deadly-liaisons

Stealing Electronic Books

2009-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Every time you download an electronic/digital book free without the written consent of the publisher or the copyright owner, you are stealing a book. Even if you paid a membership fee to the site offering them, you are committing theft.

In this business we call them pirate sites because they're stealing from publishers and authors. And they're always around under one name or another, offering electronic/digital books free without the written consent of the publisher or the copyright owner AS REQUIRED BY LAW.

Open any electronic book, and you'll see a statement similar to this: "All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review."

That's pretty black and white, isn't it? You can't forward an e-book to a friend--even though you may do so if you purchase a book in hardcover or paperback. And you certainly can't give them away free unless you happen to be the copyright holder holding a contest or using them as promotional materials.

And when I give away my books for my contests or as promotional materials, I BUY THEM. They aren't free even to the author.

It should be clear by now that digital/electronic laws are different for those for hardcover and paperback books.

Sales for e-books are much lower than for other print books. Authors don't receive advances and are paid royalties on a percentage of what the publisher makes. So it's especially nasty for these piracy sites to give away electronic books because it robs publishers and authors of income. Income many of them need to live on.

If you stumble on one of these sites and see a familiar author's name, I urge you to notify the publisher and the author if at all possible. They have the power to pull the books.

Have a great day!

Dee Ann

GUEST BLOGGER LIZ JASPER

2009-03-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had no idea how long it'd been since I'd posted, so it's my special pleasure to present Sisters in Crime member Liz Jasper as a guest blogger today. She's an award-winning mystery author and avid e-book reader, also blogging this month for the Go Green/Read E project of All Romance eBooks.

Last Saturday, sister mystery writer Dana Fredsti and I spoke at the Northern California Sisters in Crime meeting about electronic books. I write traditional curl-up-on-the-couch mystery e-books with vampires for Cerridwen Press, Dana writes smoking hot love stories for Ravenous Romance. Mostly we talked about our experiences from the publishing side, but one reader's comment from the audience surprised me.

We were ticking off some trends/observations about the e-book market--such as e-books, while still a relatively small fraction of books sold, are a huge growth market in the otherwise dismal world of publishing; e-publishers take risks on new authors whereas traditional publishers tend to be more conservative and trend-following in what they published; increasingly we were seeing traditionally published mystery writers' books having simultaneous hardcover and e-book releases – when someone in the audience said:

"Yeah, that's all well and good, and yeah, the e-book version might be half the price of a hardcover, but you have to buy something to read it on!"

Dana and I both blurted out in surprise, "No, you don't."

Dana said, "You can read them on your computer — and the software is free."

I added, "These days, you can pretty much read them on anything."

Which I admit isn't terribly helpful, if you've never read an e-book. It's a little like telling a kitchen novice moving into their first apartment that eggs are great to have on hand as you can cook than a million ways. Nonetheless, it's pretty much true. Sure, you can buy the Kindle 2 from Amazon and in something like ten seconds wirelessly download your selection from their 200,000 titles and read them on an energy efficient screen that is (says Business Week) "easy on the eyes." But you really can read e-books on just about any electronic device. Last week free software was released that turns your iPhone into a wireless "mini-Kindle."

Perhaps you, like me, don't have one of the many versions of dedicated e-book readers or an iPhone. But why not try an e-book anyway on what you do have? E-books are cheaper than if you bought the story in print and, as a bonus, they're environmentally friendly.

Side note: I admit I'm dying to hear from someone who has read a book on a regular one-inch cell phone screen, as I hear is possible. As much as I'm all for e-books, I can't help but think that's crazy. But then I remember Homer Simpson, who when he was in the ICU and saw someone on a ventilator said, (I paraphrase) "What? They make machines that breathe for you? And all this time I've been using my own lungs like a sucker?" You may find that reading on a one-inch screen, when your eyes don't have to move all that way like they would across a traditional page, to be remarkably restful.

Click here for Liz Jasper's Underdead mysteries and thousands of other e-books http:www.allromanceebooks.com.
Click for Liz's website http://www.lizjasper.com.
For the Go Green/Read project click http://www.gogreenreade.com.

CRY DANCE by Kirk Mitchell

2008-11-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

Cry Dance by Kirk Mitchell

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Step aside, Tony Hillerman, for Kirk Mitchell, who handles suspense among the Indians of North America with equal ease. Bureau of Indian Affairs detective Emmett Parker, a Comanche, stalks killers among the Havasupai in California and Arizona in this tightly written suspense. Loved it.

Dee Ann Palmer

http://www.deeannpalmer.com

VISIT TO SAN QUENTIN PRISON

2008-08-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Although I was a biology major, one of the neatest experiences I had at the University of Redlands in southern California, was singing alto in the concert choir and touring seven western states for two weeks. We gave secular concerts mornings in high schools and sacred performances in churches in the evening. Church people put us up in their homes at night. When we stayed in St. George, we doubled the protestant population the minute we entered town.

The next year, my roommate, also a choir member, and I transferred to the University of California's School of Nursing in San Francisco. When we received a phone call inviting us to join them that spring in a San Quentin concert, we whooped.

The bus picked us up at our dorm, and down we went to Marin county and the sprawling prison. By the time we rolled through its gates, it was over 100 years old, having been constructed in 1852 by inmates who slept aboard ship during the night and worked on it by day.

I wasn't even old enough to vote, and if my parents had known I was in that prison singing to life-without-parole men, they'd have had heart attacks.

It's not tough to understand why those inmates were one of the most appreciative audiences we'd ever had. Jack Crowder, who'd later appear with Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly! and then in TV's Roots, sang with us. When his rich basso voice belted out Freedom!, that pretty much brought down the house.

Because we'd sung for lifers, we were allowed in the infamous Green Room, where executions are held. As the process was explained to us, nausea rolled through me. No one spoke until we were safely back on the bus, and no one joked on the return to our dorm.

WAS THAT RESEARCH REALLY NECESSARY?

2008-06-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Was I crazy to tackle a novella involving slow pitch baseball, firefighting and search and rescue? After all, it was a big chunk, and I was the one crafting the story. I didn't have to do this! Call me dogged - or maybe just plain stubborn - but I stuck with it.

What gave me the courage to go with them was knowing those subjects weren't entirely new to me. The men in my family had played baseball while I cheered from the sidelines. Training to be an MICN (mobile intensive care nurse) many years ago, I'd spent twenty hours in a fire station chilling out and riding with their paramedics. That gave me an atmosphere from which to create my own station. I'd also recently seen a presentation to eighth grade girls by a female firefighter, and even knew the weight of the backpacks carried.

I've watched the Dog Whisperer on TV, seen TV specials on search and rescue teams, heard a government expert witness on search hounds, who's also a Bloodhound breeder, in my Sisters in Crime chapter meetings.

No matter how familiar the subjects I'd chosen were for me, I'd have been a fool to avoid researching each one. The tools I used included the Internet, personal interviews and the local library with its interlibrary loan system, periodicals, books and videos. I could have even accessed the Internet there if I hadn't had my own computers.

As an example, I knew about Bloodhounds, but how big were they and what colors did they come in? I found an email contact with a breeder online who cordially provided that information. I decided which color I liked and gave my scent hound a name. An Internet look at search and rescue teams gave me clues as to other hounds used and revealed that some hounds are air scenters and others are ground scenters. Photos online of the SAR team in my county as they assembled to train sparked the opening scenes of my story.

As for firefighting, I interviewed a battalion chief by phone, stopped firefighters when I saw them ready to leave a call or found them in the supermarket. Did they sleep dormitory style? What do they wear to bed? Who was in charge on a call? Yes, they still come down poles and only have one minute to hit the mat at the bottom once the alarm sounds.

I checked my town's firefighter job descriptions online. Googling firefighting equipment and gear prompted me to ask about the mat, boots and suits they use on different calls. I saw yellow suits in the back of an engine when I spoke to some men leaving a call up my street. Yes, they leave their suits in the truck or engine.

Well, what do you know - there are trucks and there are engines! Different purposes for various calls.

Obviously, I wasn't going to use all the information in my story, but it would've been stupid not to look in depth for more than I'd personally experienced. I guess the short answer to the question posed in the title is:

YES...all that research is necessary. Heaven forbid you should use it all, but without the background it provides your story won't ring with authenticity.

Dee Ann

WHAT'S UP?

