I’ve added Scottsdale, Arizona to my Travelocity farewatcher list. Why? Longtime visitors will not be surprised to hear that it’s related to a book signing. Charlaine Harris will be in Scottdale in May for a book tour. Arizona is the closest stop she’s making, and I think the trip will be quite affordable. I’ll keep you posted.

While talking with the new writer in the publications department, he says that he tends to associate romances with Fabio-cover stuff. He is willing to try reading one if I recommend a “tame” one. I’m thinking of suggesting a book like Meg Cabot’s Boy Meets Girl or Carla Kelly’s Summer Campaign. Anyone else have a good suggestion?

I picked up Marjorie M. Liu’s Tiger Eye at the bookstore after reading a review that intrigued me. I’m pleased to report that this book is very good: 4.5 out of 5.

Delilah (Dela) Reece is shopping in a Chinese market when she has a strange encounter with a woman who insists on selling Dela a small box. It’s a good bargain, so Dela buys the box and takes it back to her hotel. Before she gets there, however, an ominous man confronts and tries to abduct her.

When she escapes and returns to the hotel, Dela examines the box more closely. It’s a puzzle box, and when she maneuvers the lid, a seven-foot man appears. He is shape-shifter Hari, who has been cursed to remain in the box until he is summoned; then, he must obey the commands of the one who releases him.

I love paranormal stories, but Tiger Eye is especially good. While there are a few suspense subplots, the story focuses primarily on Hari and Dela’s growing relationship. After two thousand years of bad treatment at the hands of previous masters, Hari is understandably reluctant to trust Dela. I loved Dela’s patience with him, and I loved Hari’s wonder as he comes to trust and care for her. Both characters are multidimensional and real.

I believe Tiger Eye is Liu’s first book, but she has two more coming out later this year. I will buy them, too. Liu is a wonderful, engaging storyteller with a unique voice.

Alyssa

I’ve almost finished my next entry for Romancing the Blog, and for the second time in a row I discarded my initial idea (even though I had written several paragraphs) and went with a different topic. I won’t say what it is (aren’t I mean?), but I will say that I think it will spark considerable discussion. I wonder if this pattern will continue?

I do plan to come back to my original topic, however. It still interests me, and I like the title I came up with. Anyway, it is a relief to have it almost finished well before the deadline.

I’m experiencing a bit of a reading funk. I have been reading Leslie Kelly’s The One That Got Away, but haven’t been able to get into it. Perhaps because it’s part of a larger continuity series, none of which I’ve read, and there are several characters who simply appear in this story without much explanation. I’m thinking I will set it aside and come back to it later.

I’ve been rereading in the past few days. I tend to skim as I reread and stop at the places that interest me. I skimmed Mary Balogh’s Slightly Dangerous today. That’s such a great story.

I may move on to Tiger Eye, by Marjorie M. Liu. I’ve been hearing good things about it, and I love kick-ass heroines.

I’m working on a review of The Naked Duke by Sally MacKenzie, and thought people might be curious about what reviewers do when they come across a review of a book they haven’t written about yet. I can’t speak for all reviewers, of course, but here’s what I do.

Occasionally I will read a review, then get the book in a review package. In this case, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t have a photographic memory, so usually I remember that I’ve read a review about it, but not much more. After I write my review, I go back and look at the other review to make sure I didn’t unconsciously copy anything. So far, my written reviews have been pretty different even when the rating of the book is the same.

If I see a review and know that I am reviewing the same book, as is the case with The Naked Duke, I don’t read it until I’ve finished my review. It just makes things easier. Once I’ve finished the review, I will read the other one. In this case, I’m not concerned with whether I’ve unconsciously copied any part of the review—you can’t copy it if you haven’t read it, after all—but if a reviewer uses an example that I want to use, I might change mine. It depends on whether I can make my point with a different example.

I am following the trial of Tom Murray quite closely and will continue to do so. I plan to limit my blog entries on the subject to one a week, but I have to write about it. The topic is very much on my mind.

As I mentioned before, he is on trial for the murder of his ex-wife. Based on the articles I’ve read, it doesn’t look good for him. There is a lot of incriminating circumstantial evidence, including the infamous nosebleed excuse. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen defendants try to explain away blood as being from a nosebleed.

