It's so hard to keep a secret- Now with 100% more Foreign Body!

Way back in March, I started the process of putting the 6 Tory Bauer Mysteries back in print, through CreateSpace (the same folks who published The Nut Hut, and the two paper doll coloring books). It has been a long, slow process, and I had to keep quiet about it because I wanted to surprise the artist who did the wonderful new covers for the series. That artist also happens to be my son, Curtis Taylor

Though Foreign Body is still in the pipeline (I think it'll be ready next week), the first 5 books are ready, and I absolutely could not wait one minute longer to show off these amazing new editions.

The books are the same as the original paperbacks from Avon/Harper Collins, but in trade paperback format (larger than mass market pbs), with all of the covers Curtis did for the eBook editions.

I am absolutely thrilled.

Lemee tellya, it never gets old.

Foreign Body is now up and running!!!. And in case anyone needs a reminder- this is the series reading order (they were originally published out of order).

Funeral Food

Sex and Salmonella

The Hotel South Dakota

Mourning Shift

Cold Front

Foreign Body

I'm never going to get caught up

I have 5 days of work to do in the 2 1/2 days I have left before I leave for SAFF, so  posting will be a little sparse... But I'll have internet access in Asheville, so I can post from there at least.

In the meantime, I'm Officially Official! Bahamas, here I come!

Oh yeah, and I forgot- it's never too early to think about buying graduation cards... especially this one... I kinda sorta know the artist.

Lotsa fun with CafePress...

New Tory Bauer goodies are available from CafePress, using the wonderful covers designed for the eBooks by Curtis Taylor (yeah, the name is not a coindicence).

I love CafePress's rectangle fridge magnets. I've had sets made of each of the new covers. Mourning Shift and Cold Front look right at home with the rest. The 6th (and final, for now) cover is being designed even as I type. Soon, I'll have a full set.

I'm wearing the Mourning Shift tee right now, and as soon as it cools off enough (not any time soon, I fear), I'll be wearing the black Cold Front hoodie.

Two more beer glasses to add to my collection.

They'll fit in nicely with the rest. I do have to add a caveat about the beer glasses- the transfers are exact replicas of the covers, but they're also translucent, and therefore not easy to see. Also, if you leave the glasses soaking overnight (not that I'd ever do that), the glass turns a slightly opaque, which actually makes the images easier to see. It's not a problem for me, but it could bother others who order the glasses.

Amazingly enough, beer glasses don't just have to hold beer. I like the Seagram's Dark Honey, though maybe not quite as much as the Wild Turkey American Honey. I can sip the Wild Turkey neat, but not the Seagram's. On the other hand, the Seagram's makes a nice mixer.

It's been my week for CafePress orders- Curt designed a new logo for his HopHeadSaid beer blog. I loved it, and immediately needed a beer glass (natch), a golf shirt, and a new coaster for my desk (serving its purpose right now).

You can see all of the Tory Bauer merchandise by clicking here, or on the link to the upper right. The HopHeadSaid things are available here, and while you're at it, check Curt's blog. It's great.

Cold Front is now Available for Nook, Plus other Big News!

Cold Front is now available at B&N for Nook!

It's also available at Scribd and Smashwords!

I have the file for Foreign Body, the 6th Tory Bauer Mystery, on my Kindle. I need to proof it, but it should be up and available in a month or so, with yet another wonderful Curtis Taylor cover.

And while I'm at it, I want to announce that Knit One, Felt Too (my first knitting book) is now available for pre-order for Nook from Barnes & Noble. It'll be released August 22. I honestly don't know if this is an exclusive Nook deal, or if the book will be available from Amazon too. I'll get back to you on that.

And tomorrow, I will have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Something that has been a long time coming (over a decade), which has me dancing in my chair! Stay tuned!

Sort of Wordless

I'll have a pretty big announcement maybe next week, plus the release of Cold Front (the 5th Tory Bauer Mystery) across all eBook platforms, so stand by...

In the meantime, here are some pretty pictures:

And progress on the Mucha Needlepoint...

