Laura Benedict's Blog, page 11
October 11, 2017
Bouchercon Toronto, Day 1/2
I’m excited to be in Toronto with my mysterious, mystery-loving friends. Wish you were here! More photos soon…
Hope you’re having a wonderful week. 
October 10, 2017
Off to Toronto
Quick note from an anonymous hotel near the St. Louis airport. I’m on my way to Toronto tomorrow morning for Bouchercon, the mystery convention. I won’t be staying here again–even though it’s a very nice place– because it neither has HGTV nor TCM. Since I don’t have satellite or cable at home I count on hotels for my HGTV fixes. Fingers crossed that my hotel in Toronto will do better. I’d hate to have to switch hotels in the middle of the conference.
Will send missives from the road–a rather...
Tuesday Photos, 10 October 2017
Last Monday I was taking photos of my front door, and had my iPhone in my back pocket. Squatting wasn’t working so well, so I sank back on my bottom and heard a terrible crack. I don’t know what I thought it was, but I didn’t imagine it was my phone screen. I didn’t realize it until I pulled it out of my pocket 10 minutes later. Because I was finishing my One Last Secret edit, I couldn’t replace the phone until Thursday. Now, I wouldn’t usually replace an entire phone because the screen was c...
October 8, 2017
Another Rebecca? Perhaps.
On Friday a friend told me that there’s yet another re-imagining of Daphne DuMaurier’s novel, Rebecca, in the works. Rebecca is the iconic 1938 suspense tale about an unnamed young heroine who, while working as a companion to a snobbish old woman, meets Maxim, the man of her dreams. He carries her off to Manderley, the family pile, where she’s haunted and humiliated at every turn by constant reminders of his dead wife, Rebecca. Rich stuff. This latest novel has a contemporary setting, and t...
October 7, 2017
Sunday, 8 October 2017
Eighteen years ago today, I showed up at the hospital in Roanoke, VA, for the delivery of our son, Cleveland. He greeted the world with a shout, pulled into the bright white operating room, surrounded by doctors and nurses–it must have been quite a shock. He won our hearts the moment he appeared, and soon smiled far more than he cried. He’s a sensitive, caring, creative, intelligent boy–or I guess I should say man now. I treasure the boy he was and love the man he is becoming. Happy Birthday,...
October 6, 2017
Saturday Serendipity, 7 October 2017
Serendipity makes a life worth living.
Bits and Bobs
How vulnerable are we to manipulation by online sites and social media? Many who created the sites are unplugging.
Nordstrom, one of my favorite departments stores, is changing.
The amazing ‘Tunnel Man’ of Alaska who made Mars research easier–and drives reindeer.
Slenderman isn’t actually funny.
Have you ever been to a mystery convention? Where I’ll be next week. It’s a great place to meet your favorite authors. Bouchercon.
Books, e...
October 4, 2017
Editing: Approaching the Light
Writing a novel is sometimes like walking down a long, dark hallway with a brilliant light at the end of it.
Today I feel empty. While editing this new novel, I took my longest walk to get to the end. I’m not saying the book is profound or important, only that writing it is always both a continuing and unique journey.
I picked up a Ray Bradbury quote a year or two ago that says everything about editing: “You let the story cool off and then, instead of rewriting it, you relive it.”
Revision is...
Bouquet From a Garden Past
Please forgive my brevity today, my dears. I’m on a firm Wednesday deadline, and I’m not even going to tell you what time in the morning it is right now! It’s an alternate Wednesday, so Nina and I are going to leave you with a favorite bouquet, and send you off to the Kill Zone Blog. I have a very funny, rather mortifying post up today (and no, the story I write about was NOT autobiographical!). If you read it, come back and tell me if you have any stories to share.
Back tomorrow. Wish me luc...
October 3, 2017
Tuesday Photos: Pumpkins as Promised
Pumpkins: Bumpy pumpkin and a waiting Jack-o-Lantern
Feeling grim about my lost decorating energy, I challenged myself (and you!) to do a little something for fall and Halloween. Here are my pumpkin, mum, and porch decorations. If you’re buying chrysanthemums, make sure they’re well watered. The two giant ones I bought were on the dry side and I spent 30 minutes resuscitating them (they have to be pulled out of the pot and have holes poked in both the top and sides of the root ball so water...
October 2, 2017
Cover Reveal! SMALL TOWN TROUBLE
I’m pretty sure SMALL TOWN TROUBLE is my cutest cover ever.
SURPRISE!
We interrupt our regular Monday programming* to bring you the totally adorable cover for my next novel, SMALL TOWN TROUBLE, a Trouble the Black Cat Detective novel in the Familiar Legacy series. Ever since the moment I saw this a couple of weeks ago, I’ve wanted to share it with you. I’m so proud of this little book–I say little because, as a cozy, it’s a shorter than my suspense novels which come in at over 100 thousand...