Today’s trial talk is about Murray’s interview with police. Some of his comments during the interview seem odd, though it’s hard to arrive at a conclusion based on a short article about a 9-1/2 hour interview. Still, “I’m having fun with it from a CSI perspective” seems like a strange comment to make about an investigation into the death of someone you were married to for almost 20 years.

Brava anthology “Wicked” Women Whodunit is a bit of a mixed bag. One story is excellent, one is very good, one is good, and one is not as good. However, I won’t complain; I’ve added two people to my authors-to-watch list.

MaryJanice Davidson’s “Ten Little Idiots” is the good story. It’s fast-paced and humorous, but there isn’t a whole lot of room for character development. With apologies to Wendy (who likes the shorter contemporary story), I have to say that I prefer Davidson’s paranormal books.

“Single White Dead Guy,” by Amy Garvey, is the excellent story. I think it’s difficult to create a credible scenario in which the hero and heroine meet and head for the bedroom shortly thereafter. I’m always impressed when a writer uses this plot and makes me believe that the relationship is about more than just hormones. That was the case for this book. The mystery was interesting, the characters multidimensional, and the sex spicy. I will make it a point to pick up Murder in the Hamptons, a full-length book from Garvey coming out in May.

Jennifer Apodaca’s “Fast Boys” is the very good story. I was initially put off by the e-mail-ends-up-in-wrong-hands plot, but the main characters quickly came to life, which helped immensely. I will look for Apodaca’s future stories, too.

“Three Men and a Body,” by Nancy J. Cohen, is my least favorite story in the anthology. I’m having a difficult time getting into the reality-show plots that seem so popular right now. On another note, I wasn’t convinced that the hero and heroine really connected. Their relationship seemed only physical to me.

So, the results:

“Ten Little Idiots”: 3.5
“Single White Dead Guy”: 4.5
“Fast Boys”: 4
“Three Men and a Body”: 3

That puts this anthology at 3.5 out of 5.

Spring is coming. I say this not because I want to comment on the weather, but because I want to warn you that this is my busiest time of year at work. Last year, there were times I would work, then come home and collapse. I’m hoping that won’t be the case this year. The good news is that two new people joined the publications department last week, so I won’t be the only one working on the annual website updates. But I do want to give you a heads up. I’m not expecting to drop off the face of the earth, but if it happens, I’ll be back eventually. I promise.

I’ve seen a few people—Lynn M is the most recent—write about guilty pleasures. I’ve been giving this some thought, and I’m ready to make a few confessions.

Books
When it comes to guilty pleasure reading, the first author that comes to mind is Diana Palmer. I started reading her books in the early 1990s, and I discovered that many of her characters are interchangeable. There’s always a young, innocent heroine and an older alpha hero. Often there is some kind of misunderstanding that makes the hero think the heroine is not innocent. The hero usually makes obvious comments about the fact that he is attracted to the heroine, but these comments go right over her head.

Now, I consider myself a feminist, and Palmer’s books are far from politically correct. The characters seem like they are stuck in the past. Yet I find myself going back and rereading selected ones every few years. Go figure. The ones I’ve read several times are The Patient Nurse, Soldier of Fortune, and Coltrain’s Proposal.

Movies and TV
I know there is something wrong with me, because I love Original Sin with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. The plot is overdramatic, full of passion, betrayal, and deception, yet I watch it a few times a year.

I don’t actually watch a lot of TV. I have taped several episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, but that’s a guilt-free pleasure. I do have some old miniseries taped, like Deceptions (with Stefani Powers) and Harem (with Nancy Travis). These shows are from the 1980s, and they look it. Ha! They’re histrionic and cheesy, but I still love them.

Anyone else brave enough to share their guilty pleasures?

I was taking a break from writing an article for work, and I decided to visit Crime News 2000. It’s been a while since I visited. I saw an article that completely shocked me:

Popular Kansas Professor on Trial for Wife’s Murder

I went to Kansas State to get my master’s degree in English. I knew Tom Murray, though I never had a class from him. My best friend did, though. I simply can’t get my mind around this.

There are no words.