Hello, friends. Here we are: this week, in the UK and Australia, Walker Books publishes Rivals in the City. (The US/Canadian edition will come in February 2015 from Candlewick Press.) I am tremendously excited to see this fourth novel come into the world and meet its readers. I'm also rather wistful: it's the last Mary Quinn mystery. The part I'm saddest about? I'll never again write dialogue … [Read more...]
Suddenly, it’s very real
Hello, friends. One of the strangest things about writing a book is knowing - or, more accurately, discovering - that it's done. I mean finally, irrevocably, too-late-to-change-a-comma done. For me, this revelation usually foists itself upon me when I open an envelope from my lovely editor at Walker Books, Mara Bergman. It's not that I've been unconscious throughout the editorial stages, of … [Read more...]
Rivals in the City: Chapter One
Hello, friends. Can you believe that it's only six weeks until the UK publication of Rivals in the City? I know, I know! I finished my final proofread last week and the typeset pages went to the printers on Thursday. (I have since found some corrections that I'd like to make - AUGH!) Ahem. Anyway, to celebrate and to thank you for hanging on with such dauntless patience, I am thrilled to excerpt … [Read more...]
Rivals in the City!
Hello, friends! My wish came true: this week, just in time for the holidays, I got permission to share with you the UK/World cover for Rivals in the City. The artwork is by David McDougall at Walker Books and I love it, I love it, I love it. I hope you do, too! And here's the back-cover description: Convicted fraudster Henry Thorold is dying in prison, and the Agency asks Mary to take on … [Read more...]
Fermentation
I've been a very sloppy blogger recently, and for that I sincerely apologize. I didn't mean to fall into an every-other-week pattern, and I realize it's Thursday today. I have a specific plan to improve (I've blocked out a blogging session each Monday evening) and I hope my weekly post will become a joyful habit, rather than something I cringe to realize that I've missed once again. But I'm … [Read more...]
Fatberg!
Hello, friends! Did you hear about the "fatberg"? It was a 15-ton conglomeration of solid fat found in a London sewer. (This NPR blog post has a photo. If you're the queasy type, don't click; just take my word for it.) This thing was 15 tons of congealed fat mixed with disposable wipes. Sewage workers spent 3 weeks hacking it into chunks which were then taken away in "heavy-duty lorries". They … [Read more...]