Donna Moore's Blog (80)

April and May Reads

Chris Ewan - THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM

Published: May 2007

Setting: Amsterdam

Protagonist: Charlie Howard

Series?: 1st

First Lines: "I want you to steal something for me."

Chris Ewan writes books about a thief who writes books about a thief who solves crimes. Ewan's protagonist Charlie Howard is a successful crime fiction author and a very good thief, who takes nice lucrative jobs on the side to supplement his income. When he's asked to steal two… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on June 12, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

CrimeFest

Well, I had a wonderful weekend at CrimeFest in Bristol and am now recovering (not from the carousing and partying - although there was plenty of that - but from the injury I inflicted on myself stepping off a curb. Apparently, according to the hospital, "it will get worse before it gets better". How reassuring. Luckily, I still have the crutches and the stick from when I broke a bone in my ankle last year stepping off a bus...)



So, CrimeFest. Well, it was lovely to meet up with old… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on June 12, 2008 at 6:24am — 8 Comments

You've Been Binned!

So, after my encounter with the duck at the weekend, here's the next chapter in the disaster area that is my life.



I got off the bus and was walking down a quiet street on my way to work this morning. Just in front of me were three council workmen picking up the rubbish bags from the offices lining the street, and throwing them into the back of a truck. One of the men was up the steps of an office building. He obviously hadn't seen me because in one move he turned round and launched… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on May 1, 2008 at 12:30am — 3 Comments

Revenge of The Killer Duck

Well, there I was having an early morning walk around my local park, which, on a wet Saturday morning in Glasgow is relatively empty (apart from the odd dogwalker and the even odder jogger (I'm not in any hurry - a walk will do me thank you)).



I was striding briskly around the edge of the pond with The Ramones on my ipod (I walk faster to The Ramones and The Fratellis than to anything else - I have to exclude Tom Waits and Dean Martin from my playlist or it would take me all day) and… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on April 26, 2008 at 7:59pm — No Comments

Great Recent Reads

TONY BLACK - PAYING FOR IT

Published: July 2008

Setting: Edinburgh

Protagonist: Gus Dury

Series?: 1st

First Line: "Funerals make my eyes water."



Synopsis: Gus Dury is an ex-journalist with an estranged family, a failed marriage and a drink problem. He's busy doing nothing much other than pickling himself in alcohol when one of his closest friends asks him to investigate the rather brutal death of his son. Gus is not keen, but takes the job on to help his… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on April 1, 2008 at 7:28am — No Comments

LCC Report - Late and Little

Well, I forgot to post my final thoughts of LCC. So, for what they're worth, here they are. I arrived safely back home...eventually. My luggage however remained in Denver for a while. To add insult to injury, I had to pay a $50 excess baggage charge (so I bought some shoes and books - is it a hanging offence?!) and they couldn't even be bothered to put it on the plane with me?????????? And the claim I had to put in did not call it 'lost luggage'. Oh… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on March 26, 2008 at 1:12am — No Comments

Book Event and a Book Offer You Can't Refuse

I spent a pleasant couple of hours on Saturday in the company of some stellar crime writers. First of all I had lunch with Duane Swierczynski (who has learned some very interesting Scottish words) and Russel McLean (who already knew them). We discussed books, travelling, and whether you can have more fun at an Edinburgh wedding or a Glasgow stabbing (I've been to both - my vote goes to the Glasgow stabbing). From my point of view it was fun. Not sure what THEY thought. We then went off to see a… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on March 19, 2008 at 12:30am — 12 Comments

Denver - Left Coast Crime

Whenever I go to conventions my first post about it always seems to be "Arrived safely in X. My luggage, however, is in Y." So, how boring it is to have to report that I arrived safely in Denver. My luggage however, remained in Chicago. It's done that before. Twice. I think my big red suitcase is having an affair with a blue Samsonite from Chicago.



I made my connecting flight with 5 minutes to spare - having to go through Immigration (the usual questions about my sanity), Customs (oh… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on March 7, 2008 at 1:31am — 2 Comments

Back to Reality

Saturday I got up and looked out of my window at Emily and Dwayne's

house. More snow had fallen overnight. They took me to the airport and,

needless to say, I had a good cry.



