September/October ’24 News

HAPPY AUTUMN DAYS!

Fabulous author pal (and former work husband) John Searles and I saw the amazing Doug Wheeler light installation in New York City this month.

Every year when fall weather arrives and I happen to be working on a newsletter, it seems I end up quoting that memorable line of Jordan Baker’s in The Great Gatsby: “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” I’ve always been inspired by those words, but it’s been a little tough to do that so far this year because we’ve had wonderfully mild weather in the northeast.

But there’s another quote about fall that I love, and this one works no matter how mild the temperature is. It’s from the 19th century poet Robert Browning: “How well I know what I mean to do when the long dark autumn evenings come.”
Well, the crisp air might not be here yet, but the long dark evenings are, and rather than let them make me a little blue, I’m using them to help me think and plan ahead.

How is your fall going so far? Is this a time of year when you’re super active or do you prefer to curl up in a chair and get cozy? Do you like to make plans for the months ahead or mostly focus on the moment? I guess I enjoy doing a bit of both.

MY BIG BOOK NEWS

My 11th stand-alone thriller is finished. This one took me a little longer than usual to write, but the end result is something I truly love, and I can’t wait for you to read it one day.

I’m also making good progress on my next Bailey Weggins mystery. Gosh, it’s been fun to be back in Bailey’s head. She’s a bit older now—close to forty—but she’s as irreverent as ever, and crazily enough, I sometimes find myself chuckling as I hear her make certain observations.

WHAT I’M READING/WATCHING

The God of the Woods
By Liz Moore

I felt really desperate lately for a good thriller, especially after wading through a few with absurd, unbelievable plots. I very much enjoyed this one by Moore, her first thriller, I think, because she’s always been positioned as a literary novelist.
It’s about the disappearance of a girl at a summer camp in the Adirondacks, a girl whose brother vanished in the woods years before. It’s really gripping, and what made it particularly satisfying for me: it’s set not far from my hometown, with lots of references to places I know, and one of the characters attends Union College, the fabulous school I graduated from.

“Matlock”
CBS/Paramount+

I rarely watch much network TV anymore, but I just had to check out the new “Matlock” with Kathy Bates once it streamed on Paramount+, and let me tell you, I adored the pilot and I plan to watch every episode going forward. Bates is fabulous, and the first episode had an utterly jaw-dropping twist that I did not see coming and particularly relished as a mystery author. Have you seen it?

WHAT I’VE LEARNED LATELY FROM READERS LIKE YOU

*Those of you who have already watched “Matlock” absolutely love it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an enthusiastic response to a show I posted about on Facebook.

*Many of you also like “Slow Horses” on Apple TV, though the response wasn’t the same as what “Matlock” generated. I adore “Slow Horses,” but I can see how it’s not for everyone.

* Just like me, some of those who live with a romantic partner report that you have not only started to dress like the person over time but have begun to resemble him or her as well!

See what I mean!

WHAT I’M MAKING

Are you up for a really simple-to-prepare chicken dinner that’s full of wonderful French style and flavor? Then let me introduce you to a recipe I discovered from the legendary French chef Jacques Pépin. Though I’ve always been a fan of Pépin’s, I only recently stumbled onto his online presence, where I found this recipe for chicken persillade, which basically means chicken with garlic and parsley. It’s sooo easy to pull together, which I appreciate because though I love food (ha, as you probably figured out by now!), I don’t like spending more than a half hour or so making a mid-week meal. Plus, there’s no need to flatten the chicken with a saucepan or rolling pin the way you so often have to do with the fat breasts you find these days. You just chop the boneless breasts into small pieces.

I also think you’ll get a kick out of seeing this legendary, almost ninety-year-old chef in action. And please don’t make the mistake I did when I cooked the dish a third time and accidentally used cilantro instead of parsley!