Why Don't I Have A Method?

Is there a method to my madness?

Last night when I went to write this post I realize I really don’t have a theme or purpose for this blog. My method is just a mixture of things I enjoy. I know the focus is books/reading, but beyond that?

Some blogs focus solely on providing book reviews and author interviews, some focus on writing tips and helpful information, while others provide information on writing challenges and contests. For me I provide some book reviews, author guest blogs/interviews, book giveaways, rambles about whatever is on my mind, and hopefully passing along helpful information for authors. With that in mind I have some information to pass along and then giveaway winners to announce.

Penguin Books invites you, the readers of this blog, to join the celebrated mystery author, Tana French, for a chat at the Penguin Water Cooler on Tuesday, July 20th at 1:30 PM ET, hosted here on the Penguin USA website!

Penguin Books asked that I tell you about this exciting event that no thriller fan and mystery-lover will want to miss . . . the opportunity
to chat with Tana on the heels of the publication of her hotly anticipated third novel, FAITHFUL PLACE (Viking; on-sale: July 13, 2010).

With two novels (both New York Times bestsellers) under her belt, Tana French has certainly made a name for herself among American psychological mystery readers—not to mention readers who just enjoy a great story that’s beautifully told. Her first novel, IN THE WOODS, won a slew of prestigious mystery prizes: the Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity, and the Barry awards for Best First Novel. As with IN THE WOODS, critics took note of THE LIKENESS, declaring that “The Likeness [is] a book even better than the first, which was very good indeed. . . . The suspense is gut-grinding, but it may hurt more to know who did it. That’s an awful dilemma—and a wonderful book.” (New York Daily News)

Now, she’s back, this time focusing on Frank Mackey, the hard-edged, straight-shooting and fearless boss whose insane, brilliant idea for Cassie to go undercover lent The Likeness its intriguing premise.  FAITHFUL PLACE (Viking; strict on-sale: July 13, 2010; 432 pages; $25.95; 978-0-670-02187-1) takes Frank Mackey back to 1985, when he was nineteen, growing up poor in deterDublin’s inner city, and in love with his neighbor on Faithful Place, Rosie Daly. Unlike so many members of the large, poor Catholic families that share their neighborhood, Frank and Rosie have bigger dreams. They hatch a plan to escape one night and depart for London, never to return to Faithful Place or the anguish of poverty and abuse of their families. Except Rosie doesn’t show up, and in her place Frank reads a letter that leads him to believe that she’s abandoned him instead. He leaves Faithful Place on his own, mined never to come home again.

Twenty-two years later, Frank, the grizzled head of his own police squad, gets a call from one of his sisters. She is frazzled and barely able to get the words out that a suitcase has been recovered behind a fireplace in the same abandoned house where Frank was supposed to meet Rosie so many years before. By the time Frank arrives at Faithful Place, the case has been identified as belonging to Rosie.

Frank is immediately sucked back into the dark tangle of relationships he left behind so long ago: alcoholism, wife-beating, the most profound emotional abuse imaginable. The cops working the case want Frank out of the way, and Frank finds himself caught between the woman he loved and the family he has spent his adult life denying.

Be sure to meet Tana French, well at least meet her virtually, via the live online chat at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Now, drum roll please…..I have winners to announce. First, I like to say thanks to everyone who entered the contest. Wish everyone
could have won. Be sure to check back often for new book giveaways.

Those winning a copy of Dee Davis' DANGEROUS DESIRES are Cheryl S. of Pennsylvania, Jane C. of New York, Cindy W. of Indiana, Chantel W. of Canada, and Cheryl K. of Illinois.

Winning a copy of Jemeker Thompson-Hairston's QUEEN PIN are Jonnie H. of Canada, Tabathia B. of North Carolina, and Margie T. of Minnesota.

Winning a copy of Michele Andrea Bowmen's MORE CHURCH FOLK are Eleanor H. of Pennsylvania, Pearl E. of New Mexico, and Linda D. of Oklahoma.

Those winning a copy of Nelson DeMille's THE LION are Dawn M. of Oklahoma, Cheryl M. of Canada, and Heather J. of Florida.

Winning a copy of James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's PRIVATE are Julia H. of Minnesota, Cheya W. of Utah, and Andrea V. of Rhode Island.

Winning a copy of Joshilyn Jackson's BACKSEAT SAINTS are Stephanie H. of Virginia, Beth M. of New Jersey, and Karen K. of Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to all of these winners. Thanks so much for enjoying good books. Later this week I hope to have more books reviews and the wonderful author Marilyn Meredith will be guest blogging here Wednesday. She’ll be talking about her latest book, a re-release of LINGERING SPIRIT.

I’ve concluded, there is no method to my madness. I just love books, reading and anything that goes with them.