2008-06-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Something's going around. It's called "Meme." It refers to a transfer of information from blog to blog. You're supposed to tell six things about yourself that people wouldn't ordinarily know. So here are my things:

1. Dr. Pepper's the only soft drink I like. Mother told me that as a toddler I wouldn't let the barber cut my hair...until they put Dr. Pepper in a baby bottle and gave it to me. I've loved it ever since.

2. I was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. What is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper? TEXAS!

Daddy sold gasoline pumps, and sometimes Mother and I would go on his rounds to his customer's gas stations. (Later, we were advised that "gas station" was a hick term, and heaven forbid we should sound like "Oakies." We switched to the more cultured description - service station. Ahem.) At any rate, I'd lift the lid of the soft drink chest and, standing on my tiptoes, reach in to pick up a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the icy waters. Daddy would pay for it.

When our sons were growing up, there was a wonderful lumberyard in town with free scraps you could help yourself to. They did a lot with wood, so loved going to pick something out from the wood pile. Lo and behold, what did the yard have but an old-fashioned soft drink chest just like the one I'd seen as a child in Texas. It had Dr. Pepper in, too.

3. I love jewels. Seeing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London was a fabulous experience. Subsequently, Lance Davison, my wizard-knight hero in PORTAL TO DARKNESS, has a special affinity for gems and can hear the "songs of the stones."

4. In Edinburgh, my husband and I saw the clan pipers present a Tattoo as night fell over the castle towers. When the sound of the pipes rose and the bands came down from the castle, it brought goosebumps. Kilts and flashes flipped and pipes whined as white spats caught the light when the men marched in cadence. Beautiful.

One tall drummer, wearing a bearskin hat, flicked his white-tipped sticks up each time he struck the drum. When he marched in place, he lifted his knees so high that his kilt flipped up. I thought for a moment we were going to solve the problem of what a Scotsmen wears under his kilt.

No such luck.

One Scotsmen was asked what was worn under the kilt. He replied, "Worn? Nothing's worn under my kilt. Everything's in perfect working order."

Sadly, budget cuts have reduced the number of regimental bands, and we witnessed the final performance with the historic Clan Donald. The evening closed as a soft spot highlighted a single Donald piper playing on the battlements. Haunting.

5. This trip inspired my best selling novella, WOMAN IN BLACK LACE. Phebe is sent from Washington, D.C. in 2008, back to the Highlands before the destruction of the clans by the English in the 1700s. She participates in a Scottish ceilidh, a folk celebration, similar to the one below.

6. In Ireland, at Bunratty Castle, I enjoyed an Irish ceilidh. Those of us from the tour bus ate dinner together. We ate, among other foods, potato salad, boiled potatoes and baked potatoes (celebrating prosperity after the historic potato famine, I think) while being entertained with dancers and singers moving to the music of penny whistle, elbow pipe, fiddle and drum. The potatoes were delicious, unlike anything I've ever tasted in the U.S. I was invited to dance with a handsome Irishman, and, in heels, I tried to keep up with his steps as we danced over the rough, ancient stone floor.

I fell asleep with Irish tunes dancing in my head...and wishing I'd done better on the dancing.

Dee Ann
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
axeman9005@mypacks.net

SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM, LONDON

2008-04-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

For many years, my husband fell asleep reading and rereading the adventures of Sherlock Homes. These days the inexpensive hardback is in pieces, its purpose having been served, replaced by True Crime and CSI: Miami on cable TV. My husband loved those stories, loved the characters and the settings, loved the logic used in solving the crimes. It took time for me to appreciate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's marvelous creation and quick mind.

On our one visit to Great Britain, we took the underground near Kensington Palace, which was within walking distance of our hotel, to visit the "Sherlock Holmes Museum." Crazy, considering the house Holmes lived in was a figment of Doyle's imagination and special arrangements had had to be made to even designate a 221B for this "museum."

It couldn't have been more clear that Holmes had never existed.

Kensington, where the late Princess of Wales was living at the time, was filled with nicely dressed people of several cultures. It wasn't until we left the underground at the station that would take us to Baker Street that we saw a different set of folk.

We were now in a less affluent part of greater London, where teens dressed in black and white, wore chains and sported body piercings. One young man who exited at our stop wore his red hair slicked back and jelled into a high cock's comb. He was dressed in plaid trousers held up by suspenders over a long sleeve T-shirt. His feet were encased in high top, black, basketball sneakers.

Ah, it was like the teen scene back home.

221B is the upper floor of a narrow row house whose front abuts the sidewalk. We waited half an hour on that sidewalk with four other people, stopped from entering by an attendant dressed as a Bobby from the Holmesian era, who announced the docent hadn't returned from lunch. Eventually, the docent led us up narrow stairs to the small Victorian-furnished flat.

It didn't take long to understand this was a tourist trap. Those of us in the room kind of chuckled under our breath, sharing the joke...on us. Supposedly, the dimensions of the room, the placement of and type of furniture were true to Doyle's descriptions.

Was it so? Perhaps. I don't remember much because there was little memorable about it. Was it worth the time and money? Most likely not, but as Holmes/Doyle fans in London, the pull to see it, wanting so much for it to be real, couldn't be resisted.

Dee Ann Palmer

SUDDEN DEATH

2008-04-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

There's been a death in my husband's family. A fit, active, older man who'd recently complained to his handball partner about heartburn, but didn't seek a physician's help, died suddenly when the "heartburn" returned with a vengeance.

What he'd passed off as "heartburn" was a dying heart--the pain its protest against a lack of oxygen because narrowed arteries that couldn't deliver it to the vital muscle.

In medicine, we call this the "king's death." It's sudden and pain is brief-if there is pain. But the enormity of the shock a family feels cannot be underestimated.

We write about murder, about death. Let's not forget the shock loved ones feel in the face of the sudden death of a significant person in their lives.

Do you know basic CPR? Do you carry an Aspirin to take in case of "heartburn?"

The Amercian Heart Association has a list online of signs and symptoms of a heart attack in men and women. Become familiar with them.

Dee Ann Palmer

http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Do You Listen to Music When You Write?

2008-03-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

There are people who have music playing constantly...in the car, at home and even as they fall asleep. My brain finds that way too busy. Music demands my full attention. Most probably I can't focus on two things at once.

However, when I was finishing CRY OF THE BELLS, I listened to the CD FLAVORS OF THE DRUM: NATIVE RHYTHMS AND RECIPES, released in 2000 by Talking Taco Music Company. I was writing about early California and Native Americans, and I looked forward to sitting down to type while the drums thrummed softly in the background.

I hear romance writers discuss this issue more than mystery writers. One author reveals she sometimes plays music and sometimes doesn't. Her brain lets her know yes or no. Another novelist says she listens to the music of DRAGONHEART, a favorite of mine, although I use it because it lifts my mood to cheerfulness. Another, who writes horror romance, puts on music from horror films.

Like much of the writing process, it's a matter of finding what works for you. It's purely individual. If you haven't tried it, do. You might like it.

Dee Ann Palmer

http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter
CRY OF THE BELLS, available on Amazon or BookSurge
Order electronic version, pdf or html, $4.50, from Dee Ann at
axeman9005@mypacks.net

UPDATE ON home.insightbb.com/&Ed.lawson/

2008-03-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

When I posted this reference, the link worked. A reader has notified me that it's broken, and when I Googled the reference the URL that currently works is http://www.home.insightbb.com/~d.lawson/

Dee Ann

EXCELLENT REFERENCES IF WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION

2008-02-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

The bio page of my website - http://www.deeannpalmer.com - has some comments on writing historical fiction. I've had two historical novels and a short story published, so the comments are based on my experiences.

If you're working on, or planning to work on, a piece of historical fiction, you can find out just about every bit of information you need at this URL. Try http://www.home.insightbb.com/%Ed.lawson/

"Medieval Costume and Fashion" by Herbert Norris has been recommended to me. If I've used it, I've forgotten it. One writer swears by it.

Also, let me make it clear that "Deadly Liaisons" is the name of my blog. It's not a new book by me. Sorry for the confusion. Right now I'm concentrating on writing romances, and murder or mayhem are subgenres.

If you have any suggestions for historical references for writers, chime in here so we can all share.

Dee Ann

LEARNING TO USE TAROT TO DEVELOP CHARACTERS & PLOT

2008-01-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

I just finished a four week online Tarot class, taught by Elizabeth Delisi through a Romance Writers of America chapter. Tarot's valuable for use in many genres.

