The
Goodweather
Report
XXIV ~ June 2009
Hoorah!
My editor has accepted the revised version of The Day of Small Things, calling the rewrite “spellbinding!” I am currently proof-reading my way through the edited version and am delighted to find that I'm really liking it.
Huzzah!!
Herself has also approved my proposal for the next Elizabeth book— Under the Skin – in which Elizabeth deals with that puzzling message from Aunt Dodie and we meet Elizabeth's sister Gloria – a dedicated city girl who sees Nature as something you might step in.
And a third cheer for In a Dark Season's Anthony Nomination – I already told you all about that in my news flash but I can't help mentioning it again. (There was a lengthier piece on my (pretty much) daily blog.) And many, many thanks for all your kind and encouraging words!
Meanwhile, on the home front: most of the garden has been planted; the hens are laying; and we're getting plenty of rain. That means a lot of weeding.
And this old dog is learning another new trick. Next Friday I'll be meeting with a book club in New Jersey – face to face but online. I am now SKYPE enabled and can offer book clubs the dubious pleasure of seeing and hearing me over the internet – that's to say – it's free; no phone lines involved. And while I'm on the subject of book clubs, let me remind you that my website has a page with questions about each book that might provide a starting point for those clubs that enjoy in depth discussions.
QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM YOU ALL
( or ‘you uns,' as Miss Birdie would say)
From Elaine in Hawaii : Am looking forward to the next Elizabeth, and Miss Birdie. I suspect your fans everywhere are, like me, being very patient :-) . Meantime, I'm rereading Rex Stout: has there ever been a more engaging hero than Archie? A more superior detective than Nero Wolfe? And another oldie but goodie, in case you haven't been properly terrified lately: Dracula (Bram Stoker).
Suzanne in NC says: I just came back from a Florida beach where I FINALLY finished In a Dark Season sitting out on our balcony listening to the waves hit the sand. Odd place to be but then I finished the first book in Mexico overlooking the Pacific last December. Somehow, they kept me with one foot still in the mountains. I hated to see it end knowing I can't get the immediate gratification of picking up the next one...especially considering the voice mail message at the end. I know you can spin a great tale from it but wonder how suspicious you can make us (and Elizabeth) of dear, patient Phillip. My favorite part of the book was the Solstice trip to Max Patch. Steve had already read the book but I made him listen to me read that chapter aloud. I loved its magic and its metaphor of the mirror! . .
Nola's use of literary quotes to communicate was clever as was the parallel weaving of the historical background from the prison cell. We live out in Fairview and I love learning more about the Drovers Road which is just a few miles from our farm.
Regarding your question about Elizabeth in different settings. As a child, my favorite books were Nancy Drew mysteries, Cherry Ames (the nurse) adventures, and The Black Stallion and Island Stallion stories. The protagonists were always in different settings and were able to remain true to their core values (Bo's comments), and still be familiar and authentic. However, whether it is an indication of my age and the comfort of the familiar, I'm not sure, but I do not think taking Elizabeth out of the hills now that you have created so much authenticity of topography, local dialects, neighbors and friends, flora and fauna, and her connection with the land will be comfortable for her or for your readers who are probably mostly middle aged women and men like me. She would have to be a secret agent or spy on a mission to have a reason for leaving Marshall County. Of course, Phillip's mystery could be about some unresolved issues relating to his time in Vietnam and a need to return to some remote village there (My Lai??) to reconcile his demons and need Elizabeth to help him and to regain her trust in him. Are you up to an Asian trip and all the research and trying to put her in another setting after perfecting the one you already have created??
The short answer here is NO. :-)
Suzanne also sent me links to an interesting literary project involving vintage aprons, nurses, and a partnership with a clinic in Kenya.
www.thenursesapronpartnership.com and another related website to TNAP: www.hopebuilding.pbworks.com
Chrissy said, re my April Fool story: f I hadn't known it was April Fools, I wouldn't have doubted it either. They call it 'Hollyweird' for a reason.
I had a short story 'Entah & the Moon' optioned by an award winning Playwright Karen M. Cohen for a musical stage play. She paid me my money (which was nice) and they now want nothing more to do with the 'writer' of said short story. She and her team of writers/musicians will develop the script and music. Oh well, I get my name and reference to the novel the short story came from -- Souls of the North Wind' -- on the billing...
You can take a look at Chrissy's novel for young people here .
From Ann C: I read BEAT THE REAPER, by Josh Bazell, and thought it the best thriller I've read in ages -- funny, smart, imaginative. Really terrific. And far out -- if I told you the plot, you'd say, no way can that work, but it does, it does.
Pat W. in TN says: I'm reading whenever time permits and am midway through THE WILDER SISTERS by Jo-Ann Mapson right now. I have read several of her other books and like her stories of strong women. Donna Ball, another author I like with her Raine Stockton series, just wrote a book called A YEAR ON LADYBUG FARM. Also a book about strong women and challenges. I could also relate to the ladybug theme ... they love us and bless us (???) with their presence all too often!
Renee tells me: I just finished reading The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory … and checked out her website http://www.phillipagregory.com/ . You may be familiar with both but I couldn't help thinking of you and thought I would share.
England sounds like just a LOVELY place to have lived in the mid 1500s!! NOT ! ! !
Beth E. says: I do want to thank you for pointing me to Deborah Crombie! I'm reading "A Finer End" about the cathedral at Glastonbury which I've never known about. I can hardly make myself sit down and work, wanting to get back to it--and there are so many more!
RECENT READS AND RE-READS
Books I've enjoyed during the past month
Fanny Kemble: The American Journals (edited by Elizabeth Mavor) A very interesting look at an earlier America, through the eyes of an English actress
And Justice There Is None by Deborah Crombie
Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie
I highly recommend this series – set in England – both for the setting and for the wonderful interplay between the two principal characters
Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy B. Tyson
A thoughtful and well-rounded account of a particular moment in the African-American struggle for civil rights.
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Folks love the Quebecoise village of Three Pines and its wild assortment of characters. Penny's latest, The Cruelest Month , is nominated for an Anthony in the Best Novel category.
The Prestige (audio) by Christopher Priest
Enthralling tale of two magicians and their rivalry, set in late 19 th century England and America.
The Screwtape Letters (audio) by C.S. Lewis
A classic. Letters from a Senior Devil to his nephew. Theology was never so much fun – no, not even The Gospel According to Peanuts
Stay Me, Oh Comfort Me by M.F.K. Fisher
Letters and journals from the early years of this amazing writer as she deals with the illness, suffering, and eventual death of her husband.
Vicki's Schedule
2009
Wednesday, June 10 – Presentation at Henderson County Public Library, Hendersonville, NC (check schedule on my blog for more information) 7:30 pm
Saturday, August 1 ~ Haywood Book Mania, Waynesville, NC More info to come
Saturday, August 22 ~ Episcopal Women's Luncheon, Waynesville, NC
Friday and Saturday, September 11-12 ~ CAROLINA MOUNTAINS LITERARY FESTIVAL, Burnsville, NC. Info here
Thursday, October 15 – Sunday, October 18 ~ BOUCHERCON - the Mystery Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana
Saturday, November 14 ~ GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS BOOK FAIR – First United Methodist Church, Jackson Street, Sylva, NC. 9 am to 3 pm
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