...and more shilling for my son's Kickstarter Project. Please check it out- pledges as small as $1 are gladly accepted:

Click here for more info.

Blatant shilling for a very talented son

My son Curtis The Artist (creator of the wonderful new eBook covers for the Tory Bauer series) is also the head honcho at HopHeadSaid. Curt is a a beer expert (he's now a certified Cicerone, one of only 400 in the country) and home brewer. He's also a writer, with a regular beer column in VC Buzz, a Ventura county magazine, and his series of beer videos is great. Oh, and he taped the pilot for an internet talk show on beer.

He's started a Kickstarter project in order to fund more and better videos- this time, a series on the proper glassware for individual beer styles. Go and see what he's up to, and if the notion intrigues you, you can pledge, as little as $1 up to... well whatever. The way Kickstarter works is that projects have a set amount of time (in this case 30 days) to achieve the desired amount of pledges. If the amount is met, the pledges (this time through Amazon, but any credit or debit card will work) are processed. If the amount is not met, the project is disbanded and no cards are charged.

I think this is a marvelous project, and I hope you will too.

Here's the Kickstarter page for Curt's project: beer pour'n  (pronounced Beer Porn... heh).

And here's his video intro:



P.S. Every pledge over $5 gets a cool gift

There's a Cold Front coming...

When I was in Closet Cleaning Mode (now thankfully passed), I found this:

My friend Ann had this tee made for me when Cold Front was first published. I wore it proudly. Cold Front is being re-released in a couple of weeks, and I'm wearing it again, though just as a swimsuit cover up.

My son, the Genius Artist, has come up with yet another fantastic eBook cover, and this may be my favorite one yet:

I love everything about this- Curt captured the essence of the book perfectly. But I think that the chrome lettering on the side of the truck is my absolute favorite thing about it.

See? Cool, no?

And seeing the covers all lined up is cooler yet- note the subtle color progression: red/white, dark red/gold, gold/brown, brown/gray, gray/gold.... I can't wait to see what happens with Foreign Body, which is the 6th and final Tory Bauer mystery (at least the last of the stories that have been written and published... maybe there will be more...)

As usual, Curt has posted the evolution of this cover- it's absolutely fascinating to see how each one came to be. Scroll to the bottom for the Cold Front section.

I've finished proofing the files and the whole thing is back with my friend Ryan, for final formatting. After that, it's just a matter of getting Cold Front listed on the various sites. My guess is that it'll be available within 2 weeks. Woohoo!

Mourning Shift starting to show up, and a bit of pool stuff

The pool is finally full and beautiful. The patch is holding, and the pump is running (though a few replacement parts are on order, so we don't run the pump full time yet). The water is warming up- the girls swam yesterday morning, squealing for the first 15 minutes about the cold water, and then having a wonderful time. I swam laps in the afternoon, and remembered how very much I love swimming, though I'm nowhere in shape enough to swim 300yards in a single go. I'll work up to it.

It's so beautiful. And it's calming just to watch the light dance on the water. Unfortunately, there is no light dancing on the water right now, because it's going to storm. Of course.

In the meantime, the eBook version of  Mourning Shift (the 4th Tory Bauer Mystery) is going live. It's up at Scribd and Smashwords now. It'll show up on Amazon and B&N in 1-3 days, though it could appear any minute. It'll be up and available at Sony within 2 weeks.

I'll post here, and link to the right for the Amazon and B&N listings as soon as they're up and running.

I'm proofing Cold Front now, and it'll be ready to upload in 2-3 weeks, and after that, Foreign Body. It's been quite an adventure, and once again, I want to thank my friend Ryan Boettger and his Grad Tech Students for the formatting, and Curtis Taylor for the amazing covers!

Proud Mama

My son Curtis, of HopHeadSaid (and also of the new covers for my eBooks, and other wonderful graphic art) has started recording videos for his blog. This first one is a Style Profile of a Pilsner beer. If I say so myself, it's pretty darn good.

I can't imbed the video here, but this link will take you there.

And if you're in SoCal, check out his Beer Trail Map for lots of wonderful breweries and pubs along the 101.

Drum Roll Please...