First, you need a Tarot deck you like--one that "speaks" to you. There are many decks available. See http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/. Each has a theme, i.e. Victorian, Faeries, Vampires, Contemporary, Gay, Ancient Egypt...whatever. Their illustrations match the theme. Some of them hold great appeal for me. Many don't. If you're a real "Tarot-er," you'll have several decks. One woman in the class confessed she has 50. I don't plan to go into the business of reading for people, but I see why people collect them. Some are gorgeous. A second deck I'd like costs $75 on Amazon.

I guess I won't be buying that one any time soon.

To "read" the cards, you ask a question, such as "What's my character's background?" Then you shuffle the deck and lay some cards out. The number of cards and the shape in which you form them are your choice. It's amazing, but looking at them will spark answers to your question.

Having used them now to develop a character, I believe the Arcana--the "secrets and mystery"--of the cards lies in the fact they tap into what's already lurking in your mind. Although there are guidelines as to what each card means, you're the one interpreting the scenes on the cards.

Another fun Tarot site is http://www.ate-tarot.com/reflections/01-05-08/. Also, Delisi recommended "Learning Tarot" by Joan Bunning. Bunning has a free online class I stumbled onto at http://learntarot.com

Happy reading,
Dee Ann Palmer

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA STRIKE

2008-01-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

These are just my thoughts:

Gradually, writer groups are settling with the WGA. The brunt of the strike has been borne by the late night TV shows because they're written daily. I'm not surprised that Jay Leno, Conan O'Brian, Carson Daly and David Letterman are on the air again after two months off. Letterman probably lost $6 mil in income and Leno $4 mil. On top of this, they each paid their people something to keep them afloat during this time. If I'm quoting him correctly, Leno said his first night back, "Nineteen people are keeping 160 people out of work."

The strike needs to end. Now. People need to earn credit to continue their health insurance, for one thing. They need to buy food, pay rent and property taxes. As much as I believe the writers are asking for the right things in regard to digital rights, I know they'll never recoup what they're losing in this strike.

Someone, who insists they know, says SAG (Screen Actors Guild) will strike in June.

I hope not. This is disastrous enough for too many for too long already.

Here's hoping for a normal and prosperous New Year!

Dee Ann
http://www.deeannpalmer.com

LAndmarked for Murder reviewed in CrimeStalkers

2007-12-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Head for BOOK REVIEWS at http://www.crimestalkers.com and scroll down to the big blue and yellow cover of "LAndmarked for Murder" on the right.

This is a plum for Sisters in Crime/LA because it's difficult to get a book reviewed. KUDOS to us!

My Thanksgiving decorations are in the boxes and stowed away. The Santa windsock and Snoopy flag are flying outside, and the beginning pieces of my Dept 56 Dickens Village are out on the entertainment center. I love the tiny lights glowing softly in the night when the house is dark and quiet. It's almost as good as when the kids were little and asleep. I'd creep into their rooms before heading for bed, and feel all was right with the world.

We wait until my husband's birthday before buying a live tree at the Christmas Tree Farm. Even though we have this down to a science, every year it's more difficult to make a fresh cut on the bottom and wrangle the thing into the stand.

Blessed holidays to you,
Dee Ann

http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter
http://www.deeannpalmer.com

CALIFORNIA BURNING

2007-10-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Six days of hell for so many residents, but the end is in sight. Thankfully, my family and friends in San Diego County have survived with their lives, pets and homes intact. It's a sad day for some.

Where I live, the air is filthy with whatever toxins the flames and ash from the mountains above us have discarded in what we breathe. I saw a jogger out in this earlier, and I thought him incredibly foolish. He has no idea what he might be breathing into his lungs. The sun is a brilliant orange, and the air looks like light fog.

Our school district is closed; football and Halloween carnivals will be rescheduled. Cheers for administrators thinking of the health of their students and staff!

May all be well with each of you,

Dee Ann

heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Robert Crais answers my question

2007-10-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered, as I did, why THE LAST DETECTIVE begins with Joe Pike hunting a killer bear in Alaska? Eight months after he'd been shot twice in the back, and the bullets had shattered his shoulder blade, "spraying bone fragments like shrapnel through his left lung and the surrounding muscles and nerves," Joe is after this eleven hundred pound, rabid, rogue bear.

And when he finds him, and knows the bear may soon discover him, the strength in his shoulder and arm holding the rifle fail. Despite a philosphy of always meeting the charge, Pike admits defeat and leaves.

These pages are beautifully written. You're right there in Alaska, hearing the snapping jaws of the bear as it prepares to charge. I loved these pages, but I couldn't understand why the book opened this way. It had little to do with the book, which is Cole's story, not Pike's.

I had my answer recently. Crais spoke at my Romance Writers meeting, and as he was signing my copy of THE WATCHMAN, I asked.

His answer was he'd shown a dangerous, primordial wilderness in Alaska. And he was showing that Los Angeles is also dangerous, primordial wilderness. He smiled. "I think too much."

I said I'd thought it was Joe coming to terms with the severity of his injuries.

"That too."

So, there you have it.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

PEN NAMES aka PSEUDONYMS

2007-09-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

Recently a new author emailed to ask what I thought about using a pseudonym. She wondered if it confused readers.

I told her absolutely not! The purpose is to separate different genres and so PREVENT confusion for readers. There's great precedence for this.

Although I don't recall the name, Dean Koontz' first books were under a pseudonym. I believe they've been released now as written by Dean Koontz.

James Oliver Rigney Jr. wrote "The Wheel of Time" fantasy series and "Conan the Destroyer" as Robert Howard. He wrote a trio of historical novels set in Charleston as Reagan O'Neil. He published a western under the name of Jackson O'Reilly. (Sadly, the 9/19 "Los Angeles Times" carries an obituary for him. He was 58, and working on the final book in his "Wheel" series when he died of a blood disease that strikes only one in a million people.)

Barbara Mertz, Ph.D. in Egyptology, writes non fiction under that name. As Elizabeth Peters, she writes the historical Amelia Peabody and contemporary Vicky Bliss series. Her contemporary suspense books are under Barbara Michaels. I love Amelia Peabody, but I'm not so enthralled with Vicky Bliss. Sometimes I think Michaels is compelling, other times not so.

Jayne Ann Krentz writes under that name, and she pens historicals as Amanda Quick (love these). I don't know what she writes as Jayne Castle, Jayne Bentley, Jayne Taylor and Stephanie James.

Famous Nora Roberts writes contemporary romance, but her sci fi mysteries are as J.D. Robb. If you don't like sci fi, but you love Nora Roberts' romances, you aren't going to buy a Robb book. If you did, you'd be very disappointed. I happen to enjoy them both.

Readers often seek out the pen names and try those books, but they know they'll be reading in a different genre and may not like them as well.

Have a great day,
Dee Ann

heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

THE EVILS OF FILE SHARING

2007-08-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Recently I read a post by an ebook author stating her royalty checks had fallen to zero because of file sharing. She's so disgusted with the pirating of her books that she refuses to write another ebook.

"Pirating" is the correct word. The sharing of an ebook file is a violation of copyright law. It's illegal. Every ebook will contain a statement similar to this: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PORTION OF THIS BOOK MAY BE TRANSMITTED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM, OR BY ANY MEANS, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BRIEF EXCERPTS USED FOR THE PURPOSES OF REVIEW.

With file sharing sites like Usenext, you become a member and, for a monthly fee, you can download any files on that site without charge. I have a book on that site now, and I did not donate it to them. Nor have they paid me for it.

For a file sharing site to derive income from ebooks without compensating the publisher, cover designer or author is theft.

If you're participating in a site like this, I urge you to rethink your membership. Honor the copyright law.

Thanks for listening,

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net

Death in the House

2007-07-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today Ella drowned her mouse.

When I got up this morning, I found it floating, belly up, in her water dish. The water had taken on a distinctly tan color.

I've heard she does this at home with her favorite mouse, which she's had since kittenhood and which now resembles something out of a horror movie. No one knows why she does this. Maybe she figures she can't kill it any other way. Maybe she likes the taste of old catnip that seeps through the cloth to flavor the water. Who can fathom the mind of a cat?

This is the first time she's attempted murder in our house. In the last two years, she's stayed with us off and on when our oldest son and his wife have been away a week or so. The new, stuffed mouse we bought to keep here has always been just that - a new, stuffed mouse.

Today it is drowned.

