Laurie R. King

Award-winning, bestselling, thought-provoking mysteries

LAURIE'S NEWSLETTER

Writing the Past: Free Love, Thumbing Rides, and Other Incomprehensible Habits

by 5 Comments

People think of Laurie King as a writer of historical mysteries, especially the 1920s, a time of short skirts, fast cars, and that exciting new tech, radio.

Back to the Garden is set more recently than the 20s. It has two timelines: one now, the other flashing back to the 1970s.  In 1972, a main character, Rob Gardener, comes home from Vietnam; in 1975, another character goes up to Rob’s Oregon commune to tell him of his grandfather’s death; and in 1979, the commune Rob started up in his inherited California home hosts a rock festival.

And while it’s hard to think of times that many of us actually remember as being “historical,” in fact, four decades ago make for a foreign country indeed.

It should be a simple task, for an author to describe a life she has lived through. Communes and long skirts, folk rock and organic gardens, VW vans and cannabis growing in hidden corners.

But even to someone who was there—and as the joke goes, does actually remember it—parts of the time are hard to believe.

Take “free love.”  I was too busy (and yes, naïve) for a complicated social life, but I thought nothing of people who slept with anyone around. After all, the Pill was a thing, and herpes and AIDS didn’t hit the headlines until the 80s, so sharing bodily fluids was just natural, right?

But talk about naïve: during this era, in a time and place that two different serial murderers were at work, solitary women would walk up to a freeway on-ramp and put out their thumb.

I often did, hitching rides from the Greyhound bus stop after a weekend with my boyfriend, heading to the community college where I had classes and a job. Amazingly, I only had one problem, when a guy in a pickup drove off with my backpack in the back—and he later dropped it off at the bank whose checkbook he found in the pockets.

Now, the Internet would scream out the dangers, but then, I was blissfully unaware. I had no television, my radio was mostly tuned to classical, and I can’t remember anyone talking about the murders going on around us.

“The past is a foreign country,” as the writer says. I’ve been known to argue that the past can be more mirror than foreign land. But sometimes?

Sometimes the habits of the past can be utterly incomprehensible.

Laurie’s Writing Corners

by 11 Comments

My publisher asked me recently to give them a couple photos of my writing space, along with a short piece of writing, to use for their Instagram (@randomhouse) series called #WritersRoutine. But Insta posts aren’t meant for detail, so, for the insatiably curious (and for those who don’t have Instagram) here’s the photo of where I work, with a longer explanation of what you’re seeing.

My study is in a room that, when I bought the house 9 years ago, was the garage.

The deck outside the windows wraps around the back of the house, and is surrounded by trees—the most immediate leaves are a black bamboo, in a large pot.

What the picture shows, left to right:

The day bed I use to write on. It was built to fit into a window-well in the last house I lived in, as were the shelves—I brought them all with me when I moved, since what normal person shelves 3000 books in their master bedroom?  The two drawers under the bed are filled with files of things related to the books—clippings, fan letters, articles, catalogues, etc.

Sitting on the bed is a small chest of drawers that I bought at the BSI weekend one year—its two drawers have handles shaped to look like the head of Sherlock Holmes.

I plug a wall-mounted external monitor into my laptop, so I can write without my neck seizing up.

On the window are large PostIts listing things I need to ask my informants about, for the work in progress (WIP).

My laptop, sitting on folders containing notes, printouts, etc to do with the WIP, and several of the pads I use for notes.  I mostly use the kind that Levenger sells, with lines on the right and a section of empty space on the left, to put notes about the notes.

The small pillow and bolster are covered with alpaca fabric woven by my mother.

On the windowsill is a mug saying: When God created man, she was only joking.  It contains a magnifying glass I received as a gift, and a (rather crooked now) beeswax candle stolen from the monastery in Wadi Kelt, described in O Jerusalem.  Behind the mug is a decorated gourd from a trip to Mexico City when my daughter was 7 months old.

