The Next Big Thing

I've been tagged by mystery author Diane Vallere to answer the questions in this blog hop. Diane is one of the co-authors of my new project discussed below. 

Q: What's is the working title of your book?
A: Other People's Baggage, a collection of three interrelated mystery novellas that comes out December 3, 2012. My novella is Fool's Gold: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Novella. It's a prequel to Artifact.

Q: Where did the idea come from for this book?
A: Mystery writers Diane Vallere, Kendel Lynn, and I had read each other's works-in-progress. Though our mysteries were quite different, we thought our protagonists shared a certain something. We thought they'd get along great in fiction, and that readers who liked one of our heroines would like the other two. So why not bring them together?

Q: What genre does your book fall under?
A. Mystery.

Q: How long did it take to write the first draft?
A: The very first draft took about a month, but the revisions took much longer! I'm great at writing quickly to get the ideas of a story down on paper, but turning those ideas into something good is what takes more time. Since Fool's Gold is a novella, it's about 25,000 words, compared to the 5,000 words of my previous short stories and the 75,000 words of my novels. I kept a notebook of details for the novella just like I do for my novels, since it was more complex to write than a short story.

Sort-of what Jaya looks like?

Q: What actors would you use for a movie rendition of your book?
A: I keep a character bible that has pictures of what I imagine the characters look like. The main characters in Fool's Gold are Jaya Jones and Sanjay Rai. They're hard for me to cast with famous actors because when I watch famous Indian actors it can be hard to imagine them with American accents! Therefore most of the time the pictures I clip aren't of famous actors, but of random people I saw when flipping through a magazine. I've got a picture of model Liya Kebede on Jaya's page, and actor Ali Fazal on Sanjay's page. Neither of them look exactly like I imagine Jaya and Sanjay look like, but they give me a general feel for them.


Q: What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?
A: In Other People's Baggage, this is what happened after a computer glitch mislabeled identical vintage suitcases and three women with a knack for solving mysteries each grabbed the wrong bag.

In my novella Fool's Gold, when a world-famous chess set is stolen from a locked room during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, historian Jaya Jones and her magician best friend must outwit actresses and alchemists to solve the baffling crime.


Q: Will it be self-published or represented by an agency?
A: The collection of novella's is being published by Henery Press.


Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A: I spent a lot of time in Scotland as a kid, and I love Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a huge performing arts festival that takes place every August. I thought the festival would make a great setting for a mystery. Since Jaya's best friend Sanjay is a stage magician, I had the perfect opportunity to send them to the festival.


Q: What other books would you compare to this story to within your genre?
A: The Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series has been compared most frequently to the books of Elizabeth Peters, who writes about adventurous academic women with a bit of romance added to the mysteries.

Q: What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? 
A: Fool's Gold is a locked-room mystery. It's a puzzle plot about a seemingly impossible theft, but Jaya's historical expertise and Sanjay's magician viewpoint make them able to piece together what nobody else can.

I also think readers will enjoy how the three novellas in the Other People's Baggage collection are connected through a running thread but also stand alone. Novellas are a great length when you feel like reading something more in-depth than short story but also want to finish reading a full mystery within one sitting.


Thanks to the five authors who invited me: Diane Vallere, Susan Shea, Pat Morin, Alyx Morgan, and Nancy Adams. 

Book Launch Parties in Southern California

If you're in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas, I hope you'll join me at one of the book launch parties for Other People's Baggage, the new book coming out December 3rd that features three interconnected mystery novellas—one of which is the new Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery novella, Fool's Gold.

Traveler’s Bookcase
Thursday, November 29
6 – 8 PM
8375 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA

Mystery Ink Bookstore
Saturday, December 1
3 – 5 PM
8907 Warner Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA

I'll be there with co-authors Diane Vallere and Kendel Lynn. There will be giveaways, airline-themed drinks and snacks, and lots of fun to be had! And here's a teaser about Other People's Baggage: Baggage claim can be terminal. These are the stories of what happened after three women with a knack for solving mysteries each grabbed the wrong bag...