Ella is a short haired, dark tortoise shell cat with big, green eyes. She loves staying here. It's always an adjustment when she comes, however. She gives us kisses and asks for her head to be scratched, goes potty, eats a few chows and laps a little water, then she explores all the high places and ends her arrival by crawling under a bed to sleep for the next twelve hours.

On this visit she's reached the point of trust where she allows us to pick her up. Perhaps this is why I found the soaked mouse this morning. Perhaps she's letting us know she feels comfortable enough now to even commit murder in this place.

Who knows. Do you?

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net

DARRELL AND SARAH ARE WINNERS!

2007-07-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

DARRELL JAMES won DEADLY INK's 2007 short story competition with "Trust a Dead Man to Keep a Secret." SARAH CHEN placed third with "Bad Boy Burn." The stories appear in an anthology released in June by DEADLY INK.

DARRELL and SARAH are members of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime, and although I don't know SARAH, I know DARRELL's a really nice guy. So how does a nice a guy write such twisted stories? You'll find the answer in my interview with him at http://www.deeannpalmer.com.

Congratulations to both of them. DARRELL is certainly on a roll.

Dee Ann

Author of "Cry of the Bells" and "Marathon Madness" in "LAndmarked for Murder."
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com

Meeting Friends

2007-06-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

As you know from reading this blog, I love jazz. For my page on MySpace, I went to various other pages to invite people to be a friend. Of course, I went to Dean Koontz, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Westwood's Mystery Bookstore in California, and various crime magazines. I also had fun inviting some of the jazz greats like Pat Metheny, Allen Vizzutti and Herbie Hancock. Quincy Jones is there too. Also, two House of Blues sites. In looking at the info on the page for trumpeter Sal Cracchiola and his wife, Melanie Jackson, a singer, I saw Sal had played in some of the same bands our oldest son had. So I sent a message asking if he by any chance knew our son.

He does! Said they'd been mentored by trumpeter Bobby Shew. Apparently they toured Japan with the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and have played other gigs together. When I told my son, he said, "Of course I know him! He's a good friend."

What great fun to make this connection.

Now I'll have to go looking for other musicians. Maybe Bobby Shew has a page there too.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

See MySpace

2007-06-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jazz has been big in my life ever since I was a student RN in San Francisco. My boyfriend, who is now my husband, flew up from Burbank, CA, to visit. He took me to my first nightclub to hear Errol Garner play piano. Garner sat on a New York City telephone book to put him at the right height, and I found the music and the experience fascinating.

I think most people have to get used to jazz. You hear a bit of melody, and then it's gone, lost in a flurry of notes played around it. Musically, I have no idea what the flurry is, but I love it.

Protocol says you clap each time a musician solos. Recently we attended a high school jazz festival where one of our daughters-in-law had brought her new band to compete. The band before them arrived late due to L.A. freeway problems, and when they played their first tune my husband and I clapped after each solo.

We were the only two people in the audience. When they'd finished, and we'd again clapped, we discovered that was just a warm up tune.

Oh well. A little encouragement is never a bad thing.

We're going to L.A. this afternoon to hear jazz again. On the next blog I'll tell you about seeing the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

THREE BEAUTIFUL THINGS

2007-06-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm borrowing an idea from Kate Thornton's blog to describe yesterday's "No Crime Unpublished" mystery writers conference in Arcadia California:

The Embassy Suites Hotel. Fountains, lush plants, beautiful woods and colors. Easy to reach from the freeway.

The attendees...warm and friendly, eager to discuss writing and ask questions. All six at my luncheon table were seat-of-the-pants writers. Yay! Most of my workshop presenters were, too. Yay!

Keynote speaker, Rochelle Krich, president of Sisters in Crime National, and a gracious woman with the perfect address for her listeners.

The workshop presenters. Presenter by presenter, the most knowledgeable and worthwhile, in my humble opinion, of the four conferences I've attended. SinC/LA improves with every conference experience.

The SinC/LA board! Lovely tributes and a thoughtful gift to Sue Ann Jafarian, whose new three book contract has forced her to resign early as president.

Marvelous raffle baskets. There must have been twenty. Proceeds went to Jan Burke's Clinical Laboratories Project. Gayle Poole wrapped all but two of them, and they were gorgeous.

Conference Co-chairs Jan DiLucchio and Diana James, who did a marvelous job of providing a conference that truly made us proud to be members of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. Diana was brave enough to step out of her vice president's shoes and into the presidential shoes vacated by Sue Ann.

Well, I guess that's more than three beautiful things, isn't it? All together, they created a BEAUTIFUL THING of a conference.

I've attend four "No Crime Unpublished Conferences," and since I'm a published writer I almost didn't sign up. I'm so glad I did. I'll sign up for the next one, too.

Click on http://www.deeannpalmer.com to read my interview with SinC/LA membership chair DARRELL JAMES, author of BODY COUNT: A KILLER CONNECTION.

And have a wonderful week.

Dee Ann Palmer
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

SUNDAY JUNE 10 IS "NO CRIME UNPUBLISHED" MYSTERY WRITERS CONFERENCE DAY

2007-06-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

As the day draws closer, my excitement grows. I've attended the conference three or four times, but there's always something new to learn about the craft of writing mysteries. Plus, the company's great.

It's not too late to come to the Embassy Suites in Arcadia, CA! Registration is from 8-9:15, and breakfast begins then. Click here Sisters in Crime, LA for the latest update.

I've been in the Embassy Suites (it's very nice) because it's up the street from the Hampton Inn, where my husband and I stay every year for the Santa Anita Derby. They have a 5K race before the track opens, and I participate in the masters division. It's a scenic, easy runs through the Los Angeles Arboretum. The last quarter mile's on the training track. Great for horses, terrible for runners.

June 3, the "LAndmarked for Murder" crew spent 3 1/2 hours in the El Segundo Public Library for a book fair organized by the Friends of the Library. The person with the most business, however, was the animal-balloon man. Parents brought their kids in for a free balloon, and the most fabulous one was a huge Simba, from The Lion King.

Afterwards, my husband and I traveled to the home of our youngest son and his wife for a visit. He's refinishing their dining table, so they barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, and we ate at a card table. Afterwards, we walked the Salukis to a nearby Foster Freeze for dessert.

We live 85 miles away, and the freeway wasn't too crowded. We were home before dark...to a warm refrigerator...which is a story in itself.

Hope to see you June 10,

Dee Ann Palmer
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

DARRELL JAMES INTERVIEW

2007-05-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Darrell James is an intriguing person, and why and how he writes what he does is fascinating. I hope you'll take time to read his interview on my web site at http://www.deeannpalmer.com.

Watch this blog for a video from author Marilyn Meredith. I haven't seen it, so that'll be fun.

Marilyn discovered no one can contact me from my blog. You can always comment here by clicking on Comment at the end of a blog. Of course I always see those. But now I'll always sign off with a contact email address for your convenience.

I had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend. Hubbie and I spent all day Saturday at a community college in a nearby town for a high school jazz festival. Our oldest son, a trumpeter, was the guest artist. We heard him solo with the college evening band and then with their number one day band. He also held a trumpet master class.

We heard some of the advanced high school bands, and then our son's wife's novice band competed.

She's a student teacher and began the first jazz band the high school she's in has ever had. She warned us they were beginners, and had only played for four months, so not to expect too much. They were very good! Came in second in their division.

We visited with a man who's a good friend of our son. We hadn't seen him for years. He's now the director of jazz studies at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and had come out to be an adjudicator and to see his parents for Mother's Day. It was great to talk to him again.

Our son took him out to dinner and then came to our house to spend the night. The next day his brother and his wife arrived, and we had a wonderful time. Played Wheel of Fortune, were taken out to dinner by my husband, then came back home for cake and ice cream. It' was so great to catch up on all their news.

My kitchen TV had died, and hubbie had given me a new one. For years I've wanted cable on this set so I can watch favorite shows while cooking dinner. Otherwise, I don't have time to watch. Our youngest son showed us how we could hook it up. It's terrific.

Have a great week. Remember to read about Darrell James (Body Count: A Killer Collection) and watch for Marilyn Meredith's video.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.net

GETTING STORY IDEAS

2007-05-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The switch to Google at Blogger has finally let me in to write on this blog. It took some doing.

Just days after the murders by a deranged person in a Kansas City mall, I was in a California Albertson's market, wheeling my cart down an aisle as I studied the shelves for the product I needed. Suddenly a younger woman in the same aisle said in a quiet voice, "They're locking all the doors. I heard the manager at the end of this aisle call for security and order the doors locked."