Under the day bed: the file folder holds printouts of the current WIP.  It will be filled with more printouts, notes, maps, etc—and at the end, the first copy I receive of the book.

Leaning against the day bed: an oversized artist’s clipboard I use as a lap desk when I write, a habit that started when I wrote with a fountain pen on pads. (This is the second clipboard, the first one is a bit frayed now.)

My father made the three-legged Shaker table out of spalted maple. (Look it up.)  On it is a clipped-together version of the current manuscript, since it has a complicated structure—I tag each chapter with one of three colors, and shift them around to see how they work together.  Not my usual system, by the way, which is to just have the WIP in a folder like the one on the day bed.  Also on the table is a mug painted with Medieval characters, from a pottery somewhere in southern England.

Books: top of the shelf are my sets of Kittel (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) and the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, from the days of my theology degree. The next three shelves are general Biblical studies and theology, much if it to do with feminist themes.   Then a shelf of Ordnance Survey maps, modern and old, and various books to do with England.  Below that, England and a variety of guide books, mostly Baedeker’s. The other books are reference material for Britain, the Twenties, and writing.

The narrow cork-board, formerly used for images to do with a WIP, currently shows book covers: useful as a Zoom background.

Top shelf: ceramic skull intended to place in a fire so it glows: small print of Folly Bridge, Oxford, from 1906 (I owned a house one street away); dragon figurine (from a Medieval manuscript illumination) I bought thirty years ago at one of my favorite museums, the Musée de Cluny in Paris.

The shelf underneath it has Twenties references (including a Mrs Beeton) and books used while writing Castle Shade.

The next shelf has the 3D model of Bran Castle my grandsons helped build—or rather, that I helped them build—and a stack of my books published in the past year.

The armchair used to be my father’s, covered with a horrible scratchy green fabric.  My mother had it re-covered back in the nineties, and I now use it for Zoom events, pulling around the white table to hold the laptop.

The framed painting is by my friend Jean Lukas, who did the pen-and-ink drawings used in the maps for Garment of Shadows, Dreaming Spies, and Island of the Mad, as well as several pieces of Beekeeper art over the years.

The red stove keeps me warm in the cold weather. (Propane—the pilot’s off for the season.)

And yes, the carpet and curtains are both purple.  And that bit of empty shelf at the top of the picture is one end of the shelf of LRK Books that wraps around three sides of the room, more than 2/3 filled with various editions of my 30+ books.

…a picture illustrating that at the moment, my study is also a workout studio…

And that’s where the words take place.  I like having a full study, with my own books and research material, surrounded by books I love.  However, I’m not a fussy writer.  When I need to, I can turn out words pretty much anywhere.  After all, my first ventures into fiction (Califia’s Daughters) were in Oxford during the kids’ nap-times.  Later I moved on to scribbling longhand on an oversized clipboard propped against the wheel of the Volvo during the kids’ piano lessons or soccer practice.  And before the purple carpet went down and the shelves got fastened to the walls, while that garage was undergoing its transformation, my writing place (for The Bones of Paris) was the circular seat in a corner of the bedroom, with the sound of hammers and Skil saws to keep me company.

What’s Your Super Power?

by 22 Comments

Many skills mastered by others fill me with awe. Juggling, applying flawless nail polish, turning a quadruple back flip, walking the Appalachian Trail—my life will never include those skills.

But by God I can fold a fitted sheet.  Not only can I, I then package each set in a neat package, and store them in my linen closet ready to go.

Take that, Simone Biles.

A Visit With Old Friends

by 15 Comments

Last month I posted a couple of questions on Facebook—both the author page and the Beekeeper’s Apprentices group—wondering what people had been reading in the past year.  I wasn’t really surprised to find that many of you, like I, have been reaching for old friends.  In 2020, reading was heavily re-reading.

