NO Foolin' (But You Knew That)

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: A few musings on this first day of April.

Can you believe spring is almost here? The last stubborn clumps of snow are finally melting, and the sun feels different. I saw a male and female cardinal yesterday. But the ducks, our wild Flo and Eddy and their mallard clan that arrive, reliably, every spring, usually around March 14 in our backyard pool, are not here yet. They've been here for the last 17 years, at least.  I am keeping my fingers crossed. The weather has been so weird that maybe they're waiting to be reassured. I wake up every morning and run to the bathroom window and look out to see--empty pool.  But nature follows its own calendar.

 Like I said. Crossing fingers.


I head Elizabeth George speak the other day--she is amazing! 20 books. You cannot believe her writing process. First she picks....the setting!  And one of my favorite lines from her presentation: "I have never been able to write about a place that is flat."  After she picks the setting, she goes to visit there, and searches for story.  When she finds the key to a story that works, by traveling and interviewing, and reading and researching, she settles on her what if. 

Then she populates her book with generic people: the cop, the father, the vintner, the sister of the vicar, or whatever. They she picks 5 point of view characters, names them, and does huge bios for each.  (She says in the UK, names are so important, and they're instantly associated with a social class. "There'll never be King Kevin, you know?" she said. )Then she puts those people on little strips of paper--seriously, typewriter paper, cut in three horizontal strips--and makes scene titles for each, maybe five for each.  Then she moves the strips around, and then...

Reds, it is making my brain fry to tell you this. Especially since I was with the amazing Jeffery Deaver over the weekend, and he also works kind of the same way, only with yellow stickies. I couldn't do it that way. And yet, he's sold fifty million books. Maybe there is a lesson here. 

But they were both wonderful.

(Oh, and Debs? When I was waiting to get my George book signed, someone in line asked me what I was reading. I told her, and then asked her what she was reading. She said "Deborah Crombie! My favorite!")






Plus, although last year I came close to winning in March Madness, my brackets were brilliantly

wrong  this year. But I have to ask you--isn't it just as challenging and amazing to pick almost ALL the losers? I was SO close to winning--if I had just picked exactly opposite.

In other Reds news: Rhys'  IN FARLEIGH FIELD won the Lefty for Best Historical. Yay! Roberta/Lucy is looking for a title for her new book, and her newest comes out in August! (Watch for a Reds celebration of Lucy and Rhys in August in Boston--you all are invited!) 

Jenn and Hallie are writing like crazy, Ingrid is polishing her standalone, we are pushing Julia to become the new Erma Bombeck, Debs is nursing an injury (she's fine, just annoyed) and I am freaking out over the release of TRUST ME in late August.

It's Easter Sunday, and much joy to you who celebrate. It's Passover, and equal joy. (I always cry at Seders, since it's a holiday about justice.)  When I was growing up, we celebrated everything. We'd get Easter baskets, and bite the chocolate ears off first. We'd clamor for stuffed animals, but my mom always refused. We also got sent away from the Seder table for acting out how bored we were. Until Mom realized getting sent away from the table was exactly what we wanted to happen, and made us stay til the end.

How are you faring, dear Reds and readers?  Check in today.  

And ooh! There's a spider on you!

PS: No foolin--the winner of Jim Jackson's Easy Prey is Susan Emerson! Susan, email me via my website!