My Weekend and Liz's Kick Butt Review from PW!!

It was another fun filled, nice weather, NY kind of weekend. Friday night I ate at a delicious Italian place with outdoor tables. My dog Molly, as she has now become accustomed to doing, sat just outside the perimeter and spent the meal begging. This time, however, she was rewarded, when our waiter brought out a whole bowl filled with scraps of meat!! He earned a friend for life from Molly and a VERY good tip from us. It’s that kind of service that makes a restaurant really stand out. Oh and his wine suggestion was really delicious too.

On Saturday my friends and I took a train up north to a lovely place called Cold Spring, a tiny town named by George Washington himself when he touring the Hudson River for a location for West Point. Set along the Hudson, the area boasts scenic hiking trails. We spent about four hours hiking and had lunch at the top of the small mountain. Then we wandered the town in the evening, eating ice cream and checking out the shops. Was a great escape from the city.

Sunday I had to work on my book and clean my apartment. But I did take a nice long walk to meet a friend for dinner that evening. But by that time the sun had gone down and it had gotten a bit chilly. In any case, I felt I had enough sunshine as to not feel deprived.

Got to enjoy the spring weather before it turns boiling hot and smelly!!

In writing news – my friend/cohort Liz Maverick received a STARRED REVIEW from Publisher’s Weekly for her upcoming Dorchester SHOMI book “WIRED.” I’m so excited for her – though now the pressure’s on me to get favorable reviews for MOONGAZER – Shomi #2. Liz’s book is so great – Ive really got a lot to live up to…

Here’s the review, in case you’re curious:

Wired
Liz Maverick. Dorchester/Shomi, $6.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-505-52724-0
If Maverick's fast-paced, genre-bounding novel is any indication, Dorchester's new imprint, Shomi—which aims to hook a younger generation of readers—should catch an audience quickly. Maverick grabs readers from page one, throwing together romance, science fiction and cyberpunk—a mash-up hinted at in the anime-style packaging— to tell the story of L. Roxanne Zaborovsky, a high-strung freelance computer programmer whose reclusive life gets tossed on its head when two men show up looking for her. Appearing mysteriously one night, the pair immediately set to fighting over Roxanne; before long, she realizes one is an old college acquaintance, Mason Merrick. Taking off with Mason, Roxanne learns that the men are each after a valuable bit of her work—a piece of code she hasn't even written yet. When even stranger things follow—like close friends showing up with entirely different lives—Roxanne discovers that her pursuers are playing with the threads of reality, trying to gain advantage over the other. Maverick's roller-coaster ride doesn't always stay grounded, but it's easy to get drawn into her world of twisting realities and shifting identities, especially with superb heroine Roxanne handling narration. This excellent piece of genre fiction shows much promise for both Maverick and the imprint she spearheads. (July)