My first thought was to abandon my cart and get out of there. But that wasn't an option. The doors were locked.

"What do we do,"--I laughed, half in jest yet nervous--"drop to the floor or what?"

Just then I saw the doors beyond the Starbuck's stand in the store open. I relaxed. "The doors are open now," I told her.

I'm sure the woman was as relieved as I was. She said, "These days you never know, do you?"

Thinking of Virginia Tech and Kansas City, I replied, "No. You don't."

Thinking later about that incident. I realized what a great story idea this could be. Two strangers meeting as they hit the floor in such a situation could develop into a romance. Or it could be tweaked and used in several ways in a murder mystery or a suspense.

It's a perfect example of how writers get ideas.

To learn more about how writers get story ideas, watch my web site for my interview of Darrell James, author of "Making it with Gammy" in "LAndmarked for Murder," and "Body Count: A Killer Collection."

Have a wonderful day!

Dee Ann
http://www.deeannpalmer.com

Santa Anita Derby

2007-04-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

My husband and I spent Easter weekend in Santa Anita for the Derby. This is a tradition for us. I jog in the Masters division of the Santa Anita Derby Day 5K (3.1 miles) that morning, and the ponies start running at noon. We stay two nights at a great, reasonably priced hotel with a fabulous free breakfast. Last year I finished third in my age division, but every year it gets tougher. This year I came in fifth. Sad Face.

Teens from all over the country were staying there for a national track and field meet. It was interesting visiting with them. Track and field were biggies for my husband and our sons.

If you've purchased "LAndmarked for Murder," you'll see that Jinx Beers has a story set at this race track with the title, "The Best Laid Schemes..." I doubt Jinx personally knows the characters in her story, except as any author knows his or her characters, but she does know this track, having been associated with it for several years.

Pick up a copy. It'll be fun to read.

What about punctuation, grammar, and spelling?

2007-03-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

If you're planning to submit to a legitimate publisher, trust me, spelling, punctuation, and grammar matter. You're not writing an email or blogging, where occasional lapses are okay. You're submitting professional work. Don't risk immediate rejection because your first pages are filled with errors. If you aren't good at this, and many writers are not, find someone who can help you. It's called "copy editing."

Also, if you plan to "self publish" through some of the services available for this, I recommend you choose one that copy edits. I know of one publisher who, although they don't charge to publish your book, states up front they do not edit. My advice would be to choose one that does.

I've double checked, and our No Crime Unpublished conference will have a scrumptious breakfast, in addition to lunch, included in the conference price.

Mystery Writers Conference June 10, 2007

2007-02-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

NO CRIME UNPUBLISHED, the mystery writers conference scheduled for June 10, is sponsored in the odd numbered years by the Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles chapter. I credit the 2003 conference with aiding me in finding a publisher for my first novel, CRY OF THE BELLS, an historical romantic suspense.

The conference will be held in the comfortable and elegant accommodations of the Embassy Suites Hotel, 211 E. Huntington, Arcadia, CA.

The morning speaker will be Rochelle Krich, president of Sisters in Crime National, and winner of the Anthony, Mary Higgins Clark and Calavera awards. She's authored 14 novels.

Keynote speaker Jacqueline Winspear, is the author of the Maisie Dobbs series, set in the 1900-1930s era in England. She won the Agatha for Best First Novel and the Macavity/Sue Feder Award for Best Historical Novel.

Your conference fee includes a variety of workshops to choose from and a delicious lunch. There's usually a continental breakfast.

Cost March 1 through May 31, 2007 - $125 for members, non members $135.
Cost after June 1 and at the door - $150.

Go to CLUES at the left here where the conference is mentioned. Click on the words Sisters in Crime/LA, and it will take you to the site where you can obtain a registration form. Payments can be made by check, payable to Sisters in Crime/LA, or by PayPal with sistersincrimela@yahoo.com the recipient. Write "Conference" in the Notes section.

I'll see you there!

Dee Ann
Author of "Marathon Madness" in LAndmarked for Murder
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
Cry of the Bells is available in electronic or print through http://www.awe-struck.net/AUTHORS39/cotbells.html

FOLLOW-UP ON POD COMMENTS

2007-02-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

I pulled my message about Print On Demand technology because the discussion continued on the Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles member's Yahoo list. There was more to the subject than what I'd written, so I thought it best to pull it rather than give out bad information.

Out of the fuller discussion came the knowledge that although small publishing houses use POD almost exclusively, bigger houses use it more than I'd thought. It's also used for hardbacks, but since my novels are trade paperbacks, I didn't mention that in my original comments.

Although I used the term trade paperback for POD, which is accurate, other technologies are used for them, too.

Barnes and Noble will list publisher's books only if a vendor relationship has been established with them. This entails accepting returns and sending a copy of the book to their headquarters. Publishers pay large amounts to have their books actually on the shelves.

Small houses use Bowkers/Books in Print database to list their books. Borders sees this list as accurate data and books can be special ordered from them. B & N views this list as "raw data," and they don't use it f0r special orders. Instead, your book must be on the B & N list.

E-book publishers shy away from accepting returns because too many have gone bankrupt and closed due to this practice.

Dee Ann

NEW BEGINNINGS

2007-01-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

For a time I belonged to a TOPS support group (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). Every week we'd arrive with our weight record books in hand and weigh in. It was carefully recorded in our book and in the chapter's ledger. Your weight was compared to that of the previous weigh-in, and losses or stand-stills were recorded in black, gains in red. There were little rewards for losses, and minor penalties for gaining. At the end of the year, the weight at the beginning of the year and that at the end were compared, telling you what your gain or loss for the year had been.

It was always a downer when you gained. However, on the first meeting of the new year, the slate was wiped clean. Your weight wasn't compared to the last one in the previous year: No one lost and no one gained. It was a joyous feeling - this idea of a new beginning in a new year.

Happy clean slate, my friends, for whatever needs to be erased from yours. Happy new beginnings, and a very Happy 2007.

Dee Ann

After the Ball is Over

2007-01-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

I promised to tell you about decorating our fresh Christmas tree, but first I must tell you it was "The Sound of the Trumpet" mystery I was looking for. The horn involved is that of Clifford Brown. That's perfect, because at a four day convention our trumpeter son performed in an orchestra that played music Brown had played. My husband and I love jazz, and we thoroughly enjoyed that concert.

Another year at the convention, in a hotel near LAX, the orchestra he was in performed a jazz version of "Porgy and Bess." That was incredibly special. However, it wasn't until I'd attended a Left Coast Crime Convention that I made the connection - that people who love jazz did the same thing we were doing! Just as we writers and reading fans had assembled to talk about the books and writing that fascinated us, musicians and music lovers would come from all over the world to hear about and listen to jazz.

Anyway, back to our tree. We put tiny multi-colored lights on it, and the ornaments I use are sentimental. There are things our sons made while growing up, and things that represent the interests of each of us in the family...trumpets, a skateboarder, a little guy typing on a stack of books, figures of Kristie Yamaguchi, Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman, running and track shoes, a baseball glove and ball, tennis rackets and golf bags, a polar bear, a mandolin and an acoustic guitar. There's something to represent each of us, even the grandparents who have passed away.

When he was eight, our youngest son made a cross-eyed jointed Santa out of construction paper in school. Santa's about a foot high, and his job's to cover the holes. Every Christmas tree we've ever bought has had a hole.

I complete the decorating with shiny ornaments and tinsel. The tree isn't beautiful. It isn't even balanced, but it has charm. It has heart. And, most of all, it's a family tradition.

I love putting it up. When New Year's Day has passed, and the tree's branches are dangerously dry and giving me hay fever, I can hardly wait to take it down.

That's when the ball is over, and it's time to step back into a world not of my making. Time to create with words on paper one I can control.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to health and prosperity.

Dee Ann

JAZZ MYSTERIES and THE HOLIDAYS

2006-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

The newspaper interview I mentioned earlier appeared in The Press Enterprise on 7/28/2006. It was in "Spotlight: Discovering the Writer Within" and was titled "Professional Pursuit." It's a nice article. I emailed my thanks to the writer.

One of our sons is a professional jazz trumpeter, and while at Left Coast Crime Convention in 2004, I purchased some jazz mysteries by Bill Moody for him as gifts. Moody's jazz group played for one of the receptions. Each of his books is connected in some way to a famous jazz musician.

