MISS DEMEANORS

I was roaming around the woods yesterday when I came upon this hole. Immediately I was intrigued. Perhaps a horse made it? But why would a horse be hopping on one leg, and in any event, there are no horses in the woods. That I know of. Then I looked more closely. The edges of the dirt were smooth. I imagined a rock had been there and someone decided to pull it out. But why? Happens I’ve been rereading my first Maggie Dove mystery (because it is to be published in paperback soon! But more on that later.) Maggie Dove had planned to throw a rock at someone, so it was possible that someone had read my book and decided to emulate her. Though that seemed unlikely. The track team runs on this trail, so I thought it possible that someone tripped over the rock. Got irritated and dug it up. But why then would you leave a hole that you could trip on? No, the more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that someone had done this with a purpose. I have a friend who paints on rocks. She could have chosen to pick it up. […]

This past week saw a Russian hacking group hack into Colonial Pipeline, a company that provides gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to a large portion of the Eastern Seaboard. The hacking group, Darkside, reassured the world this was not political in nature, but done purely for monetary gain. The fact that they generally target English-speaking countries either supports this (English-speaking countries are generally richer than Slavic-speaking ones), or, you know, not.

Miss Demeanor’s Question of the Week: Why Do We Love Books? Keenan: I love books because they transport me from real life and give me a chance to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Susan: I love books because they reassure me that I’m not the only lunatic out there. I’ve found some of my best friends in books. (Jane Eyre comes to mind.) They comfort me, inspire me, teach me and show me the world. Recently I was reading Julia Philips novel, Disappearing Earth, which is set in Siberia, and I thought, I’m in Siberia! Emilya: Well… yeah. I can’t imagine not reading. I don’t think more than a day has ever passed in my life after the age of 8 when I didn’t read for pleasure. Escapism, education, you name it, books do it for me. In that vein, I especially appreciate books written by authors from environments completely different from mine, whether it’s other countries, other genders, class, background, etc., etc. Connie: “The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and […]

With a manuscript due at the end of the month, I need a laugh. And no one makes me laugh like the Scottish cartoonist Tom Gauld.

If every version of a book was offered on the same shelf, which would you choose?

I planned to write a blog post about truth being sometimes stranger than fiction and true crime podcasts and real-life stories that inspired crime novels. (I was yesterday years old when I learned that actress Gene Tierney’s tragedy inspired Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side.) I would have had the post up around lunchtime for you to enjoy with your midday meal. Then I stepped outside…

I love Mother’s Day, but I also love the day after Mother’s Day. I feel like it’s a moment of Zen after a very intense build-up. I think the Monday after Mother’s Day should be National Take-a-Break Day.

The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and I came across a photo of the cover of Mia Manasala’s new book, Arsenic and Adobo. I was intrigued immediately. The bright colors pulled me in. So did the dog. It just had the vibe of a book I would enjoy reading. I’ve certainly read books with unappealing covers (probably), but I do find that if I like a cover, I’ll often like a book. So I asked my fellow Miss Demeanors how that felt on the subject.

It’s Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day. When I was living in California, that meant Corona beer and chile rellenos. (I never figured out how to eat a taco without everything falling out.) This year, I’m celebrating by reading Mexican Gothic, which I just purchased last night. New York Times bestseller. Zillions of Amazon, Goodreads, and Audible reviews. Have you read it? What did you think? Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

Today is officially National Star Wars Day, so let’s talk about science fiction. Star Wars itself has always seemed to me an odd mix of historical fiction and science fiction (after all, it did happen a long time ago), and therefore not as prescient as, say, Star Trek, which predicted–so far–smart phones, Alexa, and 3D printers, virtual reality, bluetooth, tablets, video chats, and whatever those things are the TSA uses to scan us at airports.