More details about the novellas and the parties can be found on my website.

Hope to see you there!

Delicious Healthy Eating in Paris and Prague for Cancer Survivors and Vegetarians

A cancer diagnosis puts life in perspective. I realized with clarity that I wanted to travel a lot more, but I also needed to take care of myself with the dietary changes necessary due to my particular type of breast cancer. With a little research, I was able to do both this fall. I even got to eat wonderfully! I might have to live off sprouted nut bars when I travel through parts of Asia, but that wasn't the case in Paris or Prague.

This is what I learned about eating tasty, healthy food on the road in Paris and Prague. Below are 10 restaurants and a few markets to keep you well fed. 

A couple of notes before I dive in: The focus of this post is vegetarian food. I'm trying to avoid hormones of all kind, meaning I'm eating only organic animal products, so eating vegetarian and vegan is an easy solution. I'm also trying to avoid as many toxins as possible, since I already got my fill of them with chemo, so I eat organic whenever I can. Therefore many of the restaurants listed here are vegetarian and organic, and all of them are vegetarian- and vegan-friendly.

All the restaurants and stores mentioned here can be found in the central part of Paris and Prague. I haven't listed addresses and opening times for the stores and restaurants, because both of those pieces of information might change (which is what we found to be the case). I hope this blog post can be a good starting point, but definitely check the web for the most current information. Two great resources we used were Happy Cow, a vegetarian and vegan online restaurant guide, and a helpful ebook from the Vegan Paris blog.

Tip: In Europe, "bio" means "organic."

PARIS

Le Pain Quotidien
A chain of organic cafe-style restaurants in Paris. Not vegetarian, but lots of vegan-friendly dishes. We went to the location in the Marais. I ate a couple of their fabulous salads, but they have good hot food, too. As the name suggests, they've got lots of good bread. It's a proper bakery, too, so you can buy food at the counter to take away. Organic croissants, anyone?

Bob's Kitchen and Bob's Juice Bar
Green juice and green smoothies! If you miss your Vitamix, this is the place to go. The Kitchen location also has great hot meals. The restaurant is a bit hard to spot, with only a tiny sign, so here's a picture of what it looks like.

Rose Bakery
Organic breakfast and lunch. We went here twice for brunch, eating omelettes, oatmeal, granola, and excellent coffee. Like Bob's, this place is a bit tough to spot, since it doesn't have a sign.

Pousse Pousse "Sprout Sprout"
Lots of raw food at this organic vegan restaurant. Right now it's in a tiny restaurant, but the owner said they're looking to expand into a bigger space. This was the most expensive place we went to, but it was definitely worth it. They have a few daily options rather than a long menu, and they've got green cocktails in addition to food.

 
 
Les Cinq Saveurs D'Anada
Vegetarian food plus fish in the Left Bank.

Guenmai
Organic health food that's both a store and a small restaurant. Lots of raw food options.

Maoz
A good place to stop by for a quick, inexpensive vegetarian bite. Vegetarian falafel joint near the Sorbonne in the Left Bank.

Organic Food Markets
Naturalia is the biggest organic food market chain, and we stumbled upon several of them just walking around. I also came across two organic markets we hadn't read about: A Touch of Bio and Boutique Bio.

PRAGUE

Country Life - Restaurant and Market
Organic vegetarian store and restaurant chain. One of the locations is conveniently located right off Old Town Square in the center of the touristy part of the city. The restaurant is a cafeteria where you get a tray and serve yourself, and your food is weighed to determine how much you pay. It's casual, but the decor is very cool. We ate lunches here most days, and would explore new places for dinner. The cabbage salad was a favorite of mine. The entrance to the store is shown in the photo I took below, and you walk through the covered walkway to get to the restaurant entrance.

Lehka Hlava "Clear Head"
Vegetarian food in a really cute restaurant. It's praised in the Rick Steve's guidebook, so it can be crowded and they recommend reservations. We lucked into getting a table at dinner without reservations because we got there early one evening before a walk along the nearby Vltava River.

