"Probable Claws" for the holidays!

Signed hardcovers make the best gifts - don't they? – and signed first editions of both of my two latest mysteries, Probable Claws and Shades of Grey, are available at Harvard Book Store (call 'em, they ship). But for those who just want something to read, Worldwide today unveiled its mass market paperback edition of Probable Claws – for less than $5! This is a web-only deal, but at this price, it's pretty unbeatable! (And yes, I'll sign any edition of my books.)

Oh, and it seems Worldwide still has the mass market Cries and Whiskers in stock, too!

Happy December (rabbit, rabbit)!

Lesa Holstine on "Probable Claws"

Librarian and critic Lesa Holstine reviews Probable Claws today. I won't quote the entire review here, but I can't resist:

"Once again, Clea Simon skillfully brings together the various aspects of Theda Krakow's complicated life. Not every author can intertwine cats, the rock music scene, and the problems at today's newspapers. Over the course of this series, though, Simon has managed to build sympathy for Theda, a woman who often alienates even the people who love her, as she gets so caught up in her current story or passion, whether it's cats or rock music, that she neglects her personal life. Readers who appreciate complicated characters, and intricate plots, will appreciate Simon's latest crime novel, Probable Claws."
– from Lesa's Book Critiques

Thank you, Lesa!

Win a free large-print PROBABLE CLAWS

Hi folks,
I have a few more large-print Probable Clawses than I need, so I'd love to give one to a deserving reader! It's the same, full text as the regular hardcover – only in very large type and bound in paperback.

I'd love to give this to someone who really needs to read large-print books - or to someone who will pass it along to someone with vision problems. My publisher, Poisoned Pen, does these regularly, and I know some readers really appreciate it!

So... here's the contest question: What is the name of the cat in my next (September) book? You can find out by poking about my website. Hint: it's not Musetta! Email me your answer. If I get more than one correct answer, I'll choose a winner by June 10!

Party time!

It's time to celebrate here at Chez Musetta!

Not only is tonight the book release party for "Probable Claws" (tonight at Ryles Jazz Club, if you're around), sponsored by the marvelous Kate Mattes of Kate's Mystery Books.

But Amazon FINALLY has "Probable Claws" in stock. Now, if you want a signed book, I strongly urge you to call or email Kate! But Amazon is really a lifeline for smaller authors, like myself, so I am very relieved!

Musings of a Bookish Kitty

What better place to unburden myself than at this wonderfully literary blog?

And - wow - check out this odd translation (into French?) and retranslation on another blog. I am "glad as a frog." (This is really worth it.)

Pub date: Where are the books?

Wow, this is a first! Pub date and no books. Officially, PROBABLE CLAWS is published today, but I've not received my books (nor the 75 copies I'm supposed to sign and send back to the publisher, which they distribute to various bookstores). And now I see on Amazon that PROBABLE CLAWS is listed as "temporarily out of stock." I made some inquiries and found out the weather is to blame. Seems my book is printed in Minnesota, and so the recent horrible weather and flooding has slowed things up. Supposedly the books are on the trucks now and should show up in a day or two. Considering what people who live out there had to deal with, this is minor, minor, minor. But it is a bit disorienting to have a "pub day" without a book in hand!

Powering through proofs

Hooboy, I'm reading Shades of Grey one more time – page proofs. This is my last chance to catch anything. Could the pressure be higher?

On a more fun note, I just heard that 70 copies of Probable Claws will be shipped to me next week. I sign most of those and ship them back (those pre-signed copies go to bookstores that have ordered them). Some, though, I get to keep! And I think that means it will start showing up in bookstores soon, too.

They're here!

My new bookmarks, that is. (Pictured front and back.) Email me with your snail mail address if you'd like some!
(You can also pre-order your Shades of Grey and your Probable Claws now, too!)

Decisions, decisions...

So, I'm getting bookmarks made up to give away at my various events, conferences, etc. (Malice Domestic! Murder Underbones party on April 21!). I think these look pretty great, but I'm not sure about the "The feline ghost did try to warn her..." (on the back/Shades of Grey side). It's short and to the point, but would it be better as "Her late, great cat came back to warn her...."? Does that say "ghost cat" clearly enough? Is it better? Worse? Let me know! And if you want a bookmark (or five) let me know, too. (This is the front and back of the same bookmark.)

