Black Armbands
|April 1, 2005|
I hope none of you mind awfully, but I have come to the realization that I need to do something different with my life, and ‘e2’80’9cIf ‘e2’80’98twere done, best ‘e2’80’98twere done quickly.’e2’80’9d Thus I have the duty to announce that following the publication of Locked Rooms in June, I shall be working on the last Mary Russell, where she and her husband return to England just in time to meet a ship from Africa that carries a nasty contagion, sent there from the German colonies as a prelude to the upcoming conflict, that drives its victims insane with terror.
Russell and Holmes die in each others arms, I’e2’80’99m afraid.
Working title is, The Beekeeper’e2’80’99s Apprehension.
Have a good April.
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Dear Laurie,
And a happy April Fool’s Day to you too!
That made me giggle. I mean the title, not the subject matter.
Happy April Fools Day to you too!
Listen, Ming the Merciless, you had me totally suckered in until I read the other commenters and, duh. heh. will have to think up some red herring to leave you in future comments…!
Hardy har har.
Vey good…So, do you still have a publisher and an editor or were they rushed to the emergency room with heart failure?
Very, very fun…I must admit you had me going for a second…maybe because I’ve been on duty for the past 36hr and didn’t know it was the 1st yet…nicely done! Oh and I got my paperback copy of the Game today in the mail for doing the survey, I am very happy! Thanks!
AHHHHHHH!! Alright, you had me for about half a tic and what a horrible moment it was! Thankfully, I happened to glance at my calendar or my entire weekend may have been ruined. That was a good one!
Oh, thanks for the paperback copy of the Game, I received mine yesterday. What a nice suprise. Christy
Ms. King,
Your date on the blog gave you away. Don’t you realize Sherlock lives forever, Mary may not. Love the title. Not a bad storyline for a future book. Needs a new ending.
Henry
Very good.I almost believed it until they died. Enjoyed the comments too.
Got my free copy of The Game right after I checked it out from the library. Thanks! Enjoy your newsletter very much.
Oh, you gave me a bad moment. I was about to reach for the Scotch.
I may anyhow, just to recover from the shock.
Big sigh of relief, you got me only for a moment! Happy April Fool’s Day to you too!
Received my copy of THE GAME – it was a beautiful end to a long and soggy day. Thanks so very much.
… *breathing heavy…*… heart attack material. So glad I read the comments…
Nicely played.
I red it on April 2nd and sill had a breakdown until the end. Have to admit. It was good. But don’t ever do that again. 🙂
Yikes! I stopped breathing for a few seconds. Some things are too good to be messed with.
Rec’d my copy of Game this week–thanks for a wonderful treat.
This is off the topic completely but in view of Russel’s theological interests this seems to be an avenue to comment.Though I am not Catholic or even very religious, I have followed the career of Pope John Paul II since it followed my life as a adult. I believe he has been an incredivle portrayer of the value of human life where ever and how ever it has been found. Though I am far from being a Catholic, I feel my life has been enhanced, broadended, made better by his advocacy and I will miss his humanism despite my distance from the Catholic Church in general.
This connects here because I am very appresciative of Mary’s )and the characters of other series) interpretation of God’s message? No one knows precisely what God wants but I am every aware of the acceptance in your works that God works in many ways. For myself, I cannot believe in a restricting God, but that God is there for each individual to discover. I wish I had the academic and intellectual discipline that Mary brings to her everyday discourse. Since I cannot do, I appreciate those who can. Thank you for enriching my life.
… would be a pity, of course…
… but if you bring back Califa…
Great! I am really looking forward to reading that book of yours and killing them both off. Spares me some precious years of my young life which I had spent waiting for the next – the next – and, oh! the next after that next – Russell book otherwise. Most fun to read will be the part where you bridge the gap between Russell’s and Holmes’s sad but romantic death and the frame narrative of your preceding Russell books … 😉
Right, I looked at the last line before I fainted dead away. Oh, that was tricksy. =)
Oh, you rat!! Serves me right, too, for taking such long times between visiting my emails (this blog now added to same as a regular visit) so I didn’t twig until I got to the happy April part. I had just been rereading Elizabeth Peters, so it began to sound familiar. Meanwhile, I beg to differ. I’m coming back from England right after the niece’s wedding 18th June, and I will be at the launch party with two co-conspirators. We hope to wear dressed-up 20’s attire, so I hope someone else does the same. –Meredith T.
My heart stopped. Till I read the comments. You beast. Happy April Fool’s Day to you, too!
heh! – I just read all your comments on this particular post and I have to say, they very much resemble the reactions my hubby and I received when we announced our engagement on April 1st, 9 years ago.
Oh Happy Fool!
Friday, April 1st, was moving day. Although we only lived in that house for 3 years, my oldest daughter started walking in it and my youngest was brought there from the hospital – it has many good memories.
So it was with sadness that I sat in the front yard, on a beautiful spring day (ignoring the Oak pollen that fell so thickly I could SEE it), watching the movers tuck my house away in their trucks.
But then, my moving present arrived – an autographed copy of The Game! Thank you so much – what a great parting gift.
Sinda
p.s. ditto on bringing back Califia. I could not put the book down from the minute I purchased it – read it in a single day, which is quite a feat with 2 children under 5 hangng around. Poor neglected children!
I’m still scared. Is this really a joke?
Uggggh. Thought you were serious until the last line. Nearly fainted… Don’t do that again!
Here it is almost the end of 04/05, and I was reading long neglected e-mail….and when I read “Black Armbands” my heart really DID some serious leaping about. Happily I looked at the date and figured the joke was on me. I hope.
I too received my copy of The Game, and am passing it along to one of my daughters. I read it when it came out in hard back, and believe in spreading the joy. Which leads to me to hope that you will be at the Book Cafe in Capitola so I can buy the new one when it comes out. I can hardly wait. Barbara K.
I’m not sure why, but seeing 26 comments made me want to comment about the sheer volume of comments, thus increasing the number of comments…rather paradoxical, I think.
Anyway, loved the title; it put a smirk on my face=)
P.S. I’ve been meaning to send you this link for a while, but I keep forgetting. My roommate, who is a huge fan as well as an art major, did a drawing of Mary Russell and I thought you might want to have a look.
Mary Russell drawing
After that little fright, I won’t need a vacation this year! The reptile brain loves to trick the mind…intellectual knowledge, be damned. Now I get to pass the news of Mary and Holmes’ “tragic death” on to my friends and let them have a little heart attack. I believe in sharing the joy!
Conan Doyle didn’t have any luck ending his writing about this character either……Better think up a new story line for him.
okay.. this absurdly late… but you got me.. i was going to start screaming and calling my friends who’ve read your work here in the Philippines.. But fortunately i stopped myself once i read the comments… and i was able to clamp my mouth shut too, thank god, before i could start screaming like a banshee… that was a very tricky thing you did…
A C D DID TRY W/ S H, BUT HOLMES DID KEEP GOING AND GOING AND IS STILL GOING!
I can only hope the others guessed right, and your announcement was an April Fools’ Day prank. Your Russell/Holmes books are so good, and obviously have so many fans, it would be cruel if you were to stop writing them yet.