The gift of Gift

Stanley - Thursday

What can you do?  Sometimes things just don't work out as you planned.

Today's blog was a happy one; a wonderful story; an uplifting tale.  What's more, unlike the normal me, I had it done and dusted on Monday.

The, yesterday. in my quest to make it better, I went to tweak it, and . . .

You can guess what happened next.  I lost everything.  Except the title of the blog.

With a deep sigh, I went to resurrect the blog.  Were my travails over?  No!  My computer ran out of charge and, to my chagrin, I found I had left the charging cord in Denmark.  I had the charger, but no way to connect it to the wall.

I tried to rewrite everything on my phone, but the keyboard is not conducive to writing extended pieces.  The keys are too small, and my fingers too big.  I understand now how Trump can send so many Tweets. He doesn't have that problem.

Then I ran out of time.  I had to go into London, to Waterstones Piccadilly, for a mass book event.  Fifteen Orenda Books authors at one event.  I was nervous: pitch your book in 60 seconds; read an excerpt for 90 seconds.  Amazingly, it went off very well, with about 60 people in the audience lapping up the variety and diversity.

I wasn't up to rewriting my blog when I returned to my friends' home late last night.  After all, the three Norwegian authors at the event had brought several bottles of Aquavit for us to celebrate Norway's independence day. 

So here I am, on Thursday morning, without a blog, without my computer, and a train to catch to Bristol for Crimefest, where I moderate a panel this afternoon.  I am writing on my friend's Windows machine.  It's weird, and I expect every moment to see a ransom note flash on the screen.

So, my friends, I can't tell you about the gift of Gift.  But since it is a good story, and because we are in need of a time-out from the stress of everyday headlines, I offer a link to the New York Times article that also reported on the happy rise of Gift Ngoepe - about whom I am sure Jeff knows all there is to know.

Here it is:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/sports/baseball/gift-ngoepe-south-africa-pittsburgh-pirates.html

____________________________________________

 

Murder Is Everywhere

Author Recognitions and Events

 

ANNAMARIA ALFIERI

Thursday May 25, 6PM
Orinda Books
Orinda, California.

Wednesday May 31

Janet Rudolph Literary Salon:

"The History of Hot Places: Clashes between Colonialism and Local Cultures”

Joint appearance with Michael Cooper

June 11

Books NJ Festival

Grounds of the Paramus Public Library

Paramus, New Jersey

June 16-18

Deadly Ink Conference

Hilton Garden Inn

Rockaway, New Jersey  

CARA BLACK

Murder in Saint Germain, Aimée Leduc’s next investigation, comes out June 6, 2017.

 

ZOE SHARP

May 18-21   

Crimefest in Bristol UK

Friday May 19, 2017

Panel 1010 – 1100

Ticking Clocks: A Race Against Time, with M.R. Hall (Moderator), C.J. Box, Adam Hamdy, Richie Marnes.

Sunday May 21

         Panel 0930 – 1020

The Indie Alternative, moderating panel with A.A. Abbott, David George Clarke, Barbara Fagan Speake, Ian Sutherland.

MICHAEL STANLEY

Dying to Live (Kubu #6) to be released in May in UK & South Africa and in October in USA

May 17

18:00 – 20:00

Orenda Road Show (Stanley)

Waterstones Picadilly (London)

 

May 19-21   

Franschhoek Literary Festival (Michael).

Saturday May 20        

Panel 11:30 – 12:30:

One Voice, Two Authors with Alex Latimer and Diane Awerbuck

Sunday May 21

Panel 11:30 – 12:30:

The Author as Chemist with Joanne Harris and Ekow Duker

May 18-21   

Crimefest in Bristol UK (Stanley)

Thursday, May 18

Panel 14:40 - 15:30:

What Are You Hiding? - The Dark Side Of Human Nature 

 

Friday, May 19
Panel 12:30 - 13:20

Panel: Power Corrupts - Who Can You Turn To?

June 13

South African launch of Dying to Live 18:00

Love Books, Melville, Johannesburg

 

Tim Hallinan is Back: Notes from Exile

An apparition.

