Meet me at the (virtual) bar!
So how are we doing? How’s the sourdough starter? Knit anything new? And how is your garden coming along?
Aaaaaand that about covers it. Another thing that’s happening is slow (very slow) work on the next book about Ruby and March. Back in February (one thousand years ago) I’d hoped to have THE GREAT SHATTER in your hands in late Spring. Now, since time is a flat circle, it looks like late Summer. But who knows?
I had a lovely break from day-drinking, frantically cleaning my kitchen, baking discard-biscuits, and staring out the window courtesy of my pal Ed Aymar, who just can’t leave things alone. He had to go and round up loads of writers to do live readings to raise badly needed funds for indie bookshops.
In the Before Times, Ed organized Noir At the Bar and held it here in D.C. at The Wonderland, a bar close it my heart. Now, he’s taking it virtual, and I was up at bat this past Friday night. Along with some wildly talented mystery, thriller, action, and other writers (I’m the ‘other’) the marvelous Sara Jones provided vocals, and mixologist to the stars Chantal Tseng served up a themed cocktail. Chantal actually based her drink for this performance on my book, THE RIVER KING—it takes two kinds of rum and it gets SET ON FIRE! (Chantal knows me. Like, she knows me.) We all got together to raise some money for East City Books.
This link will take you to the Crowdcast page, and you can watch us there!
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/d-c–virtual-noir-at-the-3
I tried to find a chapter from The River King to read at this event, but it’s the fourth book in the series and all the chapters are like twenty minutes long. Since Ed threatened to come over and cough at anyone who read longer than eight minutes, I ended up with a selection from PURE, which is sassy, snappy, and the scene I read is set in a bar. It also has vampires, xanax, and inappropriate photography. Click the link below to see the whole thing; I come in around the ten minute mark. After that there are some talented authors and swinging music. If you can, support the indie bookstore of your choice, and remember to tip your bartender!
I have to thank Ed for inviting me to read–I have a blast (Get it? Blast? Drink set on fire? No? okay.) It was wonderful seeing familiar faces! (It was wonderful seeing any faces, no disrespect intended to my husband or my cats.)
Wrapping up with a little business–I’ve set Pure and The Sand Prince (both book one in their respective series) at .99 for the duration.
Ed’s next novel THEY’RE GONE is coming out in November and you should pre-order it.
Here’s the schedule for Noir At the Bar through the beginning of June.
