Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 137

Bouchercon and Crime Bake Report

In the last couple of weeks, some of the Wickeds attended Bouchercon in Dallas, Texas, and some were at the New England Crime Bake in Woburn, Massachusetts. Barb was at both! Wickeds, what did you learn? What were your highlights? Liz, what were you up to while we were conferencing?

Sherry: I was pretty busy with Sisters in Crime events at Bouchercon. One of the best things in the past year was working with the board of SinC. The room we had our strategic planning sessions and board meeting in had this huge round table. I’m sure that King Arthur and his Round Table had nothing on us. The smarts of the women on the board was driven home one last time for me in the waning moments of my presidency when we had to deal with a problem. I’m so grateful to have worked with such a talented supportive group. It’s an experience I’ll always cherish.

[image error]Sherry Harris passes the “official seal of office” to incoming President Lori Rader-Day at the annual meeting of Sisters in Crime at Bouchercon

Jessie: Sherry, you and all the SINC National board amaze and inspire me! Thanks for all you do! I really enjoyed my trip to Bouchercon. I learned more about the audiobook business from a meeting I had with someone from my audiobook publisher. It is a sector of the business that interests me a great deal and I was delighted to learn more about it! It was also a great time of learning more about people I rarely get to visit with in person!

Edith: I was sorry to miss all the fabulous Bouchercon events, including the SINC National pre-con workshop, and I hope you’re getting some needed rest, Sherry. But it was worth it to conserve my strength for Crime Bake. SO many people came up to me saying how smoothly it was going and what a success. Barb was there throughout, and Julie arrived for the banquet.

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One of my highlights was listening to and getting to know the brilliant Ann Cleeves better, capped by one-on-one time with her as I drove her to the airport! What a gracious and present guest of honor she was.

[image error]Hallie as she watched the tribute

Another highlight? Awarding Friend of the Wickeds Hallie Ephron with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and watching three other New England Sisters in Crime – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Lucy Burdette, and Paula Munier – sing and be the backup “girl” band in a musical tribute to Hallie. (Pix and video are all over Facebook…)

In the end, I might be most proud that we ordered pronoun ribbons in time for the conf. We are on record that we will not tolerate harassment of any kind, and making all feel safe and welcome is part of that.

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[image error]Sherry, Kensington Publicist Extraordinaire Larissa Ackerman, and Julie

Julie: Edith, I loved that the New England Crime Bake used those ribbons for name tags. Such a great, simple inclusive gesture.

Well, I had a great time at Bouchercon and at Crime Bake, but I didn’t go to either conference. Let me explain. I went to Bouchercon for the SinC Into Great Writing event, and because I’m doing some work with the organization. But I had to go to NYC with my students on Friday, so I left before the conference got into full swing. Then I missed my Crime Bake registration time, because I thought that would be field trip weekend, so I asked Barb and Bill to get me a banquet ticket, which they did. I am so sorry I didn’t get pictures, but I did get hugs from friends. Both of these events are like a reunion–a great time to see folks and catch up. I do so love this crime writing community.

Barb: It’s all kind of a blur. Sherry and I were on the same panel at Bouchercon, moderated by the incomparable William Kent Krueger.

[image error]From left: Kate Moretti, Cathi Stoler, Barbara Ross, William Kent Krueger, Vanessa Lillie, Barbara Collins, Sherry Harris

I spent a bunch of time talking about how great Crime Bake was going to be for me this year because I had absolutely no responsibilities. But then an agent was stuck in an airport so I pitched in at Practice Your Pitch, and then poor James Ziskin was sick and the programming committee asked me to fill in for him on a panel, and Edith and co-chair Michele asked me to say a few words about our late friend Lea Wait at the banquet, which I was so happy to do. (Even though I cried while doing it.)

[image error]From left: Wendy Tyson, Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day, Roberta Isleib/Lucy Burdette, Sally Goldenbaum, Barbara Ross

But you know what, even though it didn’t turn out the way I expected, Crime Bake was still pretty great.

Edith: Thank you for filling in, Barb!

Readers: Who went to one of the crime fiction cons this year, and what was your highlight? Who has attended in the past, or wants/plans to go next year?

The Blessing of Creativity

by Julie, not happy about this Artic blast in Somerville

I’m working on a short story that’s due at the end of the year. By work, I mean listening to the song that inspires the story, taking walks, knitting, and jotting down ideas on index cards. Nothing is gelling yet, but I know it will. I have faith in my relationship with my writing muse, and my creative path.

