November 28, 2007

Well, that's an exaggeration…but the first book has just been released there, and a fan sent me some pictures. I had to take a break from When Twilight Burns (which is going nicely) to share a few pics.

Doesn't the cover look fabulous? Better than that image that I posted before. Love the sunlight streaming down on it. And it looks like a trade-sized paperback at 9.90 Euros. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

This is Debora. Isn't she pretty? (And so sweet to send me all the pictures–I'm not posting them all, but she snapped pics of the copyright page, and the first page in Italian, and the title page….and the back cover! What a doll.)

Soon, the Spanish version of The Rest Falls Away will be released, and we've also sold the rights to the first two books to a UK publisher…with hopefully more languages to come.

In the meantime, tell all your Italian friends! 

November 26, 2007

According to an article in today's papers, the British Secret Service has a problem with recruiting.

No, it's not that they can't get enough people…it's that the people they get want to be James Bond.

Well, duh. (Actually, I don't want to be James Bond…I want to do James Bond. I mean, if he's Daniel Craig.)

Sooo…since it's Monday and I'm crawling back into my writing cave for the rest of the week, barely  likely to poke my head out until When Twilight Burns is done (ie, Friday. Or maybe Saturday.), I'm gonna make it easy on you….

Who's your favorite James Bond actor?

What's your favorite Bond flick?

Have you read the books? If so, what do you think about them?

(I've read them, and just quickly want to say that the books have much more characterization for Bond than the movies do. There's more depth to him…and he's quite the reluctant hero.)

Go. Tawk amongst yerselves. Back later. Have a great week. (I'll poke my head in.)

November 22, 2007

…stop by and see me!

I'll be taking a break from When Twilight Burns, and signing books and chatting with readers (and other authors!) at Another Look Books in Taylor, Michigan, on Saturday, from 3-5. If you need a break from shopping (and turkey), come on by!

And in the mean time…have a great Thanksgiving. What's the dish you most look forward to on Turkey Day?

Me? It's real mashed potatoes and gravy. Yuuuuuum. 

November 21, 2007

Against the demands of his attorneys, a European publication has just printed this photo of an A-list American actor….here he is, on set, in costume, for a film. No lifts, no makeup, no nothing…just part costume, part reality.

Do you know who it is?

November 20, 2007

I could have posted this in the comments section of the previous blog post, but I think it warrants a full blog post.

The whole silverware handle-up or -down issue has been a hot one in my household, with my husband, and, by extension, his mother (who trained him, and very well, might I add…except in this one area).

When we got our dishwasher, I read the instructions about where things were supposed to go. These were the instructions from the manufacturer, whose engineers determined the water flow and the positioning of the racks and everything else.

I figure they ought to know best, right?

So, the directions said to put the handles UP and the eating portion down. I think I always did that anyway, but when the instruction manual said to do that, I was happy to comply.

Not only does the designer of the dishwasher recommend doing so, but there are some no-brainer reasons for putting the handles up, at least in my mind:

1. Ya don't cut or stab yourself with fork tines or knife tips. Doh!

2. Ya don't get the eating parts dirty with your hand germs when you pull them out, as Tammy noted previously.

But…in my house, my dear Music Man insists that the handles go in first because that's how his mother taught him (ah! to have such lasting effects on my children!) and the eating parts go up. It's still an ongoing battle ten years later, even when I informed him of the manufacturer's instructions as well as the logical items I noted above.

So that's why I spend half my time rearranging the dishwasher after the dishes are loaded (by someone other than me).

So, in light of all this…do any of you handle-down folks want to come over into the light with us handle-up geniuses?