“I hang out with my literary friends instead,” one of you said.  Another put it, “rereading…is like paying a visit to an old friend in a time of isolation.”  “When I had no courage for new books and not much of an attention span, rereading Mary Russell’s adventures kept me sane.”

Courage is a good word for it.  I did read new books—I bought a whole lot of new books—but frankly, it’s only since the end of January that I’ve begun to pick up those that I know are going to be challenging, either mentally or spiritually.

Too many challenges in 2020.  Too much spiritual and mental battering, too much noir—where the hero probably loses, and the villain walks away unscathed—and not enough cozy—stories where the reader knows that things will be solved and the right people win, in the end.

Which may be why my re-reading also inclined toward humor.  Silly or dark, slapstick or subtle, humor has been a lifesaver.  Keeping Terry Pratchett, John Scalzi, Jodi Taylor, and Ben Aaronovitch on my night-stand let me sleep, secure in the conviction that smart, funny, and humane people are out there, and that those of us who love smart humor will prevail.

It’s been a long, dark twelve months, stupidly and unnecessarily long, and claustrophobically dark even for those of us who managed to get to 2021 without direct tragedy and loss. It’s a wound that will take time to heal.

And fiction helps.  The community of book-lovers helps.  Writers who make us grin and even laugh aloud help hugely, returning air to our lungs and perspective to our minds.

So this is a thank you, to all of you out there who kept in touch, who kept reading, who used my work to find community, find sanity, even used it to find inspiration for projects of your own.  My thanks to you all, let me know in the comments if you have recommendations for smart, funny, humane writers I may have missed—and I’ll end this with the sign-off I’ve been using on many emails over past months:

Keep safe, keep sane, keep reading.

by Leave a Comment

The 2021 Noel Q. King Lecture:

Voices of God, Voices of Madness

with Tanya Marie Luhrmann

Thursday, February 18, 2021, 5 p.m.
(A Virtual Event)

 

The Noel King memorial lecture, which started as a way to keep a religious studies presence on the UC Santa Cruz campus, this year welcomes a more individual approach to God-talk.

Tanya Marie Luhrmann (from the Stanford Anthropology Department) focuses on those who experience God in voices, visions, the world of the supernatural and the world of psychosis. Using a combination of ethnographic and experimental methods, her fieldwork has taken her from Chicago to Accra, talking with evangelical Christians, Zoroastrians, and people who practice magic. She is the author of When God Talks Back (a NYT Notable Book of the Year and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year) and Our Most Troubling Madness: Case Studies in Schizophrenia Across Cultures.

I will be talking to Professor Luhrmann following what promises to be a fascinating lecture. Join us!

Register here.   

https://laurierking.com/2021/02/16457/

The making of HRF Keating

by 8 Comments

What makes a writer? How do skill, circumstances, and determination come together in a lifetime of shaping stories?

I’ve met a lot of fine writers, during my 27 years as a published author. One I am most grateful to have called a friend was H. R. F. Keating.

I met Harry and his wife Sheila in 1995, at a Scottsdale conference put together by our mutual friend Barbara Peters.  AZ Goes Classic (there was a book of the papers we presented, currently out of print, alas) was an amazing get together, where I met Mike Connelly, Harry Keating, Val McDermid—people I love and have worked with ever since.

Harry died nine years ago. I wrote a post about missing him, and about his amazing influence in both fiction and nonfiction, and about how I hate that he was never named Grand Master by MWA (the post, with a very brief reading list, is here). If you’ve never met his creations—Inspector Ghote, perhaps, or “Hard Detective” Harriet Martens, or perhaps his analyses of Golden Age Crime—please look out for him. As I say in that post:

His work, as his  person, is characterized by a gentle eccentricity and humor with an enduring  interest in the mystery as morality story.  However, as with the best  English crime fiction, his willingness to face the stark realities of the  murders he writes about means that even his more “cosy” books (and could a  title such as  Mrs. Craggs: Crimes Cleaned Up be seen as  anything but cosy?) often contain grim touches.  The Detective series  go further, into the frankly gritty, and he has ventured into the realm of  the thriller (The Dog It Was That Died) and the macabre (a number of  his short stories.)