I bought Bird Lives! for both of us. The back blurb reads - "A string of murders hits the jazz community like a sour note. Its victims are those musicians who've traded the traditional sounds of the greats like Charlie "Bird" Parker for the newer, more marketable 'smooth' jazz. But 'Bird' lives on - at the expense, it seems, of a few unlucky transgressors."

Some of the books were out of print, and I couldn't locate The Sound of a Horn. Obviously, that horn is Chet Baker's...the perfect book for a trumpet playing son. Thinking of it again this year, I searched independent mystery bookstores when it wasn't on Amazon. I found it online at The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles (Westwood), where we held our launch for LAndmarked for Murder! Isn't that terrific? I sent them an email telling them how pleased I was to give them a little business when they'd been so cooperative with that project plus highlighting Sue Ann in January. Had a nice reply from them. I ordered three books from them.

We celebrate Christmas in our home. In contrast to G.B. Pool (LAndmarked for Murder: Just Like Old Times), who has several trees and uses 3,000 Santas, we only have one tree. We live in an area of So Cal that still has open space, so mid November we went to a nearby tree farm and tagged one. Today we brought it home wrapped in netting.

Before we went to the farm, we put out two sawhorses and filled a bucket with water. After we'd wrestled the tree out of the car, we laid it it on the ground while I used a high pressure nozzle to wash it off. It's important to keep the trunk dry as wet wood is almost impossible to cut. I always wear a raincoat for this process, and my husband wears gloves and old Dockers. (Well, actually, he wears more than gloves and pants.) With much grumbling, and a protest from my healed broken elbow, we lifted the dripping tree onto the sawhorses. I anchored while my husband sawed off three inches off the trunk. The idea behind this is that the sap seals the trunk if you wait too long with it out of water. So we make a fresh cut.

For the next step, we maneuvered it into the waiting bucket. There it will wait, leaning against a wall, until tomorrow when it'll be dry enough to bring into our living room.

It's time to go to physical therapy on my elbow. I can't straighten my arm all the way. How I decorate our tree will have to wait for the next blog.

Take care,

Dee Ann
www.deeannpalmer.com

What's an ARC?

2006-11-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

I received my first Advanced Reader/Review Copies (ARCs) as giveaways at the Left Coast Crime Convention in Pasadena, CA. I had no idea what they were, but I did notice "Not for Sale" printed on them. I wasn't aware that selling them is illegal.

Some people believe them to be first editions. They are not. They're also not final copies, and may not even be the same book you'll find in bookstores when the book goes on sale. ARCs are an author's proof copy - replete with typos, grammar and spelling errors, and writing that may undergo major changes on the galleys.

They're used to spark interest in and generate publicity for a new book. Two or three months before publication, a publisher may release soft cover ARCs to reviewers, booksellers, magazines, and even a select group of readers (i.e. Left Coast Crime). The logic here is that these reviewers/readers can't talk about the book or provide free publicity unless they've read it, and you can't expect them to do that unless you provide a free sample. They understand an ARC is NOT the final product.

Since authors receive no royalties when these advance copies are sold, it's illegal to do so. Major authors report finding them on eBay or Amazon inflated by hundreds of dollars. These vendors will pull them if notified, but that's all. There's no punishment for the offender.

Changing the subject: Check out my Solvang photo at www.deeannpalmer.com. Soon I'll post something about my trip there with more photos.

Hope you've read Joe DeMarco's interview and have a story ready to send him.

Hope also to see you in Glendale 12/2 for the LAndmarked for Murder panel and book signing.

Dee Ann

INTERVIEW IN RIVERSIDE PRESS ENTERPRISE NEWSPAPER

2006-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

Over and over I've heard we attend book signings not to sell books but to get our names "out there." There may be some truth to that.

I signed and sold one book in October at the North San Diego County Book Faire in Escondido, CA. That's about 80 miles from where I live. The woman who provided publicity sent something to my local newspaper, and they did a nice article from it. There were twenty-five authors at the signing, but I don't think we had more than six outsiders come in. I would have felt the day a bust except I got hugs and greetings from five women I'd been with in a women writers/artists/composers group in that area which had disbanded due to traffic and lack of interest. I may never see them again.

Imagine my shock when I received a call this week from a stringer with the above paper. Apparently the article about me reading from "Marathon Madness" arrived AFTER the event. But that was enough to spur her interest. This is the major newspaper in the county next to mine.

I don't think I was a great interview, but there'll be an article about me sometime next week.

If I don't post again, have a blessedly happy Thanksgiving,

Dee Ann

NEW POSTING TO MY WEB SITE

2006-11-15T22:21:00.000-08:00

My November Thoughts are up now at http://www.deeannpalmer.com, and I hope to have photos of our trip to Solvang soon - providing I still have space on my web site. I'm thinking of having an Archives page where I can keep things like Joe DeMarco's interview and other things available for a time.

You might be horrified to know that dental care from my bicycle accident will cost me about $3,600. This is the dentist who purchased ten of my twenty "LAndmarked for Murder" books. He's run marathons. I've already sold three more books. People have asked for them. I haven't pushed them.

I gave one book away in a drawing when I had lunch in Escondido with former high school girlfriends. The woman who won was so touched she almost cried. "I've never won anything!" I had another book with me, and I sold that one.

Dee Ann

Protocol for Book Signings

2006-11-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

I've noticed people will avoid book signings because they don't intend to purchase a book. I think we all recognize that most of us have a budget and can't buy every story we'd like to buy.

This December 2 signing in Burbank will include a panel discussion, so I hope you'll stop by to hear us even if you feel you can't buy a book.

I have a friend who once sold an article with the title, "There's More to a Library than Books." Certainly there's more to "LAndmarked for Murder" than it's stories. Take a load off your feet and join us as we share bits about why we chose the landmarks we wrote about.

Besides, it's always nice to have a crowd. Think about it.

Dee Ann

author of "Marathon Madness"

NEW PANEL AND BOOK SIGNING FOR "LANDMARKED FOR MURDER"

2006-11-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday December 2, 2006____________________________

Time: ___2 PM (until 4 PM)_____________________

Place: Name of Venue: _Mystery and Imagination Bookstore_
Address:__238 N. Brand__________________
City, State ZIP: Glendale, CA__91203_____

Phone number: __ 818-545-0206 ______ _ _________

JOIN US AS WE SHARE WHY WE WROTE THE STORIES WE DID, AND HOW THEY WERE SELECTED IN COMPETITION FOR THE TEN CHOICE SPOTS IN THE ANTHOLOGY.

It's interesting to hear how positively readers have responded to the collection. People react differently to different stories. That's what's great about anthologies - there's something for everyone.

My dentist thanked me (and all of those involved in the book) over and over for bringing him books that had been signed. I dropped the books off at his office and he gave me a check, and while sitting at the hair designer's afterward I realized I hadn't signed them. Now how's that for humility. No, actually, I'd also written his receipt out as "Received from Dee Ann Palmer." I'd been feeling I couldn't think straight after the head blow I'd taken on my bike, and I suggest that proved it.

Now, five weeks after the accident, my mind's back to what it was prior to the blow, which wasn't all that terrific to begin with.

Wednesday my husband drove me to the ophthalmologist's office to have my eyes dilated. Only I didn't have an appointment. Back at home, I looked on our calendar, and there it was: Eye appointment - Dee Ann. The next day I realized I was supposed to have been at Costco to see the optometrist. So maybe my mind hasn't recovered yet after all.

Or just maybe that's as good as it's going to get.

I've had an offer, by the way, of padding a friend purchased when he got his motorcycle. Unfortunately, he wasn't wearing it when he had his accident.

Have fun. Take care of yourself!

Dee Ann

AND IT'S OFF TO SOLVANG!

2006-10-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

This charming Danish village is situated in the Santa Ynez Valley, not far from Michael Jackson's famous Never Never Land spread. Founded in 1911 by Danes looking to escape harsh Minnesota winters, they built a school and recreated the architecture of their native land. On the 25th anniversary of its founding, the king and queen of Denmark visited, commenting that it was more Danish than Denmark itself.

For the past six years, we've rented a cottage, loaded up golf clubs and bicycles for a mini vacation the first weekend in November. We do the 27 mile Solvang Prelude bike ride. There are two longer courses, but at certain points the three rides converge. It's great fun. And at the half way point you get bananas, water and COOKIES. These are not races, they're tours through beautiful wine vineyards, walnut orchards and horse country. You ride past miniature horses too.