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That wasn’t always the case, of course. For a long time, I didn’t even admit aloud that I wanted to write a book. And then it took me years to feel confident enough to have folks read my work. Figuring out how to get published was another journey, made easier by Sisters in Crime and folks like my fellow Wickeds. I’ve spent a career supporting performing artists on their journey, but it took me a long time to embrace my own creative dreams.

I’m not alone in that.

I remember sitting on a author panel, and someone in the audience mentioned that her dream was to be sitting on a stage at some point, talking about her book. Afterwards, I talked to her and asked about her writing. She had a couple of half started novels, but felt that they weren’t any good, so she’d stopped writing.

I met someone else who talked to me about playing a guitar in college. When he spoke, I could tell that he had fond memories of those days. I asked if he still played, and he said that no, he was never that good, and he didn’t have the time. But, when I asked, he admitted he missed it.

Here’s the thing, my friends. Creativity is about the journey, not the destination. In other words, it’s about the writing, not the publishing. It’s about the playing, not the mastery of the guitar. It’s about the baking, not winning the competition.

I’ve created a program I’m calling Muse Mapping. Imagine a blank sheet of paper, and then a magic wand where you tap it and your successful creative journey appears. As folks who are on a creative journey know, the path isn’t straight. There are blocks and obstacles. Different paths appear, and some of them call to be explored. Along the way you meet your community, hone your craft, and figure out what to do with your work should you choose to get it out there. Then there’s the plan itself, and learning how to deal with criticism.

That’s a lot, isn’t it?

Well, I think that the map is necessary. Too many people think that learning how, and then setting a goal are all you need to do. But it takes so much more, including the support of your community, belief in yourself, and the skills to stay on your journey.

But here’s the thing. Creativity is a true blessing, and makes life so much more fun. I’m so glad that I decided to “go for it” regarding my writing life. And I’m glad to have supported dozens of theater artists on their own creative path.

Friends, what is your creative outlet? Tell me about it, and about why you love it. Remember, creativity can be found in all sorts of paths, so let me know.

Wicked Wednesday: Who’s gathered?

Wickeds, tell us about the people who are gathered around your sleuth’s Thanksgiving table. What are some of the conversational topics of the day?

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Sherry: Sarah will be at someone else’s table since she isn’t a very good cook. She’s had several invitations including from Stella and Seth, but she goes to the DiNapoli’s house with their large extended family. It allows Sarah to sit, back, relax, and let the conversation flow over and around her. Sarah is hoping no one brings up murder.

Edith/Maddie: Robbie’s going to Abe’s parents house, along with Aunt Adele and her boyfriend, Samuel. If they talk about the political candidates, Abe’s Uncle Bruce [author note: where’d he come from? I wonder if he’s going to show up in a future Country Store mystery…], who has different views than the rest of them, could get ornery. Instead they’ll stick to movies, books, and what they’re grateful for.

Jessie: Since my Beryl and Edwina books are set in England, Thanksgiving is not a holiday. Beryl, my American character, will be a little sad about the idea that she won’t be celebrating. Her dear friend Edwina will know this about her and will invite round a few friends like solicitor Charles and jobbing gardener Simpkins to join them for a meal featuring her take on roast turkey and a variety of pies. Beryl will be tickled pink.

Barb: Jessie, that is lovely. Julia Snowden’s aunt and uncle, her father’s sister and brother-in-law, hosted a big Thanksgiving feast at their house for decades. But since Julia’s father died, they haven’t held it. Part of it is the normal evolution of families. The aunts and uncles all have daughters- and sons-in-law and grandchildren now so the group has gotten too big. But part of it is because in the first few years after Jack Snowden’s death they all felt such an enormous hole when they were together. So Julia will be with her immediate family, and her boyfriend Chris.

Julie: Because Lilly has the largest dining room, she’ll host. She will, however, do very little of the cooking save her family cranberry sauce recipe and her mother’s apple pie. Delia will, of course, be there. Warwick and Tamara will be there, along with all the children and grandchildren. Ernie will be there, along with any of his employees who don’t have a place to go. Roddy will probably be there, since his daughter is spending the holiday with her in-laws. He’s hoping they’ll spend Christmas together. For several days before, the entire Garden Squad will be coordinating who’s cooking what, and making sure to invite anyone who needs a good meal and even better company. Depending on how many people come, it may be a buffet. Lilly’s brought up the old card tables from the basement. She hopes they have to use them.

Readers: Who will be at your Thanksgiving celebration?

