Wegmans and me

For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, Wegmans is a regional grocery store chain that just happens to be headquartered in my home town. I can remember my parents shopping at the Mt. Read store when I was eight or ten (and we won't get into how many years ago that was). I've been shopping there since I had my first apartment (again--too many years to mention.) So it was a thrill for me to walk into the store yesterday and see ...

Well, hold on a second and let me backtrack.

I have wanted to get my books into Wegmans for almost four years. I can understand why they wouldn't want to bother with my small press books, but when Murder Is Binding came out last year, I tried again. Never heard from them.

A little over three weeks ago (? I'm iffy with time), I was in one of the stores and just happened to run into the woman who stocks the bookshelves. I told her I was a local author and pitched Bookmarked for Death. She took my bookmarks and said she'd ask her boss if they could stock the book.

In the meantime, I have a friend who works in the Wegmans main office. Just yesterday I heard from her, and she suggested I write to the general merchandise manager, send her a copy of the book, and tell her about Murder Is Binding's latest print run. Sniff. I only had one copy of the book, but I wrote a letter and zoomed to the P.O. After that, I went to the same Wegmans store where I'd talked to the stock lady. And there, at eye level, in all its purple glory, was Bookmarked for Death. The problem was--there was nobody in the aisle to see my happy dance or hear me shout: HEY, IT'S MY FIRST SIGHTING OF MY NEW BOOK!!!

I still would dearly love to have a book signing at Wegmans flagship store. Hey, they do it all the time in their Fairfax store with authors like Mary Higgins Clark (as chronicled in USA Today)--why not me! If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

But--weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee--I'm in Wegmans!

Surprise!

Almost two weeks ago, I hinted that I had projects in the works I couldn't talk about. Guess what? I still can't talk about them. But I might be getting closer.

Meanwhile, life goes on. I finished my big postcard project. The bookmark project continues, and I've been signing between 50-100 bookmarks a night because the requests keep coming in. Yesterday I got a note from an indy bookstore in Central New York asking for them. You bet! The package is ready to go, along with a request for bookplates from a library in California, and a request for a bookmark from a fan.

A fan. I always hoped I'd have fans, but I never believed it would happen. And now I want some sycophants. (Anybody wanna lobby for the job?)

Progress on the new book hasn't been as good as I'd hoped, but I'm inching along and have already made the bare minimum word count for the month. (I have today and tomorrow--just think what I might still accomplish!)

Bookmarked for Death has been popping up all over the place. Weeeeee!

And then there are the secrets I alluded to up above. If even one of them comes through, I will be a LOT busier in the not-so-distant future. I'm thrilled and terrified at the same time.

MAID IN HEAVEN?

I don't know how I ever got everything done when I had a full-time job. I worked 40 hours; I had a booth in an antique co-op (for nearly 12 years), and I wrote. In between I did the housework and laundry. Now that I'm a work-at-home author, I don't have enough hours in the day to write, promote, help my parents out, and clean the house.

For a while now, things have been getting out of control. A lot of it is just clutter, and I'm trying to address it. I have to part with some of the paper. I need to part with stuff I'll never use--especially stuff that was destined for the co-op booth and never made it there. (And where am I going to find the time to do that?)

Part of my problem stems from collecting reading material. Not just books, but magazines. I've come to the sad conclusion that I'm going to have to part with something--in this case, it's gotta be the magazines--cause I ain't giving up my books. I'll keep my Victoria, Romantic Homes, Tea Time, and some of the British decorating issues, but I'll have to part with most of the rest. (Sniff.)

We need more bookshelves. The problem is -- we have nowhere to put them. We're working on it.

When I broached the idea of hiring someone to come in once or twice a month, I was surprised at how enthusiastic hubby was. Apparently, he's as tired of looking at the dust bunnies as I am.
All I really want is someone to clean the kitchen and the bathroom and vacuum the living room.

 Now to clean up the house enough to have someone come in and clean it up more.

I AUTO SIGN MY AUTOGRAPH

A couple of years ago, I signed a birthday card for my niece. I wrote: Happy Birthday! Love Aunt Lorraine. When she opened the card, she frowned and said, "What does this say? I can't read cursive." I was stunned to learn that they no longer teach children to write--my niece, now age 17, still prints like she did in grade school.

What are these children going to do when it comes time to open a checking account, buy a car, or sign a lease? It boggles my mind. Not only that, but will the fact that I use cursive date me?

Boy, do I use cursive. With a new book on the cusp of publication, I've been signings hundreds of bookmarks and postcards that are going out to readers, libraries, and bookstore. Sometimes I get hypnotized by writing the same thing over and over again and end up writing the wrong name. Or a combination of my names: L.L. Barrett and Lorna Bartlett. Like the title of this blog says, it's no wonder I'm Dazed and Confused.

Moving Up A Notch

Two weeks ago I reported that Murder Is Binding was the #11th most popular paperback at the Murder On The Beach Mystery Bookstore. That was a big thrill me to know my book had done so well for that store.

Yesterday, my chum Leann Sweeney wrote to tell me I'd moved up a notch at the Mystery Lovers Bookshop--and Murder is Binding was their 10th bestselling paperback. Once again, I'm in great company, along with Nancy Martin, Donna Andrews, Elaine Viets, and Rhys Bowen.

