Mari Sloan's Posts - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T01:29:01ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Marihttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/60988246?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=2ccmclxhy5xgg&xn_auth=noA New Era!!!!!tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-06-16:537324:BlogPost:2033952009-06-16T06:06:37.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
From my blog<br />
http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/<br />
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Several days ago I blogged about the loss of Roseanne Savo's wonderful groups in Ventura County, and tonight I have wonderful news. Roseanne is going to continue some of the groups as a non-paid volunteer, and while times and meeting locations will change, the groups will continue.<br />
The Monday night group that I attend is going to change times and meet at 2 PM on Fridays, but Barnes & Noble is thrilled to have Roseanne continue. A NEW…
From my blog<br />
http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/<br />
<br />
Several days ago I blogged about the loss of Roseanne Savo's wonderful groups in Ventura County, and tonight I have wonderful news. Roseanne is going to continue some of the groups as a non-paid volunteer, and while times and meeting locations will change, the groups will continue.<br />
The Monday night group that I attend is going to change times and meet at 2 PM on Fridays, but Barnes & Noble is thrilled to have Roseanne continue. A NEW Era begins!<br />
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:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-):-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-):-) :-):-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)<br />
Mari SloanThe End of an Eratag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-06-10:537324:BlogPost:2023272009-06-10T03:15:48.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
From my blog at:<br />
http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/<br />
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I have a moderately boring life, but, like many people, I'm careful to follow my routine. For a while it was hectic, but with the slowing of the economy, I am finding one thing after another coming to an end. It's almost as if 2009 blasted in, with C H A N G E as its slogan, and nothing IS as it WAS. My schedule changed, eliminating the wonderful Westlake Library book group mid first Wednesday of each month. The same change meant that…
From my blog at:<br />
http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/<br />
<br />
I have a moderately boring life, but, like many people, I'm careful to follow my routine. For a while it was hectic, but with the slowing of the economy, I am finding one thing after another coming to an end. It's almost as if 2009 blasted in, with C H A N G E as its slogan, and nothing IS as it WAS. My schedule changed, eliminating the wonderful Westlake Library book group mid first Wednesday of each month. The same change meant that I could attend Mysteries to Die For group again, but the two are so different, it's not a trade. Working on Sunday now cuts out Sisters In Crime in Pasadena once a month. The one constant was Monday night.<br />
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Every Monday night, unless it is a holiday, you can find me at the Westlake Village Barnes & Noble, talking about every subject you can imagine with one of the most wonderful women ever to transplant to California, Mrs. Roseanne Savo, Founder and Facilitator of Literary Options, Cultural Connections, Literary Wanderings, and Creative Gatherings, groups in Ventura County, California, that were sponsored by one of the organizations the promotes adult literacy and adult education. Through these groups Roseanne has given new authors, and better known ones alike, an opportunity to reach readers countywide. Pushing a huge carryall that makes its appearance at each of these meetings, she dispenses author cards, promotional material, flyers, news about who is appearing where, and in general is the circulatory system for anything that is happening within the county related to literature, art, writing or politics. After fifteen years this is coming to an end.<br />
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They say money can't buy love, happiness or common sense, but we are about to see if it bought sanity. Without Roseanne, the literary community will be functioning without a good portion of the glue that helps keep it stuck together here. Hundreds of authors have been launched through her hard work and unwavering support. Hundreds more may give up mid first novel without her.<br />
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Ventura County NEEDS Roseanne Savo and her groups. The pennies spent sponsoring these are cost efficient dollars that keep budding authors off the street and writing the next decade's soul. Cutting money for the arts is a tough call, even in these uncertain times.<br />
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:-( Mari SloanIt's Been a While--and, HAPPY NEW YEAR!tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-01-01:537324:BlogPost:1746502009-01-01T18:30:00.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
