How Did I Miss This, and What Must Charlie Rose Think?

So, what's up with the spider?

I was looking for images from Bowling Green, Kentucky as I spent some time there this weekend for the Southern Kentucky Bookfest. Horses in pictures of Kentucky are so overdone--and Bowling Green is stunning and rural, but not particularly horsey. While searching the Internet for something appropriate, I came upon Steven S.Kirtley's photos. Gorgeous stuff! His insect photos seemed particularly appropriate given the full onset of spring and the imminent arrival of the orb spiders that haunt my front porch all summer.

I made lots of new friends at the Bookfest and encouraged everyone who purchased ISABELLA MOON (thank you!) to email me and let me know what they think of it. And I was delighted that Bookfest took a big chance and let in several more of us unsavory mystery and thriller-writer types. I finally got the chance to meet Harlan Coben, as well as the ubiquitous Con Lehane. Fellow newbie, the talented Will Lavender was promoting his debut novel, OBEDIENCE. And the always fun JT Ellison and were in the row just behind me and my table-mate, Kentucky native Janna McMahan. I also became acquainted with yummy Lorna Landvik, who came all the way from Minnesota, and better acquainted with Leatha Kendrick, whom I first met at the Appalachian Writers Workshop almost twenty years ago! (That's also where I met my husband, Pinckney, so it's quite dear to my heart. We'll both be teaching at the annual workshop held at The Hindman Settlement School in the summer of '09.)

Now, here's a shiny object that caught my attention this morning. (It was posted on YouTube in March. Practically ancient history!) I can't believe I'm posting it, but if, like me, you are a cowardly Philistine for whom the phrase, "Let's go see a Samuel Beckett play," makes you want to twist a fork in your eye, this will give you a fit! (By way of the folks at The Very Short List.)