Now his wife, whom I equally adore, has written a biography of Harry.

Some of you know Sheila Mitchell from various conferences, or from her audio books, or from performances you’ve seen (she toured a one-woman play about Dorothy L. Sayers that played at several conferences) but here, she offers a unique insider’s view of one of the most influential writers of the late 20th century.  It’s charming, it’s comprehensive, and it’s clear-eyed when it comes to the state of publishing in the 21st century.

I highly recommend that you order a copy from your local Indie, for a look through a partner-wife’s eyes at the making of a great writer and an even greater human being: here.

Russell’s life onscreen

by 84 Comments

The other day, a charming appointment popped up on my e-calendar:

This was to remind me of a video conference with the English team working to bring Russell to the screen.  And despite smoke in the air, the occasional rolling blackout, and the inevitable problems of getting Microsoft to talk to Apple, we managed to meet up.

Once we’d linked up, I started the discussion by saying that I had a really important question for them.

They did look slightly alarmed—since this was a first meet with one and only the second for the other.  Good lord, you could see them think: do we have one of those writers on our hands?  The kind who starts out pushy and gets worse?

But no, I hope I’m not one of those writers.  Instead, my question was: “So, are you two having fun yet?”

And the answer I got was, oh yes indeed, they were—all kinds of fun.

Now, I have no way of knowing whether Russell & Holmes will show up in your living rooms.  I do feel very positive about the project, and these people certainly have the experience and resources to see it through. But to have people who clearly adore Mary Russell, who want to bring me in as a consultant on basic decisions, and whose enthusiasm was palpable—well, all I can say is, Mary Russell is in good hands.

Fired up, thanks.

by 9 Comments

You may have heard that we have a fire going on here in Santa Cruz.

Flames coming at us…

Fires are, unfortunately, not unusual in California—generally in October, when the dry season is dragging on.  But fires are now an annual, close, pressing presence, all over the state. For a quarter of the year, every year, our lives have become dominated by fear.  Fear and smoke.

This year, nothing is usual. Why should fires be?  Or rather, fire fighting.

Because this one, they’re not actually fighting.  Thousands of homes are in the line of the fire, and yes, so far most of the people have gotten out, but a fire that would normally have 3000 or more firefighters on it, has had 600.

Normally, within twenty minutes of the first whiff of smoke, you hear the spotter planes.  Then the water-bearing helicopters and the retardant-spraying planes arrive, to crush the fire before it could build and take off—

Over my house, two years ago. No messing around.

But for two days, our skies have been empty.

In part, it’s a problem with the terrain, and the difficulty of dumping water on the tops of redwood trees, attempting to get it to the ground.  And in part, it’s the way the wind is riding the front of the fire line, obscuring the target ground.

Charred leaf, drifted down onto my deck.

And the bigger problem?  Our inability to get the Covid response under control.

Summer fires in California depend on the inmates of prisons and youth facilities, who train, get paid, and have a highly employable skill when they get out.  But in 2020, the prisons have either locked their inmates down or given them early release.

This morning, I wrote a note on Facebook with a picture of the air we’re trying to breathe—

No filters on the photograph, though an N95 on the photographer.

—and a comment that decisions made in DC have rippled across the country.

Now, I did not mean that DC has anything to do with where our Conservation Corps prisoners are sent.  I meant that the incredible catastrophe that is this government’s Covid response has now resulted in a situation where my neighbors’ houses are burning, their livestock and the wild creatures that live here are dying, and a quarter of my county has loaded up their cars and fled to safety.

Other countries have problems, absolutely.  No argument there.  And yes, global heating means that the hills are tinder dry and the sun is hotter than ever and you can’t blame the people in DC for all of that, since much was inherited.  But once the fire is burning?  Locking down our firefighters has thrown kerosene on the flames.

