Welcome...
APRIL 13, 2009
It’s been a long time between visits. Hello. I’m glad to be with you. Many thanks to all of you for your responses on this website.
Just to keep you posted. It's been a busy, busy, busy time because Carol and I wrote a holiday novel, 'Dashing through the Snow' and then individually we wrote our own books. Both of them came out this past Tuesday, April 7th. Mine is called 'Just Take My Heart.' Carol’s title is 'Cursed.'
As you probably guessed, mine is psychological suspense. I want to give you some nervous moments as you read it. Carol’s writes suspense that keeps you laughing.
People ask what it's like to have a book published. It's not unlike having a new baby. You hope it's a healthy baby. After all the work of writing, you think it's a pretty good story. But you, the reader, make that decision.
We kicked off the launch last Tuesday morning at 7:30 by being guests on 'Imus in the Morning.' Being on the I-Man's program is like playing a swift game of tennis. It's challenging and great fun. He opened with pointing out that both Carol and I started our books with a winter storm. Of course it was a complete coincidence and we assured him that by the second paragraph the stories go in totally different directions.
I thought that you might enjoy sharing publication day with us. Being on Imus at 7:30 in the morning meant getting up pretty early. Home base for me is Saddle River, New Jersey but I stayed at my apartment on Central Park South on the night before to avoid any commuting problems. Carol lives in New York in an apartment overlooking the East River. After the interview I headed back to Central Park and napped for a couple of hours. Then we had a celebratory lunch with Carol's editor Roz Lippel, her agent Esther Newberg, our publicity agent Lisl Cade, my husband, John Conheeney, and my editor Amanda Murray. Amanda works with my longtime editor, Michael Korda who had a commitment he couldn't break. We ate at Michael's a popular restaurant with the publishing crowd on West 55th Street in Manhattan. Talk about the spot for seeing and being seen.
Carol and I are members of The Roundtable, a group of writers who meet on the first Tuesday of every month for dinner. Susan Isaacs, Linda Fairstein, Larry Block, Tom Cook, Justin Scott, Judith Kelman, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Stan Cohen, and Warren Murphy are the others. With our varying schedules, sometimes only three or four are in attendance. Other nights we have nine or ten. It's always interesting, and fun.
Because our pub date fell on the first Tuesday, we e-mailed the group and suggested holding the dinner in Elaine's, the famous New York landmark that is a gathering spot for writers and actors and to bring their spouses. Then we made quick calls to some close pals like Nelson and Sandy DeMille who joined us, as well as some family members.
By the end of the evening we felt our books had been properly launched.
We did two signings together this week, both in New Jersey. As of today, {April 13th) we start a cross-country tour. I'm posting the schedule so if any of you are able to make it when we’re in your vicinity, it would be great to see you.
That's it for now.
Love you all.
Mary H.C.