Well, dear readers, we have the blurb for the back cover of the new Adriana Hofstetter mystery. Mystery author and Nero Award-winner Dick Lochte has blurbed all the Adrianas, a series he really loves. I used to try for more than one, but I kind of like having just his blurb these days. The setting, which he references, will give you the book’s title if you add Murder at the to the setting. So, without further ado, the blurb:
Not to disparage Hollywood High, the Masquers Club, the Historical Society and other Los Angeles venues where high school sleuth Adriana Hofstetter has tracked and tricked murderers in this delightful series, Kimmel’s latest crime scene is surely his most inspired. The Magic Castle! The charming, ever-curious Adriana takes us on a tour through this intriguing palace of smoke and mirrors, introduces us to masters of magic and misdirection and solves the murder of a well-liked but strangely solitary card trick specialist. All great fun, including a walking visit to locations used in the noir film classic Double Indemnity.
Dick Lochte, author of the Nero Award-winning SLEEPING DOG.
Isn’t that a blurbilicious blurb? I’ll share the cover of the book soon, too.
Yesterday was a fun day in most ways and I say that as I am listening to a Mantovani movie theme album. I was up early after only about four hours of sleep – I simply could not fall asleep despite actually getting into bed at a reasonable hour. Go know. Once up, I showered, answered a few e-mails, and then I moseyed on over to the Group Rep for the musical theater workshop. There were only six people out of the lighter-than-usual ten who were supposed to be there. I think some folks think they’ll just get to be in the fundraiser without attending any of the three workshops, but unless they’ve done at least one, that won’t happen, as I have to hear and work with everyone before casting them. But the six who were there had a good time, I think. I talked about the cabaret world and how it differs from singing in a musical and I think that was helpful to everyone. Then each person got up and did a song. I’d give little notes or talk about specifics and then they’d sing it again, and then more notes and we’d do certain portions again. Then we took a brief break, after which everyone did a second song and it was the same for that – notes, redo, notes, do portions. Some of the song choices were interesting in that I hadn’t heard them – one from Spelling Bee was cute and another from the failed musical Amelie was interesting and very typical of today’s musical theater writers, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It was fun to have three A Carol Christmas people there – Hartley Powers, Harley Walker, and our swing, Alexa.
After that, Alexa’s mom, dear reader Leslie, had had to leave to pick up her sister so Alexa was hungry and I took us to Barone’s, where we were eventually joined by her mom. We split a pizza – half pepperoni, half cheese – I had three pieces and we had the scampi appetizer, which I have to say wasn’t up to its usual greatness – I think the day chef was clueless about it, frankly. Alexa took home the remaining cheese slices and I took the two remaining pepperoni. As I’ve mentioned, two slices there equal about one slice of normal pizza.
I came home, caught up with e-mails, saw the blurb, which made me very happy, and then I listened to some music, after which I sat on the couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the new Warner Archive Blu and Ray of The Prize, starring Paul Newman, Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, and Mr. Edward G. Robinson. Amusingly, I’d recently watched the Archive DVD, which was a spotty transfer, but that’s all been cleaned up for the Blu-ray, which looks very nice overall, with excellent color. It never seems quite sharp enough, which means it’s probably from an IP rather than the camera negative, but it’s pretty pleasing. When I wrote about it last September, I said it hadn’t held up very well over the years, but that the DVD was quite lackluster and that I hoped they’d get around to sprucing it up for Blu-ray. Well, as sometimes happens, the much-improved transfer helps the viewing experience.
After that, I had a telephonic conversation, listened to more music, and ate the two pieces of leftover pizza, for a total of about three-and-a-half slices of normal pizza. I didn’t really have any sweets here, so that was good.
Today, I’ll sleep in, then I’m taking it easy. I’ll begin the liner notes, and Grant wants me to fix a formatting thing on the manuscript – he’s done most of it and he’ll show me what to do and I’ll do the rest of what he didn’t catch. Then I’ll send it back to him and he’ll start his design on Monday, which will be grand. I think I’ll get some chicken breasts and sauté up some chicken, mushrooms, onions, and maybe a couple of other vegetables, and then serve that over some white rice. That’s all pretty calorie friendly. Then I’ll watch something.
Tomorrow the book design starts and as soon as I have it I’ll print out and do my final proofing and he’ll finalize it and off it will go to the publisher. The rest of the week is meetings and meals and going and doing and doing and going.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write liner notes, fix some formatting in the manuscript, write liner notes, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, so happy to have had a blurb that was blurbilicious.