The camera couldn’t deal with the intense glowing red eye of the sun. Use your imagination…

The countries that acknowledged the problem early, that frankly ordered people to retreat until the numbers were down, that required their people to wear masks and keep apart and be both responsible and sensible—those countries might be watching their hills burn, but it isn’t because firefighters who want to work are kept from the fire lines.

This is a stupid way to live. What can be more basic than wearing a bloody mask and not going to large gatherings?  Why is this country not only unable to bring the response under control, but unable to even agree that there are things that can be done, now? Why can we not just grow up?

My fire has nothing to do with your life, I know.  Of course, if my house burns down, it means that you won’t have a book or two from me while I’m trying to put my life back together. And if you insist on not wearing a mask when you go out, and pretending that hanging out in a crowded bar or venue doesn’t matter, and yes, if you vote for people who treat it like a joke, then thanks, but I’m not sure that we’re ever going to crawl out from under this thing. Which would be too bad, to never be able to hang out and chat about the new one.

Ripples spread.  And the Covid-denier one is currently crashing on my coastline.

The Case of Laurie and the Monegasque Prince

by 40 Comments

The Case of Laurie and the Monegasque Prince

One morning, the following email greeted my insufficiently caffeinated eyes, arriving as a message through my web site:

On Jul 11, 2020, at 6:48 AM, {Name (First):1.3} {Name (Last):1.6} <noreply@authorbyteshosting.com> wrote:

Name
  Stefano Casiraghi
Email
  24hoursred2@gmail.com
Message
  I am Stefano Casiraghi Jr, and I reside in the principality of Monaco. I have taken the privilege to write to you today, because my fiance is a huge admirer of your work.

The reason I am writing to you is because I would like to quietly invite you to our wedding, which is coming up on the 29th of August, 2020, as her surprise guest of honour.

I assume that you are engaged in your busy schedules and it’s a bit impromptu however, your 20mins cameo will be a splendid experience and will mean the world to her. Hence, permit me to extend my hospitality by offering you a token for your preparation, so that I can make the necessary arrangement for a private to and fro flight for you and a few family members or friends.

If this cannot be made possible, please autograph one of your piece and address it to her, while I humbly ask you to accept the token that I have offered as a support from my family for your good work.

Kindly be informed that your acceptance to honour this request will mark the beginning of a new journey for all of us, while I hope that this communication will remain as discreet as possible, as to ensure that the expected excitement is achieved.

Yours Sincerely,

Stefano Casiraghi Jr.

 

Well, I thinks to myself, that’s a change from Nigerian princes. But still, there are odd people out there, and some of them have more money than they should, and so long as the fellow doesn’t ask me to click on a link or send him my bank routing number, I’ll play along.

 

On Sat, Jul 11, 2020 at 7:19 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Dear Stefano, what a most amusing way to begin my weekend, with a dream of flying off to Monaco for a royal wedding… (Although I cannot see that the world will be free of Covid in six weeks’ time.)

I am not sure what you mean by a “token” offered?

I am, naturally, happy to sign any book your fiancé might wish to purchase from my local Bookshop Santa Cruz, who, although they do not generally send things internationally, might be convinced to do so in this case.

As for any participation, I regret that my agent and accountant would require me to submit an invoice for however many days of travel spent (and hence writing lost), which currently begins at $3000 per day (for libraries) plus expenses.  If you wish to mail a check to the PO Box given on my web site “contact” page, my agent would be pleased to open a dialogue with you.

Thank you for your interest, and Miss Russell, Mr Holmes and I wish you and your intended the very happiest of celebrations.

Laurie R. King

 

On Jul 13, 2020, at 6:41 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Flying to Monaco from the United States and back, in this covid-19 moment is not a problem to arrange, provided you have a US International Passport. However, I do not wish to pressure you.

So, I will suggest you offer her the piece you believe is your best work so far, with inscription. I think that will be great and enough for her. Her name is Emilia and she is 25yrs.