It's been a while since I've added a Blog Post--last year, no less, and I'm not sure that I have a lot to say. This last year came apart for almost everyone near its end, and it looks like 2009 is going to be one of metered optimism, more of a year for waiting than a year for action. Good news--everything went on SALE! Bad news--no one has any money. I'm betting that 2009 is going to be more of those seesaw sort of swings and nothing can be taken for granted for a while.<br />
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Last year was a good…
It's been a while since I've added a Blog Post--last year, no less, and I'm not sure that I have a lot to say. This last year came apart for almost everyone near its end, and it looks like 2009 is going to be one of metered optimism, more of a year for waiting than a year for action. Good news--everything went on SALE! Bad news--no one has any money. I'm betting that 2009 is going to be more of those seesaw sort of swings and nothing can be taken for granted for a while.<br />
<br />
Last year was a good one for BEAUFORT FALLS, and more people read my quirky book than I had thought possible. (Granted, my goals are small, but I'm happy with its progress.) It received a great review from Midwest Book Review last month http://www.midwestbookreview.com , and never has "Nothing is what it seems" been a better catch phrase. LOLOL I've also joined the world of NINGing, and there are three NINGs that have worked particularly hard to reach out to authors and IMHO (in my humble opinion) deserve special credit for the hours of work they've put in to try to bring readers and writers together.<br />
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The first is AUTHOR AND BOOK EVENT CENTER, http://bookeventcenter.ning.com/ . This site has come together quickly, is a wonderfully organized showplace for authors and readers, has an active chatroom, which is fun, CHATS and powerful energy flowing into everyone participating.<br />
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A second great, more laid back and businesslike showplace, COLD COFFEE BOOKS, http://ccbooks.ning.com/ , bills itself as a showplace for self published books but is a good place for any author and his or her book, small press, etc. Its creator is a perfectionist who is constantly working on ways to improve the site and the showcasing of the books involved. In fact, that is one thing that links these two sites. The creators are spending hours of their time improving and monitoring the sites and the NINGS show the result of their attention.<br />
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Last I would like to thank David for this NING, CRIMESPACE, which has done a fantastic job keeping all of us mystery people linked together. It takes HOURS AND HOURS of work to make a good site happen and CRIMESPACE ROCKS!!!!!!!<br />
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These are only three of dozens, maybe hundreds, of WONDERFUL NINGS available to your specific needs and interests. Never has the internet offerred so much. No matter what happens with the economy, it's going to be an exciting year for authors and books online.<br />
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Now, off to work. No matter what else happens, I hope the day job stays a part of my routine. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!<br />
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:-) MariRunning in Circlestag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-03-31:537324:BlogPost:1344832008-03-31T05:33:35.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
"I'm going to keep e-filing it over and over again, until they tell me I HAVE to mail it!"<br />
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My Sweet Man and I have one thing in common. Neither one of us has any idea when to give up. Our Federal taxes went through nicely but for some reason the State of California keeps kicking us back. We opted to go with the H & R Block Online package since doing our own taxes and NOT showing up at their door saved us enough money to buy me a new desk, a beautiful, glass piece of furniture that allows…
"I'm going to keep e-filing it over and over again, until they tell me I HAVE to mail it!"<br />
<br />
My Sweet Man and I have one thing in common. Neither one of us has any idea when to give up. Our Federal taxes went through nicely but for some reason the State of California keeps kicking us back. We opted to go with the H & R Block Online package since doing our own taxes and NOT showing up at their door saved us enough money to buy me a new desk, a beautiful, glass piece of furniture that allows me to make bookmarks without having to crawl underneath my monitor. Bookmarks have been emerging from my printer at a record pace since I beat the last cooties out of the last ones two hours ago.<br />
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It seemed like a great idea, to make our own bookmarks instead of generic ones and personalize each event. Libraries love them. Fortunately I have the best bookmark printer obtainable for under $60. My Epson Stylus CX4800 doesn't balk at thick paper and it has a straight forward paper feed that doesn't seem to choke, no matter how many strange noises it makes. The problem is designing the bookmark to fit on the page and match up back and front. NATURALLY I don't want one-sided bookmarks. OH , NO. That would be TOO easy.<br />
