Posts by Laurie King
Race, gender, and responsibility: the face of Billy Mudd
There’s been a lot of talk recently about race and diversity in fiction and movies—a controversy over casting a black Hermione, the question of Shadow’s race in American Gods, the troubling lack of actors of color in the nominations its for this year’s Oscars (#OscarSoWhite). And this month, the VBC have been talking (among other things) about…
Read MoreStately Stories
News—and yes, it is new, brand new. A story: Stately Holmes A Christmas Conundrum by Laurie R. King “Stately Holmes” was…well, not exactly commissioned. Suggested? Demanded? –by my friend Barbara Peters of Scottsdale’s Poisoned Pen Books. Well, Barbara was hoping for a full novel by that title, but I decided it was better matched for…
Read MoreCommunity conversations
For a chance to hear about the new stories, before anyone (well, anyone but my editor…) read on… I started my college life at a California junior college called West Valley, located near my home in Saratoga. I had no money, no job, and no idea of what I wanted to do–which made community college…
Read MoreThe King lecture
Once upon a time there was a man born in India, educated in England, working in Africa, who was hired by a visiting American to help set up a new college and program at the newest jewel in the crown that is the University of California. When Noel King came to Santa Cruz, most of…
Read MoreMe & Edgar & Agatha & friends
That shriek that rattled the country just before 10:00 pm EST was me reacting to the sound of my name from the podium at the Agatha Awards: Malice Domestic’s choice of Best Historical Mystery is Dreaming Spies, by Laurie R. King! I was nominated for an Agatha once before (for The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, in 1995) and…
Read MoreDressing the part of Murder
One of my favorite times on the recent tour for Murder of Mary Russell was the launch, when friends near and far gathered to celebrate the publication–and to admire the amazing donning of Victorian garb by Caroline Bellios, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Fashion and assistant director of the Fashion Resource Center at SAIC. I got in…
Read MoreHappy Birthday, Bill!
Today (or yes, maybe Tuesday…) is the birthday for the man who changed the English language, William Shakespeare. There’s a fascinating article over on the New York Post about the near-disappearance of all that genius (thanks to The Passive Guy for the link), where only the determination (and financial commitment) of two friends led to…
Read MoreAn everyday god on the road
As you probably know, I’ve been on the road since last Tuesday, talking about The Murder of Mary Russell in a variety of bookstores, tea shops, and even an opera house. During that time, I’ve also been listening to the talk about it, in person and on Facebook, and I’m so very happy that you’ve…
Read MoreYes, that sounds like him
One of the fun parts of The Murder of Mary Russell is that we see a very young Sherlock Holmes. Even then, he sounds very like himself… ** The Murder of Mary Russell can be ordered as: A signed US hardback from Bookshop Santa Cruz or Poisoned Pen Books An unsigned hardback or ebook from B&N/Nook or Amazon/Kindle …
Read MoreStreet Life of London
Parts of The Murder of Mary Russell take place in 1925, but much of it goes back to the mid-nineteenth century. The Victorian era was a time of brilliant light, spectacular technological development, and enormous social development. For the wealthy. For the rest, it was a time of rotting teeth, foul diseases, hunger, cold, and the…
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