Posts by Laurie King
The Murder of Mary Russell: amuse bouche
Writing the cover copy for books–those snippets on the dust jackets–is a delicate art. A bit of plot is great, but not just plot, and NEVER spoilers. (Yes, I’ve had those.) A hint about the characters: who they are, where they’re going, and perhaps a reminder of where they’ve been if the book is from a series. The…
Read MoreDreaming Spies: the paperback
Two weeks from tomorrow, the US paperback of Dreaming Spies comes out. Because I loved the set of e-cards Random House did for the hardback, I begged their permission to make a few of my own, with other pictures and quotes. Here’s the first one—please feel free to turn it loose among your friends, along with…
Read MoreThe Queen’s Beekeeper
Two of my friends (and yours) are off in London, where they’re attending the dedication of Jeremy Brett’s park bench, seeing various Russell friends, and… seeing the work of the Royal Beekeeper. Now, the claim is that this gent goes by the name of John Chapple, but we have to wonder, don’t we, if the…
Read MoreAn age of daily miracles
Around this time of year, I start getting up when it’s still dark. The window with my desktop looks east, so I’ve been greeted by the bright voices of Venus and Mars.But this morning as I walked out of my back bedroom, I noticed a spot of light on the floor. I found it came…
Read MoreBoucherCon!
The social event of the crime calendar each year is BoucherCon, named after the great writer/reviewer Anthony Boucher. This year the tribes gather in Raleigh, North Carolina for Murder Under the Oaks. The events page has just gone up, and I’m scheduled for two panels: Preventing a Mystery Series “Jumping the Shark” Oct 9, 1:00 Moderator…
Read MoreCommon Core supplements
Whether you’re interested in the Beekeeper’s Apprentice Common Core syllabus for a class, or would just like to see some background material, we’ve now added a whole lot of materials to the supplemental section–such as a selection of cartoons from Mr Punch Goes to War: SCENE: HOTEL. LITTLE GIRL: “Oh, Mummy! They’ve given me a…
Read MoreRe:Writing
In the beginning was the word… and then the Author decided it was the wrong word, and changed it. Then added a couple more, after which She took those out again and changed the word back to where it had been. This is where I am at the moment: hacking through the jungle of verbiage…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War
One hundred years ago, the armies in Europe were locked head to head all along a line from the North Sea to Switzerland. In the past twelve months, hundreds of thousands had fallen, soldiers and civilians alike. An entire swath of Europe lay devastated, the technology of War was building. And Mary Russell met Sherlock…
Read MoreFools of all stripes
Fools have always been a big part of my life. [Polite pause for a series of rude and knowing remarks.] I did my BA thesis on fools, and I’ve worked fools into a couple of novels (To Play the Fool introduces inspector Kate Martinelli to a Holy Fool among the homeless population of San Francisco, and…
Read MoreSchool Daze for Miss Russell
Sorry kids, but here in the northern hemisphere, we’re getting close to the new school year. (Was that a chorus of parents saying Yay! I just heard?) So I thought I’d make another mention of the study program that two great Middle School teachers put together based on The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. As Jake and Katye…
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