Wait, what happened to April?

I’d envisioned the April newsletter coming out on the last possible day, just after the April 29 ceremony for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar awards. It was beyond exciting to see my novel nominated in the Lilian Jackson Braun category along with terrific books by Amanda Chapman, Jo Nichols, Chuck Storla and Jesse Q. Sutanto.

I was going to write about the thrill of rubbing elbows with some of the best crime writers in the business, and delicious moments like hearing MWA Grand Master Lee Child dismiss “literary wankers” (my new favorite phrase) as “the barnacles on our boat.” Or, AMC’s Dark Winds series showrunner John Wirth talk about working with Robert Redford on his final acting appearance, a cameo with George R.R. Martin.

I savored those moments, as well as the swanky evening in New York, as their own reward because of my certainty that my book wouldn’t win.

Except — huge honking plot twist — it did win.

(Note to future nominees: No matter how much the underdog you feel, always prepare some acceptance remarks.) I stumbled up to the podium in a stunned fog and remember almost nothing of what I said, except to ask the organizers, just before I took the mic: “Are you sure?”

I now have an astonishingly heavy glass trophy (it would make an ideal murder weapon) with my name and my book’s name engraved on it to convince me. Maybe, at some point, I’ll stop looking at it about fifty times a day. I’m so grateful to so many people whose support and guidance has seen me through the decades of rejection to this remarkable moment.

Suffice it to say, I blew past the newsletter’s April deadline while still coming down from the high and am just now returning to the urgent business of revising my WIP and generally readjusting to real life instead of this dream world.

I’m going to sneak one more peek at that sweet, sweet trophy. And then I’m going to get back to work.

My Italian grandmother made a wonderful (OK, everything she made was wonderful) pane di Pasqua that featured colorfully dyed eggs nestled in the folds of the braid. I used up all our eggs in the sweet dough for this bread, but it was tasty, if not as pretty.

Here’s another alcohol-infused recipe that requires some taste-testing of the key ingredient, in this case Bailey’s Irish cream for these cream scones. Although they were actually a little sweet for my taste, we somehow managed to scarf them right up. Of course the Bailey’s also went into the coffee that accompanied them.

Just about every review or story about John Williams’ Stoner takes immediate pains to stress it’s not about that. Instead, it follows the life of literature professor John Stoner within the academic world that both nurtured his passion for medieval literature and nearly destroyed him through campus politics. Smarter people than I have rhapsodized about this book (“The greatest American novel you’ve never heard of,” says the New Yorker) and while it starts slowly, it packs quite a punch.

I didn’t know Maureen, by Rachel Joyce, was the third in a trilogy when I picked it up. Its protagonist is a prickly character in the manner of Olive Kitteredge, verging on thoroughly unlikeable until the book reveals the devastating reason for her behavior, one that devastated me as well. I’m looking forward to reading the first two books.

Alan Furst’s espionage novels never let me down, and I was delighted to come across his 1991 Dark Star in a used bookstore. It features a Pravda correspondent/spy on the eve of World War II and is dense with both detail and suspense, demanding the kind of attention that effectively blocks out the rest of the world. That’s a good thing, because the novel’s depiction of neighbors being encouraged to turn against one another with deadly consequences feels entirely too relevant these days.

During my years in Montana I’d look longingly at the social media posts about Malice Domestic, the fan convention for traditional mysteries held every year in then-faraway Maryland. Now that I’m back on the East Coast, it was just a quick drive down I-95 and worth every second I spent on one of my least favorite highways.

One of my favorite things? Doing the Malice-Go-Round – featuring lightning descriptions of our books - with longtime friend and former Philadelphia Inquirer colleague Joanne McLaughlin (A Poetic Puzzle: A Mystery in 32 Pieces). I love our parallel career tracks from journalism to crime fiction, and I love that we live in the same time zone again. Can’t wait ‘til next year.

At the end of this month, I’ll be at the Delaware Author Fair sponsored by the Huxley & Hiro bookstore. It’s May 31, 1-3 p.m., in Rockwood Park & Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. Come on out!

I love talking with groups about books or writing in general, either in person or via the magic of Zoom. I also give writing workshops, perfect for libraries and writing groups. Interested? You can contact me via my website or by messaging me here.