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All in all, this has been a wonderful weekend and, while not restful, it is a great start for the busy week ahead. I am the presenting book at a large monthly book discussion group at the local library this week, and, as a result, the Los Angeles Library system bought ten books to use for the event and then to be available all the way from Westlake Village to Pasadena. For the last month the books have been available from the reference desk, but when they are on the shelf and in the catalog, I'm going to be the proudest lady in the library. You can count on my adding that picture to the ones accumulating here. I pinch myself every time I think about being easily available for everyone in Los Angeles to read. I also have a book in the Thousand Oaks Library and will have one or two in the Ventura system after appearing with Sheila Lowe on a panel there in the middle of this month. April ends with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Sisters in Crime booth and it will need more than bookmarks. We plan to hire the kids again this year. Alan's grand daughter will be running around the festival with the sandwich sign, and there is nothing cuter than a five year old wearing a sandwich sign and eating an ice cream cone. She advertises Sisters in Crime on the back and Beaufort Falls on the front.<br />
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Life is good.The Seeing Eye Dogtag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-22:537324:BlogPost:1254832008-02-22T23:30:00.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
"Hi! This is Mari. Are my glasses in yet?" Hopefully, I queried Kaiser a third day in a row. When I ordered my glasses I was told "Seven to ten working days." I made my first call at working day six, hoping, against hope, that they might have come in early. On day eight I was told that it would probably be Friday...the tenth day, and THEY would call me. On day nine the receptionist told me "Calling won't get you your glasses ANY faster."<br />
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"Yes, it will." I insisted. "If I call you instead of…
"Hi! This is Mari. Are my glasses in yet?" Hopefully, I queried Kaiser a third day in a row. When I ordered my glasses I was told "Seven to ten working days." I made my first call at working day six, hoping, against hope, that they might have come in early. On day eight I was told that it would probably be Friday...the tenth day, and THEY would call me. On day nine the receptionist told me "Calling won't get you your glasses ANY faster."<br />
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"Yes, it will." I insisted. "If I call you instead of waiting for you to call me, I may have them at least an hour or so sooner! Besides, I'm at work and they don't relay messages all that well around here.."<br />
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Since finding out I have a real eye problem, I've had an awful time seeing anything. I squint, and put myself 4 inches from the screen. I know that I really am not any blinder than i was before, when I thought it was all in my head, but I FEEL blinder. Today was working day ten. When I was told that they still weren't here, I told the woman on the other end of the line that I would appreciate knowing when to expect them. "I need to know if I need to renew the lease on the seeing eye dog." She didn't laugh.<br />
"I'll get the optometrist to call you," she promised.<br />
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I didn't feel well so I left work and came home, hence missing any call from the optometrist, so I called back a few minutes ago.<br />
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"She didn't call you? I told her about the dog!" The poor kid was really defensive when I explained that I had been joking. Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor around here?<br />
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The optometrist just called, and she laughed. She said the lab told her that with my prescription, I didn't have a dog, and that it would take a little longer with the rimless frames I had chosen. I'd already called Lenscrafters earlier today after finding out that they still weren't in and done my homework. Since I've already traumatized the Kaiser office, I spared them a lecture on how, if they had told me that those frames took longer to mount, I would not have chosen them. Instead, I'll wait. I really like the frames. I just hope they get the prescription right.Usually I can see trouble coming....tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-11:537324:BlogPost:1235142008-02-11T01:49:24.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>The optomitrist had me squint into the machine, peering at letters with my right eye.</p>
<p>"Better or worse?" You know the drill. Soon he had it figured as to how to correct my glasses to give me the best possible view on the world from that angle and had me line up what I thought was my "good" eye for testing. Why did I think this was my good eye? Well, true, I couldn't see anything but a blur out of the eye when I was wearing my glasses but it seemed that I saw better out of that eye…</p>
<p>The optomitrist had me squint into the machine, peering at letters with my right eye.</p>
