Murder Takes a Vacation

Me, not so much: Tour dates, tour anxiety

POST HAS BEEN UPDATED:

My 29th book, by some counts my 30th¹, will be published two weeks from today, on June 17. It is a seemingly light-hearted mystery with nods to several classics — Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, the film Charade — but it’s also a story about a 60-something woman whose life is not turning out the way she thought it would. The big twist? Maybe it’s going to be better.²

The second twist: This is perhaps the most autobiographical novel I’ve written. Oh, I’m far more worldly than Muriel Blossom, who has, per the first sentence, never been upgraded. I’m an old hand at upgrades and airport lounges. I know my way around a finger bowl.³ And, unlike Mrs. Blossom, I have had the privilege of moving through the world in a straight-size body, although let me tell you — it’s been five decades of commentary, cat-calling, “constructive” criticism, destructive criticism, creepy compliments, the occasional sincere encomium. And that’s just inside my head! Y’all, it’s just my meat sack, let’s all leave it be.

My beautiful baby

As a reporter, I interviewed touring authors and it looked pretty great from where I sat. Nice hotels! Reporters asking you thoughtful questions about your work! Fans lining up for your autograph! And to be sure, I have experienced those things on tour. As a job, touring author is great, the second-best job I’ve ever had. The best job is: actual novelist. Yes, these are two separate jobs.

Even for extroverts such as myself, touring can feel unnatural. So last week, I ran away from home to my other home, New Orleans. For the most part, I reveled in solitude. I made time for two good friends, but otherwise spent my days taking long walks, enjoying solo meals, rereading Marjorie Morningstar, decluttering like a beast.

Do you know what it means, etc etc?

As a parent, I can’t really afford to travel for more than two weeks and I keep pretty close to home because that’s a) efficient and b) where my most loyal readers are. The schedule follows.⁴ If it’s convenient for you, please show up for one of the signings. If it’s affordable for you, please pre-order/order. And if you see a really bad review — for God’s sake, keep it to yourself. It was a “friend’s”⁵ alacrity in emailing me only about my bad reviews that led me to stop self-Googling 20-plus years ago because, trust me: The good news always gets to you. So does the bad. What you have to do is pay attention to who brings you which.

I’m going to break the rules around here and publish another newsletter on my actual publication date, on which I will almost certainly be wearing the dress below, a rental that I can’t rationalize buying. Yet. The dress has become somewhat infamous in my household for its very rude nickname, which I coined.

Update: Over the weekend, RTR offered 50 percent off, which means this dress, which retails for $780 was already discounted to $482, so it ended up costing $241. Still not cheap, I know! But it fits like a dream.

Waiting for RTR to discount this one DEEPLY

Tour schedule for Murder Takes a Vacation

June 17, 7:00 pm: The Ivy Bookshop at Whitehall Mill. 3300 Clipper Mill Road, Baltimore.

June 18, 7:00 pm: Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington D.C.

June 19, 3:00 pm: B&N Midday Mystery Event w/Megan Abbott: VIRTUAL

June 20, 5:00 pm: Browseabout Books at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes DE.

June 23, 3:15 pm: Craft talk as part of the Newport MFA program at Salve Regina University, Newport RI. Details here.

June 24, 7:00 pm: Books are Magic w/Megan Abbott, 122 Montague Street, Brooklyn NY.

June 26, ticketed fundraiser for the Toledo Public Library. (Sorry, I can’t find any additional info online!)

June 28

11:00 am: Exploration Commons, Carroll County Public Library, 50 E. Main Street, Westminster MD

6:30 pm: Parks Books, 555 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, Severna Park, MD.

(The first event is free, but requires registration; the second is ticketed, you can find more information here.)

July 8, 7:00 pm: The Central Library in conjunction with Greedy Reads, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore MD

July 10, 5:00 pm: Ticketed event for the Harford County Bar Association. Details here.

Read/reading: The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler; The Classroom & the Crowd: Poetry and the Promise of Digital Citizenship, Al Filreis; She Kills: The Murderous Socialist, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales, Skip Hollandsworth; Mad Wife, Kate Hamilton (audio); Second Life, Amanda Hess (audio); How to Lose Your Mother, Molly Jong-Fast (audio).

Rereading: Marjorie Morningstar, Herman Wouk: The Love Machine, Jacqueline Susann.

Me, Me, Me: Murder Takes a Vacation has appeared on summer reading lists in the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, among others. I can’t link to every review, but I love this one by Oline Cogdill and this Substack by Greg Herren, who definitely helped inspire this book — and is one of only two people who know the rental dress’s nickname.

1. It’s my 30th if we include the children’s book Liza Jane and the Dragon, and why not? I also edited Baltimore Noir.

2. It helps that she’s just come into a bit of money. That’s part of the autobiographical part. Believe me, I’d much rather have won the lottery the way Mrs. Blossom did.

3. This is a lie. I have no idea what to do with a finger bowl.

4. I know, I know, I should have a website. Long, sad story, but I’m working on it.

5. We’re not longer friends.