Dhaba Beas Indian Cafe
Vegetarian Indian food in a casual cafeteria atmosphere. Like Country Life, you get your own food and they weigh it to determine how much you pay. Really inexpensive, and it was crowded but we always found a seat.

I hope you have a great time eating fantastic food if you visit these cities!

--Gigi

Photos from Sisters in Crime NorCal's Fall Showcase

Twice a year, the Sisters in Crime Northern California Chapter holds a showcase in which author members with a recent book out read from their work. We rotate around to different bookstores. This time we were at San Francisco's Books Inc. at the Opera Plaza. Since Artifact came out a little over two months ago, I read a passage at the event last Saturday.

Left to right: Vinnie Hansen, Gigi Pandian, Sophie Littlefield, Kirsten Weiss, Pat Morin, Juliet Blackwell, and Carole Price. 

Me with Sophie and Juliet. 

Reading from ARTIFACT. 

Dagger cupcakes baked by one of the SinC Board members!

Night Train from Prague to Paris

Vyšehrad, Prague.

I returned a few days ago from my celebratory post-cancer-treatment trip to Prague and Paris. Now I'm jet-lagged and broke, but it was worth it! Highlights below.

Related posts: I'm posting artsy mysterious photos from the trip over at the Gargoyle Girl photography blog on Mondays for the next several weeks. I'm also writing up a separate blog post about delicious healthy eating options in Prague and Paris for cancer survivors, vegetarians, and others with food restrictions—coming next week.

PRAGUE

We flew into Prague. I had been to the city once before, for only two days right after college. I had always wanted to go back, but at the same time I wasn't sure if my memories had romanticized the city. Was it possible it wouldn't be as intriguing as I imagined? I'm happy to report it was even better than I expected. The sites, the people, the food, the gorgeous architecture... The whole vibe of the city was wonderful. If Czech wasn't such a difficult language to learn, I would be very tempted to spend a sabbatical living in Prague.

Views of Prague from the Klementinum (National Library) Tower.

Whenever I travel to a country where English isn't the primary language, I try to learn at least a few words of the language, both to communicate and to be respectful of the fact that the world is a lot bigger than my home country. Czech was more difficult than I expected, but by the end of the week I had about a dozen key phrases down. The problem? Unlike the French, who often switch to English upon hearing my accent, the lovely Czech people were so happy I was speaking Czech that they'd try to keep speaking to me in Czech! I had no trouble finding English-speakers, though. It's true that most young people speak English. But I did use "mluvite anglicky" ("do you speak English") quite a bit once we left the touristy center of the city. 

We spent nearly a week exploring the city and surrounding areas. After visiting the requisite sites—e.g. Old Town Square with the amazing clock tower, the hidden underground level of the city, and the Prague Castle complex that includes the towering St. Vitus Cathedral covered in gargoyles—we headed further afield, including hiking down to the old fortress ruins at Vyšehrad and checking out some alchemy sites for the mystery novel I'm currently writing.

Views of St. Vitus Cathedral in the Prague Castle complex.

The Vltava River, from Vyšehrad.

 

Astronomical clock tower in Old Town Square.

ON TO PARIS

From Prague, we caught a City Night Line train into France. The train station deserves a blog post of its own, if not a whole mystery novel, so for now I'll just say that it's fascinating how different the old northern train station is from the new main train station. I'm pretty sure we were either in a Twilight Zone or Doctor Who alternate reality. But the train still showed up, and a wonderful porter got us set up in our sleeper car at the very end of the train. He explained that the train would be split up in Germany during the night, with destinations in Germany, Switzerland, and France.

On the sleeper car, I felt like we were in an Agatha Christie novel! (However, no jewel thefts or murders took place on the train ride. As the husband had to remind me, that was a good thing.) We spent the evening watching the scenery go by.

Autumn in Paris: Luxembourg Gardens.

We stayed at a hotel in the Marais neighborhood (4th Arrondissement), the perfect central location for leisurely walks with frequent breaks at cafes that provided excellent coffee and even better people-watching. I love the presentation of coffee in Europe, where elegant little trays that give you everything you could need for your coffee, including a tiny chocolate.

