Books, Books, Books and Book Space

Ovidia--every other Tuesday

I’ve kind of been struggling with books lately—not just the ones I’m writing, but the ones I’ve been living with. I have shelves and stacks and cupboards full of books. Some of them books I haven’t opened in years,some that I've never opened--period. And that's the big problem; I’m not reading them. And they're sitting there judging me and my weak eyesight or weak will power or just lack of energy... and that’s not fair to the books—or to me.

Yet it feels wrong to give them away because many/ most/ all of these books feel like a part of myself. If I let them go, would I be losing the person I was when I first bought them? When I first fell in love with them?

Because isn't my whole identity that of someone who reads?
But why?
I want to read for enjoyment, of course. That's how I first started reading, and that still holds. But I realise the primary way I take in the world around me is through reading. It's what feeds me. And lately, I've been reading less than any other time in life. Reading over lunch or dinner or for an hour before bed... quite pathetic, really. But I wasn't doing anything about it because it only came up when I was too tired to deal with it.

But recently I was 'forced' to confront this.
I’ve signed up for something called the 5X5 'Flow Prone' course by the Flow Lab, which is designed to help you reliably achieve flow state in your work--in my case, writing.

(This isn't an ad--I'm just starting the 3rd week, but I'll let you know how it goes!)

The idea is take action, however small, in the 5 key areas, 5 days a week. PRONE an acronym for Physiology/Regulation (mental)/Optimisation(work smarter)/ Nutrition / Environment.

The first 4 categories were pretty easy, once I got organised.

Physical: I get 60 to 90 min of pilates or yoga in the morning and walking, slow jogging and swimming in the evening.
Mental Regulation: I do my morning pages, including noting things I’m grateful for, what can be improved, and pick the day's steps towards my weekly, monthly and long-term goals.
Optimisation: I've downloaded the Freedom app, which blocks apps and distractions on all my devices during my work hours (9–11 a.m. and 2–5 p.m.).
Nutrition: We're happy with our meal plan.
But the fifth one—environment—is where I’ve fallen down most badly--and it's mostly because of all my books.

One step I have taken is exiling my “writing buddies” from my desktop to the shelf above...

I need them nearby, because they're the ones who play roles when I'm trying to figure things out.

And these are the editors who listen (and sit in judgement) when I read passages out loud to see how they sound!

But the big step, that's much harder but I'm determined to take, is giving away some of the books I know I’ll never read again. And that is really painful.

I am still reading, but moving from paper to ebooks and audiobooks feels a little like betraying a first love. But then I remind myself: people probably once said the same about hand scripted parchment manuscripts when Gutenberg’s press came along. Weren't early printers were accused of destroying tradition? And before that, perhaps stone carvers sneered at the newfangled feather quills—would the Ten Commandments have counted if they’d been written on treated rawhide instead of chiseled in stone?
And even the act of writing something down was a step away from the stories we used to share around the campfire after a day of hunting wasn't it?
Because in the end, it’s not about the medium but the stories we share, the chance they give us to look at ourselves, our lives and the wonderful, unbelievable potential of being alive in time and space.
And my precious paper books? One day they may feel like those tiny lotus shoes once worn by women with bound feet—treasured relics and part of heritage while being too impossibly constricting to be worn. I marvel at them even as I walk everywhere freely and easily in my huge Sketchers.
Because yes, a big advantage of e-readers is that I can zoom in and increase font size, and contrast, making reading much easier on the eyes.
And yes, I still treasure my paper books. They will always be a precious part of me and of the life I crafted around my love of reading.
So yes, some of my books are going new homes--via book exchange shelves and the library's Big Book Giveaway (September 13-14, 2025, from 10am to 4pm at The Plaza, National Library Building, Singapore if anyone's interested). The biggest risk is of course that I might come home with more books than I leave there! I still own more physical books than I will ever finish reading and I'm still buying them... I'd really like to know how everyone else is managing their libraries. I'm guessing it's easier in less humid climes.

