Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 713

Bestseller list

I've made the bestseller list for the first time in my career. 

No, not the Times or The Washington Post.  Not quite yet.   

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop's list of January 2010 Bestsellers.

SOMETHING MISSING is ranked sixth on their list of trade paperbacks, which is great news considering the book has been out for six months.  It seems to still have decent traction in the bookselling world. 

And one of my European readers emailed me earlier this week to let me know that SOMETHING...

Where to?

When the location of the light switch requires this much direction, you have to ask yourself what the electrician was thinking. 

And even more perplexing, who puts the furnace room next to the Toddler Room?

Searching for a new dream

I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker piece Dangerous Minds and came upon this paragraph dealing with how psychics can appear to be so accurate in so many of their statements:

The Jacques Statement, named for the character in 'As You Like It' who gives the Seven Ages of Man speech, tailors the prediction to the age of the subject. To someone in his late thirties or early forties, for example, the psychic says, "If you are honest about it, you often get to wondering what happened to...

Foreign deal

Good news on the SOMETHING MISSING front.  My editor informed me that we have sold the foreign rights to a Taiwanese publisher New Rain.  It's an excellent deal for the region, so says my agent, who specializes in this area. 

With all of my attention on UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO and my current manuscript, SOMETHING MISSING had sort of drifted off my front burner. 

But news that my book will be sold and read in another country never fails to excite me, no matter how many times it happens.

Goals?

I love my hairdresser. She good, quick (always a priority for me) and genuinely a great person.  I actually enjoy spending time with her, which is unusual for me and hairdressers. But every time I go to the salon, she has me sit down for twenty awkward seconds in order for her to ask, "So what are your goals today?"

I've heard the other hairdressers in the shop ask the same question, so I know it's part of the culture of the salon, but it just seems so silly to me. I don't have a lot of...

A question in need of an answer

I was talking to a friend about publishing today, and once again I found myself proclaiming my fondness for the ancient but still highly effective technology known as a book.  I have nothing against e-books and know many happy Kindle owners, but for me, I would rather not carry a device that I would need to worry about getting wet, damaged or stolen.  For me, the book, made from pulp and ink, works exceptionally well.

And honestly, I don't need a thousand books at my fingertips, just a...

B Roll

I thought this was hilarious.

Depressed woman touching a wall… so good.

Resolution update: January 2010

1.  Lose seventeen more pounds, bringing my weight down to 185 pounds, which was my high school pole vaulting weight.

After a weekend of "eating our way through Vermont" (my wife's words), I find that I have gained one pound and now need to lose eighteen pounds by the end of the year.

2.  Complete CHICKEN SHACK by my birthday.

It's going to be tough, but I think there's a decent shot that I can complete the novel while on February vacation, during which my birthday coincides.

3.  Eat...

Fresh Voices 2010

I've spent the last two days in Chester, Vermont, at Misty Valley Books Fresh Voices 2010, a remarkable weekend-long event that showcases new authors to the community. Lynne and Bill Reed, owners of the bookstore, have run this event for years and have done an amazing job bringing authors and the public together for a weekend of food, drink, conversation and fun.

It was also the first time that Elysha and I left our daughter overnight, but we've been receiving photos from her grandparents...

What I have to say

Toby Lichtig writes in The Guardian about how all writers repeat themselves.  That is, they seem to return to the same themes again and again.   

When I wrote SOMETHING MISSING, I had no idea what I was doing.  No idea what I was trying to communicate other than Martin's story.  I just allowed the character to show me the way, and low and behold, I had a novel. 

My second book proceeded along these same lines, and my third is proceeding similarly:  Find the character and the rest will...