Our dear Tim has come back to visit. He’s gotten tons of accolades for his Junior Bender series and now his latest Poke set in Bangkok is out —FOR THE DEAD—and of it is said:  “A wondrous work, emotionally complex and stirring, with an excellent plot and perfect characterization. I don’t know how Hallinan channeled this from his inner self, but this book is superb. In fact, the whole series is extraordinary.”—Maddy van Hartbruggen, For Mystery Addicts

Thanks for joining us Tim and welcome ‘home’!

Cara 

It's soooooo nice to be back on MIE, and thanks to the ever-generous Cara Black for suggesting that I take her weekly spot to weigh in and tell you what's up in my world, now that I no longer pester you here once every week.

First in my heart, of course, are the Los Angeles Dodgers. Biggest payroll in major league baseball, talent at every position, and incapable of getting a runner home from second base. They hold the most melancholy baseball record I can think of at the moment: they're the team who, in a single season, most often got the bases loaded without scoring anyone. It was so bad that one writer suggested to opposing teams that the best way to beat the Dodgers was to let them get three men on base every inning.

Dodger center fielder, Yasiel Puig, 0 for 12 in post-season 

On the other hand, there was some good baseball news, and her name was Mo'ne Davis. What a lift she gave to my spirits.

Mo'ne, bringing it.

There is a world outside of baseball, and in it there's been yet another military coup in Thailand, the twelfth since 1932, when the constitutional monarchy was put in place. This one is especially heinous (in my mind) because it was, in essence, a coup against the nation's voters. The Democratic Party, the major party of the traditional Thai elite, has not attained power by, you know, winning an election since 2000, and it was becoming evident that they never would, so the Army (which is commanded by the elite) took over, and the head of the Army retired his uniform and proclaimed himself prime minister.  (See, a general isn't supposed to be prime minister, so this change of clothes avoided a violation of the constitution.  Wouldn't want to violate the constitution after illegally seizing power, would we?)

Coup troops restoring order. See all the disorder?

In a country with a long tradition of free speech, the coup outlawed protest of any kind. There was a brief rash of individuals sitting around eating sandwiches and reading Orwell's 1984, but they got arrested. So people left 1984 home and just sat around pointedly eating a sandwich, and they got arrested. Now the rule is (honest) no group of people numbering more five or more can just sit or stand around, with or without sandwiches.

Enemy of the State.  This guy was dragged away moments after this picture was taken. Honest. 

Oh, and the coup's motto is "Be Happy."

Junior's Latest Adventure

A bit closer to home, my Junior Bender series has been bought for NBC television by my favorite comic in the world, Eddie Izzard.  The deal for a weekly series was announced about a month ago. As happy as I am about this, the thing I probably like best is that I sat all by myself in Santa Monica, laughing as I wrote about Junior, and in London. God only knows how many thousand miles away, Eddie Izzard read it, and he laughed, too.  When I finally reach those pearly gates (fingers crossed) and I'm asked, "So?  What did you do?" I'll be able to say, "I made Eddie Izzard laugh."

Eddie, not laughing.

Last and certainly not least (the Dodgers can claim that honor), the sixth Poke Rafferty book, For the Dead, comes out today, November 4. This is Miaow's book, and I can (and will) say that I have a special feeling for it. Reviews have been phenomenal, and William Kent Krueger said, “For the Dead is not only a fast-paced, compelling tale, but also, on every level, a fine literary read.・And Edgar-winner Wendy Hornsby described it as, "Beautiful, scary, and heartbreaking all at once. Read it and weep."

Miaow's book.

When and if I ever stop writing the Poke novels, the character I'll miss most is Miaow.  She's been my favorite character to write, ever. I put whatever I had (and then some) into this particular book, and I hope it pays off in enjoyment on the reader's end of this long equation. Please let me know whether you like it.

Thanks to Cara, Jeffrey, et, al. for letting me hang my sign here this week.  See you all again, I hope.

Tim for Cara—Tuesday