Anticipation by Dru Ann Love
The definition of anticipation is an emotion involving pleasure or anxiety in considering or awaiting an expected event.
So, what am I anticipating? How about books?
Tag Archive for: dru’s book musing
How does one become a reader? by Dru Ann Love
It starts when someone, most likely mom, reads to you
Then you are read from picture books, pretty pictures with words
Then you begin to understand the words
Then you realize different words make sentences
Now you know what happens on each page, sort of like you are reading even if you don’t know the words
You are older, and can point out the book that you want read to you
You know a few of the words by sight as they go along with the story
What is that on the table, a box of cereal
Lots of words but the picture tells what you are eating
And you know the words when you see them
Ahh, time for school where you will learn your A-B-Cs
Now you know what those words are in the book and on the cereal box
Look ma, I’m reading!
You are now a reader and let the fun begin.
What do you remember about your early reading days?
It’s That Time Again by Dru Ann Love
where I have to come up with a post about whatever. And like always, I have nothing. So I’ll ramble along until my word count reach 150.
How is everyone doing during this pandemic crisis? Me, I’m so-so.
When you choose to live alone, it is nothing. You go about your business and life goes on. When you’re in a pandemic crisis and live alone, you really are alone. Because I’m immune-challenged, no one could come visit and I was restricted to my home. Once things started settling down, I took that first trip to my doctors. Uber is my friend. I wear a mask, not for you, but for me. I limit going outdoors, not for you, but for me. If I go out, I go to the grocery store, the pharmacy, and of course the doctor’s office. I always get the first appointment – less people to encounter. I hit the grocery and pharmacy when they first open, again less people to encounter.
My reading has somewhat suffered. Sometimes it takes me longer to read a book for review, but if I’m reading a book to be read, I can read it in 2 days. When I’m not reading, I’m watching movies or a recorded TV show.
Books I’ve read/am reading:
What I last watched:
I’m also quilting more. It is keeping me busy, figuring out color patterns and designs. I’m always amazed at the finished product.
I miss seeing my friends. I miss attending reader/fan conventions. I miss my girl’s weekend vacation trip.
What I don’t miss is having to climb subway stairs.
How are you handling things?
Virtual Activities by Dru Ann Love
The year is almost three-quarters done and activities that we would have attended in-person are now virtual.
I’ve never gone to a noir before because 1) they are in bars, dark bars 2) they are at night 3) they are never in my neighborhood 4) I prefer not to take trains at night and 5) it is mostly authors I don’t read. Virtual noirs changed that, and I’ve discovered so many authors I would not have blinked twice at if I saw their name. So, hooray for virtual noir. A shout-out to A shout-out to Ed Aymar and Alex Segura.
Then there is zoom. Oh, how I remember the original TV show (%Come on and Zoom, Zoom, zooma-Zoom%). But we are not talking about that. I’ve participated in a zoom talk with Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia chapter, attended a zoom memorial for a favorite author, attended several zoom book launches, and attended many a zoom talks with authors and friends. With one set of friends, we played this game, Spicy Farkel. I like zoom the best because you can interact with people.
Then there are the indie bookstores that are holding book launches as well. I’ve attended several of those and enjoy listening to the Q&As from the book seller. I don’t buy print books, but I will donate to their virtual tip jar – what a great concept.
Then there is Facebook. I’ve attended a few Facebook Live video author events and you are listening to the author and to interact with them, you leave a question in the chat area and the host will ask it for you. Some have book launches in their feed, whether it’s on their page or in a group page, where you have to “refresh” the page. I’m not a fan of constantly having to refresh, but it is a way to interact with the authors one-on-one during the book launch.
Now, here is the BSP – my fellow blogger, Kristopher Zgorski and I have a joint YouTube venture called BOLO*Musings where we talk about books. Another example of being with our friends and talking books. You can see our YouTube videos HERE.
Have you organized or participated in virtual activities? Do you have a preference?
Reading and Meal Deliveries by Dru Ann Love
Reading is my savior. Because I don’t have to commute to work, I miss that routine of an hour of reading before and after work. I lost my reading mojo when this global crisis started, as I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Words were just words to me.
I’m glad I got my reading mojo back, however, I’m struggling with it. Normally I would read two to three books in a week and now it takes me at least one week to finish a book. I think it’s the routine I miss.
No matter what, I continue to read and enjoy the stories being told for my reading pleasure.
How is everyone else doing with their reading?
So in between that, I’ve been trying out a few grocery delivery companies:
- Amazon Fresh: I get 98% of what I ordered delivered.
- Instacart: I get at least 85% of what I ordered delivered, so the shopping cart cost always fluctuate.
And home meal deliveries.
- HelloFresh: The program wouldn’t let me pick my own meal for the first time, so I had to settle on their choice and of the three, the only one I like was the flatbread and that is if I didn’t put the stuff they wanted me to put on it. Plus I had to do prep work. And the reason for cancellation, they did not deliver the box to my apartment door. They left it where the mailbox are and if I would not have said, hey where are they and went down there, someone could have walked away with the box.
- Now, I’m experimenting with Freshly now. The food is prepared and all I have to do is put it in the oven (it’s meant for a microwave, which I don’t have). In week one, I liked two of my choices. This week I picked something different and we’ll see if I continue beyond that.
- The other delivery companies all involved prep – yes, I’m lazy like that.
So, have any of you tried grocery deliveries or home meal deliveries?
Malice Domestic in pictures by Dru Ann Love
This week I would be winging my way to Bethesda, Maryland for the annual Malice Domestic Convention. As we are still in the midst of a pandemic, this and other major reader/fan conventions have been canceled. Today’s post is a pictorial journey of the fun times had at previous Malice Domestic conventions. . .starting with 2010.