Cafes in Prague and Paris. Below, Mama Coffee in Prague, full of laptop-users; Les Deux Magots in Paris, with an interesting literary history; one of many random street cafes where all the seats face outward for blatant people-watching.

Street art in the Marais.

Since I've spent a lot of time in Paris before, this trip was for relaxing more than sightseeing, but we did wait in line at Notre Dame to climb the 387 steps to see my favorite gargoyles.

With the gargoyles at Notre Dame.

 

This post is long enough, so I'll stop now and you can catch more photos at Gargoyle Girl!

—Gigi

Prague & Paris (Plus a Goodreads Giveaway)

Rather than doing daily blog posts here, I'm going to be posting lots of photos from my upcoming trip to Prague and Paris on Twitter.

I've only been to Prague briefly before, but it was such a mysterious city that I have some ideas for research for my next mystery...

And for those of you on Goodreads: Up until October 24th you can enter to win a copy of Other People's Baggage, the collection of three mystery novella's including Fool's Gold, a prequel to Artifact. 

Bouchercon 2012 Recap: Back from the Mystery Convention in Cleveland

I'm back from a great four days in Cleveland for the Bouchercon Mystery Convention. Here are some highlights:

It's impossible to make it a few feet through the lobby without running into old friends and new. Below, I was meeting up with new author Susan Boyer (second from right) for lunch, when we ran into Juliet Blackwell (a good friend who writes the witchcraft mystery series), Victoria Laurie (whose books I adore but who I'd never met before), Chantelle Osman (Sirens of Suspense), and Lesa Holstine (of Lesa's Book Critiques).

Gigi, Juliet, Victoria, Chantelle, Susan, and Lesa.

The opening ceremonies took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday night. Since Bouchercon has a couple thousand attendees, not everyone fit right in front of the stage, so we were free to explore other floors of the museum. My favorite view was from above the stage.

View from above the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the morning, I woke up bright and early for the New Author Coffee Hour, where I and over a dozen other new authors were speaking about our books. 7:30 a.m. Cleveland time felt very early for someone on California time, but as I was getting coffee I caught this gorgeous view. (Yes, Cleveland is beautiful! I posted more architectural detail photos over on the Gargoyle Girl photo blog.)

It provided an early morning thrill to have Scottish mystery novelist Val McDermid reading our book blurbs and introducing us.

After the presentations, the new authors went to the book room to sign books. I didn't know what to expect as a new author, but lots of people came to talk to me, several of whom bought Artifact. It was exciting to hear that Artifact sold out in the book dealer's room!

Twitpic posted by one of the people who bought the book!

Below, I'm at the signing table with Yves Fey, whose debut mystery Floats the Dark Shadow was recently released. It takes place in Belle Epoque Paris, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

After signing, I went to breakfast with Mysti Berry and Sophie Littlefield. There was lots of coffee and good conversation to be had. Did I mention lots of coffee?

Done with my own promo, I could turn to having fun and attending other panels! There were lots of great ones, and a few of my favorites that I remembered to photograph were: the paranormal mysteries panel with Sarah Zettel, Juliet Blackwell, Victoria Laurie, Judy Clemens, and F. Paul Wilson; the short stories panel with Laura Curtis, Shelley Costa, Terrie Farley Moran, John Floyd, Janet Hutchings, and Barb Goffman; the Sherlock panel with Laurie King, Daniel Stashower, Michael Robertson, Les Klinger, Dan Andriacco, and Sara Paretsky; the suspense panel with Norb Vonnegut, AGS Johnson, Ken Wishnia, David Bell, and Ted Hertel.

The Sisters in Crime Guppies chapter got together for lunch. 22 of us were in attendance, and here are photos of some of us below.

Even though there wasn't an awards banquet this year, I got dressed up with good friends from home, Juliet Blackwell and Sophie Littlefield. Anthony awards winners are posted here.