Yee-ha!

I'm very fond of the Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Last spring, I had the opportunity to be a part of the thirteenth annual Festival of Mystery, a remarkable assemblage of 50 authors and hundreds of readers who gather in Oakmont, PA, the Monday after the Malice Domestic conference. I hope I get invited again this year.

Victoria Returns

Okay, guys, you're probably going to be bored by this one. Just warning you.

Victoria magazine has returned with great fanfare. And it's a Christmas issue. (Kind of odd in October...but then we'll take what we can get.) The November/December issue is a very close replica of the Victoria of old, from the calling cards article to the gorgeous photography, to the regular features, like the touring article, and my favorite "Chimes" as the last article.

I read the thing from cover to cover. Twice. My favorite article was under the "collectibles" banner, "Come Back To The Five & Dime" because I am a sucker for mid-20th century Christmas kitsch. But I enjoyed "touring" article about Mystic, Connecticut. The article on Rebecca Rather (The Pastry Queen of Texas) tempted me with decadent treats. They featured her Christmas cookbook, which has a BIG coconut cake on the cover. (Write this down: Lorraine is also a SUCKER for coconut cakes.)

I've probably read at least half of Alexandra Stoddard's books, so peeking into her article, "A Room Of One's Own" and seeing where she writes and how she does it, makes me jealous. (My writing room has never looked that tidy.) But it's neat to know I'm not the only one who writes (longhand) with oddball colored inks.

Even the ads were gorgeous and complimented the editorial content. They weren't obtrusive, although I think at least 99% of them were for things I can never incorporate into my everyday life. But then who cares! Hundreds of thousands of woman turned to Victoria because it was an escape to a more genteel life--one that's impossible to find in this day and age.

Victoria very generously sent me this first issue for free. I shall now reward them with a subscription. (And hope like hell they can deliver on the promise that this first "reborn" issue has made.)

R.I.P. VICTORIA MAGAZINE?

For years my favorite magazine was Victoria. Under the editorial direction of editor-in-chief Nancy Lindemeyer it was a monthly feast for the eyes and the source of pride and encouragement it gave to women who wanted to own their own businesses.

Month after month women-owned businesses (BLISS) were featured. These weren't Fortune 500 companies. Most of the enterprises featured were small--tiny--microscopic even. Just the owner, family members (moms, sisters or daughters) and/or an employee or two. Most of the businesses were "girly" in nature: food/clothing/cologne/decorating.

The magazine often sponsored workshops, teas, speakers, and trips geared toward women and their pursuit of a lovely life. Opportunities for women to meet, talk, network...connect. The photography was exceptional...even articles featuring clothes were gorgeous to behold (and I ain't no clothes horse--never had an interest in it).

The advertising was family-friendly, featuring products that women want and need. Plucked from an issue from 2000: Clorox, Spiegel, Oneida, L.L. Bean, Tums. Okay, there was also a perfume ad and one for American Express, but the editorial content outweighed the BONK-YOU-ON-THE-HEAD ads. One assumes the "Where to Shop & Buy" section, telling where you could find that couch on page 37 or the sweater on page 68 could be purchased, paid for quite a bit of the freight.

I've always preferred magazines that feature content over ads and have been willing to pay extra for them. Maybe that's why I read stuff put out by Reiman Publications (think Taste of Home magazine) and Harris Publications (Country Almanac/Collectibles/Cottage Style magazines). Much as I admire Martha Stewart (who was incarcerated for far less crimes than those in charge of Enron--DON'T GET ME STARTED), her magazine LIVING is considered highly successful because it's 40+% ads. Not in my book. I don't buy a magazine to look at ads. Sadly, too many women do.

When Nancy Lindemeyer retired as editor of Victoria, the magazine's new editor (or her management) changed everything about it, from the logo to everything inside its pages. No longer was the magazine devoted to women in business (featuring their magnificent calling/business cards) or who wanted to live a better,m ore gentile life; it became another "how-much-revenue-can-we-make-from-ads?" fiasco. The focus changed and became yet another bland decorator magazine. (Sadly, Mary Englebert's HOME COMPANION magazine has recently changed from its focus on artists and making an artful life to yet another deadly dull decorating magazine--in neutral shades. I've dropped that subscription, too.)

When Nancy Lindemeyer left, Victoria lost its focus, so it's no surprise that it soon sank into oblivion. I had already decided not to renew my subscription when suddenly instead of Victoria magazine something stark and ugly called HEALTH showed up in my mailbox (apparently aimed at 20 somethings who think nothing of botox injections and the surgical solutions to aging). I didn't order that crap. It went straight to the recycle box the minute it arrived.

I tossed the issues of Victoria that came after Nancy's guidance, but I have saved and read and reread six or seven years worth of Victoria (and wish I had more of the older issues). What a joy it is to revisit them again and again.

*Sigh*

But all hope is not lost. Although the magazine succumbed in 2003, it's supposed to be resurrected in October 2007 by a new publisher (under rights from Hearst Publications). I'm willing to give it another chance. After all, who ever thought Star Trek The Next Generation could ever rival Classic Trek? It didn't. And it did. I hope the management at the new Victoria will consult Nancy Lindemeyer on what made the magazine great when she controlled it. And I hope the new regime will listen.