My Son, The Brilliant Artist, has done it again! Here's the cover for the eBook version of Mourning Shift, the 4th Tory Bauer Mystery, which will be available later this spring. I think it's the best one yet!

Check out the evolution of all of the eBook covers here!

HopHeadSaid New Year's Giveaway

Curtis Taylor, intrepid artist and author, blogger, radio personality, beer expert, and not incidentally, my oldest son, is hosting a giveaway contest on his HopHeadSaid blog for this wonderful apron:

 It's a heavy-duty canvas apron with the HopHeadSaid logo on it, from CafePress. I have another CafePress apron (with the Sex and Salmonella eBook cover on it) and can attest to its durability and functionality (in other words- it's a really good apron). And I love the way the ties are attached through casings, so it really does fit all sizes. The giveaway apron is like the one above: navy with the white logo.

Here's the logo, a little more visible. I'm wearing my HopHeadSaid sweatshirt right now (gray fabric, black image).

In order to enter, head on over to HopHeadSaid and follow the instructions (it's easy- post the contest on Facebook or some other place, and leave a comment). Easy peasy! And when you get done, head over to the CafePress shop from HopHead Said for other cool beer related items.

Good Luck!

The advantage in being the Artist's Mother

You get things like this in the mail...

Next time I go to Sioux Falls, I need to stop at Michaels and lay in a supply of black frames so I can hang these somewhere besides on the fridge (and yes, I do have enough magnets to color-coordinate the photography).

I think the Hotel South Dakota poster is available through CafePress, but the others might be limited editions... neener neener...

The Hotel South Dakota Magnet and Note Card Giveaway!

Enter here to win a fridge magnet and note card featuring the new eBook cover of The Hotel South Dakota, signed by the author and the artist! Three people will win!!!!

The Hotel South Dakota- the Kindle Edition- and the Nook Edition

It's Here!!!!!!!! Or to be more accurate, It's There!!!!!

The Hotel South Dakota. The Kindle version isn't linked to the Kindle versions of Funeral Food or Sex and Salmonella at the moment, but that'll be fixed soon.  And it'll be up for Nook probably by tomorrow.

CafePress items with the covers of all three books are available in the link to the upper right of this page. I have an HSD tee shirt, a beer glass, and fridge magnets coming. Once I get them, I'll do a magnet set giveaway with all three covers.

Once again, I want to thank Dr. Ryan Boettger and his students for the fantastic job they did in formatting the first three Tory Bauer mysteries for Kindle, and Abby Reilly for getting the files ready for the other platforms, and for handling all of the uploading. And I especially want to thank Curtis Taylor for the fantastic new covers!

The final three books in the series won't be available until next spring. They'll be sporting Curtis Taylor covers too. I can't wait!

Added in this afternoon: the Nook Edition is now available! Find it here!

Drum roll please...

I'll be heading out to NCFF soon. It's going to be a weekend full of friends, fun, and wool fumes. I'll post pics and commentary here (and if you're on Facebook, I'll be posting some pics on both my personal page, and my *author* page) (throughout the day, if my phone works inside the big metal building... which is unlikely).

In the meantime, Curtis finished the cover for the eBook release of The Hotel South Dakota.

 Beautiful, is it not? I especially love the little TA + NB in the heart, written on the desk.

The book will likely be ready for Kindle, etc, sometime next week, and I'll be sure to announce when it's available. I'm also sure that Curt will add the cover to his CafePress store, if you're in the mood for tote bags or doggie jackets with the design. I see another tee shirt and beer glass in my future, not to mention fridge magnets (at which time I will have a giveaway for a few sets of all three).

I think this post on the evolution of all three of the covers is fascinating. Art is like writing- a lot of false starts, and then the lightbulb moment.

The last three books in the Tory Bauer series won't be ready for eBook release until next spring, but Curt will be doing the covers for those books too. I can't wait to see what he does with them.

Calling Maxine

Curt says that Maxine, who entered and won the Sex and Salmonella magnet and note card giveaway on his blog, has not contacted him. So... yoo hoo Maxine! If you're out there, go here and let Curt know, so he can send your goodies out. If he doesn't hear from you in two weeks, he'll draw another name.