Autumn in New York

Annamaria (later than usual) on Monday

I am recuperating from the health issues, but not fast enough to please me.  Yesterday, when I ought to have been writing a blog, I took myself upstate for a very special event at my beloved Hudson Valley Shakespeare.   I make no apologies for going AWOL. Here below is a re-post from three years ago, celebrating eary Autumn in NYC.  Even though, for me, it is the wrong side of winter, it is beautiful. 

 

At Home

A walk around Greenwich Village

Upstate

Apple Bonus especially for Zoe

A happy ghost of an autumn goneby.  Apple cider making in Garrison NY:

Bouchercon and Me...How it All Began

Saturday–Jeff

I thought of titling this “Bouchercon and MIE,” because without Bouchercon there would be no Murder is Everywhere. You see, our genesis was a panel moderated by Leighton Gage at Bouchercon 2009 in Indianapolis, through which seven renowned mystery writers from around the globe, united in common cause and dissolute bar behavior, created MIE. 

Yes, but for “Bouchercon: The World Mystery Convention,” Leighton, Cara Black, Tim Hallinan, Michael Sears, Stanley Trollip, Dan Waddell, and Yrsa Sigurdardottir would not have come together to form MIE and give those of us who follow in their footsteps (Annamaria Alfieri, Caro Ramsay, Sujata Massey, Craig Sisterson, Ovidia Yu, and moi (Jeff Siger), among other illustrious alumni), a place to welcome our readers.

Long Beach, CA

But this is not about MIE it’s about me, and how I grew to love Bouchercon: that completely volunteer, fan-driven organization which each Fall offers all segments of the mystery world the big daddy of opportunities to band together in a different locale for four days of nothing but crime.  This year it’s September 3-7 in New Orleans, Louisiana in what’s billed as the “Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed” version of camaraderie among the crime writing community.  And by community I mean fans, writers, editors, publishers, agents, and booksellers of every crime writing genre, participating in a plethora of panels and special events embracing virtually all aspects of the mystery world. 

It’s a family reunion-like atmosphere filled with up close and personal opportunities to interact with all who attend. Everyone is approachable, fair game for striking up a conversation or perhaps even sharing a meal.  After all, authors come to Bouchercon to interact with fans—and, of course, the legendary bar scene.   

Even if you don’t drink, the Bouchercon bar scene is an experience not to be missed, for that’s where everyone comes together in late night revelry, and even later night shared confessional moments among folks who just hours before were but perfect strangers.

Which brings me around to my own life-changing Bouchercon moment.  Drum roll please.  It takes place at Bouchercon 2012 in Cleveland.  

To set the scene, think of the urban legend about an innocent rube who walks into a bar in a Mexican border town, meets three enthralling beauties, and wakes up the next morning in a bloody bathtub missing a kidney. 

Now, back to Cleveland.

As innocent as a new borne babe I strolled into the convention hotel’s bar and noticed three ladies sharing a booth. Not wanting to be rude, I smiled and said hello.  They lured me over by smiling back.  We fell to talking (and drinking) and before I knew it they’d pried my past right out of me—down to the part about being a former New York City lawyer involved in various pro bono organizations.  Here comes the kidney part: The next day I woke up and found myself nominated for a position on Bouchercon’s National Board.

At least I still had my kidneys.  Okay, all kid(ney)ing aside, I found myself in a “what-am-I doing-moment” for I’d consciously opted to exchange the responsibilities I’d felt as a lawyer to any organization I served, for the solitary (not lonely) independent life of a writer.  Now I was back on a board. 

But a strange serendipity came to pass: I found satisfaction in a way I never expected; for Bouchercon allowed me to give back to the mystery community a measure of thanks for all the good fortune I’d found through the writing life, and brought me many new wonderful friends in the process. 

And speaking of friends, at the top of the list sits the three ladies from that Cleveland bar who will forever have a place in my heart but whose names shall never pass my lips, unless of course, Ingrid, Karen, and Sue allow me to so.

See you all in Calgary, Canada at Bouchercon 2026.  But first, you must register.  You can also find information about programing, attendees, how to volunteer, and much more at this link.

Jeff—Saturday

Jeff's Upcoming Events

Getting the Needle in Birmingham

I am having a Bouchercon Hiatus also! Even though I am in dreich Glasgow, with a deadline looming closer than the rain clouds.