<p>"Better or worse?" You know the drill. Soon he had it figured as to how to correct my glasses to give me the best possible view on the world from that angle and had me line up what I thought was my "good" eye for testing. Why did I think this was my good eye? Well, true, I couldn't see anything but a blur out of the eye when I was wearing my glasses but it seemed that I saw better out of that eye without them. For the last six months I've been choosing which eye to use depending on whether or not I had glasses on or not. I could see out of the right eye with glasses on, and out of the left one with them off. So I thought, anyway.</p>
<p>"Better, or worse?" the question came again. I squinted into the viewer with my left eye but all I could see was a bright yellow blur--no letters at all.</p>
<p>"I can't see any letters," I reported incredulously.</p>
<p>"Try this." I could see letters but now there were LOTS of letters. They were ALL double. "Is this better?"</p>
<p>"Uh, no."</p>
<p>"This?"</p>
<p>"No." Finally I was able to say "I still see double but it's just a little double. What's WRONG with me?"</p>
<p>"Cataracts. Both eyes. Worse in your left."</p>
<p>You could have knocked me over with a feather and planted me face down in the umbrella stand. Memories of very old people I have known, their eyes clouded with a milky white film, rendered me speechless. I'm only 58.</p>
<p>"It's very common, " the doctor continued, "and you don't need surgery yet. The surgery is WONDERFUL! Hardly anyone ever has complications."</p>
<p>I would have asked him what he meant by that but I still couldn't talk. Twenty four hours later I still can't get over the fact that it is the vision in my "good" eye that sucks. Usually when something bad is going to happen to me, I can see it coming. The only good part of it is that I was too numb to resent the $400 I spent for new glasses--AFTER my $130 discounts. I hope I like them when I get them next week. It's a little hard to choose frames when your eyes are dilated.</p>
<p>Life goes on.</p>Infiltration and Brazil!tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-02-02:537324:BlogPost:1220252008-02-02T23:37:39.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>The plan was a good one. I would join the Book Club and sneak in quietly, becoming inconspicuously a part of the scenery. Once people knew me, they would read BEAUFORT FALLS and love it for what it is, a funny, satirical look at another part of the country that has a serious message lightly sprinkled in. The store in question is a tiny one but one that attracts the very best talented and new authors from all over the country, or the world, for that matter,and their bookshelves hold books by…</p>
<p>The plan was a good one. I would join the Book Club and sneak in quietly, becoming inconspicuously a part of the scenery. Once people knew me, they would read BEAUFORT FALLS and love it for what it is, a funny, satirical look at another part of the country that has a serious message lightly sprinkled in. The store in question is a tiny one but one that attracts the very best talented and new authors from all over the country, or the world, for that matter,and their bookshelves hold books by dozens of authors I love to read.</p>
<p/><p>Phase one, Leighton Gage, whom I've met here on crimespace and like very much, was signing at this prestigious little bookstore only six blocks from my home. I wanted to meet him anyway! Perfect opportunity. I ordered my book, and appeared at the given time, requesting my book at the front counter. "You're Mari?" the woman at the front asked. All I had done was to open my mouth, but I knew I was sunk. My cover was blown. I had ordered my book online and given my place of work as the number to reach me. They had to have called and heard me on the answering machine. My Southern drawl is unmistakeable, even when I speed it up, as I consciously do when speaking here in Sunny California.</p>
<p/><p>I eased into a front row chair and Leighton cheerfully announced "Mari Sloan! Author of BEAUFORT FALLS! How are ya?" Maybe not quite like that, but close. He has a wonderful, friendly face and a warm, booming, voice. Yep. I'd been "outed". It's okay. I never seem to stay incognito for long. In the next forty-five minutes I found myself mesmerized by his account of life in Brazil, experiences his beautiful and talented Brazilian wife and he have had as a part of a country that still has land wars, a frontier version of justice, and child prostitution, all happening in a land of civility, pristine beauty, culture and class. Brazil is a place where a revolution is won with only a single death, but you take your life in your hands to travel in some areas if you stop for red lights. Almost everyone has been a victim of crime, robbed at gunpoint or experienced it second hand through the experiences of friends and relatives, and most of the people who are residents know someone who has been murdered. To Leighton's credit, it was easy to feel the incredible charm and beauty of a place where life there is WORTH the risk.Now, more than ever, I can't wait to read his book!!!!</p>
<p/><p>I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy the bookstore's Book Club, too, and I will love the place whether or not I ever do a signing there. This is a great place to be, where the people I most want to meet actually come to me. What more could I ever want?</p>
