If you want a breezy read and insider's look into the agenting process, check out Debra Ginsberg's BLIND SUBMISSION. It's a novel about young woman's baptism into the fire of a high-profile literary agency. I met Debra this weekend at an author's event--I didn't realize that I had actually had read about her and her book until later. Highly recommended for folks curious about what agents do all day.

I've created a group, Mysteryballers, on Yahoo Tournament Pick'em so that mystery writers and readers can compete in selecting the winners of the NCAA college basketball tournament, which will be starting next week. If you're interested in participating, go to yahoo and click on Tournament Pick'em (it may be under Sports). Chose Mysteryballers (our group ID# is 58439 and the password is Sherlock). The brackets will not be available to be filled out until Sunday, when the teams are officially… Continue

Vroman's, the independent bookstore in my hometown in Pasadena, has been awarded Publishers Weekly's bookseller of the year award. It's 114 years old and I believe that the store owns its real estate (thus able to survive in this cutthroat economy). We've heard so much about the demise of the independents--it's nice to celebrate the success of one for a change.



May Vroman's outlast us all! I'll be raising my glass at BEA in L.A., where the recognition will be awarded at the end of… Continue

When I was in Japan for a year in 1983, all people could talk about was AIDS and the "Miura Jiken," or Miura Incident. Two years earlier, a Japanese man, Kazuyoshi Miura, and his wife had been visiting L.A. when two gunman shot them in a shady part of town. Kazuyoshi only suffered a minor leg wound, while the wife had been hit in the head. She was in a coma until she finally died in Japan. "Rosu (Los Angeles) dangerous" was the general message that spread over Japan, thanks to Miura's… Continue