After the awards ceremony, I met up with old friends at new at the hotel bar. Clockwise from top left: Gigi Vernon (another mystery writer Gigi!), Darrell James, Roni Olson, Deborah Ledford, me, Ken Wishnia, Victoria Laurie, Juliet Blackwell, Nicole Peeler, me, Sheila Connolly, and Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames.

At lunch with authors Terry Shames and LJ Sellers before heading to the airport.

I'm looking forward to next year!

—Gigi

Post-Chemo Haircut Photos: Weeks 9, 10, 11

Life got away from me after the release of my first mystery one month ago. It was one of those months that felt simultaneously like it went by in a flash and that it was endless. I posted about fun book news, but didn't step back and upload my post-chemo hair photos, though I continued to take them each week. Below are the last three week's worth of photo of my hair growing out.

Post-chemo hair, week 9.

Post-chemo hair, week 10.

Post-chemo hair, week 11.

My curls are coming back, so the hair is starting to get crazy. I've got wax it in to keep it from being completely mad-scientist-esque, but the curls are starting to stand their ground! The guy I bought coffee from today said I had artist hair, which sounded about right.

Announcing the Next Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery: FOOL'S GOLD, Coming December 3

ARCs for Other People's Baggage, which includes Fool's Gold.

This summer has been surreal in several ways: I finished my cancer treatments, released my first mystery novel, have been traveling around doing book events -- and this week I received Advance Reader Copies for the next Jaya Jones mystery being published by Henery Press on December 3!

Fool's Gold: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Novella is being published in the Other People's Baggage collection of three interconnected mystery novellas. It's a prequel to Artifact that I hope will tide everyone over until the next full-length novel comes out in 2013.

All historian Jaya Jones wants is a relaxing vacation in Scotland before starting her first year teaching college. But when a world-famous chess set is stolen from a locked room during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Jaya and her magician best friend, The Hindi Houdini, must outwit actresses and alchemists to solve the baffling crime.

At Malice Domestic 2012 with Kendel Lynn and Diane Vallere.

Working on this new mystery has been so much fun! It's a joint project with two other mystery novelists, Diane Vallere and Kendel Lynn.

We had all read each other's work, and we were struck by the fact that while our mystery series' were quite different, the heroines of our stories had a similar voice. We thought they'd get along famously. What was stopping us from bringing them together?

In Other People's Baggage, a storm reroutes planes and knocks out power, leading to a luggage mix-up as all three of our characters are headed out of town. Jaya, Elliot, and Madison end up with each other's suitcases, and they each solve a mystery with the help of something they find in the mixed-up suitcase...

OTHER PEOPLE'S BAGGAGE: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas
(Henery Press, December 3, 2012)

These are the stories of what happened after a computer glitch mislabeled identical vintage suitcases and three women with a knack for solving mysteries each grabbed the wrong bag.

MIDNIGHT ICE: A Mad for Mod Mystery Novella by Diane Vallere

When interior decorator Madison Night crosses the country to distance herself from a recent breakup, she learns it’s harder to escape her past than she thought, and diamonds are rarely a girl’s best friend.

SWITCH BACK: An Elliott Lisbon Mystery Novella by Kendel Lynn

Ballantyne Foundation director Elliott Lisbon travels to Texas after inheriting an entire town, but when she learns the donor was murdered, she has to unlock the small town’s big secrets or she’ll never get out alive.

FOOL'S GOLD: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Novella by Gigi Pandian 

When a world-famous chess set is stolen from a locked room during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, historian Jaya Jones and her magician best friend must outwit actresses sand alchemists to solve the baffling crime.

Other People's Baggage ARC with my Lewis Chessmen, which feature into Fool's Gold.

If you're on Goodreads, you can enter to win an advance copy of Other People's Baggage, signed by me, Diane, and Kendel. The giveaway starts today and runs through October 24. 

Oregon Weekend: The Oregon Writers Colony and a Poetry Party

I spent a long weekend in Portland, Oregon. I was in town for a poetry book launch party for Sue Parman (aka my mom) and to give a workshop, "Different Paths to Publishing," for the Oregon Writers Colony. What an amazing writer's community they've got up in Oregon! If I ever get displaced from the San Francisco Bay Area, I know where I'm moving.

