Upcoming MFH events and the Ghosts of events past

*yawn*…  And that’s not a reflection on my continued enthusiasm and excitement when it comes to promoting MURDER FOR HIRE…it’s a genuine ‘I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open’ type yawn.  Part of it comes from an hour tae-bo workout, a long walk on the beach with Dave and Boska, and still catching up with my sleep after five days of sleep deprivation.  Said sleep deprivation was caused by a houseful of guests last weekend.  Guests got the guest room, which is usually kitty lock-up at night so we can sleep the night through without feline aerobics.  When we have guests, however, the cats are free range.  Their cat boxes are in the hallway outside our room.  I have upwards of eight cats sleeping on me…when they’re not bouncing off my stomach and head.  I love them all very much.  But when it comes to sleep, I prefer to limit the number allowed in the bedroom.

But I digress.  Last Saturday we had a big old bash to celebrate the publication of MFH.  We had around 40 people or thereabouts for an evening of gourmet food, courtesy of Pete Sloman (with the assistance of his sou chef and and son Ernie), many bottles of wine (courtesy of everyone) and much fun was had by all.  I sold around 10 copies of the book and was genuinely touched by the enthusiasm and support of our friends and family for my accomplishment.

Last night  (Friday) I had a book signing at the West Portal Wine Styles (thank you, James and Gail!).  It was held in conjunction with a wine tasting featuring the wines of Lynne Wall. It was an interesting experience in that there wasn’t really an opportunity to do any kind of presentation or talk, but I had a basketful of books, sold 10 and enjoyed some great wine and the company of friends.  We topped the evening off with Brazilian food and a viewing of Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE at our house.

I had an unexpected sale this morning when our postman knocked on the door at 9am (no, we were NOT up yet) wanting to buy two copies.  Mike is a sweetheart – we usually run into him at George’s Zoo weekend mornings when we’re buying coffee for our beach walks – and I’d told him about MFH.  He wanted copies for his sister and his cousin’s wife.  Dave told him we’d meet him at George’s Zoo in 15 minutes or so.  I was not ready for company and had to persuade Haggis, Foster and Maddie that Mom had to get out of bed.   So I sold two copies at George’s Zoo to our mailman.

I’m still working on setting up my Blog Book Tour and am hoping to have it all set and scheduled for January.  There are so many things to learn, such as RSS feeds, how to set up a Squidoo lens, Google alerts, and…and..stuff.  It’s a bit overwhelming and I hearby propose we add two to four hours in the day with two of those hours specifically to figure out where the hell WordPress keeps the templates!

Tomorrow I’m going to the Mystery Writers of America/Sisters in Crime holiday party at M is for Murder in San Mateo.  I joined Sisters in Crime, both the national and northern Cal chapters, and am looking forward to meeting the various local mystery authors attending.   I may be an author, but I’m also a fan!   And I’ve been invited to speak at Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime, in February.  They sound like a fun, supportive group of fellow writers and fans alike and I’m really looking forward to the experience.  More details as I get ’em.

Still going to local bookstores and sending out postcards and I hope to have some more signings around the Bay Area in the new year. It’s a lot of work, but I really am having a blast and that’s the important thing.  That and catching up on my sleep!