What to be thankful for in 2020–Really!

Before you go any further, listen to this music! I’ll bet anything you’ve never heard it before. (More info at the end of the newsletter–along with a special announcement–and you’ll understand why I’m confident of winning this bet.)

Well! We’re almost there! We’ve almost made it to the end of 2020. A year unlike any other, and I’m guessing most of us fervently hope that 2021 will bring a light at the end of more than one tunnel.

Yet, here we are. It’s November, with Thanksgiving upon us. It’s the holiday season when we express everything we’re grateful for. And as challenging as it may be to believe that in this year of pandemic and political turmoil there has been anything to commend it, let me suggest a few possibilities:

We’ve discovered just how much we love our families, how much we value our friendships, how much greater joy and excitement we look forward to being able to do simple things like go to a restaurant, visit friends in person, go on a vacation. Yes, even go to work! All those moments that we’ve always taken for granted, we’ll now relish more than ever.

In the meantime, if you’re like me and have basically been stuck inside your home for the past nine months, you might also be thankful for learning how to make a shrimp marinara sauce, bake New York-style bagels, or grow potatoes in a barrel. You might have had more time to catch up on reading, sign up for Zoom webinars, and listen to music and podcasts.

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(Yes, They’re My Very Own)

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Speaking of podcasts, I recently did one with acclaimed radio personality, Jordan Rich, for his On Mic series. Jordan is an amazing interviewer and I think you’ll find this podcast about music, literature, and life engaging and diverting.

But, if you’re still at a loss what to do next and you’ve totally run out of Netflix mystery series, let me share a few projects with you to keep you and your loved ones entertained throughout the holiday season or until we all get vaccinated, whichever comes first:

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A group of two dozen co-authors and I have donated more than $1,000 to the American Red Cross from our royalties of Getting Through: Tales of Corona and Community. It’s an anthology of short stories, poems, essays, and letters that were written and compiled back in April, when we optimistically presumed the pandemic would be over by now. Getting Through offers touching, often humorous, and occasionally dystopian views of life during this unprecedented period in history. We will continue to support the Red Cross for as long as sales continue.

If you’re a fan of political thrillers like I am, my novel, The Beethoven Sequence, was released in September. It’s about a mentally unstable political outsider who becomes president—go figure—and, he said with tongue in cheek, the book’s release just happened to coincide with the recent election. The Boston Musical Intelligencer described The Beethoven Sequence as an “absorbing, even riveting” tale that’s “uncannily plausible.” Let me know what you think.

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Here’s a fun Zoom event I did last month as part of the annual Utah Humanities Book Festival, hosted by Weller Book Works—one of Salt Lake City’s fine indie bookstores—and sponsored by Book Club. The general theme of the talk is “How to Write a Thriller,” and more specifically, how I applied those tools to the writing of The Beethoven Sequence.  (You can order The Beethoven Sequence online or from your favorite local bookstore.)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!! As a result of a successful collaboration on The Beethoven Sequence, I’m very, VERY, VERY pleased to announce a seven-book deal with my new publisher, Level Best Books , to bring back everyone’s favorite mystery-solving curmudgeon, Daniel Jacobus!! HURRAY!

Starting next spring, keep your eyes open for re-releases of updated versions of the first four books in the series, which have been out of print, and then for two totally NEW Jacobus mysteries, Cloudy with a Chance of Murder and Murder at the Royal Albert.

To top off the mystery hit parade, let’s tip our Stetsons to a new Western mystery hero, Jefferson Dance. He’ll make his debut in Cloudy with a Chance of Murder, collaborating with Daniel Jacobus on bringing a murderer to justice on Antelope Island, Utah, and then he’ll have a baffling murder to solve on his own in Roundtree Days.

Oops! Almost forgot. Here’s the skinny about that music! It’s the beginning of the Sonata in C Minor by the 18th century virtuoso violinist-composer, Pietro Castrucci, and the reason I’m certain I’ll win the bet is that it has never been recorded!

This spring, I will have the honor to make the first-ever complete recording in history of Castrucci’s Opus 1 Sonatas for Violin and Cembalo. I’ve been invited by the acclaimed record company, Centaur Records, to record these 12 sonatas, which are remarkable for their expressive breadth and technical fireworks.

[image error] Purported to be Castrucci
himself in this Hogarth print!

The only mystery here is that they haven’t become a staple of the repertoire! Maybe now they will be. Our GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to make the recording has been a huge success and I’m more than pleased to announce we have reached our funding goal! I invite you to check out this historic project.

Finally, I would love to hear from you! It feels great—therapeutic even—being able to share with you what I’ve been up to. Now, it’s your turn. Let’s hear what stories you have to tell! In the meantime, best wishes for a safe, healthy, and loving holiday season, and let’s keep those fingers crossed for 2021!

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