She likes it!

I can't really complain about being busy. I much prefer it to being bored! Still, sometimes it's overwhelming and sometimes just deeply confusing to have multiple projects in various stages.

But sometimes it all becomes clear. Yesterday, I heard back from my editor at Severn House: She likes what I've done with "Shades of Grey" (really likes it, words like "even stronger" and "great" were bandied about) and so the manuscript is moving on to copy editing. And so yesterday, I had one of those instinctive reactions. Yes, I'm already deep into the next Dulcie book. Yes, I have "Dogs Don't Lie" waiting for me to re-read and revise it. And, yes, I'm gearing up for the "Probable Claws" launch. Still, after I got that news, I just had to take a break and spend most of the afternoon cleaning – really cleaning. My nose is still stuffy from all the dust I raised, and even in this weather I was bathed in sweat. No matter. The nest is now ready for the next project to hatch!

And... I'm now an Indiebound affiliate! Which means that this link should take you to an independent bookstore near you.

And finally, this is just plain silly!

THANK YOU, PW!!

Publishers Weekly, Feb. 2, 2009

Probable Claws Clea Simon. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (264p) ISBN 978-1-59058-564-1
Music journalist Theda Krakow once again proves a feisty and determined sleuth in Simon's lively fourth cat-themed mystery (after 2007's Cries and Whiskers). Theda alternates between the cat world, dominated by her pet, Musetta, and the Boston area music scene, about which she writes for local magazines and newspapers. When her retired policeman boyfriend, Bill, buys into a successful club that's a cop hangout, Theda can't help feeling a little jealous, though she admits she also has a problem with Bill's attitude—he's too patronizing. Meanwhile, contaminated cat kibble at the animal shelter run by her friend Violet may be the work of a poisoner. When Theda, guided by blood on Musetta's paw, discovers Rachel, a shelter vet, lying on the treatment-room floor with a fatal stab wound, she gets arrested for Rachel's murder. Well-drawn characters, a plot with many strings to unravel and plenty of appealing cats make this another winner for Simon. (Apr.)

The deep breath...

I know in some ways this is the crazy season, but really, isn't it also the deep breath before the plunge?

I've pretty much finished a rough draft of my "pet noir," I expect to have some good news to announce in the new year, and I've got "Probable Claws" coming out in April. But right now, freelance is dying down. Editors are taking off for vacations (or getting laid off). Things are quieting down. We're planning a couple of dinners out with friends, some quiet holiday celebrations. It's the deep breath before the plunge into the next busy year, I think, and I'm savoring it.

What about you? Crazed or quiet?

"Probable Claws" ARC WINNERS!!

Drumroll, please....

The winners of advance, uncorrected reading copies of my April mystery, "Probable Claws," are Gina Teh, Krista Schnee, and Debbie Bogenschutz! My good friend and fellow author Vicki Croke ("The Lady and the Panda," among other books) drew three names at random for me. These three advance readers will be getting their copies soon. Everyone else will have to wait till April ... but thank you for playing!

(Note to the winners: This pretty cover is NOT on the advance edition yet. Sorry!)

PROBABLE CLAWS contest!

Probable Claws is coming out this spring! I've got a great cover and the book is now available for pre-ordering on Amazon, BN.com, and through the Poisoned Pen Press website. I've also got some advance copies and would love to offer them to readers. So here's the deal: If you can answer the following question (answer can be found on my home site) and you will commit to sharing your opinion of "Probable Claws" in a chat group, blog, or on Amazon by April 1, you could win an advance copy! (Note: These advance copies only have a plain cover, and they still have lots of typos.) I'll choose three winners at random from everyone who emails me beween now and Nov. 27.

QUESTION: What was the name of my "eminence grisé"?

Email me your answer – and your pledge to read and review the book by April 1 – and best of luck!

Oooh.... scary!