An Iguana in a Japanese Garden — Guest Naomi Hirahara

[image error]I’m so happy to welcome back Naomi Hirahara. She’s an amazing author and woman. The first book in her new Leilani Santiago Hawai’i mystery series, Iced in Paradise, released in September. She’s giving away a copy to someone who leaves a comment.

Naomi: In my years writing mysteries, I’ve encountered turns in the road and also faced doors slamming shut.

My first novel featuring Mas Arai, an aging Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor, took me 15 years from conception to final publication. Early versions fell in the category of literary fiction before the tale finally found its footing as a mystery series.

Seven Mas Arai mysteries later, I’ve also written the Officer Ellie Rush bicycle cop mysteries and now ICED IN PARADISE, the first in a new series set in Hawai‘i with the protagonist Leilani Santiago. My writing path certainly has not been straight; it’s been more serpentine. I’ve been orphaned (lost my acquiring editor) at least five times during the past 15 years. Three of my literary agents have left the profession.

Yet I’m still around and excited about future writing projects. How can that be? I attribute it to embracing the unexpected, like discovering an iguana in a Japanese garden.

[image error]I actually witnessed this phenomenon recently at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida. I was there on a speaking engagement; it was my second time visiting there and this time I brought my mother. I had heard about the museum since my days working at The Rafu Shimpo daily newspaper in downtown Los Angeles. We would receive their paper press releases in the mail (yes, it was that long ago) and from my desk in the middle of urban Los Angeles, I’d wonder why there was this magical place on the other side of the country in South Florida. Now, decades later, I would actually be standing on the stage of their state-of-the-art auditorium, talking about gardeners and mysteries.

The philanthropists and volunteers supporting this expansive project of 16 acres are not people of Japanese descent. In fact in the audience of about 70 only two were Japanese Americans. The Morikami Museum, a joint project of Palm Beach County and a nonprofit, has at its core a cadre of dedicated women, many of them Jewish retirees from New York and New England. Why would they devote their time and money for this Japanese-style garden? One reason could be the shared experience of Jews and Japanese Americans during World War II.

This land was donated by a Japanese immigrant, George Morikami, who was in search of a better life. He was part of the original Yamato Colony, which unsuccessfully attempted to grow pineapples and vegetables to sustain its community in the early 1900s. Most of the Japanese colonists eventually left, but Morikami stayed, acquiring these multiple acres of land. A bachelor, he left his property to Palm Beach County and it’s been up to the nonprofit to tell the colonists’ history and more importantly, create a garden that provides healing to its visitors.

My mantra through my writing and publishing journey is to embrace the unexpected. Be aware of change in our trade and world and see if any of my stories will have resonance. Mas Arai is about resilience; Ellie Rush, finding your purpose; and Leilani Santiago, how to return home when you have become a different person. I’m currently working on a historical standalone thriller set in 1944 Chicago. The mystery will reflect the experiences of the 20,000 Japanese Americans who temporarily relocated to [image error]America’s then second largest city from incarceration centers all throughout the U.S.

During my recent trip to the Morikami, I had my eye out for alligators in the water. My mother had never seen one and I wanted her to have this unique Floridian experience. Then rain began to fall and out came the iguanas. They scurried on the green grass and at times stood still as if they wanted all of us to know that they were here. “I see you,” I silently told them. “I see you.”

Readers: Did something delightfully unexpected happen on a trip or visit to a new place? Tell us about it.

[image error]Bio: Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning mystery writer and social historian. Her final Mas Arai mystery, HIROSHIMA BOY, was nominated this year for an Edgar, Macavity and Anthony award. Her new mystery, ICED IN PARADISE, was chosen for October Hot Picks by the Hawaii State Library System. Her books have been translated into Japanese, Korean and French. Hang out with Naomi on her blog: http://naomihirahara.com/blog/

PHOTO CREDITS: Photos by Mayumi Hirahara and Naomi Hirahara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Restoring the Status Quo Enough?

Barb, writing this in her hotel room at the New England Crime Bake where Wicked Edith Maxwell/Maddy Day is doing an amazing job as co-chair, along with Friend of the Wickeds, Michele Dorsey.

Post-Bouchercon (The international conference for people who love all types of crime fiction) author Laura Lippman started a thought-provoking thread on Twitter.