The year we were there on Halloween, the costumed kids from a nearby elementary school paraded from their school to downtown. Problem was, it was pouring rain. Not soft rain, but a deluge. As a former school RN, I could just imagine how irate some parents were going to be because their kid's costume was ruined and their child returned home shivering.

One morning we play golf on the perfectly groomed public course there. For several years, if you teed off by 7:30 a.m. and played nine holes, you got a free breakfast. We always ate breakfast in the cottage and used their breakfast as our lunch. They've done away with that promo now. Last year it was bitterly cold and wet when we played. The sky was solid pewter except for where the sun broke through to blind us so we couldn't see where our balls landed. It was too nasty for enjoyment. However, tour day for the bicycles turned out to be glorious.

After my bicycle accident, we discussed cancelling. The cottages are too expensive to just go and sit and stare at each other. We could do that here at home.

But my fractured elbow and sprain were improving, and I'd be able to share the driving up and back. As for golf, I could just ride in the cart with my husband while he played. There's a lovely canyon where we always do an eight mile ride prior to the day of the tour, and we'd take his bike so he could get some riding in there. The upshot of the discussion was: We'll go!

One last thing about my accident. I was amazed that no one in the ER said, "What's a woman your age doing on a bicycle?"

Have a good day,
Dee Ann

Baseball is the better sport. You hit a ball out of the stadium and it's not only a home run, it's gone. You hit a golf ball off the course and you not only have to hunt for it, it costs you a stroke.

WHY I WROTE "MARATHON MADNESS"

2006-10-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime doesn't produce an anthology every year, and when the call for submissions went out for the last anthology, I was a new member and not interested.

This time I really wanted to enter the contest. Disappointment threaded through me when I learned the stories had to involve, in some way, a Los Angeles landmark. I live sixty miles inland. What did I know about L. A. landmarks? Zilch.

But there's a thing about marathoners and writers...we don't give up. As the deadline loomed, I couldn't let go of my determination to enter this competition.

It came to me one morning when I was jogging that I was an idiot. Hadn't I run the Los Angeles Marathon several times? Stayed in the historic Biltmore Hotel, run past the Coliseum, ridden Angel's Flight, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera? Of course I knew something about fabulous L. A.'s landmarks! And although there was no connection to the race, hadn't someone even been murdered one year near the Coliseum on marathon day? Hmmm.

They continually change the course, and I think I've run three different routes, so I dug through my records to find one that had taken us past the most landmarks, and tacked it up on the wall. Checking the Biltmore site online, I discovered it'd been sold and refurbished. I called the concierge to find out what colors were being used in the lobby these days. I've been in the Bonaventure, so I double checked that online as well.

In the course of my story, I had to know how long it had taken me to reach areas crucial to my tale. This took me to the map to measure distances. I'm not a fast runner, so I filched the time of someone who'd come in first in the age group in which I'd placed my heroine.

More research, and, finally, I had my story. It was submitted blind to the committee.

They liked it! "Marathon Madness" appears with nine other short stories in "LAndmarked for Murder," and I'm thrilled.

The reviewer at Top Publishers writes: "Dee Ann Palmer cleverly combines a genuine city landmark, the elegant Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A., with a landmark yearly event, the L.A. Marathon, in the story of a shocking murder that occurrs in the most open of places."

Experience plus a little imagination is a good thing.

Time for bed. The clock says it's an hour earlier today than my body believes it to be.

Sleep well,

Dee Ann

YUMMY, NUTRITIOUS SOUP FOR FALL

2006-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

We sampled this in my Loma Linda Lopers Running and Fitness Club. It's great after a workout or on a chilly day by the fire.

I share it with you as it was shared with us.

LENTIL SOUP

1 - 16 oz. package of dry lentils
4 cups of water
2 teaspoons of salt
1 chopped onion (use dried onion if you prefer)
3 grated carrots
2 tablespoons of olive oil (optional)
1 large can of chopped, stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon McKay's Beef-Flavored seasoning (I've used Wyler's and Better Than Bouillon brands if you can't locate this one.)

Cook lentils (and onion if using dried) with salt in water until soft.
Saute grated carrots and fresh onion (omit onion if dried - see above) in oil until tender.
(May omit oil, and steam the carrots and onions.)
Add tomatoes, sauteed carrots, onions and seasonings to lentils.
Add more liquid if you desire a thinner soup.
A thicker consistency may be served over rice or baked potato.

AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF LANDMARKED FOR MURDER

2006-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

You can order autographed copies from me at heists 2683@mypacks.net. Cost of the book is $14 plus shipping (add tax if you're in California). That's lower than the amazon.com rate, and shipping will most likely be less as well. AND it will be autographed.

Put "Book" in the subject line along with a snail mail address, please.

I accept checks made out to Dee Ann Palmer, or PayPal payment.

LEAVING COMMENTS OR CONTACTING DEE ANN

2006-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hi!

If you're new to blogging, you may not know to go to the very bottom of the blog and click on Post Comment. That'll take you to the comments page. I think you select a user name and maybe a password. Make your comment in the box and send it. I reply to each comment in the same place. If you email me at heists2683@mypacks.net, I'll answer you via email.

For an animated Halloween card, email me at that address and put "Card" in the subject line. I'll send it. I have a subscription to this card company, so I love sending out cards. It will arrive from "Jacquie Lawson website," and the Subject line will read "Jacquie Lawson card notification." Put it on your whitelist.

Don't forget to check out http://www.deeannpalmer.com for the interview with, not a vampire but, Joe DeMarco, owner/publisher/editor-in-chief of the online magazine
"Mysterical-E." Look at my October Thoughts. I think you'll like them, and you'll learn something more about me.

Take care. Watch for slime lurking under water whether you're on foot, on a bicycle or a motorcycle.

Dee Ann

INTERVIEW WITH JOE DEMARCO, OWNER/PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MYSTERICAL-E

2006-10-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi!

Last night's launch party for "LAndmarked for Murder" was a very special time. The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood Village, near UCLA, is fabulous. Books and books and books. The owner is congenial and cooperative. If you weren't there, we missed you.

All the authors and two of the editors who worked on the book attended, we had a champagne toast after introductions, ate cake decorated like the book's cover and sold all but four of the books the chapter had bought. After the standard bookseller's cut, I'm not sure we made a profit, but that's the way of the writing business. We milled around signing books and meeting authors we hadn't met as yet.

After the crowd had cleared, we sat around and talked writing. Wonderful.

When the dentist who's repairing my cracked and broken teeth after my bike spill discovered I was an author, he purchased ten of the twenty books I ordered to sell on my own. He supports the authors in our town, giving their books out as gifts. My sister/fellow "LAndmarked..." contributors graciously autographed every book for me.

This is the dark season, the time for the night rides of the headless horseman and things that "go bump" in the dark. It's the perfect time to check out my website for October Thoughts and my interview with Joe DeMarco, owner, publisher and editor-in-chief of the award winning, online magazine, MYSTERICAL-E.

Meet this interesting man as he discusses the background of acquiring and running this unique e-zine with its emphasis on mystery and the mysterious.

If you have a yen to write something for it, read the interview and check the submission guidelines.

Next time I'll tell you how I came to write "Marathon Madness," my story appearing in "LAndmarked for Murder."

Have a great Monday,

Dee Ann

http://www.deeannpalmer.com

CHANGE IN BOOK LAUNCH PARTY CITY!

2006-10-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

OOPS. CORRECT ADDRESS FOR THIS FESTIVE OCCASION IS 1036-C BROXTON AVENUE, LOS ANGELES (WESTWOOD), CA. (Not West Hollywood.)

DATE IS STILL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 5:30 to 8:30 P.M.

Wine, cheese and goodies available. Editors and authors will be there to sign your books. Come celebrate with us and talk M..u..r..d..e..r and books!

I've recovered enough to be there. My husband will drive me in. This will be my first big venture out of the house since my bicycle accident.

WATCH MY WEBSITE FOR MY OCTOBER 22 INTERVIEW WITH JOE DEMARCO, OWNER, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF MYSTERICAL-E, THE FABULOUS ONLINE MAGAZINE. They published my first venture into the mystery genre. http://www.deeannpalmer.com

Looking forward to meeting you!
Dee Ann

INTERVIEW COMING UP

2006-10-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Foiled. By a foot-long patch of water covering slime. Bicycle threw me like an enraged bull. Ouch. Pretty much ruined our vacation. Home getting teeth repaired, hydrogen peroxiding stitches, remembering to take antibiotics, and letting left arm recover. Hunting and pecking this is about all i can manage for now.