I read this week about the sexiest accents in the world.  The MIE bloggers have 3 in the top six.....Craig ( at number 1), then the Stan/Michael combo ( number 4) and Scots  ( number 6). I think they might mean nice Edinburgh lilt and not Glaswegian growl, but I'll claim it. 

That got me thinking about the worst accents. In the UK, that is sometimes awarded to the residents of Birmingham, and that led me to this very old blog from 'previous times'.... I don't remember that weekend, or anything I learned there. Maybe I didn't understand the accent? Ye ken?  

Just spent the weekend in Birmingham, not the first place in the world that would be associated with acupuncture but as a venue for a conference it was interesting.  Birmingham Midlands UK this is.

                                           

                                                              (shiny Birmingham)

Not Birmingham Alabama.

                                        

(a warm version  of Birmingham)

  

Birmingham is famous for three things at least.  Because I am about to list four.

Having more canals than Venice

                                               

Fabulous curry houses

                                          

                                                   is your  mouth watering yet?

                                 

                                                                        or yet?

Cadburys chocolate.

                                         

                                                                   Now?

And this guy - Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra.

                                                 

The other thing (five!) is the Bullring which has this famous statue.  Every time we walked past it, it had some drunk on top of it, under it, round it, sitting on its head. It has a lot to put up with. Scale wise, it's about four and a half meters long, made of solid bronze, weighs six and a half tonnes and still has to be nailed down.

                                                       

The Bull Ring is the major commercial area of Birmingham, important to the local economy since the Middle Ages when the first market was held. The first shopping centre was built here in the 1960s.  Then another was built with more security and higher end shops and was renamed the Bullring - one word. I was surprised that it has such a collection of designer shops, jewellers and watch shops in a city that I would not have said  was rolling in wealth. I saw a ten thousand pound mobile phone. I mean, why?

                                                         

I read that the Bullring is built in a sandstone ridge that drops 15 metres from New Street to St Martins Church. I think that's why we kept getting confused ... going in on the ground floor, up two escalators and still coming out on the ground floor. It has about 40 million visitors per annum.

Brummies, as the locals are known, have a strange accent. An associate of mine is a professor in something useless ... HR, or marketing, or advertising or some rubbish like that. He told me that he had done a lot of research into trusted accents for call centre location.  Scottish accents (Sean Connery) and the Newcastle accent (Cheryl Cole) are the most trusted accents for two reasons - they are  classless and perceived to be  friendly because they have an automatic Australian inflection. That wee uplift at the end of a sentence that psychologically invites a response.

                                             

 The conference was organised by the British Medical Acupuncture Society  who are summed up by this statement.

"  Acupuncture probably originated in China, where it is used as one of a range of treatments provided within Traditional Chinese Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine is often called TCM. Although TCM is taught in medical schools in China, TCM doctors have a very different way of looking at how the human body works. The TCM idea of disease and symptoms is hard to reconcile with knowledge from modern medicine. You should note that China also trains large numbers of conventional medical doctors. It is a myth to believe that TCM is the only treatment available for the billions of people who live in modern day China. In fact, the Chinese seem to live with a mixture of both TCM and modern medicine.

Many Western doctors accept that acupuncture treatment does work in a wide range of conditions and for a variety of patients. We want to use this treatment to help our patients. However, our modern medical knowledge makes it very hard for Western doctors to accept the principles of TCM - which to many Western doctors do not fit with their understanding of how the body works."

One of the most interesting lectures  was by a western doctor and acupuncturist who had studied extensively in China exploring the cultural differences of medicine over time.

                                                       

There is 'truth decay' of medicine- i.e. basically all medical knowledge has a half life, usually about thirty years. Fifty per cent of what a doctor was taught thirty years ago is now untrue.  In the fields of immunology and liver science, the half life is seven or eight years. So it's interesting to see how the language of China three thousand years ago is interpreted by us who do westernised acupuncture.  Just look at this picture, she is all we aspire to in western society, young, slim, fit, healthy and ....re hydrating.