<p/><p>:-) Mari</p>The Dance of Joytag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-01-19:537324:BlogPost:1166232008-01-19T04:09:09.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>"Are you sure you want everything?"</p>
<p>"Yes. Everything."</p>
<p>"Anchovies? Jalepenas? Garlic?"</p>
<p>"Well, my husband and I don't like pepperoni very much. You can leave it off."</p>
<p>Winners Pizza in Thousand Oaks is being run by real Italians now and there is nothing else on earth like their deluxe pizza, which has every topping on it that the restaurant puts on pizza. Yep. About fouteen different tastes including fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and even eggplant. I could…</p>
<p>"Are you sure you want everything?"</p>
<p>"Yes. Everything."</p>
<p>"Anchovies? Jalepenas? Garlic?"</p>
<p>"Well, my husband and I don't like pepperoni very much. You can leave it off."</p>
<p>Winners Pizza in Thousand Oaks is being run by real Italians now and there is nothing else on earth like their deluxe pizza, which has every topping on it that the restaurant puts on pizza. Yep. About fouteen different tastes including fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and even eggplant. I could hardly think on the way home. The aroma escaping from the box next to me on the front seat was VERY distracting.</p>
<p>I had a rough time getting out of the door at work to go get my hot pizza. I had to clock back in and fix the ladies toilet before I left. No one made me do it, but since the Warehouse Manager, already gone, and I are the only ones who know how to fix it, I knew that there'd be an "out of order" sign on the door until Monday if I didn't. Fortunately I've done it often enough since someone lost the "s" clip that fastens from the chain to the flange to develop some real speed. Not just anyone can figure the correct ratio of chain to hook while substituting a paper clip. I credit the poverty of my childhood in Atlanta. Sometimes it's a good thing to have been disadvantaged.</p>
<p>Today was a special day. Yes, today I did the dance of joy after my sweetie checked the orders, but I need some advice. We are making our own bookmarks, but would rather not be. Does anyone know a good place from which we can order bookmarks in quanity, get good workmanship, and great price, and the option of being able to piece out our order with at least one area of the bookmark open to changes? We want to be able to order and have each booksigning get bookmarks with that location and date, but still get a good price. I'm open to suggestion, on or offline companies. Anyone have any experience with this?</p>
<p/><p>:-) Mari</p>
<p/>How Many Times to Write It Right?tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-01-06:537324:BlogPost:1115882008-01-06T16:48:10.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>I just noticed that the blogs turn up on the main page right after having been written. While that surprised me, it is a wonderful thing, unless you are a constant re-writer such as myself. Following my nature, I changed a couple of words in my Dec. 31st blog, and it popped out of order. Chagrinned, I examined my last blog, Bookshine, changed the tense on the verbs in the first paragraph, and voila! Back in order. Also back on the front page. Since that isn't exactly fair, here is a new blog…</p>
<p>I just noticed that the blogs turn up on the main page right after having been written. While that surprised me, it is a wonderful thing, unless you are a constant re-writer such as myself. Following my nature, I changed a couple of words in my Dec. 31st blog, and it popped out of order. Chagrinned, I examined my last blog, Bookshine, changed the tense on the verbs in the first paragraph, and voila! Back in order. Also back on the front page. Since that isn't exactly fair, here is a new blog to take its place.</p>
<p>How many times do you go over your copy and change one or two words, just to make it right, only to go over it again the next day and change words again? I would give my pinkie finger to be able to get it down right, spelled correctly, with no typos and all tenses flowing the first time. Does it get better as you continue to write novel after novel, or is this a personal problem? Am I boring you yet? Heaven help me, I'm eying the above for proper placement of commas.</p>
<p>:-) Mari</p>Rain and Bookshinetag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-01-06:537324:BlogPost:1110682008-01-06T16:25:40.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><p>It's raining here in Southern California. Heavy rain here is even more destructive, and welcome, than snow is in Atlanta. When light rain begins it creates an oily surface on the streets that can spin a car out of its lane just as catastrophically as ice or snow does in the world of my former life. Rain in Georgia, even heavy rain, may flood the local river but it doesn't bring the hill sliding down on top of you as happens in the recently…</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><p>It's raining here in Southern California. Heavy rain here is even more destructive, and welcome, than snow is in Atlanta. When light rain begins it creates an oily surface on the streets that can spin a car out of its lane just as catastrophically as ice or snow does in the world of my former life. Rain in Georgia, even heavy rain, may flood the local river but it doesn't bring the hill sliding down on top of you as happens in the recently burned areas here. Rain is civilized in Georgia. It is frequently slung sideways on the crest of a howling 25 to 35 mph wind here, and cold!</p>
