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This post is mostly for Denise Weeks, who writes YA fantasy as Shalanna Collins but has at least one mystery, Murder by the Marfa Lights, under her real name. I mentioned last night I was reading the book, she found the blog and was ecstatic that someone was reading her book. She asked several questions and I know of no way to answer except on the blog. So yes, Denise, it's still holding my attention. I found it on the Kindle store when I was browsing the cozy mystery category, and I guess the idea of the Marfa lights, which have always intrigued me, plus my neighbors who talk about Marfa all the time drew me to order it. And, if I remember, the price was low. (I've read a lot on the Sisters in Crime listserv lately about how books priced really cheaply, like 99 cents, do so much better than even those $2.99 ones--volume vs. individual price, and volume wins!). Denise, I'm sorry you didn't spend more time in Marfa, but I'll ask my neighbors about authenticity anyway. Is it available any way except online?
If you were ecstatic to find someone reading your book, I was most pleased to find a new reader for my blog. Did you find the mention on Google Alerts? I find the Alerts service most interesting--some days it picks up my blog; other days, it "alerts" me to sales of my older titles. I'm investigating getting some of my '90s historical fiction up on Kindle. I think it's a great sales tool.
Other than reading Denise's book, I'm a drudge today. Spent the morning at the office but the server was having problems and for most of the morning I couldn't do what I came in to do. But we had a terrific meeeting with an author who is doing a book for 7th graders about the Texas Revolution. Susan, Melinda, and I were really enthusiastic about it. Then the server came back up, and I was able to send out the proposals I wanted to.
And tonight I've been working on taxes--categorizing the expenses from 2009. I can only take so much of that in a spell, so I have lots left to do, but I'm making a dent in it.
I did conquer techbnology today--with help. I now know how to find my VPN connection to TCU and have the link to my desktop installed. The link to my TCU email (instead of the web email I use at home) isn't quite working yet, but I can probably fix that tomorrow. And, wonder of wonders, all by myself, I finally got my cell phone to bring up my e-mail. For a non-techie like me, such small triumphs are really wonderful.
Still a busy week in which I have to get up early every morning--yawn!

Goodbye, ham

I've almost finished the half ham I inherited over New Year's. Made old-fashioned split pea soup tonight--the kind where you add carrots, celery, and an onion studded with cloves. Almost forgot to add the ham bone but got it in eventually. The cloves made it smell so good when cooking. The recipe said 1/2 package would feed eight--I only looked because I needed to know proportion of water to beans. I used almost 3/4 the package; it fed three of us, with no leftovers. Made a salad, served ham salad on crackers for appetizer (said I was going to ham them to death), and the Lindt chocolate truffles I got for Christmas for dessert--got to get all that chocolate out of my house! Next time I make pea soup I'll follow my instinct--and my mom's cooking lessons--rather than the package. But it was so good, with chunks of ham and carrot floating in it. I like a thick split pea soup--sort of like the milkshake the spoon can stand it, so maybe that's why it didn't feed more. When I was a kid, my brother's favorite dish was split pea soup--he was away at boarding school, and we had to have it every time he came home. I hated it! But I think hams in those days (way back in the dark ages) were saltier. Today I love the soup, and I am loving the ham. Have had ham salad a lot. Still have some left, plus a chunk of ham. Haven't decided what to do with it yet. Maybe I'll try Jacob on cubed ham Tuesday night--better than chicken nuggets.
A nice lazy Sunday. My conscience bit me a little about not going to church, but I slept until eight, read the paper, fixed the soup, rode my bike, washed my hair, sent out a query, and it's amazing where the day goes. Today it's warm enough that Scooby spent the day outside--a relief to both of us, I'm sure. Tomorrow, back to work, so tonight I'm going to read and be lazy.
Just finished reaing Deadly Descent by Charlotte Hinger--an old friend from Western Writers of America. I'm much impressed by the way Chalrotte has transitioned from the western (now not much sought after) to the mystery--and combined her love of Kansas, its geography, and its history, with the mystery genre. The novel, her first mystery, is a real page-turner and kept me up far too late last night. I couldn't foresee the end coming--lots of red herrings--but it was a most satisfying conclusion, and I recommend it heartily. Wish I could combine history of the West with mystery, and may still work on that. Now I'm reading Murder by Marfa Lights by Denise Weeks. Must ask my neighbors, who have a home in Marfa, to read it for authenticity. Meantime, barely into it, I find it keeps my attention.