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We talked about it just a couple weeks ago, and it happened to me this week–I had to turn down a speaking engagement because of the distance (Cincinnati) and gas prices. Too bad, I would have loved to meet with this book discussion group. They are big Pepper Martin fans and believe me, there’s nothing I like (or need!) more. But it’s impossible to duck reality, and gas prices are as real as they get. I promised them, when prices go down . . .
Let’s hope we see that happen one of these days!
In other news . . . well, there really isn’t any other news. I commented to a fellow writer recently that when we’re working, we’re actually pretty boring people. I am currently working on Pepper Martin mystery #5 (tentatively titled “Dead Man Talking”) and I’ve got my nose to the grindstone every day. Not much time for anything else, and since the book is due mid-October, it looks like it will be a work-not-play summer.
I am anxiously waiting to see the cover of Pepper Martin mystery #4 (“Night of the Loving Dead”). The book will be on store shelves January 6, 2009. That was sounding like a long way off when I first heard it. Now it’s right around the corner! When I finally get a look at the cover, I’ll post it here.
In the meantime, I don’t think I had a chance last week to thank the nice folks over at Loganberry Books in Cleveland’s Larchmere neighborhood for inviting me to be part of the Larchmere Festival a couple weekends ago. I sat next to CR and we had a nice time chatting. It’s always good to connect with readers, too, and I met a number of them who are Pepper fans. Even the fact that Zorro lost the car keys (yes, that part of CR’s reportage of the events was true) didn’t dampen the day!
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I wonder where that phrase nose to the grindstone comes from? And what exactly does it mean?
Do you actually put your nose on the grindstone — which would do me some good given the size of my honker — or do you just pay chose attention to other things you are grinding?
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 6:31 am
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Here’s what I was able to find:
There are two explanations for the phrase. One is that millers (the folks who used to grind grain) would check to see if any of the grain was overheating (and thus, the stones used for grinding were maybe too close together or maybe not turning fast enough) by smelling the stones. Nose to the grindstone…get it?
The other says the phrase comes from knife grinders who had to bend close to their stones in order to hold the knife blades in place.
The website I found this on says the first theory isn’t true, that millers used millstones, not grindstones. There’s also evidence that noses were held to grindstones as a form of punishment. (YIKES!)
by Casey
on July 9th, 2008 at 7:51 am
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Sounds dead to right to me!
Zz
by Zorro
on July 9th, 2008 at 8:06 am
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Thanks for the research, Casey. But I thought you were too busy writing Pepper no. 87 to do anything else?
Speaking of writing, right now I’m finishing my “1931″ chapter of Another
Fine Night at the Zauberwald. Roody is chasing his father’s ghost up and down the aisles of the theater with a broom.
Then it’s on to 1943, and the stripper who supports the war effort by sleeping with as many soliders as she can.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 8:07 am
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Does that mean you’ll be doing research, too, CR????
by Casey
on July 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am
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In most cases I would do a lot of research, but in this instance I think I’ll just make it up. I’m not about to sleep with a lot of soldiers.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 8:29 am
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I ran into Elmore Leonard and his research assistant a number of years ago. The assistant went on the road for authors and brought back the information they needed. He was working for an author who was writing about strippers, and this assistant had to spend five nights in a strip club. Then he’d have to go back because he forgot to get some facts about this or that. Then he had to go back again. This went on for a while, but he got paid. He said it was a better job than writing about it.
by don
on July 9th, 2008 at 9:09 am
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I have been to a strip club only once. It was a bachelor’s party for a friend. While everybody else was ogling and stuffing dollars, I sat there feeling sorry for both the young women who had to do that and for the middle-aged men sitting there with their open shirts and gold chains. It was the saddest place I’d ever been in my life. I am too sensitive for my own good.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 9:31 am
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What kind of perfume do those ladies wear??? It smells bad!
But I hear they make good money for their cause…..college, supporting a little one or two as a single parent…etc or maybe that’s their line of justification.
Don’t much care for the places at all…but they are not going anywhere. As long as someone patronizes the place, they’ll gladly keep their doors open.
Zz
by Zorro
on July 9th, 2008 at 10:45 am
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You’re such a New Age Sensitive guy, C.R.
And Casey, I LOVE your titles! Dead Man Talking is perfect for your series…
by Judy
on July 9th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
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Actually, I’m an Old Age sensitive guy. But Thanks.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
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Judy, the title of the first book in the Pepper Martin series was supposed to be Dead Man Talking, but my then-publisher, Avon, had a book out with a similar title. So I’m going to try and resurrect it with my new publisher, Berkley. We’ll see if it flies!
by Casey
on July 9th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
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Sorry to complicate things, Casey, but Don just published a new Salt Markley mystery with Berkley called Dead Duck Squawking. Sounds pretty close. Better run it through legal.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
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Dead Duck Squaking? Impossible ….if its dead!
Geez.
Zz
by Zorro
on July 9th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
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Don’s a damn-good novelist, Zman. If he wants a dead duck to squawk, it will squawk.
Sort of like when you-know-who twitches her nose and those cement gnomes in your front yard come to life and trim the shrubs.
by C.R.
on July 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
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I read Judy’s comment, and was wondering, you guys don’t get to pick your titles? I mean, you do, but if another book is out with the same title, or close to it, you have to change yours?
by Marissa
on July 10th, 2008 at 7:10 am
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Just picked up your message on Thursday morning, Marissa. Do we get to pick our titles? Yes. Sometimes. We can suggest a title, but the publisher has the final say. If there’s a book out or coming out with a similar title, they want to avoid confusion so they’ll ask you to change. Or sometimes an editor will have an idea that’s different from the author’s. So far, I’ve been lucky on my Pepper Martin series, the titles have been my own. But for example, for book #4, my workiing title was “One Boo Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” I liked it. A lot. My editor, though, said she liked the word “dead” and wanted to work with that. Fortunately, I came up with “Night of the Loving Dead.” I like that more than “One Boo.” If I hadn’t come up with it, then the publisher would have put a title on the book.
by Casey
on July 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am
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Okay, I was curious  I have a working title for mine, but (so far) when people have seen it, they think of a rather big-named author. Oh well, as long as they’ll buy it… if an editor/agent lets me keep it!
by Marissa
on July 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
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