Now, I'm not a poet or a poetry reader, so I had no idea what to expect from the launch party for the poetry chapbook "The Thin Monster House." I was happy to see that soon after we arrived at Periscope Books & Tutoring in Forest Grove, Oregon, the place was packed for the party!

The bookstore is the kind of place I bet many a book-lover has fantasized about opening -- a cozy house lined with books, surrounded by items like a classic typewriter and a wandering cat -- and the owners live upstairs!

The next day, my mom and I led the "Different Paths to Publishing" workshop for the Oregon Writers Colony. They invited us to present because she's had books, stories, and plays across genres traditionally published for decades, and I'm focused on the mystery genre, publishing books, stories, and novellas through a combination of independent and traditional publishing.

Among the group of writers were several members of Sisters in Crime who are working on mystery novels that sound great. It was a 4-hour workshop, but like many things this past month, it felt like it went by in a flash. Here we are with the organizers of the workshop.

Before heading home, I got some writing done at the Insomnia Coffee Company in Hillsboro. I plotted out a new mystery series -- which takes place in Portland, of course. The Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series gives me an excuse to travel internationally, so now I've got yet another excuse to visit Portland!

Coolest Gift Ever: ARTIFACT Book Art

I really lucked out when it comes to my friends. I had the greatest crew taking care of me last year during chemo, and now look what I received last weekend to celebrate my book launch: book art for Artifact!

My childhood best friend, who I've known since I was about 8 years old, flew into town for the festivities, and she brought me this amazing handmade book she'd commissioned.

Here's what the folded pages look like up close.

I've got the book sitting atop one of my bookshelves, next to my gargoyles.

-Gigi 

Book Launch Party Photos

It was a packed house at A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland on Saturday night for the Artifact book launch party. Special thanks to everyone who joined me in person as well as to all of you who let me know you were there in spirit!

The party was a joint celebration for the release of my debut mystery novel and for completing a full year of cancer treatments. I'm happy to report that both activities were a success. Artifact is making more of a splash than I imagined, and my doctors can't find any evidence of cancer left in my body! Here are some photos from the celebration:

The fabulous bookstore staff.

Views of both sides of the store as I began my reading. 

Business manager (er, husband), with Sophie Littlefield and Juliet Blackwell. 

With Terry Shames and Sophie Littlefield. 

With my youngest fan. 

(And yes, in case you were wondering, the book is kid-friendly; the little one here is younger than my target audience, but the book is a traditional mystery that would be considered PG-rated.)

The bookstore's children's book room doubles as a signing room. 

After getting my book signed, many attendees bought books for their kids! 

In the signing room with Andrew MacRae and Pat Morin. 

We served a selection of Scotch whisky from the region of the Highlands of Scotland where the novel takes place, and had ARTIFACT coasters as a take-away.

The party was so much fun that it inspired me to get back to work on the next book in the series!

One Crazy Week

Artifact poster in a bookstore window.

Somehow it's been over a week since Artifact went on sale. You'd think it was more work to *write* the book, and yes, to some extent that's quite true. But it turns out it's true that publicity is important to help people find the book, so I've been busy attending to opportunities that arise.

Today, I'm featured on Jenny Milchman's "Made It Moments" blog. Jenny is a mystery author whose first novel, Cover of Snow, debuts in 2013. For years, she's had a feature on her blog where she invites authors to share the story of when they feel like they've "made it" as an author. I used to think the answer would be when your book is published, but that's not generally what authors choose as their moment! It's not what I chose either.

It's really fun, and slightly surreal, so be hearing from mystery fans who already read the book. And it was cool to see this review of Artifact that appeared in ForeWord Reviews magazine. The most interesting thing is to hear the specifics of what different people think--the book is no longer mine alone, but a freestanding entity.

Post-chemo hair, week 8.

