DONIS CASEY: Write Errant

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to be the keynote speaker at the annual “Back to the Beach” program, which is put on by the Arizona Department of Libraries and hosted by Phoenix Public Library for area public librarians.  That event occurred last Tuesday, May 22, and went very well.  So I seem to be back on game, thanks to my team of muses and foremothers, all of whom I reverently invoke before I speak before a group (and before I write, as well).  It really helps one’s public speaking skills when one feels okay and isn’t suffering from some strange brain-fog malady.  J.A. Jance once said to a reader who was less than pleased with an installment of one of her series that Babe Ruth may have had over 700 home runs, but he also had over 1000 strike-outs, so the point is to get up there and swing away.  Words to live by.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Mary Reed, who, along with her husband, Eric Mayer, is a fellow Poisoned Pen Press alum and author of the John the Eunuch mystery series (the first of which is entitled One is for Sorrow. These are set in Constantinople during the reign of the Emporer Justinian. There are seven of them, I think.  Fascinating series.)  Mary also manages the Poisoned Pen authors’ website, and keeps an eye out for new reviews of our books for us.  She told me that she had found a review of The Drop Edge of Yonder on a website called “Woodstock’s Blog” (www.journalscape.com/woodstock/2007-21).  This was a surprise to her, not to mention to me as well, since Drop Edge won’t be out until fall and as far as I knew, the advance reading copies weren’t even out.  (That’s what they call the copies they send to reviewers these days). 

I contacted the press, and lo, the ARCs have indeed gone out, though we probably won’t be getting many reviews until July or August.  I expect the ordering information for the book will appear on the Poisoned Pen Press website tout suite.  Look on my “Links” page for the press’ web address.

I did looks up the review, of course, and it was a very nice little review of the whole series, actually.  I’ll post most of it on the “Press Kit” page, but one thing that Woodstock said that I like very much is that “Casey has an enjoyable, believable combination of historical and medium-boiled mystery amateur protagonist.  Books like this are hard to find!” 

I love that “medium-boiled”.  Thanks, Woodstock.