Back in Anchorage there were cars and roads and people and bustle - all the

things I had got used to being without in the past week. Marti from the

Authors To… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 12, 2007 at 10:17pm — 1 Comment

Last Day In The Bush

Friday was spent at the High School in Aniak, doing writing exercises

with several classes of the older children. I varied the exercises

depending on the class. It was a fun day. I found that the High

Schoolers in general during my visit were some of the most difficult to

get through to, but also some of the most rewarding. You could just

tell when they got it, and the light went on, and they started to enjoy

it. There are some very intelligent and creative… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 11, 2007 at 9:48am — 2 Comments

Oh Goodie - Blubber for Dinner



This is a picture outside the back of Emily's house. I could see both ends of this rainbow - it was beautiful.







Today I was on familiar territory - back in Aniak in the Elementary School where I…

Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 9, 2007 at 10:46pm — 3 Comments

Sleetmute - Part 2



So, after the High Schoolers in the morning, it was the Elementary

children in the afternoon. We drew pictures, told stories, and I read

them one of the books I had brought for them from Scotland. We had fun

and, again, I came away with loads of pictures of all sorts of things -

bears, fish (the boy who had over lunch told me how to… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 8, 2007 at 11:07pm — No Comments

Sleetmute























So, after spending a day in the school in Kalskag, I flew back to Aniak. The next morning I was being picked up early to fly to Sleetmute - one

of the…

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Added by Donna Moore on October 7, 2007 at 5:36am — No Comments

Kalskag





Before the Brief Interlude I left you, dear reader, as I was gettting off my

duct taped plane in Kalskag. I was staying with two teachers - Karen

and Dave - who had kindly invited this stranger into their home. It was

a lovely home and full of things from the local area, plus the Far East

where one of… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 6, 2007 at 11:06am — 1 Comment

If Anyone Wonders Why I am Here...

This is just an interlude - longer posts will follow on my days in

Kalskag yesterday and Sleetmute today but two things happened today

which were so wonderful I had to share them.



First of all, I met a very bright and funny High Schooler called Vernon who is a real

character (he came out to meet me from the Bush plane, told me he was

my bodyguard, and that he could speak in a Scottish accent but he

wasn't going to because he would never be able to get his own… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 5, 2007 at 3:38am — 1 Comment

Waqaa Cangacit

Which means 'Hello, how are you' in Yu'pik. More at http://alaskanmisadventures.blogspot.com



Since I was fogged in in Aniak, Emily took me to the elementary school which is Kindergarten to 6th Grade (so, ages 5-10 I guess. The school

was very accomodating and arranged for me to spend half an hour with

each of the 5 classes (I go back on Thursday to spend all day with

them). Needless to say, I was very nervous. I've never taught children

before. Before we left… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 4, 2007 at 2:26am — 1 Comment

The Fat Bird Has Landed

Well, I'm catching up on my blog posts here as I had a little internet problem yesterday (aka known as Donna Is Thick As Two Short Planks). So this post is about Wednesday's plane trip.











We got into the van on our short trip to the airfield, and Judy started handing out travel sickness tablets like a very maternal drug pusher ("the first one is on the house, lady"). I was popping those little suckers like smarties until… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on September 29, 2007 at 9:43am — 3 Comments

Speed Fiend

Well, for some reason I can't get into blogger to update my Alaska blog, so I thought I would put today's here on Crimespace in the meantime.







The big green blob who looks like Darth Vader really gone to seed is me on my ATV.









When our… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on September 27, 2007 at 12:25am — 3 Comments

Face For The Radio

My Mum has always said that I have a face that's most suited for radio and I'm going to get to test that theory out as I've been asked for an interview on Alaskan radio while I'm there for Bouchercon. Eeeeek! In my opinion I also have a voice that's most suited for mime, but there you go. I've set up a blog for while I'm in Alaska so that I don't have to load down Crimespace with photos. The address is:

http://alaskanmisadventures.blogspot.com/



But the radio thing reminded me of… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on September 19, 2007 at 4:00pm — 3 Comments

August Reads

DECLAN BURKE - THE BIG O



Protagonist: An ensemble cast

Series?: Standalone

Published: 2007

Setting: Ireland

Karen is a receptionist with bad PMT. She's also a stick-up artist with a .44 Magnum. Karen's boss is Frank - a slimy and distinctly rubbish plastic surgeon with money worries, two grasping daughters, a soon-to-be-ex-wife, Madge, and a dodgy lawyer who suggests that all Frank's worries can be solved by having Madge snatched. Enter Karen's new boyfriend, Ray,… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on September 3, 2007 at 5:23am — No Comments

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