkeley in time–the shoot was a dream, and makeup artist Tricia Turner and Lisa just the best people anyone–particuarly writers with nerves–could ever hope to work with!! I can’t wait for the photos … and yes, I wore one of my fedoras. 🙂

Today was Sunday Breakfast with Friends time, a wonderful opportunity to see pals and brilliant writers Laura Benedict (who lives in Illinois, so I never see her enough) and Sophie Littlefield (who lives in the Bay Area, but whom I still don’t see enough!) We had an old-fashioned breakfast at an old-fashioned restaurant and I only wish I could spend more Sundays doing this …

So, until next time, thanks for reading Writing in the Dark, thanks for checking out our new grog Criminal Minds, and I will do my best to convey some of the madness, fun, and exultation of Thrillerfest in New York!

Sisterhood in the Blogosphere!

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I was delighted and honored to get a Sisterhood Award nomination from PK the Bookeemonster and her wonderful, always insightful blog!

Herewith are my nominees (wonder women all), and the directions:

IF YOU ARE A NOMINEE, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND….
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

And the nominees are:

1. Laura Benedict’s Notes from the Handbasket (a fascinating blog, stunning writer, and dear friend)

2. Linda L. Richards (fellow Deco-loving pal from the NW, and a great writer and journalist)

3. Sophie Littlefield’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (good friend and debut novelist–watch for her terrific BAD DAY FOR SORRY, coming out in August)

4. Kaye Barley’s Meanderings and Musings (a graceful, lovely presence wherever she is, with a blog to match!)

5. BookBitch (one of the best thriller/mystery review sites around–thanks, Stacy!!)

6. Becky LeJeune’s No More Grumpy Bookseller (Becky is a fabulous reviewer and speed reader!)

7. Jungle Red Writers (amazing writers and amazing women all)

8. Working Stiffs (always fun and interesting, and a truly great community)

9. Poe’s Deadly Daughters (the name says it all!! another wonderful group of writers)

10. Sarah Weinman’s brilliant, must-read blog for all crime fiction news and observations, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.

Next post, a crazy little noir starring Ronald Reagan as a farm worker organizer, fighting corrupt monopolies in the burgeoning agro-business of 1942. Yeah, you heard me. It’s called JUKE GIRL, and features Ann Sheridan in the titular role.

BTW–March 26th is the anniversary of Raymond Chandler’s death. If you love crime fiction, remember the master with a nod of your fedora.

It, I’m Tag!

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So there are two of these tag things zooming around the ever-lovin’ blog-o-sphere (which today looks remarkably like those Sea-Monkey ads you used to see in comic books … but I digress).

And, thanks to the vagaries (and vagrancy) of Google Alerts and my own insane schedule, I didn’t realize that my dear and witty pal Sophie Littlefield had tagged me with another one. So here goes … this one’s for Sophie, and the rules are as follows:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

OK. Well, the nearest book from my laptop is a copy of … Nox Dormienda. I keep it around to remind me of why I’m getting a hunchback from sitting at the computer all day, emailing fellow eccentrics, plotting parties, blogging blatherings and swooning for signings. I’m attempting to send my child off to boarding school without it getting beat up too badly, so I slave away … but enough of me.

So here’s page 123:

“You will be called when it is time. And as always, find comfort in the redemption, the blood shed by our master and god. Ad astra in aeternum! Mors ianua vitae!”

Well, well, well. There’s actually not a lot of Latin in the book, but good ol’ 123 picked out a juicy bit. What that translates to is “To the stars for eternity! Death is the doorway to life!”

Just a bit of mithraism … a fascinating ancient religion that was neck and neck with Christianity for a quite a while. Very popular with soldiers. And spooky-cool underground temples, one of which features in Nox.

So, who am I gonna call? Coming right back at Bill … and Alexandra … and Robert … and Jason … and Julie. Gee, that felt just like the magic mirror in Romper Room! 🙂

Have fun, all!