<p>When I left work we not only had water "pooling" in the trash cans lined stratigically under the leaks in the showroom ceiling, but we were talking about organizing an office pool to guess on which day of the expected three day rain event the ceiling will actually cave in. The furniture store is in an unusual building with the warehouse on top of the showroom area, but a good bit of the water from the roof rolls downhill into what is a dirt area uptop from around the airconditioning units, and finds its way to the showroom ceiling. Since a landlord has very little responsibility for the upkeep of commercial rental property in this state, my company priced the repair, only to find out that we would have to hire a crane to remove the huge airconditioning units on top of the building to do the repairs, and then they would have to put them back. Replacing parts of the roof and roofing shingles are the smallest part of the cost. Needless to say, major repairs are postponed and minor patch-ups are done as soon as the roof dries off every time we have a good rain. We have numerous places where the ceiling not only has the ugly brown spot but it's starting to sag a bit. When I left to begin my weekend, the mood was festive. Personally, I think unless it rains heavily the entire three days, the roof will hold. I'm glad that I have a tennis court between me and the Santa Monica foothill in back of our studio apartment, and that we are in a spot that seems to have relatively few earthquake tremors and has already had a fire recently, so we have a firebreak now. At least when it rains heavily on the roof above my head now at home, it doesn't sound like the apartment we had in The Valley, where heavy rain sounded like it was hitting the roof with buckets still attached. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! We've only had one wind event here where it rattled our large windows so fiercely I put the cat in the bathroom in case they shattered. This is an exciting place to call home.</p>
<p>I got home to discover more excitement on the way, of a different kind. My sweet old man (and business manager--the publisher of It's ME! Ink Press) met me at the door with a big grin and the news that the local Barnes & Noble is going to make us a poster for the window for the Beaufort Falls Book Signing event scheduled for February 25th--7pm, Thousand Oaks store. :-) I'll be IN the window all month and they'll be buying a number of copies of the book for the signing. The ones that remain will be on the shelves. SinC/LA is also working on setting up a panel of local mystery authors to be held sometime in March at the store, which would be a good opportunity.</p>
<p>Let it rain, I have bookshine to keep me warm!!!</p>
<p>:-) Mari</p>
</blockquote>The End of 2007tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-01-06:537324:BlogPost:1091002008-01-06T03:10:54.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>It's already New Year's Eve in Australia, so I guess it is legal on this site to start tolling the bell. This year has rocketed by, making the previous 57 look like days on the beach, and hopefully 2008 will be even more eventful, although I really don't see how. Jan, 2007, I signed a contract for my first book. April, 2007, said book was published by a substandard small press, poorly and with almost nonexistent distribution BUT I sold the book in the Sisters in Crime Booth at the Los…</p>
<p>It's already New Year's Eve in Australia, so I guess it is legal on this site to start tolling the bell. This year has rocketed by, making the previous 57 look like days on the beach, and hopefully 2008 will be even more eventful, although I really don't see how. Jan, 2007, I signed a contract for my first book. April, 2007, said book was published by a substandard small press, poorly and with almost nonexistent distribution BUT I sold the book in the Sisters in Crime Booth at the Los Angeles Festival of Books--and it sold. In May the publisher decided to cut me loose. I was vocal with her about her unstated decision to make the book nonreturnable with bookstores, something that made it difficult for me to market it. My husband and I took a hard look at the situation and decided that if this particular "house" could publish it, how hard could it be? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. (Yes, that is maniacal laughter.)</p>
<p/><p>We are VERY proud of the It's Me Ink! Press edition that came out this October, 2007, but don't try this at home while working full time jobs unless you give up sleeping. We educated ourselves and are STILL learning. Unfortunately, we are at the marketing stage now, and that one is a bugger, even WITH good distribution and a wonderful, Los Angeles, location. 2008 will be a year with an entirely new set of challenges, and, since my husband, also a writer, and I ARE the "stable" of writers, we have our work cut out for us. Somewhere along the line we have to keep writing, too. I'm having a hard time convincing him he's the next one to step up to the plate. I can't wait for him to rewrite his Sci/Fi epic. We're full of ideas as to how we want the next one to look. LOL</p>