As per the token as stated, that is strictly for you. But then, you put me through to your agent. Perhaps, I will have one of my associates make contact.

So sorry that I am currently operating within a very tight schedule. But will contact you at my earliest convenient time, let’s say; a week before the wedding.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 15, 2020, at 8:26 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Lou is my associate, and I have advised him to contact you.

He will provide the necessary assistance in regards to where the signed book will be mailed to.

Also, he will direct some funds to you as a token from me. Please accept it as my humble support to your work.

Sorry I have a lot on my schedule right now.

I hope Emilia would love to contact you, hopefully after the wedding.

All the best in your endeavors.

Stefano Casiraghi Jr.

 

July 16 On Jul 16, 2020, at 7:04 AM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Laurie R. King,

My name is Lou and I have been instructed by Mr. Stefano Casiraghi Jr. to arrange a payment of $150,000.00 in your favor.

The funds can cover your travelling preparation, if you can make the wedding. Otherwise consider it as a sign of his appreciation of your work, being that he intends to have you write his biography after the covid-19 pandemic. You may also support your favorite charity with part of it.

If you cannot make the wedding, he wishes that you inscribe your heart felt message in any of your personal book of choice that you wish to give to the wife; Emilia.

Either ways, I will need the beneficiary name for a cashier’s check to be issued, and the address it will be mailed to.

I will also issue you the tracking number of the mail, to monitor the delivery.

And do mail the inscribed book to the below information.

 

Lou William

2980 Fairview Park Drive

Falls Church

VA 22042-Virginia

Lou.

(276) 708-7213

 

July 16: sidebar

(I text with my daughter, speculating what they’re after—clearly it’s not just a book, since sending to that address—the Northrup Grumman defense contractor’s building—would promptly get it returned to me stamped Addressee Unknown…)

It’ll come out soon. Meanwhile, it’s very entertaining. And I’m trying to decide if my next step should be A) telling him I’ll go ahead and mail the book now, and that I need Emilia’s last name, and I’ll put tracking on it (so when it arrives there and there’s nobody by that name and they send it back…) or B) say that I’m so touched by this offer I want to put Emilia in the next book but I need her last name and photo and some details about her life, so the character really reflects her, or C) tell him my good friend Lee Child is flying in his own private jet to Monaco next week and why don’t I come too and we can meet?

 

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Jul 16, 2020 4:51 pm
Subject: Re: From Lou.

Dear Lou, this is amazingly generous. A check can reach me at my PO box, #4063, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.

And I have a copy of the new book, set in Monaco, that I will send when I’ve received the check.

Have a lovely day, and keep safe,

Laurie R. King

 

On Jul 16, 2020, at 11:54 AM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Sorry, but I will need a physical mailing address to ascertain that the mail is received.

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Jul 17, 2020 2:18 am

Hi Lou, I do understand—my own address has a mailbox that is far from secure, being on a road half a mile away, and my agent is working from home at present, but I’ll send you a secure physical address tomorrow.

 

July 17 , Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

I will be expecting the information.

 

July 20: , Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Please find below; the Fedex tracking number.
[#  deleted]
Thank you
Lou.

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 8:11 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Laurie,
I have just been informed by Lou that you have received the cheque.
Kindly confirm if you have received the funds and how much was made out to you, please.
Stefano.

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 4:56 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Hello, sirs—the check arrived at my accountant, but it has her name on it, and since she and I do not have a bank account in common, she will need to send it back to you for re-issuing in the name of Laurie R. King.

 

Shall I have them send it to this address?

Lou William

2980 Fairview Park Drive

Falls Church

VA 22042-Virginia

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 12:29 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Kindly inform Mr. Louis William that there was an error as made on the cheque and that it should be re-issued.

Please emphasize the error was your side.

It is very important you do this.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 6:21 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

No problem, but you said you wanted the mistaken check sent to you in Monaco?