You can read the thread here, or at least I think you can. (I’m not that good with the Twitter machine.) https://twitter.com/LauraMLippman/status/1191433978118578176. But Lippman’s basic argument is this: In the traditional mystery novel (of which cozies are a sub-genre, as are PI novels, Lippman’s primary focus), we make the assumption that a satisfying resolution is to restore the status quo.

But what, Lippman asks, about the people for whom the status quo is not so great? What about the marginalized, the oppressed, the under-represented? Is restoring the status quo good enough for them? For us all?

Naturally this made me think about my work, and the work in my particular corner of the crime fiction universe, the cozy mystery. We always say, we all say, the stories are satisfying because justice is done, situations are resolved, questions are answered. This makes the books very unlike the messy business of real human life where justice and resolution are often elusive goals and many mysteries remain forever. Our books are for people who need to step away from their real lives from time to time, especially at times when real life has become too real.

At first I thought, if the world sucks at the outset of the book, and when the story is done and the crime is solved the world still sucks, isn’t that noir?

But of course that’s a glib answer.

Then I thought, the worlds portrayed in cozy mysteries are already idealized worlds. I always think of cozy towns as fantasies. So restoring the status quo in these towns by definition restores a more perfect society. And by more perfect, I mean more just, not more white and more wealthy, though looking across the genre, particularly at the established authors writing long-term series, one might assume that.

[image error]I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this is something I think about. Particularly with my Mrs. Darrowfield series. Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody is my homage to Jane Marple, the sleuth I loved in adolescence, who is arguably the most responsible for my love of amateur sleuth fiction. I’ve moved Jane to the U.S. and the twenty-first century. I’ve made her divorced not a spinster, and given her a long, successful corporate career in which to observe the vagaries of human behavior, instead of the village of St. Mary Mead. I also posit that old isn’t so old anymore.

But like her inspiration, my Jane is a comfortable, privileged white woman. Of course being an old woman comes with its own set of challenges, but unlike many, Jane has the resources to meet most of them.

Sometimes I do wonder, why am I writing these books? More to the point, why am I writing them now?

You write the books you have standing to write. And do I ever have standing when it comes to writing about comfortable, privileged old white women.

I think what Lippman is saying in the full thread is that we need to make room, particularly in the traditional mystery genres, for new voices–voices that maybe don’t think the status quo is worth restoring. Lippman writes about how women are infusing new life in PI fiction. Cozy mysteries have always been a pink collar ghetto, which comes with its own set of challenges, but we sure could use new perspectives and casts of characters whose stories haven’t been told. We’ve made progress in the last decade, but it’s baby steps. We can do a lot more.

As for the rest of us old white women writing traditional mysteries, maybe if we thought in terms of fixing instead of restoring, fighting instead of discovering, it would breathe new life into our stories, too.

Readers: What do you think? What stories do you yearn for that aren’t being told?

Guest Catriona McPherson

Edith here, delighted to welcome the talented and delightful Catriona McPherson back to the blog! Her new Dandy Gilver book is out, so let’s hear about …

Weddings

They grow up so fast! When I wrote the first book about Dandy Gilver and her family, back in 2001 (or 1922, depending on how you look at it) Donald and Teddy were still climbing trees and clamouring to go on picnics. In A Step So Grave (Quercus US, 5th Nov) it’s Donald’s wedding.

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I was chuffed to bits
when I thought of writing a book leading up to a wedding, actually. I had
written one about a theatrical production and found that the build-up towards
opening night was a perfect fit for the mounting tension of a crime novel.  I guessed – rightly, it turned out – that the
same would be true of the build-up here: families meeting, engagement party,
negotiating presents/outfits/old feuds, and finally the big day

Also, I love a wedding:
Scottish, California, fictional . . . they’re all great.

Scottish weddings are dear
to me of course, not least because they usually lack a stressful element for
female guests at weddings elsewhere. If there’s a bride or a groom involved –
and, running through all the possibilities now that love is love is love
(yayyyy!), I think there would be – then, at a Scottish wedding, you’ve got
either wedding dresses or men in kilts and usually both. So no one cares what
random female attendees are wearing. Takes the pressure off wonderfully.

I love the ceremony –
handfasting, religious, civil, whatever – the endless photographs while
everyone freezes and grumbles, the food (thank you, Mum and Dad, for bringing
me up to eat whatever’s put in front of me), the speeches – longer the better,
if you ask me; and of course I love the dancing. An English pal once shared her
surprise that normal-looking 21st century Scottish people, who
download apps and go to yoga, suddenly reveal their Braveheart roots at
weddings. We all know the steps and we all howl like blue-painted banshees at
Bannockburn. Apparently that howl is unsettling when you’re not expecting it.