<p>Happy appearances for us this year--Sisters in Crime, Crimespace, and many local and nationwide book friends and acquaintances. Sad disappearance...the RTA List we have been a part of in one incarnation or another for the last ten years, and where Beaufort Falls began as a chapter serial for its first few chapters, which may finally have died. I will mourn it deeply, even though I have phone numbers for almost everyone on it now, and call some of them frequently. I think it has been replaced by My Space and everyone's iindividual blogs. There are just so many times you can resurrect the dead, although I do believe in that. It's evident that I have a hard time pronouncing anyone--or anything, actually dead. My books are absolutely littered with characters that just don't die when they should, properly and with decorum. I don't give up easily and neither do they.</p>
<p/><p>So, for the new year? I will learn to sell. I will show up anywhere anyone asks me to come. If you write me, I will answer. If you buy my book you can picture me doing the dance of joy. I do the dance every Friday evening when I come home from work, if my husband, who is off on Fridays, tells me books were sold the previous week. If I dance, I work like a slave all weekend. It's a lot simplier than solving the Screenwriters strike! (Not that I'm a screenwriter but Sisters in Crime told me that if I write the screenplay for BF, if it sells, I'll get the pay for it, even if it gets rewritten a dozen times. I'm trainable. I'm 12 minutes in!)</p>
<p/><p>:-) Mari</p>
<p/><p/><p/><p/><p/>OMG YouTube is DOWN...tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-12-23:537324:BlogPost:970312007-12-23T20:16:10.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><p>The recent world as I know has been shattered, comprimised ... destroyed. YouTube is DOWN. My husband is curled up in the corner imitating the fetal position, mumbling something about Freddie and the Dreamers. I have no idea where he can get his "Freddie" fix now.He has to start breathing again soon.It's not that we don't remember the world before youTube. We're old. My MySpace page looks like crap. But YouTube?Okay. Crisis is over. It's…</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><p>The recent world as I know has been shattered, comprimised ... destroyed. YouTube is DOWN. My husband is curled up in the corner imitating the fetal position, mumbling something about Freddie and the Dreamers. I have no idea where he can get his "Freddie" fix now.He has to start breathing again soon.It's not that we don't remember the world before youTube. We're old. My MySpace page looks like crap. But YouTube?Okay. Crisis is over. It's back.</p>
</blockquote>The Bringer of the Sweet Potatoestag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-11-19:537324:BlogPost:947542007-11-19T03:46:26.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>The e-mail was simple, a group e-mail to everyone in my husband's family.</p>
<p>"Everyone, Thanksgiving is at Pat's house and contact me to sign up for what you are going to bring. Everyone, that is, except Mari. Mari, you are bringing the sweet potatoes."</p>
<p>Grinning, I posted a reply.</p>
<p>"Yes Ma.am."</p>
<p></p>
<p>There is a story about the sweet potatoes, as there are about most things from my Southern past. If you go to my website and read my Author's page, you will see that I…</p>
<p>The e-mail was simple, a group e-mail to everyone in my husband's family.</p>
<p>"Everyone, Thanksgiving is at Pat's house and contact me to sign up for what you are going to bring. Everyone, that is, except Mari. Mari, you are bringing the sweet potatoes."</p>
<p>Grinning, I posted a reply.</p>
<p>"Yes Ma.am."</p>
<p/><p>There is a story about the sweet potatoes, as there are about most things from my Southern past. If you go to my website and read my Author's page, you will see that I start out with the words "My Mother was Scarlett O'Hara and my Father was John Wayne." Like the John Wayne character type, Dad was a tall, handsome 'man's man', and he had trouble taking care of himself or settling down to one lady. He married well, and often. No woman seemed able to resist trying to look after him. He once took a trip and came back wearing the same pants he left in, berating my Step Mom for "forgeting to pack him any other pants". She lifted up the layer of shirts to show him the pants he was unable to find in the bottom of his suitcase.</p>
<p/><p>Anyway, wife #4 was only one or two years older than Dad's oldest kids, and we were a cruel bunch to her. It didn't matter. She insisted on trying to take the 'Motherly' role, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. We snickered and compared notes, us kids from the three previous marriages, while her kids, younger than any of us by a decade or two, ran free. We had decided that nothing that came from Marilyn could ever be good...until...</p>
<p>The SWEET POTATOES.</p>
<p>We lined up dutifully to eat Thanksgiving at Dad's and marched around getting heaping servings of regular holiday fare until we reached THEM. The rich, buttery orange vegtable lay beneath a crisp topping of butter-browned pecans...no tacky pineapple or little marshmellows for this delicacy! These were the Rolls Royce of Sweet Potatoes, and boy, did Marilyn know it, too! Soon all you saw in the place where they had graced the table was a licked clean dish. (I'm not sure which of the kids actually licked it, but I suspect one of Marilyn's little monster's took care of it.)</p>