Walking home from a concert last night, we saw lots of small groups wandering the streets - most in costume. It was a blustery night, not too cold, but windy and rainy, and often we'd see couples with raincoats and umbrellas. Not till we were close would we notice the green makeup or the glitter on their eyes. One young man was courteously carrying a young woman done up in some kind of colorful spangly outfit. Didn't get a chance to ask if she'd been taken a fall on the wet pavement or she simply didn't want to get damp. Halloween week is here!

On a less scary note, I've been reading the ARC of Probable Claws and I'm really liking it! In all fairness, I'm way too close to judge the plot. Will there be any mystery in it for people who haven't read it a zillion times before? I hope so, but I honestly don't know. The good news is that I am enjoying the writing. Soon, I think I'll have a contest to give away a few of these ARCs, so maybe I can hear what real readers think.

In the meantime, I'm going to be the featured "roasted" author on Tuesday over at Book Roast . I'll post again on Tuesday, but keep it in mind. I have no idea WHAT the hosts will ask me... but I'm prepared for some Halloween tricks (and treats).

The fear factor

It's now 2 p.m., and I've only read 14 pages. But hey, at least I've read 14 pages!

No, despite my post of a few days ago, I have not yet geared myself up to read my ARCs of Probable Claws. (I know! I know!) Instead, I'm back into a project that I put aside a few months back. At that time, I thought I'd focus on my pet-psychic mystery and I've been going great guns with that one. Having a blast. Jotting down plot points and bits of witty (I hope) dialogue on different colored stickies. Just loving it and making great progress.

But... someone wants to see the darker book. Well, is willing to look at it. And so I hit the breaks, felt the engine start to seize up, and managed to turn in time. It hasn't been easy. But two loads of laundry, a thorough cleaning and reassembling of the cat's water fountain, and much picking up and putting down of various pens and notepads later, I'm back in it...

so far, not bad!

You're dead to me!

Oh, lordy. My ARC (advance reading copies) of Probable Claws have arrived. The new mystery doesn't publish until April, but these are the advances that go out to Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Kirkus, and other long-lead reviewers. Because Poisoned Pen is also a smaller press, this is also the first time I've seen my book set in type! (Bigger publishers usually send out unbound pages - this is bound like a book, though without the fancy cover.) I'm supposed to read it through over the next few weeks for typos and minor changes. And I'm terrified! When I was writing this book, I loved it. The characters were real to me and I fretted over them as if they were my children.

Now I'm caught up in my new project, tentatively called Dogs Don't Lie, and I'm finding it horribly difficult to go back. What was once a living story is now entombed in pages. What if the story doesn't race along of its own accord? What if I no longer like the characters? What if my beloved fourth mystery, once so alive, is now dead to me?

Eight months to go...

Big shout-out thanks to designer Geoffrey Boyarsky for this excellent cover!

Oh, and here's a cheering story: It takes a village to save a cat.

Spring ahead... to Probable Claws

Just got the word: Probable Claws, my fourth Theda Krakow mystery, will be published next April by Poisoned Pen Press! More info as I get it, and an excerpt will go up on my site soon. But in the meantime: someone is trying to poison shelter cats, and when Theda investigates she finds herself arrested for murder!

Remembering to forget...

It's not like I don't have enough on my plate. I've got the revisions of "Probable Claws" to finish up (luckily, my editor is on vacation, which gives me some breathing room). And I've got my summer writing class to teach. But my agent is sending out my non-Theda manuscript this week, and so the time feels right to start on an entirely brand new project.

Sometimes, this part is easy. On Saturday, sitting at a cafe in Harvard Square, I started writing notes and bits of dialogue. They came from nowhere. But once I finally sat down to type them up and enlarge on them, I found myself second guessing everything. Should I start with a simple scene? Not let the narrator intrude so soon? Was I rushing the action, or was the pacing natural?

At some point last night, I remembered: I can't worry about this now. I've just got to get what's in my head out on paper. I can fix it up later. Years ago, a friend quoted pub rocker Nick Lowe to me, saying, "Bash it out now. Tart it up later." But, especially while revising "Probable Claws" and after polishing up the other ms., it's so hard to turn off that internal editor and just write!!

Anyone have any advice?