Still, the first time
I was invited to a wedding in California, I was more excited than I’d ever
been. It was outside – so glamorous, just like in the movies – at a butterfly
farm. I couldn’t wait to see if they did that weird walking thing that looks as
if there’s a scratch on the videotape (they did) and if the groom would smash
cake into the bride’s face and not get a punch in the neck for messing her
dress up (he did and he didn’t – so strange). I didn’t know about the bells,
though. Maybe it’s because it would mess up the sound in a movie, but I’d never
seen guests being given “tinkle sticks” to jingle at the happy couple, who’re
supposed to kiss every time they hear the jingling.

That’s what led me to
my slight faux pas. When the usher (groomsman?) handed me my stick en
route to my seat, I thought he said “tickle stick”. So I did what you’d do. I
said “woo-hoo-hoooo!” and goosed him with it. Only under his arm, thankfully,
but I still got a hell of a look. It took me doing it another three times before
someone stepped in.

Thank God for Neil, in his kilt, advertising that we were new here and had to be given a bit of leeway. He almost didn’t wear it, since summer in California plus nine pounds of wool round your waist isn’t an obvious match.

Readers: I’d love to hear about your wedding traditions – tinkle sticks, cake smashing, funny walks – or (even better) the faux pas you might have made, that could make me feel better about mine!

Catriona
McPherson is the national best-selling and multi-award-winning author of the
Dandy Gilver series of preposterous detective stories, set in her native Scotland
in the 1930s. She also writes darker contemporary suspense novels, of which
STRANGERS AT THE GATE is the latest. Also, eight years after immigrating to the
US and settling in California, Catriona began the Last Ditch series, written
about a completely fictional Scottish woman who moves to a completely
fictional west-coast college town.

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Catriona is
a member of MWA, CWA and SoA, and a proud lifetime member and former national
president of Sisters
in Crime, committed
to advancing equity and inclusion for women, writers of colour, LGBTQ+ writers
and writers with disability in the mystery community.

Cover Reveal — From Beer to Eternity

Sherry, here and I’m so excited to show you the cover of From Beer to Eternity. It’s the first in my new Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon mystery series! I’m celebrating with a giveaway too!

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Here’s a bit about the book:

A whip smart librarian’s fresh start comes with a tart twist in this perfect cocktail of murder and mystery—with a romance chaser.

MURDER ON TAP

With Chicago winters in the rearview mirror, Chloe Jackson is making good on a promise: help her late friend’s grandmother run the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle. To Chloe’s surprise, feisty Vivi Slidell isn’t the frail retiree Chloe expects. Nor is Emerald Cove. It’s less a sleepy fishing village than a panhandle hotspot overrun with land developers and tourists. But it’s a Sea Glass regular who’s mysteriously crossed the cranky Vivi. When their bitter argument comes to a head and he’s found dead behind the bar, guess who’s the number one suspect?

In trying to clear Vivi’s name, Chloe discovers the old woman isn’t the only one in Emerald Cove with secrets. Under the laid-back attitude, sparkling white beaches, and small town ways something terrible is brewing. And the sure way a killer can keep those secrets bottled up is to finish off one murder with a double shot: aimed at Chloe and Vivi.

From Beer to Eternity is available for preorder. To celebrate I’m giving away an ARC of Sell Low, Sweet Harriet which is out on December 31. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday, November 10.

Readers: Do you have a favorite beach?

 

Wicked Wednesday: Grateful

Wickeds, our theme for this month is gratitude. What are your protagonists grateful for as we approach Thanksgiving?

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Edith/Maddie: Mac Almeida is always wicked grateful for her family in Westham and for being able to live near them. Robbie Jordan feels blessed to have a popular business operating in the black, due in part to Danna and Turner, her fabulous assistants. And Rose Carroll gives thanks that the women of Amesbury continue to seek her help with their pregnancies and births – despite all the murders she’s been associated with.

Jessie: Since my Beryl and Edwina series is set in England, the holiday is not looming large in my characters’ minds. That said, both of my protagonists are grateful that their private enquiry agency is starting to make a little money and that they continue to feel blessed by each other’s company.

Liz: Maddie James is grateful that she’s back home for this holiday season. After living on the west coast for 10 years and swooping in for the holiday, she recognizes that there’s a lot to be said for spending the entire season with family, especially her beloved Grandpa Leo. And, surprisingly, her sister Val.. Stan Connor is grateful to be spending her first holiday married to Jake. And that there haven’t been any murders lately in Frog Ledge!