Our ancient Chinese counterparts would see her as a TB victim - big sweats, weight loss,  thirst etc. If we sneeze we have the cold. If a terracotta warrior sneezed he would have the plague and no friends. A book written in the plague times of 1643 is still being used as a text book for TCM today so  you can see how that might  not work - or does it?

Practitioners of traditional Chinese acupuncture might never question that the population of old China was a very different population to ours. Many conditions are prescribed boiled food and eat  nothing fresh. That's because the soil contamination was so bad they needed to boil to kill the bugs.  Nowadays we do not eat enough fresh/raw food.

                                             

It's a case of 'junk and gems together'.  There are historical, linguistic issues and the perception of illness itself can be problematic. Two big drug companies noticed that their worldwide anti depressants were not selling in Japan, because Japanese do not consider depression an illness.  The direct translation might be stagnation ...  a time for personal reflection, a time for growth to a better character. But  not an 'illness' as such.

                                                             

Chinese today still complain of running piglet disease (inguinal hernia) and a thing called stuffy chest - translated as that feeling in your chest just before a thunderstorm. But then we talk about butterflies in our stomach and everybody knows what we mean. Another favourite symptom is weak back and knees....at first glance it sounds weird but then ... does it sound like that feeling before you decide to sit down and have a cuppa? Because the Chinese have no history of psychology, their own 'psychology' is reflected on the body, not on the mind.   Stressed and depressed? They do yoga, tai chi. We take Prozac until it ceases to work proving that they might be short term treatments. In the long term depressed patients  are prescribed more exercise... tai chi and yoga come to mind.

Think of post traumatic stress disorder/ shellshock /hysterical paralysis or the awful phrase - low moral fibre. All these terms have been used in wartime in Britain over the last 100 years and the  diagnosis of 'low moral fibre' is more recent than you might suppose.

After the 2004 tsunami American psychologists and councillors flew out to help with the PTSD in Sri Lanka only to find that there wasn't any.  The locals were busy rebuilding their huts and their lives, they mourned loved ones and the loss of a society but the devastation meant they had to 'act'.  And that makes sense to me - a huge trauma, then a kinship, a feeling of in this boat together, physically being busy and useful ... needed and wanted. A sense of belonging. It reminded me of the three people I know with PTSD from war time, they all complain of feeling useless. But they were all removed from their  bigger society, the army, and brought back to a society where nobody can understand what they have been through, knowing that the army has no use for them in the short or long term.

But maybe there is no difference at all in the culture of medicine, just the same thing from a different perspective.  The disease Koro is a shrinking of one part of the male anatomy that they do not want to shrink.  If westerners do not suffer from that then why is all spam about Viagra?  But Koro is  so prevalent in some African societies it has now been identified as a possible "cultural relative" of body dysmorphic disorder.

Do you think that ten grand mobile phone has an app that cures such shrinkage? Or if you can afford a phone at ten grand maybe the shrinkage does not matter! :)

Caro GB 03 05 2013

Au Revoir

Wendall ~ TBD

I have been immeasurably lucky to have been part of Murder is Everywhere for the last two and a half years.

 

It’s hard to imagine a group more supportive and kind than my compatriots here – all writers I admire for their imagination, range of knowledge and expertise, curiosity, conviction, and humor.

 

Most of us at Bouchercon 2023 in San Diego.

 

Through their blogs and their books, I’ve traveled from South Africa to Italy, from Greece to Scotland, from India to Singapore, seen art and architecture from all over the world, learned so much about international history and politics, and gathered new insights into ways the creative process can work.

 

Jeff, Sujata, Annamaria, and me at LCC in Tucson.

I’ve also had the privilege of sharing comments with many of you who’ve been kind enough to read my pieces.

 

So, it is with a heavy heart that I have to step away from the blog, at least for a while.

 

As I go, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts.

 

First, libraries and librarians are the bedrock of our culture and our profession.  They are responsible for my lifetime love of both reading and research. From my first “reading challenge” in second grade, which included Harriet the Spy, The Phantom Tollbooth, and The Yearling,  to the hours and hours I spent over the years in research libraries, like the Graduate Library at UNC, the (late) Colindale Newspaper Library, and my forever favorite, the Humanities Reading Room in the British Library.