Want to tell you to keep checking my www.deeannpalmer website for interview of editor of Mysterical-E.

Don't forget the launch party in Los Angeles (Westwood Village) on the 21st October.

Here's to better days,

Dee Ann

VACATION FROM HELL?

2006-10-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

We live in reasonably hot country, and it's been a horrid summer. But the heat wave had broken and temps were down into the bearable low nineties. Forecast for Palm Springs was high nineties the week of our vacation, but it's drier in the lower Mohave than where we live. That makes the heat more bearable.

Who would have guessed that Indio, where our timeshare is, would be 109 when we arrived?

And that we'd find a sign in our room advising us to keep all our doors and windows locked at night as a safety precaution, and don't turn the A/C below 75 or it will freeze up?

Oh, great. Just great.

It dropped to 107 the next day. A cooling trend, they called it. It only reached 104 the following day. Oh, joy.

My husband forgot an important attachment for our computer mouse, and, in the searing heat, when the asphalt was sticky underfoot and you could smell it melting, we made three trips to a Radio Shack buying and returning things that turned out not to work. We drove to Palm Desert to an Office Depot (no one seemed to know where it was located). OD referred us to Radio Shack. We stumbled on a Staples (not listed in our phone book), and they had something that at least made the new mouse work...on XP but not 98, where hubbie stores much of what he works on. Then it was too warm to ride our bikes, and he said his hamstring was bothering him too much to play golf.

I wanted to go home. But the thought of packing up what we'd just unpacked was mind squelching.

Hard to believe, but we've adjusted. After two VERY cranky days, the temp dropped a bit more, and we've salvaged happiness here. I did my arthritis exercises in one of the deliciously cool pools, we bought cheap ice cream cones at Rite Aid (mint'n chip's my favorite), found a Starbucks, rode ten miles on our bikes early Sunday morning, and played eighteen holes of less than perfect golf today.

Mostly my husband's been watching Cold Case Files, and I've been reading a Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock Holmes book while writing a romance involving ski patrollers and an avalanche.

Hopefully, the temp will continue to fall and we'll be out on bikes and the golf course again before we pack up and head for home.

During the heat here, we reminded ourselves about the year we did a 31 mile bike tour from Old Faithful to West Yellowstone. When friends took us to breakfast the first morning of that vacation, it was 4 degrees. It'd been in the nineties when we'd left home. Our first 8 mile practice ride into Yellowstone was exhausting due to the altitude. But, in a couple of days we'd adjusted to the altitude and weren't even wearing gloves if the temp was 35 or higher. The day of the bike ride we cheerfully arrived at the Chamber of Commerce building, where we were to be vanned to Old Faithful, amidst threats of snow.

Which all goes to show that although you can't always salvage happiness from a bad situation, most of the time you can.

Well, this isn't Death Valley. It only seems like it.

Dee Ann

Doing the L. A. County Fair

2006-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

My husband took me out to dinner and then to the L. A. County Fair on our first date. It was near my birthday, and after we married four years later, the Fair became a birthday ritual.

Yesterday we did the Fair again. It's only a fifty minute drive from our home, and the weather was glorious--clear and mild. Most years it's been unbearably warm. It covers a lot of territory, and we've learned as we've grown older that sitting on the benches or a low wall around the trees needs to be a frequent pastime.

This year they'd changed the special features signifcantly. The barnyard was beautiful, with animals in almost zoo-like enclosures. One of the highlights was Asian water buffalo. Their gigantic horns are as wide as a man is tall. While the buffalo were dark brown, their horns were a striated buff color. There was no missing them!

And the Budweiser Clydesdales were back. I just love them...such huge animals. I especially love the fluffy, pure white fetlocks and the short, black tails. It was feeding time, and I was amazed that the man who fed them walked right into their stalls and left the door open. The horses knew the routine and waited patiently until he'd hung thir buckets of mash in the feeding trough. These draft horses each drink 30 gallons of water a day.

The dalmation with his red collar was following the man down the line, but he stayed out of the stalls.

There were lion rabbits I'd never seen before, in lion color with huge ruffs around their faces. There was a Zonkey...a zebra crossed with a donkey, and a hybrid Zorse...a horse crossed with a zebra, if you can imagine that. I don't know. The idea turned me off just a litle.

We saw pheasants of all types, some of them in gorgeous colors.

I'd been given money for my birthday, and I spent it on a lightweight pair of binoculars and a pair of earrings from two of the many booths. The orange earring "stones" are from the Spiny shell, and they're set in sterling silver with a patina finish. I just love them. Great color for fall.

We ate hot dogs and barbecued chicken, fat ice cream bars dipped in chocolate and nuts, drank milk and split a Cinnabon topped with yummy frosting while we watched a high dive act. It was evening, and the live bands were playing. I'd visited a retired fire watch tower in the Smokey the Bear encampment, but we were too tired to wait for the magic show. It was night by then, and we'd been there eight hours.

Time to head for home.

On my website soon I'll post my interview of the editor of Mysterical-E, the e-zine developed by writers of mystery for readers and writers of mystery.

Have a great day...or a good night,
Dee Ann

IT'S A PARTY!

2006-09-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Join us for the Sisters in Crime Launch Party for "LAndmarked for Murder," October 21 at 5:30 p.m. (not 5 p.m. as orginally published) in the Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton, West Los Angeles. No charge, just join us. Editors and authors will be there to autograph your books.

Read books! Watch your backs!

Dee Ann

"LAndmarked for Murder" debuts at West Hollywood Book Fair!

2006-09-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to much work by Michael Mallory, a co-editor of this Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles anthology, the chapter had enough copies for this event on Sunday 9/17. The books arrived at his house direct from the printer via FedEx two days prior.

Whew! Anticipating a release in August, the Fair venue had been planned as a day to promote the new book, but in publishing you never know what'll come down the pike to rearrange all your plans. Thanks to Michael, the chapter made it by the skin of our collective teeth.

The Fair celebrated the 20th anniversary of West Hollywood as a city, and was held in the pleasant West Hollywood Park. The Sisters in Crime/LA booth was right in front as you entered the gate.

Attendees could visit panels on various aspects of writing and publishing, meet authors, browse through their books, and enjoy a spot of coffee or eats from the food booths. You could even enjoy a play there. Either the library or the Friends of the Library were holding their annual book sale. They had hundreds of discounted used books in bookcases. People were carting away bags of books. Now, everyone loves a bargain, but I hoped some of them contained a few new books as well...especially those from the SinC/LA booth.

"Marathon Madness" was my contribution to "LAndmarked for Murder." It involves a murder along the route of a Los Angeles marathon, and since I've run L.A. several times, I can vouch for the authenticity of the course I wrote about. A murder not connected with the race did occur one year near the start of a marathon. My murder, however, came entirely out of my imagination.

My hour to sign was from 11 a.m. - noon, and it was excruciatingly hot. I was wearing several marathon finisher's medals and my running shoes with the red velcro chip attacher I mention in my story. I displayed a picture of me finishing my first marathon. I finally put it away for fear the sun would fade the color. No one noticed my medals. No one noticed my shoes. I finally put on a hat to keep the sun off my face. Now no one noticed me either. Between sunglasses and hat, I was incognito.

Then I forgot the sweater I'd slung over the back of my chair in case of chilly weather. Hmmm. What weather channel was I watching?

And there's just something about SinC/LA events...I always seem to leave something. President Sue Ann Jaffarian can vouch for that.

At our table, Gay Toltl Kinman, who writes marvelous plays and mysteries for youth, was seated to my right, and Kate Thornton, whose stories have appeared in three of the anthologies produced by the chapter, including "LAndmarked for Murder," was to her right. Kate and I signed our share of books and enjoyed getting acquainted. Gay's always delightful to visit with.

Award winning author Rochelle Krich was signing at the table at right angles to ours. I had a chance to compliment her on her interview of Jan Burke, also an award winning writer, at one of our chapter meetings. In her usual, gracious way, she thanked me for letting her know.

I enjoy the people in this chapter. If you live in the L.A. area, check out our meetings at www.sistersincrimela.com.

For a copy autographed by me, email me at badace21@earthlink.net for price details. Write "Marathon" in the subject line. Include your snail mail address.

Later, I'll share about the book fair I attended the day before. Between the two days, I drove over 300 miles for these events.

Take care. Read books!

Dee Ann

Welcome to My Blog

2006-09-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome!