Another Whimsey Give-Away!

A New Whimsey Give-Away - See Details at the "Whimsey Events" Page! -

 

http://www.kayewilkinsonbarley.com/p/events.html

High Country Festival of the Book - Boone, NC

High Country Festival of the Book in Boone, NC is next weekend - June 21 & 22.  Here's the webpage - http://www.highcountryfestivalofthebook.com/

This Mountain Times article tells you a little more. about all the events, the when, and the where -

http://mountaintimes.com/community-events/articles/High-Country-Festival-of-the-Book-June-21-22-id-024201

My Big Exciting Hollywood Adventure by Kathleen Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathleen Taylor

kathleentaylor1952@gmail.com

Kathleen Taylor's Dakota Dreams

http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/

 

Author of the Tory Bauer Mysteries: Funeral Food, Sex and Salmonella, The Hotel South Dakota, Mourning Shift, Cold Front, and Foreign Body; and the knitting books: Knit One, Felt Too, Yarns to Dye For, I Heart Felt, The Big Book of Socks, and Fearless Fair Isle Knitting; and the novel The Nut Hut

 

 

My Big Exciting Hollywood Adventure

by Kathleen Taylor

 

I had done local TV appearances for all six of my Tory Bauer mysteries, so I wasn't nervous when the publisher of my book first knitting book, Knit One Felt Too, arranged for me to appear on the HGTV show, Smart Solutions, in January 2004.

I was to do two main segments of about six minutes apiece, and two one-minute final segments. To prepare, I had to have examples of each item in every step- for one project, I needed to bring an unfelted sweater, a half felted sweater, a totally felted sweater, and a finished felted and decorated sweater. For the soap making segment, I had to have examples of each item, in each step of preparation. For my two one-minute segments, I had to prepare about twelve different mini-projects in the same way. I was also given a list of personal requirements: two sets of clothing for each segment, I had to provide and apply my own makeup, I was cautioned against wearing pure white, pure black, wide stripes, wild prints, anything sparkly, anything with logos of any kind, and long red fingernails (though a manicure was recommended). I was also told that only closed-toe shoes were allowed.

Even with that list, I still wasn't nervous about the taping. I was, however, anxious about flying by myself. I hadn't flown alone since the fall of 1970, when I moved to South Dakota. I worried about making connections and navigating strange airports by myself (this was back before I started flying all around the country on my own). I especially worried about handling the two large suitcases, and about going to California for the first time.

So I made sure to have my knitting with me on the flight. In fact, I used my knitting bag as my carry-on, and checked everything else- makeup, underwear, toothbrushes, comb, show supplies, and the rest of my clothes. I boarded in Sioux Falls, where it was snowing and blowing. The flight was smooth and I knitted almost an entire sock. We landed in Burbank, where it was about 60 degrees, dry, sunny, and absolutely beautiful, with me still very worried about wrangling two suitcases by myself.

Turns out that I didn't have to worry about that. The big-bag with my show stuff was probably the fourth one off the carousel. The bag with my clothes was nowhere to be seen.

I waited at the carousel. I waited and waited and waited. The airport folks assured me that they would find the suitcase within a week, which wasn't exactly encouraging since I was due at the studio by noon on the next day.

I spent the evening watching TV, calling the hotel desk to see if my suitcase had arrived, and knitting. I managed to finish the second sock. I worried about what I was going to wear to bed. I worried about what I was going to wear to the studio. But what I didn't do was worry about the TV gig, after all, I'd done lots of interviews. It would be a piece of cake.

At 8:00 the next morning, I checked in at the hotel desk. Still no bag. I outlined my dilemma at the desk- I was in immediate need of 4, nice but inexpensive outfits, plus makeup, plus a toothbrush. And I had to be at the TV studio by noon. They directed me to the closest Target store (which was no different from my local Target, except for the palm trees in the parking lot).

Back at the hotel, I checked back at the desk, just in case, but no bag yet.  I grabbed the project supplies and my new clothes, and caught a cab to the studio.

The Smart Solutions studio was in a big complex that looked very much like an oversized, shabby, garage. It had an open overhead door and there were many people (mostly young) inside, all concentrating intently on their tasks. There was junk piled floor to ceiling along the walls- boxes, tables, stoves, sinks, dishes, flowers, papers, shelving. The middle area held a half dozen trestle tables, each with someone (or several people) fussing and arranging things. One guy wearing a chef apron was doing stuff with bottles of oil and spices, at another, a lady arranged fabric covered boxes. Yet another lady was packing a bunch of flowers and vases in a big box. Some of the young staffers wore headsets with earphones and little transmitters clipped to their waistbands. They talked constantly into their headsets as they worked. It was a big bustle, lots of movement, everyone purposeful and focused on the task at hand. It looked and sounded like organized chaos.

I tried to stand out of everyone's way. A kid stopped and asked if I knew where I was supposed to be. I said I was doing segments with Scott and Lorelei (my producers). He led me down a short corridor next to the sound stage whose big, closed doors had red lights over them. As we walked by, the lights came on and revolved like police car lights, the *on air* signs all flashed. 

The kid vaguely motioned at a table with some bagels and donuts and said to help myself, and then he left. I hadn't expected so many people to be working on what I thought was a small show. The red *on air* lights went off, and a nicely dressed gal with a headset came from the sound stage and spotted me. She asked if I was being helped. I told her I someone was getting Lorelei, and she told me to come with her, that she'd find my people.

I followed her and she found Lorelei, who was about the same age as my sons. Lorelei grabbed a stained green, trestle table on wheels, and said that we were doing the felting segment first. She suggested a rehearsal.

Uh oh. Rehearsal? What rehearsal? Wasn't I just going to talk with Matty, the host, about felting, and show the projects off, and maybe mention my book once or twice? Why no, I was going to have to talk and move and put things in a prop washer, and then take them out in the right order, and respond intelligently to questions, and remember not to turn my back to the camera and remember not to put my hands up to my chest and remember not to talk too fast, and remember to stand just apart from Matty and not crowd her, and remember to talk about felting in a general way without referring to my book specifically, and to make it light and funny and comfortable. And to smile, dammit.

And to remember that above all, during the opening walk through where Matty greeted each guest individually, to look busy, turn to Matty after she approached and said my name, smile and say, "Hi Matty", and then go back to what I was pretending to do.

While Lorelei and I were sorting through what we would and wouldn't use of the felting stuff, Scott (my segment's other producer) showed up. He wanted us to do a run through of the segment. Lorelei turned to me and said brightly, "Kathleen, what are we doing here today?"  I froze- I couldn't remember what we were doing, why I was there, what was going on, or anything else.

We started again and I got through it, but I was hesitant, blushing, rambling, and certainly not smiling dammit. We did it again and it got a bit easier but I could feel myself sinking fast.

A senior producer came over and said that Upstairs wanted to move shooting up.

Scott found a stage hand and asked him to bring the green table with the felting projects over to the garage. We headed into the sound stage

The sound stage was a long rectangular room with a high ceiling entirely covered in tuck and roll padding. It was divided in half lengthwise. To my left was a dark area, with cables and wires and 8 or 10 people working in the shadows. There were chairs and monitors, and electronic equipment. People sat at stations and typed on keyboards. It wasn't just dark because of low lighting- the wall padding was painted dark to minimize reflected light. It also deflected sound. People were talking in normal voices, but their voices didn't carry and they all seemed to be whispering.

Halfway between the light and the dark areas, were 3 or 4 big cameras. One had a long boom-arm with a small camera positioned at the end. It moved and rotated, swooping up and down gracefully. On a nearby monitor, I saw that the boom camera was taking shots of oil bubbling in a pan on a stove top. There were captions on the bottom of the screen, which I assumed the people at the keyboards were providing. Stage hands and women with clipboards stood about in little clutches.

The other half of the long room held the Smart Solutions set, which had three separate but connected areas. At the far end was the *garage*. It had cement walls, shelves with artfully arranged paint cans, tools, gardening gloves, and a flat of fake wilting marigolds.

A dividing wall separated the garage from the next set, which looked like a living room with brick walls, a cast iron staircase, bookshelves, a curtain over a fake window, and a chair or two. A woman I'd seen before was standing behind a wheeled table, arranging finished and partially assembled fabric boxes. She talked seriously with a young woman wearing a flowered skirt and army boots who was holding a script

On the other side of the living room was the kitchen set. There was a guy wearing an apron, tending the pots of bubbling oil. The kitchen had a tile counter top, a fake fridge, a microwave, and a sink with dishes artfully stacked in a drainer.

The sets were lit with many huge lights hanging from the ceiling,

Lorelei and I went to the garage and began to set up. She and Scott discussed which pieces we wanted to show, how to display them, what order to lay them out, what order to present them, what to talk about, what to say, how to manage props and actions, how to deal with the wet sweaters, what I should emphasize, what I should not say. It was more information than I could process. I was starting to think that I would fail miserably in front of this large, efficient crew. Scott had me do a run-through of the action while a stage hand wheeled a prop washing machine into place next to our table. I muffed nearly everything- forgetting which item to pick up first, losing track of what I was supposed to say, and in general, made a mess of it. I apologized. Lorelei cuffed me on the shoulder gently and lied that I was doing fine.

A lady came over and clipped a transmitter unit to the back waistband of my pants and had me fish a microphone up through my shirt which she clipped to the placket. She cautioned me to tell her if I had to go to the bathroom so she could take the unit off so that I wouldn't drop the very expensive piece of equipment into the toilet. Luckily, fear had frozen my bladder. She said if I needed anything to let her know.

The prop guy then took out a string with rolls of colored tape threaded on it, and started cutting strips to cover all of the brand names and logos on the washer and other props.

We did another run-through of the action, getting a little smoother. The director of the show came over. She decided that we had too much on the table and should reduce and rearrange the clutter. She also decided that we needed to change the order of the action. Then the Head Producer came over and asked for a run-through. He didn't smile or react, which made me even more nervous. He suggested more adjustments. After he left, Lorelei said it was always like that- the underlings get things organized and the Higher Ups change them.

By our final run-through, I was fighting real terror, afraid that I would freeze, or worse yet, start crying. Scott told me to remember to smile. I tried a wobbly one for him. He asked if I was scared, and I said yes. He grinned and said not to worry, that I was doing fine.

The director announced that they would first tape Matty on her show-opening walk through each set. The director showed us our marks (tapes on the floor) and said to stay put but to look busy. Then she listened to something in her headphone and announced that Matty was coming down.

There was a sort of *silent waiting* among the crew when they heard that Matty Monfort was on her way. It was clear that she was The Star, the reason all of us were there. She entered wearing a robin's egg blue sweater and dark blue skirt. She had shoulder length blonde hair, bangs and a soft flip, and she was about my height.

Matty stopped and talked to the director for a few minutes. She then walked over to the chef and talked to him for a moment (trailed by cameras, and crew checking sound levels and lighting, and framing shots). She spent a few minutes with each guest as the director and producers walked her through. I was the last in line, when she got to me, she shook my hand. She told me to talk directly to her during the segment, not to look at the cameras. We were to forget that anyone else was there and to remember that we were just having a conversation about ...she paused, looked at the table and then up at the crew and waited... someone said "felting"... she said "felting" and gave me a big smile. Out of the corner of my eye, Scott mimed a Big Smile at me and I remembered to smile back at her.

It's good that Matty didn't ask ME what we were doing on the segment because I'm pretty sure that I would not have remembered. I was absolutely terrified.

Matty walked back to the chef. Lorelei said quietly to me, "Stand on your mark but look busy, it doesn't matter what you're doing, just look like you're doing something. When Matty gets to you, she'll say something about you, you look up and say "Hi Matty", and then go back to what you're pretending to do."

I nodded and pretended to fold the sweater that was closest to me. I could hear Matty's voice as she greeted each guest. The director and cameras followed her down the line. As she got to me, my heart was pounding, I looked up at her and remembered to smile. She said, "Hi Kathleen", and I said, "Hi there."

Everything stopped. And it wasn't a good stop, like we were done with that segment. It was a *someone screwed up* sort of stop. And I knew who had screwed up. Matty and the cameras all went back to the beginning of the line.

Lorelei leaned in and said, "Don't look at Matty until she gets to you and says your name. And no matter what she says, you just say, "Hi Matty."

I nodded, but what I really wanted to do was run screaming from the room. They started over, I double checked my mark, made sure I was futzing with the sweater, I forced myself to look down, and when Matty said my name, I looked up with a big smile and said, "Hi Matty," and then bent back down to fumbling.

That take was good enough, thank goodness. I don't think I could have done it again without fainting.

After that, everything went smoothly. Matty and I talked. I smiled, I didn't drop anything, I didn't mess up the action order. I didn't say any bad words. I didn't faint. And I didn't burst into tears.

The drill for the next long segment was the same: rehearsal, changes, rehearsal, changes, smile, changes, Hi Matty. I stayed on my mark and did the things we had to do. And amazingly enough, I found that I was having fun. In between segments, I mentioned that luggage had been lost, and having to buy new clothes. Scott literally paled when he realized that my suitcase with the props could have gone missing as well.

At the end of the day, when all of the other guests had left, we taped my two one-minute final segments. By then, I was feeling pretty good about my ability to remain conscious while the cameras were rolling. When we finally finished, the crew actually applauded, though now that I think on it, they were probably just glad to be done for the day.

When I got back to my hotel room, there was the suitcase with all of my clothes. It had gone on to San Francisco all by itself. I hope it had a good time.

That night, I watched a bit of TV, knitted, and conked out very early. Before checking out in the morning, I put makeup on because I was shooting a local news segment about the Hollywood trip immediately after landing in Sioux Falls.

When we landed, my husband was waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator, and behind him was the local news crew. That interview was a piece of cake.

The shows finally aired in August and September of that year. I watched them with closed eyes and covered ears. I am now filled with admiration for all TV people- the amount of behind the scenes work is staggering. And I have a new respect for all actors, even the bad ones. Most of them can remember a two-word line...

If I ever get the chance, I'll do it again in a flash. Next time though, I'll put a toothbrush and makeup in my carry on.

 

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Win a Whimsey Tote

June 6, 2013 - -

New Whimsey Contest happening NOW!  See the Whimsey Events Page on how to enter -

http://www.kayewilkinsonbarley.com/p/events.html

A Whimsey Give-Away

 

A give-away coming soon!

 

Watch for details at my Whimsey Events page -

http://www.kayewilkinsonbarley.com/p/events.html

 

 

In the meantime, if you can't wait for the give-away contest, the Whimsey tote bags are now available for sale here - -

See my store at Zazzle

And today I'm visiting Janet Rudolph's place

I hope you'll drop by my friend Janet's place for a little visit today.

http://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2013/06/kaye-wilkinson-barley-on-self-publishing.html

"Oh, Kaye!"

Mornin'!

 Today is my day to play as "Oh, Kaye!" at Jungle Red.
Fix yourself a cup of coffee and come visit, please  - 

http://www.jungleredwriters.com/2013/06/oh-kaye-more-that-you-learn-more-places.html


 

Where I Am . . . .

June 1, 2013 -

I'm spending today on the Island of Whimsey

High Country Festival of the Book

Mark your calendars - The High Country Festival of the Book - June 21 & 22! Right here in Boone, North Carolina! If you're able to attend, please come by and say "Hey!" Read all about it here - http://www.highcountryfestivalofthebook.com/

The Road Less Traveled

Sometimes it's just a good idea to take a turn and drive down a road you've never been down before.  There can be surprises, and they can be lovely.

 
 
 









The Road Less Traveled
by George Strait


There's a road a winding road that never ends
Full of curves lessons learned at every bend
Goin's rough unlike the straight and narrow
It's for those who go against the grain
Have no fear dare to dream of a change live to march to the beat of a
different drummer
And it all might come together
And it all might unraveled
On the road less traveled

For the road less traveled ain't for the faint of heart
For those who choose to play it safe and never stray too far
Me I want to live my life and one day leave my mark
And it all might come together
And it all come unraveled
On the road less traveled

I've chosen a pathway I may not endure
One thing's for certain nothing for sure
And it all might come together
And it all might come unraveled
On the road less traveled

For the road less traveled ain't for the faint of heart
For those who choose to play it safe and never stray too far
Me I want to live my life and one day leave my mark
And it all might come together
And it all come unraveled
On the road less traveled

There's a road winding road that never ends

Get Whimsey for Free - this weekend only!

I'm having a Memorial Day Weekend Promotion Event for WHIMSEY: A NOVEL. 

The Kindle version will be available for free (Kindle Only!) at amazon.com beginning May 25 starting at approximately 12:00 AM Pacific Standard Time, ending at approximately 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on May 26. 

Enjoy!!  And Spread the Word!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.  Let's remember to honor those who have served.

Final Week of the Whimsey Give-Away

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whimsey

by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

Giveaway ends May 25, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

The '60s by Reed Farrel Coleman

Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman has published sixteen novels. He is a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year and a two-time Edgar Award nominee. He has also won the Macavity, Barry, and anthony Awards. Reed is an adjunct instructor at Hofstra University and a founding member of Mystery Writers of America University. He lives with his family on Long Island.

 

The ‘60s

by Reed Farrel Colemen

In writing my latest and penultimate Moe Prager Mystery, Onion Street, one of my biggest challenges was to try to bring the ‘60s to life for my readers without getting kitschy or campy. It is too easy for artists to reduce a significant historical era to popular touchstones and icons and no era, I think, is more easily reduced to such things than the ‘60s. Whereas shows like Mad Men labor to get things just right and are very successful at doing so, I’ve found most books, TV shows, and movies not from that era tend to go for the clichés. All kids wear love beads, granny glasses, bell bottoms, and sandals. They all make the peace sign by putting their index and middle fingers into Vees or pump their fists and say, “Right on!” or “Power to the people!” or “Groovy.” or “Hey, man, you’re bringing me down.” or “Cool it. Here comes the Fuzz.” or “I had a bad trip, baby.” They only listen to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, or the Doors. Their rooms are covered in Peter Max posters and the boys all burn their draft cards. Fathers always wear white shirts with skinny black ties. They have brush cuts and go to work at jobs in defense plants. Moms wear floral printed frocks, vacuum the house, smoke cigarettes, and drink too much. It’s all just silliness. If everyone burned their draft cards, how did we manage to get 55,000 American sons and daughters killed in Vietnam?

When I think back on it, I am almost breathless at how much turmoil occurred in such a brief period of time. In the first part of 1968 alone, there was the Pueblo incident, the Tet Offensive, Apollo missions 5 and 6, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy. But as much as we would like to make those days all about the chaos, it’s my job as an artist to hold the mirror up to the reality of the times. The fact is that in spite of it all, my dad got up every morning and went to work. My big brothers went to college every day and I walked to PS 209. My mom cooked and cleaned, spoke on the phone to her sister. Life went on. That’s what I kept reminding myself as I wrote: life went on. Because as horrible or wonderful as all those events were, they didn’t happen in Brooklyn and they didn’t happen to me. The focus of the book was Moe’s world, how he dealt with things in his world. I tried very hard not to lapse into cliché. I hope I was successful.

It’s a good lesson for writers of all stripes. I think the best historical novels are those that focus on the little things, not the broad strokes. Focus on the people, on the characters, not on their trappings. I had a wonderful poetry professor at Brooklyn College named James Merritt. He taught classes in both Romantic and Victorian poetry. One of the things he said that I will never forget is that readers mustn’t ever devalue the feelings of people in the past. That cultures and technologies may change, but feelings are feelings.  I always keep that in mind when I write about the past.    

Whimsey News!

Today I am a happy girl! 

I went to Amazon to see how Whimsey is doing.

I typed "Lowcountry Novels" in the search box and Whimsey is #15!!!  Yay!!!!  There it is, right behind some of my favorite writers, including Dorothea Benton Frank and Anne Rivers Siddons.

And THEN - to top that - it's #4 in Lowcountry Novels in the Amazon Kindle Store!!!  wow.

Y'all - Life is Good. 

And I thank each of you for supporting me, and Whimsey, from the beginning.  Hugs to you all!

Louise Penny's "How The Light Gets In"

 

 

 

 

 

Many years ago someone at DorothyL mentioned a book by the name of "Still Life" by a new author I'd never heard of.  Louise Penny.

 

I was captivated and spellbound before page 10.  So much so that I ordered the next book, "Dead Cold" from either Canada or the UK because it was being released there before being released in the US a year later under the name "A Fatal Grace."  Same thing the following year for "The Cruelest Month" - and the following year for "The Murder Stone," released in the US under the name "A Rule Against Murder."  Finally, in 2009 Ms. Penny's books started being released in the US at the same time as in Canada, and now under one name universally.  And I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, for which I will be forever grateful.  I'm still receiving ARCs of the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines novels and my life is richer for them. 

 

For each book I've used up my list of superlatives.  Exquisite, elegant, stunning, sublime, delicious.  I've made no secret of the fact that I think Louise Penny hung the moon.  She's thought to be one of the most gracious people in the mystery community by everyone lucky enough to meet her and be welcomed by her beauty and her open arms.

 

So what to say about "How The Light Gets In."  Truthfully, it leaves me speechless.  It's full of phrasing any writer would die to claim as their own.  It made me laugh out loud on one page, only to have me burst into tears of pure emotion two pages later.  I know I keep saying her writing just keeps getting better with each book, but I find it to be true.  I love her writing, and I love her stories.  I feel an attachment to the residents of Three Pines and hope they'll live in the pages of more and more books for many years to come.  There's still much to be learned about each of them.  My only complaint is having to wait so long in between!  (I am such a petty girl).

 

For fans who prefer their Penny in Three Pines, this book's for you. 

 

For those who just love Penny wherever she takes us, you are going to thank her for this one.

 

Most of you who have fallen in love with these books know by now that Louise Penny's books are about terror.  And, to quote what she says about them, they're also about goodness, and kindness.  In this latest entry she gives us a healthy dose of all these things and she touches every emotion with a strength unknown to most writers,, in my most humble opinion.

 

The title "How The Light Gets In" comes from Leonard Cohen's "Anthem."  "Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There's a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in."

 

Louise Penny shows the cracks in heartbreaking clarity.  We finish this novel understanding the cracks and bathed in purest light.  I love this book more than I have words to share.

Twenty-Seven Lovely Years

Donald and I celebrate twenty-seven years of marriage today.

I remember sharing Robert Browning's words from his poem Rabbi Ben Ezra -  "grow old along with me, the best is yet to be . . . "

Did we have any idea those words were so, so true?  Of course not.  We were happy, we were in love.  Thoughts of our future were seen through rose colored glasses.

We stood in that small chapel in Smyrna, Georgia and professed our trust in our future together.  In front of God.  In front of family and friends.  It was a perfect day.

But, of course, like any marriage, we have gone through some tough times. 

And we have gone through some of the loveliest of times.

And we have learned so much about one another.  I had no idea the love I felt for this man could grow so much deeper. 

We'll have more tough times ahead of us - and we'll have more of the lovely times, but we now know, without the slightest bit of doubt, we'll have them together - till death do us part.  And that makes the tough times less tough, and the lovely times lovelier.

We laugh, we cry, and we do it together . . . .

And we know that growing old together is the best thing we'll ever do.

My friend Michael has a terrific blog - "It Rains . . .  You Get Wet."  He pointed this one out to me today thinking it might be appropriate for us - and I love it.  Thank you, Michael.

http://le0pard13.com/2013/05/07/music-break-the-great-gatsbys-young-and-beautiful-by-lana-del-rey/





He even included the lyrics - - - which I'd like, in turn, to share with each of you.

I've seen the world
Done it all, had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant, and Bel-Air now
Hot summer nights mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, the city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful
I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now
Channeling angels in, the new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you'd play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful
Dear lord when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you'll let him
Father tell me if you can
Oh that grace, oh that body
Oh that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful
Will you still love me when I'm not young and beautiful

A Whimsey Give-Away !

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whimsey

by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

Giveaway ends May 25, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

My Malice Domestic Report

Some of you may have seen my "Oh, Kaye! Goes to Malice" piece at Jungle Red this past Sunday.  This is just an expanded, slightly revised version, with more pictures.

I've just gotten home from Malice Domestic, which is just one big family type house party for the mystery community.  Lots of squeals, lots of hugs, and a few happy tears.

I had a ball - of course - and wanted to share some of it with all of you.

Starting with saying goodbye to Harley Barley at the Greensboro Train Depot.  (He looks totally heartbroken about me leaving, doesn't he?!)

North Carolina hits Union Station - - -

(North Carolina was well represented on the train - me, M'Lou, Molly, Karen, Ruth and Noel)

I adore Union Station - - -

 

 

 

 

We're Here ! ! ! 

 

The spot where many of us spent a huge amount of time having coffee or a drink or just catching up for a chat - even when there wasn't anyone there to serve us anything.  It's all about just catching up with friends.

 

 

Guess What I found in the Dealer's Room??  Kathy Harig of Mystery Loves Company - I love you!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm always excited to see my buddies from Canada -

Barbara Fradkin, Erika Chase and Mary Jane Maffini

One of the most elegant and gracious women in the mystery community, Louise Penny, interviews the also elegant and gracious Peter Robinson

 

 

 

 

 

 

I adore these women!!! 

