To Russia With Love

I had some more great news today. STILL MISSING has now sold to Russia! This is especially meaningful to me as my grandfather and grandmother on my father's side were born in Russia. My grandfather was also a writer and published a book called The Red Pilot, Memoirs of a Soviet Airman. I have the English copy, which I bought off the internet years ago from an antique bookseller, on my shelf, and my dream has always been to place my book next to his. Now I can place the Russian copy there as well! I'm going to have to toast with some vodka tonight!

More Good News!

Wow! I have even more exciting news to share! Brilliance Audio has bought the rights for STILL MISSING and my next two books!!

Yes, I know the picture of the headphones I posted is kind of creepy, but these are thrillers! Can't wait to "hear" what you all think of the audio version! Get it? Okay, okay,..:)

What a Wonderful World!

This week I'm really excited to have two bits of great news to share with you! STILL MISSING has sold to Greece and Australia!

I was so excited when my book sold to the US, so now to have sold to Germany, Greece, and Australia is mind boggling. I can't wait to see all the different covers, and to hold in my hands a copy from each country. Even if I can't read it!

My New Cover!

One of the highlights of being a debut author is seeing your first cover, for the first time. But the moments leading up to it are full of apprehension.Will I like it? Will it capture the feeling of the book?

So I was just THRILLED when I was sent this yesterday! I'm totally in love with it and I couldn't wait to share it! Hope you like it!

Management

I've been having a hard time lately finding a movie that I'm really crazy about. So, last night I was scanning movies at the video store, thinking, Nope. Seen it. Don't want to see it. Another remake. Blah...blah...And I come across a new one with Jennifer Aniston called MANAGMENT that I'd never heard of, which didn't bode well. But I noticed one of the main characters was played by Steve Zahn. Not sure exactly what it is about this guy, but I've always enjoyed his acting. He usually plays the side-kick or the dumbass boyfriend ( RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS), so I thought I'd give the movie a try.

Here's the thing. I generally need a fast-paced movie because I get bored easily, but a movie can be slow, if it's riveting. And that doesn't necessarily mean high-stakes drama. I just have to really, really care about a character. If something about that character connects with me, I will watch them eat french fries for an hour. I watched SUNSHINE CLEANING recently, hoping for the same thing--an off-beat beat movie with some emotional connection, but just found it sad.

MANAGMENT is not fast-paced ( it was actually slow in spots), not overtly funny, and no high-stakes drama. But Steve Zahn made this movie for me. He was so endearing, eager and real, that I just wanted to leap into the movie, take him for a beer, and help him out. He was a fantastic example of an underdog who you really, really want to see win the girl. He does some totally dumbass moves, which could be considered stalkerish but because of Steve's acting, and the writing, you believe in this character's innate goodnesss. And the writers did a fantastic job with his character arc, too.

Sue, the character played by Jennifer Anniston, wasn't as fleshed out for me. And I'm still not sure I buy into the motivation for her character growth, or whether there was any actual motivation. But I was able to forgive that because I was so impressed with Mike ( Steve Zahn).

For me, this movie is a perfect example of an actor making the words work. If I hadn't liked the actor, I'm not sure I would've believed the growth with the Mike character, either, or been so forgiving of some of his crazy moves. But Steven Zahn truly made this character come alive for me.

So, if you want to see a quirky movie, then check it out!

The Warm and Fuzzies

Fall has arrived on Vancouver Island, which means it's raining! But I don't mind. Perfect weather to be hunkered down inside with a hot cup of tea and a keyboard!

While I'm working I need to cut my scary with some cute, so in between writing disturbing scenes, that are, well, disturbing! I read Web sites devoted to cute animals. I know, I know, tough thriller writer, hey?

I want to share this one video with you that I just loved. It gave me the warm and fuzzies, so I hope it makes you smile!

Animal Friends :)

Bookreporter.com contest!

Wow! I got some great news Friday! Bookreporter.com is launching a fantastic new feature/contest where readers get to read select books early and share their feedback. I'm very proud to announce that they chose STILL MISSING as their first novel!

They have 60 specially formatted early-editions to give away, and all they ask is that because this is such a special opportunity, you agree to read it and give your feedback within a certain time-frame. As STILL MISSING won't be released until July 2010 I'm really excited to hear what all you wonderful readers think!

If you are interested in more details and checking out this great website, here's the link. Bookreporter.com