Letting go

Patty here…

This morning I sent the manuscript of my fourth book to my editor, the fabulous Kristen Weber of NAL/Penguin. It was hard to let go of it because I’m still thinking of ways to tweak scenes or replace a word or phrase with something more profound. The book will come back to me for edits, of course. My manuscripts are seldom as perfect as I think they are or as horrible.

I let go of my 3rd manuscript ten months ago and have barely had time to think about it because my focus was on finishing my fourth. When you’re on deadline, the pressure feels overwhelming sometimes. For the past few weeks, I’ve stopped answering nonessential emails. Some of them I haven’t even read. My desk is piled high with unopened snail mail. There are dust bunnies under the bed and dried up geranium leaves that should be pinched from the plants in my window boxes. Everything has been on hold.

That all changed last week when I received a copy of SHORT CHANGE hot off the press. I also got my first review from Publishers Weekly. It was a good one and I was glad. Here’s the cover but you have to see it and feel it to appreciate how much fun it is.

SHORT CHANGE PUB DATE—JULY 3

The background red is a satin finish. The letters of my name are pillowy crimson foil. Tucker's Boxster is highlighted in foil, too. On the back flap of the jacket under the author information is this: “She is a regular contributor to the crime fiction blog www.nakedauthors.com with fellow mystery authors James Grippando, Paul Levine, Cornelia Read, James O. Born, and Jacqueline Winspear.” Yeow! I hope that doesn’t ruin anybody’s career.

The audio version of SHORT CHANGE has been recorded by Books on Tape and will be out on July 10 or so. I was curious about the voice “talent” who was speaking for Tucker, so I went to the BOT Web site a few days ago to investigate. She’s New Yorker Allyson Ryan.



This is what she says:

People love my voice because it is sexy, deep, and has a sensual rasp. I have the ability to sound authoritative and professional, but warm and fuzzy at the same time. For more light commercial type copy, I can sound bouncy, fun, and energetic. I can do character voices for cartoons and can sing for jingles. I also do a flawless standard British and Cockney accent.

It’s a strange sensation giving up control of Tucker’s voice to a stranger but it’s also intriguing to think that somebody may soon be stuck in traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway listening to Allyson Ryan as Tucker Sinclair, growling her way to the exciting conclusion of SHORT CHANGE.

This isn’t the first time my books have been recorded. In fact, did I ever tell you that FALSE PROFITS was the number one most talked about mystery in the dining room of my mother’s assisted living facility? I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Mostly it’s because the Braille Institute recorded my first two books for Talking Books, a free service offered to the blind or the visually impaired. My mother is a subscriber because she has macular degeneration and can't read anymore. When she was finished listening to FALSE PROFITS I asked what she thought of it. She said, “You sure know a lot of words." She raised one eyebrow in a gesture of disapproval. "And some of them you didn’t learn from me.” Oops.

Ceding our character’s identity is a tricky business. When I go out into the world and speak to various groups, people sometimes ask me who would play Tucker in the film. I never know how to answer that question. In my mind’s eye I have always thought of her as Juliette Binoche in “Chocolat.” My friend Mims thinks Tucker is Hilary Swank.



I wouldn’t have thought of Hiliary in a million years, but Mims has a brilliant mind and after giving it some consideration, I realized she was spot on. Tucker is tall and skinny with brown hair and eyes the color of Old Grand-Dad Kentucky bourbon. She has an insatiable curiosity. She is vulnerable but plucky. Tucker is Hilary Swank.



Now that book four is finished, I'll have a lot more time to ponder these issues. You may even get an email from me asking what you've been doing for the past year. For now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take a nap...