Lifescapes

"The Mystery of the Little House Books"

I'm over at Sleuthsayers this week, with a guest post entitled "The Mystery of the Little House Books." Drop in and say hi. The book cover, by the way, is that of the first edition of the first book in the series. It's the edition I remember from my childhood, a gift from my grandmother. Oh, how I wish I still had it--but I had read it to tatters, and I'm sure the cover disappeared long before the book was finally discarded.

Here at MeadowKnoll, I'm enjoying some beautiful autumn weather, with the added bonus of over four inches of rain that came late last week. The fall garden is giving us plenty of squash, chard, and green peppers, with green beans and peas and potaotes to come--if we don't get an early freeze. The girls are still laying well: 5-6 eggs a day. A couple of our neighbors are getting a share of their bounty.

At the writing desk, I'm working on a fiction project--World War 2 vintage. It's too early to say how far it will go, but I'm enjoying the research and the preliminary writing. In another couple of months, I'll be starting on the 2015 China Bayles mystery, Bittersweet. But meanwhile, I'm enjoying this non-deadline work (more like play, actually)--and plenty of time to read!

Reading note. You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.--C.S. Lewis

 

 

Guest-Posting at Poe's Deadly Daughters

I'm guest-posting over at Poe's Deadly Daughters today, so drop in and say hi. And Sarah Rettger of Kirkus Magazine has posted a great interview with me: "A Literary Legend's Hidden Life," which is an excellent way to describe the story behind my new novel, A Wilder Rose. 

If you've been on the Rose site, you may have seen the Resources page. If not, check it out. I've posted a Reader's Companion, as well as book club questions, a bibliography of Rose's work, and some library aids. All free!

Writing a Woman's Life: Rose Wilder Lane

I'm over at HerStories, with Part 3 of "Writing a Woman's Life" This is the last of three backgrounders about the research that went into A Wilder Rose. It was a long, long project and several times, I came very close to giving it up--especially when it came to finding places to store the research materials (hard to do in our small living quarters!).

And when it came to finding the time to work on it, in the crannies of time between the writing projects that actually brought in money. Like Rose Wilder Lane, I write for a living. Writing that doesn't earn money tends to have a lower priority. Rose, however, made an exception for her mother's books: when Laura arrived with a manuscript, Rose (usually) put it on the top of her to-do list, ahead of her paying work. I'm glad she did. If she hadn't, we wouldn't have those marvelous Little House books. Quite an achievement, I'd say!

Also, Monday 9/9 through Thursday 9/12, there's a Goodreads Giveaway. Hustle on over and enter, before you forget.

And one more thing: you probably know that I've written a Readers Companion to the novel. For a time, it is available as a free download from the book's website. If you enjoyed A Wilder Rose and learned from it, you might be interested in the facts behind the fiction.

Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm over at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing, doing an extensive interview with Jane Greensmith. About the book, Jane writes this:

"A Wilder Rose was a fascinating look at not only the process involved in bringing a work to publication, but also provided an interesting perspective on the time in which the books were written. I really enjoyed getting to know Rose better—she was definitely a remarkable woman. A skilled writer, a traveler, an adventurer, she also is admirable in that she strove to do her duty regardless of how much she wanted to shirk it. She felt a very honest love but a deep frustration with her complex and complicated mother. She took her work seriously, and in this I found her a kindred spirit."  

You'll find more from Jane--and lots from me!--at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing, where your comment will earn you a chance in the book giveaway. Oh, and you can earn extra chances by tweeting the interview.