Robdoneit

Empty Public Places

Recently my daughter took my grandson Luke to see "Horton Hears a Who" It was 7:30 on a Wednesday night and the theater was totally empty. It really spooked him out. "Where are all the people?" he asked, and burst into tears. (He's four yrs.old.) Julie reassured him that it was just an off night and how great that they had the place to themselves. They could put their feet up on the seat in front, stroll up and down the aisles and talk as loud as they wanted. Once the movie began he was fine. But the incident made me think of other places that had spooked me out. Theaters, when the lights go down, stadiums when the cheers evaporate, silent amusement parks, where the amusements are shrouded in canvas. Remember "The Third Man"? And one of my favorite films "Stage Fright" where there is a chase to the death in a deserted theater.Recently I was in Cape May, NJ. I was doing research for a spy story set in WWII. It was early March and the boardwalk was deserted. My footsteps echoed hollowly. And most eerie of all, all the obstacles had been removed from the obstacle golf course. Brrr!

NOIRCon

Last weekend I went to a conference in Philly called NOIRCon, sponsored by Deen Kogan. Go next year! It is one of the best conferences I've been to in a long time. If there was an Edgar Award for conference givers, Deen would win. No Contest. I've always loved noir books and movies, but when I try to write noir I always fail miserably. When I began my Jo Banks series I was aiming for a darker story than my Dr.Fenimore books, which are definitely cozies. But somehow I always come up with a happy ending. Very un-Noir. For example, take this review of my latest Jo Bank's, SLEIGHT OF HAND. "Jo Bank's story is overflowing wth charm...Finally, there is a wholesome quality to Sleight of Hand that means you could comfortably recommend this book...to your grandmother, your maiden aunt, your adolescent niece, or anyone else..." So much for the dark side. Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy for any good review and I'm happy writing traditional mysteries. That's the key word "happy." I'm just not unhappy enough to write noir. This is probably because I had a happy childhood. I've always been afraid that no one can be a good writer if they had a happy childhood. But I will still continue to enjoy noir novels and noir movies and experince my misery vicariously. And I can't wait for Deen's next NoirCon!

Getting My Feet Wet!

This is my first blog and I have no idea what I'm doing. Please bear with me!

Let's see--how to begin? First of all I want to reassure you that I won't be doing
this every day and drowning you in the minutia of my, on the whole, pretty dull life.
Only when something exciting happens that is relevant to the mystery world will I
put pen to paper, er, fingers to keyboard, and let you know about it. Recently I told an
octogenarian writer friend of mine that I was starting a blog, but I didn't want it to
be too personal. I planned to stick to historical annecdotes about Philadelphia and South
Jersey--the settings for my books.

She said, "Oh, Robin, nobody will read it! You have to tell us about your sex life!"

This person is a good friend and I usually follow her advice. Maybe if interest lags...but
...many writers are afraid to have their mothers read their books or blogs, but I'm afraid to have
my children read them. And my grandson enters kindergarten next fall...then
I will have to be really careful.

I think that's enough for my first blog. My feet are damp and if I keep on I'll be slogging instead of blogging.
But please note the date for the launch party of SLEIGHT OF HAND, the 3rd Jo Banks book:

Partners & Crime
44 Greenwich Ave. (bwt. 10th & 11th Sts)
New York, NY
Tuesday, April 8th, at 7:00 PM
Refreshments Served!

And please check my calendar for future signings.

Now, as a famous newscaster used to say, "So long until tomorrow," , or the next day, or...

Robin