Barb: Jessie, I wondered if Beryl would pester Edwina to find a turkey and somehow shove it in the cooker. Julia Snowden is grateful for her family and that their clambake business has survived and even thrived for another year. Jane Darrowfield is grateful for her great, good friends, though she’s feeling a little off-balance because she’s having dinner with her friend Harry Welch, his sons and their families for the first time.

Julie: Barb, I was wondering the same thing about Beryl. Maybe she’ll try her hand at an apple pie? Lilly Jayne is very grateful for her friends, and for feeling as though she’s rejoined her life after a period of mourning. I suspect that Ernie and Tamara will talk her into hosting a large dinner. She may grumble, but she’ll love every minute of it.

Sherry: Sarah is grateful to be alive after all of her experiences over the past seven books. She’s also grateful for her friends who’ve become her family. Chloe is grateful she gets to meet readers next year.

Readers: What are you grateful for? Writers: What are your characters grateful for?

Opening Lines

Write an opening line for a story inspired by the photo below:

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Edith: Matilde shivered as she dropped prone on the frosty grass. The sniper on the apartment building’s second floor had his sights trained on her, but she’d been ordered to retrieve the package before dark. Ten yards of slithering and she’d be free.

Sherry: I grabbed a shovel and met Jed like he asked. But when Jed told me he had a grave issue this wasn’t what I was expecting.

Barb: The view from my cell forces me daily to contemplate: Which is better, to live out my life in prison or sleep quiet in the grave?

Jessie: Patricia was not amused by what her Air B&B host considered a “view”.

Liz: When they told me it was a quiet neighborhood, I had no idea this was what they’d meant.

Julie: She walked over to the grave and kicked the bouquet of flowers aside. It was better than he deserved.

Readers: Tell us your opening lines!

[Photo by Bill Carito. If you want to see more, you can friend him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bcarito and follow him on Instagram at billcarito and bill.carito.colorphotos.]

What you can learn from television

No. not the American kind–I grew up with that. But I’m in Ireland, and I have a satellite dish that gets mainly UK television shows. Some are familiar from what’s broadcast in the U.S. (like Midsomer Murders, several times a day), but what has attracted my attention is both English shows (like BBC news) and, yes, the commercials. Since the weather has been a bit damp, I’ve had the chance to watch a lot of them.

Content: Let me start by saying that I suspect satellite broadcasts are aimed at older citizens (like us fogies who keep watching during the day). There is a preponderance of “save the animals” pitches–for the usual cats and dogs, but with quite a few appeals to contribute to bears and donkeys and abused zoo animals. The requests are usually small and reasonable–a few pounds a month (forever).

Then there is the “senior” furniture–lots of scooters of different sorts, and chairs that will gently nudge you out of your armchair or bathtub or bed. They are most often used by lovely blonde women carefully dressed in skirts and high heels (to sit in a chair to read a book?) and smiling all the time. Seriously, most of these ladies don’t look like they need help getting out of the furniture, but usually there’s a spouse handy to encourage her.

Funeral packages: there are many many appeals (to the presumably not-young audience) to invest in a burial program for the future, at only a few pounds a month. Be sure to read the fine print, because you can’t always get a refund if you don’t make use of your policy.

Appearance: Since Brexit is looming (whatever shape it takes), I’ve seen a lot of news shows and MPs (mostly members of the UK House of Commons) on broadcasts throughout the day. It is a different universe from our staid and usually well-groomed politicians and newscasters. They look like normal people–the hair styles look as good (or bad) as mine and vary widely; there is little makeup on the women; teeth have rarely encountered orthodontia and they are often yellow. No spandex outfits in sight. I find it kind of refreshing: these are people you can identify with.

One last comment: watching the full House of Commons in action during a heated debate is a lot more interesting than watching the American Congress. People yell and make odd noises. They stand up and sit down a lot. They compete for attention, often loudly. (And, as of this moment, there are slightly more female members than in Congress, although that may be changing since Brexit negotiations have been such an ongoing mess. (Should I mention that Scotland is talking about becoming an independent country?)

I will also say that in general most MPs are far more polite (even on Facebook), both in general and to one another, than their American counterparts. They are civil and they don’t call each other names. They sound intelligent and well-informed, and they clearly represent their constituents.

Readers, do you think the U.S. could move a bit closer to this model? If you ever get a chance, take a look at how they do things.