Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A Dark Shape Bumped Us...

The Famous Author and I arrived at the Pennsylvania Convention Center a tad late for our Mystery Writers of America booth signing Sunday, and while we were hurrying to unpack our books (I hand them out of the computer case to TFA), a dark shape kept bumping into us and whispering stuff.

Eventually, we discovered the phantom was in fact Rosemary Harris, author of PUSHING UP DAISIES, due Feb. 5 from St. Martin's Minotaur. Ro, as she signs her emails, has long dark hair and Sunday was dressed in black. She's not big, but she moves around fast and you don't want to get in her way. She acts with purpose. Even the old timers said this MWA booth was one of the best run ever, thanks in large part to Rosemary.

Oh, ya. The book. Here's St. Martin's promo copy:

Meet Paula Holliday, a transplanted media exec who trades her stilettos for garden clogs when she makes the move from the big city to the suburbs to start a gardening business. Paula can handle deer, slugs, and the occasional human pest---but she’s not prepared for the mummified body she finds while restoring the gardens at Halcyon, a local landmark.

(Oooo, oooo, I'm a sucker for mummies.)

Casual snooping turns serious when another body is impaled on a garden tool and one of Paula’s friends is arrested for the crime. Aided by the still-hot aging rocker who owns the neighborhood greasy spoon, a wise-cracking former colleague, and a sexy Mexican laborer with a few secrets of his own, Paula digs for the truth and unearths more dirty business the town has kept buried for years.

I made TFA pre-order this one. After listening to Rosemary whip TFA and those other men into shape at the author's booth, I have to meet her character, Paula. If she's half as much fun as Ro, the new series has to be a winner.

3 comments:

Rosemary Harris said...

I love this image of me as "she who must be obeyed..."
Was I booth Nazi? Just wanted to make sure that a good time was had by all. I promise to be more docile at Love is Murder...and I owe you a drink.

Jack Getze said...

Oh, sure, Ms. Docile. I suppose the black leather and steel-tipped riding whip were just props? And really over the top was taping poor Marco to the chair for an hour because he "talked back."

We can't wait until Chicago...

Rosemary Harris said...

I'm busted. My checkered past has finally caught up to me.