I'm getting ready for my book launch party at A Great Good Place for Books this weekend (there's a photo above of an Artifact poster in the window of the bookstore), and in the meantime of course it's a busy week at work so I can't take time off! But that's what coffee is for....

Lastly, so I don't slack off taking photos of my hair as it grows out, here's this week's photo. For the first time since it's been growing back, it's long enough that I feel the hair resting on my forehead. But at the same time, I'm also finally getting used to having short hair! Who knows if I'll decide to keep it.

-Gigi

ARTIFACT Goes on Sale Today! Join Me Online or In Person

I can't believe today is actually here! Artifact: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, is officially on sale today. 

I'm kicking off a blog tour today. Please stop by if you get a chance! Links are below.

Online Events
(Check my website for additional listings to come)

August 28: “A Day in the Life of Jaya Jones,” at Dru’s Book Musing

August 28: The story of how Artifact came to be, at Lesa’s Book Critiques

August 28: Discussing book covers, at The LadyKillers

September 5: My “Made It Moment,” at Jenny Milchman’s “Made It Moments” blog

September 6: Interviewed by the Mysteristas

September 14: Treasure Hunting in Scotland, at Novel Adventurers

September 16: Discussing the family history that inspired Artifact, at Buried Under Books



Join me in person at the book launch party for Artifact. Saturday, September 8, 2012, 7 p.m. at A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, CA.

Additional events can be found on my website.


This is going to be a short blog post, because there's so much to do today! More soon...

Goodreads and Good Hair (post-chemo hair: weeks 5, 6, and 7)

I know, I know. I slacked off posting weekly photos of my hair. It's not that I didn't remember to take photos each week. It's because it turns out there's so much work to do with a book release that I didn't think about downloading and posting the photos! I also didn't remember to publicize a last chance for members of Goodreads to win an Advance Reader Copy of Artifact.

So below, good hair and a Goodreads giveaway:

I got a new haircut! Yes, I'm growing out my hair, but it was getting so scraggly and unruly that it needed a clean-up. I still don't think I quite look like myself, but I think it's kind of cute. I suspect it's going to be one of the great ironies of life that as soon as my hair has grown back out to how long it was before cancer, I'll finally have stopped thinking of myself as a long-haired person. 

Post-chemo hair, week 7.

Post-chemo hair, weeks 5 and 6.

Are you on Goodreads? Through Monday, August 27 (the day before Artifact is officially on sale), you can enter to win one of five signed ARCs:

—Gigi

Post-Cancer Celebratory Trip Planning: Prague and Paris, Here We Come!

My last cancer treatment took place at the end of July, so last week I was able to get my port out. I'm a little sore from the stitches, but I don't seem to mind, because it means I'm officially DONE with invasive cancer treatments!

What's a girl to do to celebrate?

1. Throw a killer book launch party.

2. Go on vacation to Prague and Paris.

I visited Prague briefly when I was 22 years old, while backpacking after college. It was such a mysterious, romantic city (two of my favorite things) that I always wanted to go back. Life got away from me, though, so I never did. And somehow it's already 15 years later!

But you know what? Even if cancer changes my plans along the way in the future, I'm not going to let it stop me from having the experiences I want to in life. I'm going to turn cancer on its head and use it as a reminder to focus on the important things in life, like seeing the world with my loved ones.

So we booked ourselves tickets flying into Prague and out of Paris for later in the fall, after Artifact comes out. I've already got an idea for a Paris mystery novel in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series, but now I need to think of some good ideas for a Prague mystery....

—Gigi

Book Launch Party for Artifact

I'd love for you to join me at the book launch party for Artifact!

The event is being held at the wonderful independent bookstore A Great Good Place for Books, located in the Montclair neighborhood of Oakland.

Saturday, September 8, 2012
7 p.m.
A Great Good Place for Books 
Oakland, CA

What can you expect? The party takes place the week after Artifact hits the shelves, so you'll be able to buy a copy of the book, and I'll be signing copies. I'll also read a little bit from the novel and share some fun facts about how the book came to be—but mostly it'll be a fun party at a fabulous bookstore. In keeping with the spirit of Artifact, there will be Scotch whisky from the region of the highlands of Scotland where the book takes place, and other treats.