Louise Penny and Hank Phillippi Ryan - is it any wonder I'm grinning like I've totally lost my mind? wow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hank Phillippi Ryan (wonder if she ever gets tired of being told how beautiful we all think she is?)  interviews the incredible Laurie King.

They had the BEST time and we all enjoyed being a part of this interview.

 

 

 

and here's someone we all love - Hi, Molly Weston!

 

 

 

And I get to connect with my old friend Aubrey Nye Hamilton who I haven't seen since Baltimore B'con.  Way too many years in between visits.

 

 

 

Another woman I think just rocks the world.  Laura Lippman.
(do I look like I'm getting ready to cry?  maybe . . . )
wow

 

 

 

Kathryn Hall Page and Hank Phillippi Ryan introducing Harlan Coben at the auction.

 

 

 

and Laura Lippman at the auction with Hank and Kathryn

and the robot that was part of Laura's auction package.  I really, really, really wanted this robot.  (sob)

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a few more of the items available at the auction - - - 

 

 

 

Here's just a couple of the many choices at the dessert party after the auction

 

Chris Roerden admire Edith Maxwell's earbobs.  The cutest little guns you have ever seen!

 

I could not WAIT to meet this woman face to face!  And she is every bit as adorable as I knew she would be - Stephanie Jaye Evans.

 

 

And - - getting a few pointers, 'cause they'll be running the Toronto B'Con in 2017!

 

 

 

Canadian women - they're everywhere!  Vicki Delany, Mary Jane Maffini and Erika Chase

 

 

 

Another woman I couldn't wait to meet - Larissa Reinhardt and I'm ashamed of myself for not remembering the lovely young woman with Larissa.  She was adorable!
I'll be seeing Larissa again in June - we'll both be at The High Country Festival of the Book.

 

 

Yet another fan girl moment for me - I am Sally Goldenbaum's #1 fan!

My buddies Con Lehane and Maryglenn McCombs

Rochelle Staab

Sally Goldenbaum and Kaitlyn Dunnett aka Kathy Lynn Emerson who is next year's Guest of Honor at Malice (and I have to squeal about this - guess what book Kathy/Kaitlyn told me she was reading??  WHIMSEY!!!)


 

 

Me and Jungle

Red Roberta Isleib aka Lucy Burdette

Jungle Red Rhys Bowen and Dean James

Mary Saums, Marcia Talley and Sara J. Henry

 

 

 

 Neil Plakcy

Liz Zelvin

Harlan Coben, Laura Lippman, Marjorie Flax, Greg Herren and Daniel J. Hale

 

 

Catriona McPherson, Carolyn Hart and Hank Phillippi Ryan

Dana Cameron

 

 

Laurie King and Laura Lippman

 

Daniel Stashower and Peter Lovesey

Joanna Campbell Slan

 

 

and this - THIS was a MAJOR Fan Girl Moment.  I have long loved Phillip DePoy's work and FINALLY got to meet him.  And I'll get to see him again in June, as he'll be one of the authors at The High Country Festival of the Book in Boone, NC.  Wheeeeee!

 

 

 

 

and this is the wonderful water color I bid on and won at the silent auction!  Yay!!!!!

I had intended to go to the Agatha Banquet, but you know - socializing is exhausting for me.  Toss in the fact that every time I turn around I'm seeing another writer I admire and well, truth be told, I was just exhausted.  So, I decided to turn in early - with Sally Goldenbaum's ANGORA ALIBI, a Maryland Crab Cake and my new Alice and the Mad Hatter finger puppets I bought in an attempt to ease the pain of not winning Laura Lippman's robot.
Life is Good.

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Lesa Holstine posted the Agatha award winners at her blog, and here they are - - -


Best Children's/Young Adult - The Code Busters' Club, Case #2: The Haunted Lighthouse by Penny Warner.

Best First Novel - Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

Best Historical Mystery - Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Catriona McPherson

Best Short Story - "Mischief in Mesopotamia" by Dana Cameron. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

Best Non-Fiction - Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels ed. by John Connolly and Declan Burke

Best Novel - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny



And now I'm back home in Boone with my Donald and Harley and life is good.