Laurie

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 5:39 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, you can send it to;

Julianna

6, Bd des Moulins, bureau 3, 1st floor, 98000, Monte Carlo

 

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 21, 2020 6:21 am
Subject: Re: Tracking number

Hi Lou, as I emailed earlier, the check will need to be re-issued in the name of Laurie R. King, but sent to my accountant, [name deleted]. I probably was not clear enough on this, I’m sorry for the error.

How would you like us to return the existing check?

Laurie King

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 3:01 PM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Laurie,

Thank you for your email.

Please re-confirm if the check should be issued to the name and mailed to the address as stated

Thank you.

Lou.

———

Laurie R. King

[her address sent]

 

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 8:16 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote: [to Stefano]

I shall have someone send the check to this address, thanks. Does it matter to you how it’s sent? Is the Post Office okay?

And I think I need to write your fiancée a story about all this, as her wedding present…

Laurie

 

And at last, here it is:

On Jul 21, 2020, at 6:54 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes you may send it by Post.

Before the next cheque is issued, let me add that Emilia’s father has a medical condition, and this has brought some negative energy in the family lately. Such is not needed at this time as you can see.

Considering the above, there is a charity that she is affiliated with.I wish to ask you to make a donation to this charity using part of the $150,000. Also, inscribe in your message to her that you are aware of her support to the charity, therefore have made a donation to them.

All I want is abundant joy in her at this moment, and I know such will mean the world to her, and for me as well.

Please confirm if this can be arranged.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 12:03 PM, info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Oh, Stefano, I am sorry to hear that, such a cloud hanging over your upcoming wedding.

Do feel free to give as much of that money to the charity as you think appropriate, with my best wishes.

And I shall include your fiancé’s family in my prayers.

Yours,

Laurie

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 12:55 PM, [my accountant] wrote:

This is so interesting! The way this often works is you send the “donation” after you deposit the check, so that money is definitely gone. But it can take a bank months to determine that the original deposit was fraudulent, and then the bank just debits your account. These people are spending a fortune in FedX fees to defraud us! I’m sending you a picture of the check from my Iphone.

With merriment,

M

 

(To M, July 21)

Note: the Better Business Bureau has “First Financial Bank” on their list of imposters.

https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/cincinnati/profile/loans/first-financial-bank-impostor-0292-90013561

And when I dialed the number listed for them, I first got the question if anyone in my house was over 50, and then (when I said no) the exciting offer of $100 worth of shopping credit for JUST $1.95, so get out my credit card NOW…  Thanks, no.

 

From: Laurie King <lrking@cruzio.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 1:18 PM
To: M
Subject: Re: Fraud is fun

And is that return address on Happy Lane?

Oh, this is such fun.

L.

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 2:07 PM, [my accountant]> wrote:

In Sacramento. It’s a warehouse.

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 1:54 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you for your email.

Kindly confirm your understanding of my email of yesterday in regards to her charity.

Once this is clear, I will instruct for the re-issuing of the cheque.

And please confirm if the first cheque has been sent out.

Stefano.

 

On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 5:23 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Hi Stefano, sorry I haven’t been out of the house in a week (I’m about to turn 68 so I tend to shelter in place) but I do need to go out in the next few days, and will pick up the check from my accountant. And I’m mailing it to you at your Monaco address, right?

Laurie

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 8:28 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

I do not intend to stress you, please.

You can send the cheque together with the book after the second cheque arrives.

But before it is sent, do confirm that my explanation on the charity is clear.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 9:08 AM, Laurie King <lrking@cruzio.com> wrote [to Fed Ex]:

I have been in ongoing communication with a would-be scammer, and the matter is about to come to a head, in that he is asking me to mail him a check. This is a very sophisticated scammer, who has done a lot of homework into his target.

If anyone is interested in actually catching him in the act, the opportunity is rapidly approaching, when he will need to surface in order to receive his check.