This book launch party is a joint celebration, celebrating not only the release of my debut mystery, but also the successful completion of a year of cancer treatments! So yes, there's a lot to celebrate.


—Gigi

The Haircut, Week 4

Too long to spike but not quite long enough for bangs. Depending on whether or not my curls turn out to be as strong as they were before chemo, it might soon be time to pull out my stash of cute hats....

—Gigi

My Mom's New Book is Out!

My mom, Sue Parman, has a new poetry chapbook out: The Thin Monster House (Finishing Line Press).

Here are a few links, for those of you who are poetry fans:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Finishing Line Press. 

“Keenly observant, intelligent, and filled with moments of beauty, The Thin Monster House tastes of nature, life and loss.  I felt as if I was on a journey with a poet taking me to new, unexpected places. Sue Parman’s poetry is edgy, sharp and acute.”

—Sandra Giedeman, past president of the Orange County chapter of PEN, Pushcart Prize nominee, and winner of the Mudfish Poetry Prize

“From modern to ancient times, these poems call forth the cycles of the natural world and human life on planet Earth. With unexpected turns, Sue Parman applies the unimagined to the ordinary, taking the reader deep into primal elements and outward into the universe. A thoroughly luscious read!”

—Marie Buckley, President Emeritus of the Oregon Poetry Association

The thin house on the hill is invisible

to adults but children know when it will appear,

although it can be seen only by its dark perimeter

for less than a minute.  Such a brief time, seconds fizz

through fingertips, not enough time for fears

to bubble and trouble small spirits, and yet

so much can happen inside of a single minute….

—excerpt from the poem, “The Thin Monster House”

Sue Parman is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and an award-winning poet, playwright, essayist, and fiction writer.  In academia she is the author of six books and numerous articles on topics as diverse as Scottish crofters, Japan, and the neurophysiology and cultural patterning of dreams, and has published in diverse literary genres, from memoirs, science fiction, and travel writing to sonnets and haiku.  For thirty years she studied a Gaelic-speaking community in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, and many of her academic writings and literary fiction deal with Scotland.  Since moving to Oregon in 2009, she has received over ten writing awards, including four first-place awards from the Oregon State Poetry Association and Oregon Writers Colony, two Kay Snow Awards from Willamette Writers, and Honorable Mentions from Best Travel Writing Annual Solas Awards and Oregon Humanities.  Her poetry has appeared in Cloudbank, Verseweavers, Slant, The Hiram Poetry Review, and The Elephant-Ear, as well as other venues, and her short stories, plays, and essays have appeared in Voice Catcher, Lumina, Journeys, The Elephant-Ear, Spectacle, The Los Angeles Times, Songs of Innocence, and BewilderingStories.com.  Produced plays include “Queen Victoria’s Secret” (which was performed in Portland’s Fertile Ground New Play Festival in 2011, published in Voice Catcher, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize).  

Information about upcoming readings and publications can be found at: http://www.sueparman.com/ and http://anthro.fullerton.edu/sparman/.

—Gigi

The Haircut: Week 3 / Plus a Note About Comments

This week was a tipping point. My post-chemo hair growth became long enough that I can no longer spike it straight up. When I try to do so, it looks rather like a pathetic attempt at a mohawk. Not an awesome mohawk, mind you. Just a sad little silly one.

Instead, I'm going to see if taming my curls downward works. Here's my first shot. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes my curls to rebel.

I previously blogged about my inadvertent sociological experiment that took place during chemo, in which different wigs received vastly different responses from the people I interacted with. This continues to be the case with short hair! More than any other change of appearance I've ever had, hair changes the way strangers interact with me.

I'm not sure if it's these thrilling posts about my hair that are increasing the number of people reading the blog (kidding, I know it's the how-to posts), but I've started to receive SPAM comments that I've had to delete. Therefore I've changed the settings and comments will only appear once I've had a chance to approve them.

—Gigi