 

One of my early faves.

I love the British Library so much that I set a hunk of Fogged Off there and included a totally fictional, and hysterical, research librarian. 

 

Approaching the BL.

 

And inside the Reading Room.

We must do everything we can to protect and support them.

 

Second, even though many of us sell the majority of our books on Amazon, it’s up to us and all our readers to make sure the independent bookstore continues as a source of stories and community. I’m pretty sure that almost every crime writer in Southern California has been helped by Anne Saller at Book Carnival and Debbie Mitsch at Mystery Ink and I owe an eternal debt to Pete Mock and Keebe Fitch at McIntyre’s in Pittsboro, North Carolina, for amazing support of my Cyd Redondo series. 

 

Anne Saller catches an action shot! Me, Jennifer Chow, Naomi Hirahara, and Ellen Byron had a blast in 2021.

 

What would we do without Book Carnival???

 

Pete Mock, Tim Maleeny, and me at McIntyre's in my hometown.

Me getting ready to write in the window of the wonderful Book Soup on the Sunset Strip.

Face in a Book is beloved by my Northern California friends, and there are so many of these amazing spaces still going. So, wherever you are, if you have a favorite, put it in the comments. Of course support your favorite authors and friends, but I for one am making a commitment to go to at least one reading/signing this fall for a writer I’m unfamiliar with.

 

Third, don’t let the bastards get you down/take no prisoners!

 

I will always be grateful for those of you who read widely, who want to travel to other times and places, and who are kind enough to read our books. 

 

Have a great time, all of you who are going to Bouchercon. I won't be there, but I do have a new story, "Actor Sex," in the anthology Hollywood Kills, which will have a signing there with many of the other wonderful writers. 

 

All of my short stories are set in 90s LA (hence the chiffon gloves). In this one, a cynical casting assistant chases down a "headshot" killer.

 

You can still find me on my website at https://wendallthomas.com at my author page on FB: https://www.facebook.com/CydRedondoMysteries/ and on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/ewendallthomas/

 

Fondest to you all, near and far,

 

 Goodbye, farewell. . .

 

 

~ Wendall

 

 

How to Feed a Writer

Sujata Massey

I am coming off a pleasant five days in New Orleans where I celebrated Bouchercon with a few Murder is Everywhere writers past, present and future: namely by Cara Black, Jeff Siger and Karen Odden (the future!). If I missed seeing and recalling one of you friends, I am sorry! I thought I'd repost this oldie-but-goodie that explains how important cooking and writing are to me, together. It's timely because I haven't written that much this summer, but I spent quite a few extra hours baking pies. Oh, those pies were good, and my waistbands are a bit more snug. And I'm not even getting into the meals I had in New Orleans at Antoines, Copper Vine, Osterio Lupo and Sylvain. I'm slowly shifting back to my vegetables at home, knowing the healthier I eat, the easier it is to think and write.  

I love making my own food, just as I love making my own stories. Enjoy!

black coffee, blackberry jam, and a dark story

M.F.K. Fisher, the great American food writer, once stated:"A writing cook and a cooking writer must be bold at the desk as well as the stove."

In the 1930s and '40s, when Mary Frances began her concurrent explorations of cooking and writing, most writers did not cook, probably because these writers were primarily men. And the earliest published women writers who were lucky enough to have the space and time to do this work--Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf and the like--were typically upper class and had household staff to feed them.

I love to write, and my escape from the stress of writing is cooking. if you follow my blogposts, you've seen me wax rhapsodic about mushrooms, about Parsi eggs dishes, and all kinds of food.

In my quest to spend more time on writing, I am striving to be more balanced in the kitchen--and to also explore whether certain food powers my brain to focus better. I've read several cookbooks with recipes promising better neurological health, but my goal is not to work with cookbooks as often as I've been doing.