His fraudulent check was sent through Fed Ex, the Ranco Cordova branch. on July 18. I can send the tracking information if you wish.

The cashier’s check was from “First Financial Bank” which is on the BBB’s list of impostors. (and is itself a scam, asking callers for credit card numbers.)

The FTC web site says that they do not investigate individual cases, only accumulate data, but if you know f someone who would enjoy making an arrest, that chance is coming soon.

Yours,

Laurie R. King

 

On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 10:08 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Certainly, I do understand—you’re sending me a replacement check (or rather, Lou is) and then I will send the book and my charity check to you in your Monaco address.

Though I’ll need to know how you want me to dedicate the book, and what the name of the charity is. Also, how much you think would be right?

(And I apologize if I sometimes don’t answer you right away, I don’t usually look at email while I’m working.)

Best wishes,

Laurie

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 1:37 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

I don’t know if my English was as correct as I thought. But what I meant was that you will receive a check of $150,000 from Lou shortly.

Once you receive it and have it cleared, I will advise you where you will pay part of the funds to, and that will be the charity’s bank account.

Then you keep the balance as my support to your work as well.

The cheque that was sent previously, you enclose it alongside the inscribed book and send it to Monaco.

I hope that this is clear.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 27, 2020, at 10:43 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

[deleted]

The above is the tracking number of the sent cheque.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 28, 2020, at 5:19 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Kindly find the assigned Fedex tracking number for your shipment.

[deleted]

Stefano

 

On Jul 28, 2020, at 12:27 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

From my side, I can understand the shipment is delivered.

Can you confirm to me when the donation can be made?

I will need to provide you with the details, when you are set.

Stefano.

July 30:

I picked up the above from my accountant.

I’ve been trying for the past week to interest some law enforcement in this. FTC, my bank, the sheriff’s office, Fed Ex. Because if I’m sending this chappie a check, that means someone will have to stick their head up to fetch it.

But nope.

And then tonight, I see this on Instagram:

William Kent Krueger got exactly the same scammer letter.

And here I thought I was special, Stefano.

 

Yes: Black Lives Matter (5)

by 6 Comments

What do I do?

I began this week of Black Lives Matter thoughts by saying that the music industry’s #TheShowMustBePaused mission had prompted my (as their statement had requested) honest, reflective and productive inner conversation—with myself, on my own responsibilities when it came to the Black lives in my country.  Race in this country is not a Black problem. It is not even an exclusively American problem. It is mine, and here are a few things that I need to remember.

I need to speak up.  Keeping silent is the same thing as voicing agreement.  I need to bear witness to inequity.

Use my privilege. If events of recent weeks have taught white people one thing, it’s that Black skin is a target where paler skin may not be. There’s often not even a need for the white bystander to be confrontational, merely to be there, and present, and visible, and polite, with persistent and courteous questions such as: Pardon me, sir, but isn’t that sort of racist?  How is it not racism?  Is there something I can help with?  Isn’t there a fairer way we could do this?  And so on…

Give. I need to donate money, but also time.  To the NAACP for their decades of brave work and National Bail Out for those who can’t pay their bail, and the ACLU for all manner of human rights, and the Southern Poverty Law Center for voter registration.  Maybe I should consult the Time Magazine list of things to do? I And if I need a book, perhaps from a Black-owned bookshop?

Vote. This November will be incredibly important when it comes to the future of race relations in our country—when it comes to the future of pretty much everything in our country, for that matter. November is key. I will donate, and I will pry loose some hours to do my part in shifting matters.

I will be aware. It’s time to expand my boundaries.  I’ll start by checking out the books by Crime Writers of Color, signing up for their newsletter, and following them on Facebook.

This week started with #TheShowMustBePaused urging the country to “take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”  So in the comments, how do you see us going forward as a nation, and what are you doing as a person?

If you'd like to hear about my upcoming events and publications, sign up for The Buzz, here.

Sign up!