2010 in Crystal City, Virginia – This was my first time there and I was nervous as heck. I always thank Heather Webber from nudging me to attend.
2011 in Bethesda, Maryland
2012 in Bethesda, Maryland
2013 in Bethesda, Maryland
2014 in Bethesda, Maryland
2015 in Bethesda, Maryland
2016 in Bethesda, Maryland
2017 in Bethesda, Maryland – The year I won the MWA Raven Award
2018 in Bethesda, Maryland
2019 in Bethesda, Maryland – BOLO Books and dru’s book musings first ad in the Malice Domestic program book
2020 in Bethesda, Maryland
Who’s ready for the conventions in 2021? Albuquerque, Bethesda, and New Orleans, anyone?
I know I am.
2020 and J.D. Robb by Dru Ann Love
2020 is here and we are already in the second month and with this post heading into the third month also known as my birthday month.
When 2020 starts, it means reader/fan conventions will soon be upon us. For the first time in several years, I’m not going to Left Coast Crime. I had planned to take an action, but the alignment that I needed wasn’t in the cards, so I’ll be missing LCC.
The next reader/fan convention I will be attending is Malice. This is by far my favorite event and 2020 is my eleventh year attending. It’s great to see friends you don’t see for a year and meet new ones that you meet via social media.
But before that, my first event of the year was attending a book signing with the one and only Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb. The book signing was for Golden In Death, the 50th book in the In Death Series. The main reason for my attendance was for her to sign my book, and to see my photo in the inside jacket of the book cover. So how did that happen?
Her publisher put out a call for her J.D. Robb readers to submit a selfie with one of her book covers. When I first came on Facebook, I took a selfie of me wearing shades sitting in front a bookcase holding her book. I did not suspect I would win, because I never win a contest, but lo and behold, I got an email saying my photo made it in and I could not wait to see it.
So, my friends and I trekked to Boonsboro, MD and Turn The Page Bookstore and bought our book before it hit the shelves. It pays to own the bookstore and other properties in the area. I opened the book, scanned and gave out a yelp, because I found my photo. While waiting our turn to get our book signed, we dined at Vesta, yes, another location owned by Nora. But the best part was as I got closer to Nora, it was decided that she would stand, do I got my picture taken with a standing Nora.
The photos below tell the story of a wonderful adventure.
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| Turn The Page Bookstore |
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| The signage |
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| The tribe. Photo courtesy of Eleanor Cawood-Jones |
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| Inn BoonsBoro |
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| Vesta Pizzeria and Family Restaurant |
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| Golden In Death |
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| Inside jacket cover of Golden in Death featuring collage of selfies with a photo of a J.D. Robb book |
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| Nora Roberts and ME! |
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| A photo within a photo. Courtesy of Eleanor Cawood Jones |
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| My photo within the collage. Courtesy of Michael G. Mueller |
What adventures do you have waiting for you?
Talking about polls by Dru Ann Love
It’s that time again when I have to come up with a post. I struggle to find something readerly to talk about that hasn’t been done. I talked about the reader conventions I attended. I talked about the book signings I’ve gone too. I talked about subject matters that interested me.
So I ask, what do you want this avid reader/blogger on a writer’s blog to talk about?
Recently, I introduced weekly reading poll on my dru’s book musings Facebook page. Below are some of the results.
Do you like to have a snack or a drink while reading?
- Yes (68%)
- Sometimes (24%)
- No (8%)
What should the central focus of a story be?
- Character (49%)
- Character/Setting/Plot (44%)
- Plot (27%)
If you were a writer, what genre would you write?
- mystery (44%)
- cozy (25%)
- suspense, thriller (13%)
- paranormal (9%)
- romance (9%)
- historical (6%)
- romantic suspense (4%)
Have you ever cried or shed a tear or two while reading a book?
- Yes (98%)
- No (2%)
Romance in your mysteries?
- Yes (83%)
- No (17%)
Type of book you bring when traveling?
- E-book (74%)
- Print (49%)
- Audio (9%)
Do you review the books that you read?
- Yes (46%)
- Sometimes (46%)
- No (8%)
Are there any questions you would like to know from my readers?
Are you surprised at these results?
Writing
. . . by Dru Ann Love
I had an idea for a post and now I can’t remember.
It’s hard to write a post about writing since I’m not an author.
But if you visit my blog at dru’s book musings, I do writerly things on there, like my “day in the life” and my “get to know you” features. I also write up a list of upcoming books for the week and a monthly release blog. I also write-up information for cover reveals. I also write about the conventions I attend and miscellaneous reader events I attend as well.
Then there are my musings that I write. This year I slowed down on the number of musings I write – decided to go back to writing musings on books that I want to read as opposed to book other people want me to read and I think it’s working. I also try to give a shout-out on social media, okay Facebook, to books that I read but didn’t write a musing for. So, if you think about it, I guess I am a writer, as I write words and isn’t that what a writer does?
Can you believe the year is almost over?
I have two more conventions to attend, Bouchercon and New England Crime Bake. Anyone attending? Let me know and I’ll be sure to look for you.
Writing and Quilting
–by Dru Ann Love
I love to read. Mostly cozies, but I always add in a thriller or a suspense title to add a little variety to my reading entertainment.
My other hobby I enjoy is quilting. Now you are probably wondering what does that have to do with writing. Well, when you write a novel, you have to have an idea, a premise or a concept, then a beginning, a middle and an end. Well the same analogy can be applied to quilting.
First you need the fabric that you want to use
Second, cut out the pieces
Third, build the quilt block
Fourth, add the sashing, the border and this is your top quilt
Next is you add the batting and the backing material and this becomes your quilt sandwich, which you stitched and put a binding on it and you have a finished quilt to be enjoyed by the recipient, just like a finished book.
Can you equate another hobby or activity with the same steps as a book?