Well, I am now in Alaska and it is snowing! Woohoo! The Dr Frankenstein snowboots (why do they not come in a kittenheel?), ugly hat and all that strange stuff I got from that weird outdoor shop are going to come in useful after all. This was the scene from my hotel room on arrival - it has since got even deeper!
But more of arctic Alaska in a little while. First of all some more bits on balmy Baltimore. It is really strange to come from somewhere where the night before I was sitting outside eating crabcakes on a warm evening by the bay. Carl, Maddy, Dame Judith and I went out for dinner to a wonderful seafood place on the bay. The crabcakes were delicious and they did a thing called a wine flight - which was basically a taster menu of wine which was an excellent idea and really delicious.The rest of Bouchercon passed in the usual blur. The best thing about it is the people. I always know that I am going to meet up with old friends (my long suffering room mate Jan, all the 4MAers of course, and some of my favourite people who it's great to catch up with - Declan Burke, Christa Faust, Ken Bruen, Twist Phelan, Rosemary Stevens, Reed Farrel Colman, Russel McLean, my poker buddies who humour me and put up with my stupid questions), the huge treat of meeting people for the first time - the big treats this year were Angie-Johnson Schmidt, John McFetridge and Peter Rozovsky. And then there are the people who I just don't see often enough. It's been years since I'd seen Eddie Muller, so getting to spend time with him was wonderful (and he STILL always manages to make me cry!). I'm sad to have left, but happy to be in Alaska for the next part of my adventure.
I'm not sure how this happened but, after sending 2 boxes of books and candy to the Bush, ready for my arrival, plus a box of books to Karen's, my luggage was STILL overweight. I had to pay excess baggage, natch. The lovely Karen Laubenstein picked me up from the airport and delivered me to my snowy hotel. The room I was given turned out to be Murder Central (ground floor, last room on the corridor, next to the fire exit so, after a few minutes thought I toddled off to Reception to see if I could get moved (yes mum, don't worry - I'm now in an alternative room!)
I am now going to order pizza and sit by the window and watch the snow fall.
Toodle-oo for noo.
Donna
9 comments:
Baltimore was whacked with 18 inches of snow right after you left.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Hiya Donna,
Glad you've arrived safe in Alaska. Is that true, though - about 'murder central'? Last room on the corridor of the ground floor next to the fire exit? D'you only know that 'cause you're a crime writer? Is it only crime writers who know that? Which would mean that it's only ever folk who aren't crime writers who get 'whacked' (is that right? is that the terminology 'you people' use?) in that room! Help!!! What else aren't 'you people' telling us??
Best of luck with your presentation. And remember - keep your clothes ON this time!
X
P.S. Who are the 4 MAers?
Donna,
Have really enjoyed your blug posts, thanks for those! I am sure you had a grand time in Baltimore, lovely lady.
Whee! Snow in Alaska! Sitting eating pizza and watching snow fall...how peaceful. :-) And how interesting that a certain room in a hotel is murder central...noir intelligence for sure! :-)
Have a frabjous time in Alaska, and hug those wonderful kids who impressed you and will impress you again. And you impress us no end.
Best Wishes!
Bobbie and Larry
Peter - oh NOW you tell me. You mean I didn't need to sit on a boiling hot plane next to a huge man who smelled of dead moose for 6 and a half hours? Well, I'm sure he smelled of dead moose for far longer than 6 and a half hours - but that's all the time I had to sit next to him.
Ewan - oh cheers pal - now my mother can add 'naked presentations' to the growing list of 'things I want a word with my daughter about'. As for Murder Central - it was on an episode of CSI so it MUST be true. See - us genre types learn all sorts of good stuff. You 'literary types' should stop navel gazing and get out more :o) And the 4MAers are the people on the best mystery fiction list on tinternet (you've heard me mention Maddy, Judith , Bobbie, Lesley et al). I shall give you a call in a couple of hours xx
Bobbie - it's getting closer and I can't wait! And watching the snow fall was very peaceful. Although it did have its downside - it delayed the arrival of my pizza :o)
If you wanted to get away from the smell of moose, dead or otherwise, what did you head to Alaska for?
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
The smell of moose is fine in its place. But its place is NOT sitting next to me on the plane. It was made worse by the fact that I fell asleep before take off, only to be woken up by the captain saying "Cabin crew - doors to manual for arrival please." "Great," I thought, "I slept through the whole five and a half hour flight", only to discover that we'd been sitting on the tarmaqc for an hour as they re-weighed all the luggage.
Sarah Palin would have known what to do.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Well, funny you should say that. I can see Russia from my hotel window. Well, it may just be Walmart, but...
Wowie--balmy Baltimore to the snow. We had to fly over a mountain to see snow last time. Watch out for the baaaaaaaars. Love, GWN
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