<p/><p>Then the inquistion began. "Oh Marilyn, what did you put in those potatoes? Could you just write that recepe down for me? Oh, pretty please? Pretty, pretty please?"</p>
<p>The woman had the fortitude of a gladiator. I won't say what I had to do to get the recepe but let me leave it at this. Every place I ever took these sweet potatoes I got invited back...as long as I turned up with a pan of them in my hands. And in memory of Marilyn, who was so reluctant to share her secrets, I have given the recepe out to as many people as possible who were even vaguely interested in preparing them. I am a sweet little thing! ;-p</p>
<p>Creamed Sweet Potatoes</p>
<p>3 cups sweet potatoes (Canned will do. No one will ever know.)</p>
<p>1 cup sugar</p>
<p>1/2 tsp. salt</p>
<p>2 eggs</p>
<p>1/2 cup canned cream or evaporated milk</p>
<p>1/2 stick butter</p>
<p>1 tsp. (or more) vanilla flavoring.</p>
<p>Blend and put in a pammed pan.</p>
<p>In another bowl:</p>
<p>1/2 cup brown sugar</p>
<p>1/2 stick butter</p>
<p>1/2 cup (or more) pecans. More pecans are GREAT!</p>
<p>Sprinkle on top of the potato mixture and bake at 350 degrees until done (When a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.) Recepe can---and perhaps should be--doubled.</p>
<p>Oh yes, try to forget about all of the butter and sugar and pecans in this. It only comes round once--or twice, a year. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Mari</p>This is supposed to be about me?tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-11-17:537324:BlogPost:941212007-11-17T03:19:29.000ZMari Sloanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Mari
<p>Blogging is something I've never done, but I have been part of an ongoing e-mail group for more than eight years. I imagine this is somewhat like that, only a little more. Although I hate being boring, it might be fun talking a little about what I do IRL (In Real Life). IRL is versus here, cyberspace, virtual reality, whatever the catchword of the moment is.</p>
<p>I've survived a lot in cyberspace the last eight years. I was a regular in the AOL Author's Lounge during it's infancy,.when it…</p>
<p>Blogging is something I've never done, but I have been part of an ongoing e-mail group for more than eight years. I imagine this is somewhat like that, only a little more. Although I hate being boring, it might be fun talking a little about what I do IRL (In Real Life). IRL is versus here, cyberspace, virtual reality, whatever the catchword of the moment is.</p>
<p>I've survived a lot in cyberspace the last eight years. I was a regular in the AOL Author's Lounge during it's infancy,.when it was all fun and flirting and hosted to prevent cursing, overt mention of the s act or the f word...the bad element. Unforunately the "bad element" broke through, and I have friends who have been swindled, moved in with cyber lovers who were real buggers IRL, and eventually my husband and I made some cyber history of our own. Many of these early cyber friends are IRL friends now, very precious IRL friends.</p>
<p>My husband and I met online and fell in love, and in the year 2000 he traveled an extra thousand miles in a rented Ryder truck to meet his "AtlantaMari" when he moved to California from NYC, coming back three months later to get me and drive me and all of my earthly possessions across the USA to be with him. But those are stories for another time.</p>
<p>As to our life here in the Land of Fruits and Nuts, steering as hard right as we can in the Fast Lane...now let's see, how many other cliches can I use? It's an eternity away from what I now call "My Past Life". Tonight, when I left the office, I walked carefully around two fully assembled bunk beds, complete with mattresses, sitting in the parking lot as I made my way to my car.</p>
<p>"Wait!" I stopped to wait as the Store Decorator flew out of the corridor. "Are these going out?"</p>
<p>Dozens of replies jockeyed for the starting gate as she approached. I eliminated the ever cute <em>Gee? I didn't know they even knew each other</em> and the more practical <em>Out where?</em> and settled for a more whimsical approach.</p>
<p>"Nah! They're for the party! Didn't anyone tell you about the party?" Jan looked crushed. "No one invited you?"</p>
<p>"What party?" I really had her attention now.</p>
<p>"The warehouse party! The warehouse Spend the Night Party. No one told you?"</p>
<p>"Oh Mari!" (I get that al lot. They can't get rid of me because I'm the AdMin and no one would ever be able to find anything. :-) Yes, the delivery company was loading up late and the beds were, indeed, going out to find their way to their new home.</p>
<p>I am much more mellow tonight than this morning,when I intended to start "The Blog." I was counting this morning...three minutes to brush my hair and teeth...45 seconds to put on boots, exactly 120 seconds to the parking lot and how many red lights can I have to stop for this morning and still make it on time? Exactly 65 MPH on the 101. I know right where the spider hides, on the dirt space under the 23 ramp at Rancho Rd. FULL stop before making the turn onto T. O. Been there, gotten THAT ticket before. Exactly 35 MPR and right. Just because I'm here first doesn't mean I shouldn't be on time. Log in and THEN to the breakroom for breakfast. Mornings are all about time. Evenings are all about sleep.</p>
<p>Weekends! Thank God for weekends. God made readers and weekends. Life is good.</p>