I’m visiting the Stiletto Gang as a guest blogger, even though I am currently wearing no shoes whatsoever. Or do they mean the knife? I should check on that.

Anyway, I’m talking about why it is I don’t outline.

And two more guest blogs.

• An interview on author Chris Redding’s blog
• A pet peeve on Lorraine Bartlett’s/Lorna Barret’s blog

I’m having fun!

Yesterday I got an advance copy of Who Killed the Pinup Queen?, the second “Where are they now?” mystery. Since this is my tenth novel, I pretty much took it in stride.

Okay, maybe I was a little excited. At any rate, this served as a reminder to me that Who Killed the Pinup Queen? will be hitting the stores on January 5 more or less. So I thought I’d post an excerpt here on my blog as a sneak preview.

The link is up above, or you can click here.

As for me, I have more cavorting to do.

This weekend, my family and I–and my daughter’s friend Amanda–spent the day at King Richard’s Faire, a long established renaissance faire in nearby Carver, MA. It was a gorgeous New England fall day, and we saw amazing sights, including:

King Richard Himself, With Members of His Court

Jousting

Pirate Percussionists

The Tortuga Twins Storytelling Troupe (with an audience volunteer)

The Renaissance Vampire Musical “Bite Me”

You may be picking up on the fact that King Richard’s Faire is not strictly historically accurate. I understand that this is true of many renfaires. I like Neil Gaiman’s description from the comic book Sandman. Hob, an actual survivor of the renaissance, visits a modern faire and says, “It’s just someone’s idea of the English middle ages crossed with bloody Disneyland.”

I can’t argue with that. It’s not history. But we weren’t there for history–we were there for fun, and we had plenty of that. Besides, I suspect some history snuck in when I’m not looking anyway. I did get to see a knight actually walking and riding in armor, heard the sound of swords hitting, realized the amount of space it takes for a woman in that kind of gown, maybe learned a little bit of authentic vocabulary mixed in with the Monty Python accents. I didn’t mind a little bonus of learning as long as it was entertaining.

There’s a lesson there for writers of fiction. No, I’m not suggesting that we fill our work with historical inaccuracies, or even modern inaccuracies. Nor should we throw in vampires and pirates just because they’re popular–though I admit to doing stories with both. My point is that if you entertain the reader, you can sneak in a lot of facts without anybody minding. There’s a fair amount of TV trivia tucked into my own Curse of the Kissing Cousins, though it’s by no means a history of television. Okay, it’s not a grand epiphany, but didn’t I already tell you that I don’t go to renfaires to learn anything?

So to King Richard’s Faire, I offer a resounding Huzzah!

Or rather, the revision of a cover. Though we thought we were decided on the previously posted cover for the upcoming anthology Death’s Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and myself, upon further reflection we weren’t. After discussion, we realized the previous cover–though perfectly charming–was a bit subtle with the paranormal aspect and might discourage male book buyers. So the cat lady–or perhaps wolf lady, because she’s been called both–will be staying home, and the Grim Reaper will be going on vacation in her place.

It’s still the same stellar lineup of authors, and that’s the best part!

Just got a picture of the cover for Death’s Excellent Vacation today, which is coming out in August of 2010. Charlaine and I had a great time with this, and we’re constantly amazed by the creativity of our contributors.

Speaking of 2010 releases, the trade paperback of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe is scheduled of November of 2010, just in time to fill any stockings that might need a helping paw.

The books in my Laura Fleming series have been out of print for some time now, which is not a happy thing for an author. But she’s coming back, in a big way. Well, in large print anyway. On October 16, 2009, Kennebec Large Print will be releasing a large print edition of Mad as the Dickens. I loved the cover Kensington originally did for this book, but I love this new one, too.

Mad as the Dickens is my Christmas in Byerly book. With Christmas approaching, Laura planned to curl up in her Boston apartment with her English professor husband, Richard, to await the birth of their first child. But when her cousin Vasti asks Richard to direct A Christmas Carol, Laura heads back home for some unpleasant surprises. First, running a play turns mild-mannered Richard into a backstage tyrant. Next, Seth Murdstone, the play’s Scrooge, is a washout as an actor. Worst of all–grimmer than the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come–Seth is brutally murdered.

Library Journal said, “Lots of small-town bickering, family gossip, and not a few private agendas make for an entertaining Southern mystery, the seventh in the series. For all collections.”

Seeing a book come back into print is a great Christmas present for any author, even if it’s only October.

As summer draws to a close, it seems only appropriate to share a few details about the August 2010 release of Death’s Excellent Vacation, the latest anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and myself. This time, we asked our cadre of contributors to play travel agent for supernatural denizens and send them on fictional vacations.

I don’t have the cover yet–given Ace’s track record, it’s going to be awesome–but I do have the list of contributors.

• Charlaine Harris
• Toni L.P. Kelner
• Jeff Abbott
• L.A. Banks
• Jeaniene Frost
• Christoper Golden
• Chris Grabenstein
• Katie MacAlister
• A. Lee Martinez
• Sharan Newman
• Lilith Saintcrow
• Sarah Smith
• Daniel Stashower

I may be biased, but I think they came up with some terrific stories. So as you pack away the sandals and bathing suits, you’ve got something to look forward to.