This year I asked myself: what is the healthiest way to fill both the stomach and the imagination? How can a person too easily diverted by cooking avoid such temptation when she's alone at home?

pumpernickel is a powerful base for a breakfast sandwich

Plenty of writers have decided it makes sense to write outside of the house--and to eat there as well. In this era, they are mostly at Starbucks. I prefer to think of Dorothy Parker striding into the restaurant inside the Algonquin Hotel for breakfast and lunch with her friends. Not that she used a pen at the table! It was all about joking, drinking, and probably not getting much done in the afternoon.

Okay, let's return to the present. Have you ever tried going to a real restaurant with your laptop? While it's nice to have eggs and toast brought to me at the table, once I'm finished with my plate and continue to write, I feel like a barnacle on the side of the establishment. And how does the writer handle bathroom breaks in the restaurant? Do I leave the laptop containing my big project on the table, or carry it to the potty the way I'd bring my purse?

There's nothing wrong with dining at home on food prepared elsewhere. However, to undertake this needs a good deal of planning, and the food choices that look the most beautiful are often destructive. A sugar-dusted doughnut is tempting with morning coffee, but it will make me shaky and unable to concentrate within a few hours. Gourmet sandwiches from stores often stand six inches high and are made from such thick bread that they also put my insulin into overdrive. And don't get me started on full-sized entrees from proper restaurants. If you'd like to see me snoring through the afternoon, just serve me a delicious, heavy lunch.

This year, I am streamlining my dining at home. My goal is not to spend longer than 30 minutes cooking anything during my workday. Here's the M.O.

For breakfast I toast good brown bread from a local bakery, and I top it with a quality cheese or jam, and several times a week the toast topping is an egg scrambled with vegetables. I take vitamins and calcium on the side, and I try to drink a couple of glasses of water. I am seriously dehydrated, all the time.

Ahh, the antioxidants in cherries!

After that, I try to write at least two hours. Fresh or cooked fruit is the second energy shot that I take around 10 in the morning. After that, I break for some activity at the gym.

Lunch is always eagerly anticipated. Like breakfast, I eat it by myself, so I don't have to worry if anyone else likes what's going on the plate. A fridge full of leftovers means various cups of soup, beans, small cooked vegetables, kimchee, and rice. Sometimes there's even a half-serving of chicken or fish or a couple of meatballs. So, how is my meal different from tapas? I can imagine Dorothy Parker poking fun at my lunches, especially since they are washed down with a glass of water and a couple of Vitamin D gummy raspberry chews for dessert.

A simple homemade carrot soup

Chicken curry, rice and a melange of potatoes, yams and green beans

I work again. Around 4 p.m. I'm often craving salt. The standard snack to fill the void used to be crackers and cheese, but now that I am trying to reduce dairy, I dip raw vegetables or plantain chips in hummus or munch some almonds or cashews. If I have a sweet craving, I might slather peanut butter on a toasted waffle (I keep a few homemade ones in the freezer) or Nutella on a digestive biscuit.

A homemade waffle with almond butter, banana, and chia topping

The writing day is done by five and cooking is once again allowed! I I relish the chance to sway between the fridge and stove and bend to lift up pots and pans. I usually cook meat or fish with vegetables and some form of rice. Usually it's Asian or Mediterranean food--easy dishes flavored with spices and herbs--true friends with benefits.  I often use the InstantPot to pressure cook dried beans or to concoct a dal that can be eaten at a few different meals during the week. My husband likes this kind of food. My children do not.

You might have noticed something missing in my diet. It is coffee, the infamous element in a lot of writers' rituals.

I drink about one and a half-cups of locally roasted coffee made in a French press at breakfast. I might have another cup in the mid-afternoon if I'm dead-tired and have to go out and drive the carpool or drive to a faraway book signing. But chain-drinking coffee does not make me feel grounded and focused on work--it gives me the jitters. Some therapeutic drinks that work for me throughout the day are water, black tea, green tea, mint tea, and before bed, the venerable chamomile.

Writing a book is slow work, and in my experience, it can be detrimental to the body. There have been years when I would sneak downstairs from my study to snack as a way to escape the half-written page. I'm no saint--if I know there's chocolate in the cupboard, I may have an afternoon binge. But overall, I take a great deal of pleasure in eating this way.

Am I feeding my mind?

I don't know about that--but I do feel sated.