This 'n That

Did you enter the Sex and Salmonella magnet/note card giveaway? Did you win? Check here to find out.

Speaking of Curtis Taylor, as I often do, in addition to the fantastic covers that he's designing for the eBook versions of my mysteries (The Hotel South Dakota should be available within a few weeks), his CafePress store also features items using some of his other illustrations and designs. My new favorites are the Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach themed goodies.

I love the tee, note cards, and the glass. I just ordered the Cannon Beach logo hoodie. Woohoo!

Have I ever shown you the beer glasses? (note: the picture is fuzzy, the images on the glasses are not). I'm planning to get them for all of the new covers. The two on the left are more of Curt's designs. The images are translucent, which I did not expect (I thought they would have opaque backgrounds), but I really love the look, especially when they're in use...

See?

This morning, I am gathering supplies and printing handouts for my classes at the Michigan Fiber Festival (link on the upper right of the main page), which opens next week. I'll be teaching next Wednesday (Fair Isle Design), and Friday (Writing Patterns for Publication, and Little Tips and Knitting Tricks)(there are a couple more spots open in each of the classes for on-site signups). I'm excited about the trip to Michigan, where we will spend time with The Hub's sister Jayne. And I'm thrilled to be invited to teach at this festival.

Wool! Yarn! Sheep! Woohoo!

So, I'd best get to work. But I'll leave you with this absolutely gorgeous photo of my new daughter in law, Cassy. 

That's Haystack Rock in the background, and a certain wedding shawl draped around her lovely shoulders.

Sex and Salmonella magnet and note card giveaway

Enter and win here.

Enter to win a signed Funeral Food magnet and note card

Curt (amazing son and artist) is hosting a Funeral Food magnet and note card giveaway on his blog. Three winners will be chosen from the entries, and each will get a signed magnet and note card. Click here to enter!

And after you enter, take a peek at his other work. He's pretty good, if I say so myself!

Less traumatic stuff

I have to stick around this morning, because my replacement Kindle will arrive (I know this because FedEx called yesterday, to make sure I would be here to sign for it). I don't know for sure what time they'll get here, so I just have to wait. On the other hand, except for swimming, there is not a single thing that I plan to do outside today anyway. I got up at 5:30 to run before it got hot, but it was already too late: 75 degrees and 94% humidity. I treadmilled instead. This is the only currently scheduled Heart Attack Day (our heat index is predicted to hit 110 this afternoon), and then a cool front will come through and dry things out a bit. It'll still be warm, but with much lower humidity.

Anyway, I'm making good progress on the never-ending wedding shawl.

The beads don't show up well in most of my photos, so I took it outside and tried there. They sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.

 I have about 11' left to knit. After I finish the knitting, it'll take an evening to Kitchener the blasted thing together (well, the *thing* is not blasted, but I would happily blast old Kitchener), and then another evening to block it. Did I mention that we're leaving July 12? If all goes well, I'll be done early. Keep your fingers crossed.

You might notice the new link on the upper right of the blog page- my amazing and talented son has listed lots of cool items with the new Tory Bauer eBook covers for sale through CafePress. Full disclosure here- I do not profit from the sale of these items. Curt did the designs, and he owns the copyright to the covers, and I didn't pay him for them (plus, he agreed to design all six of them for me- he's A Good Boy), so I'm more than happy to let him keep whatever profit there is from sales. Chances are, I'm the only one who really wants a Sex and Salmonella apron (which I ordered the minute it was available- the pic is from the website, but I'll post one of mine when it arrives), but just in case: the store is open. Tee shirts, aprons, cups, tote bags, note cards and other hilarious things are available (if you have a hankering for a doggie tee shirt with the Funeral Food cover, you got it). I seriously need a set of beer glasses with my covers on them, but the pint glasses are on back order. As soon as they're in stock, I'm ordering some.

And speaking of Sex and Salmonella- the Kindle files are done and sent off. The book could be available for download as early as next week, with Nook and other formats to follow immediately. Woohoo!