Shirley Tallman's Blog

I'm off to bed, but just had to tell you about the great book signing event I had at Murder By The Book in Portland last Sunday! The owners do a really great job putting together an author event. Lots of wonderful people attended, including three old friends from Eugene, Oregon. What a surprise to see them there! Small world.

I spent the night with a friend at her beautiful home in Vancouver, Washington. Talk about southern hospitality! Kathi spread out the red carpet and wined and dined me in...

Bob and I arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area about an hour ago and were greeted by bright sunshine and clear skies! Since we've had days of rain in Oregon, it was a great welcome.

Tomorrow I start my book tour for SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL. Two book signings tomorrow -- the first one starts at noon, a lunch/talk/get together at Towne Center Bookstore in Pleasanton. Yes, a lunch, isn't that something? I'm really looking forward to it! Then tomorrow evening at 7:00, I'll be at Books Inc. in San...

It seems to me that I'm spending way too much time online these days. Granted, when a new book is released it's almost carved in stone that you have to check your book's ranking on Amazon (which changes every hour), and the publicity work every writer is forced to do online never seems to stop. Nonetheless, I think checking email, Facebook and Twitter gradually, or not so gradually, grows to be more than a habit; it becomes an addiction!

I've tried promising myself that I'll only check my emai...

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I belong to a singing group. Actually, I belong to two singing groups, a very large one -- approximately 80 women -- and a smaller group of about a dozen women. I love them both!

My life (like so many of us!) is hectic and stressful. Some people have told me that adding yet one more activity to the mix is downright foolish -- okay, so some have used stronger words than that, but I don't feel it's appropriate to mention them here. But they're wrong...

I just realized yesterday that my new Sarah Woolson mystery, SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL, will be released next Tuesday, March 30th! This last month has really flown by. Still so much to do, and even less time to do it in!



For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, here is the schedule for my book signings/talks, etc.



Thursday, April 8th, 12:00

Lunch & Book Signing at TOWNE CENTER BOOKSTORE, 555 Main St., Pleasanton

Phone: (925) 846-8826

Website: http://www.towncenterbooks.com

On Sunday, Bob and I attended the funeral of our son Mike's mother-in-law Beatrice Aceves in Sacramento, California. It was a long ride down from Eugene, Oregon, but we were determined to be there in order to say goodbye to a truly wonderful lady.

The funeral service was one of the most touching I've ever attended. Mike and Norma's four beautiful and talented older children -- our grandchildren Melissa, Vaneza, Danielle and Mikey -- played their violins, filling the church with music that see...

I'm sorry to announce that my son Mike's much loved mother-in-law, Beatrice Aceves, passed away early this morning after a long illness. Beatrice was a wonderful, caring woman, who devoted her life to her husband and family, including her six grandchildren. Although she'll be greatly missed, we're fortunate to be left with so many loving memories of this great lady.

Mike, Norma and kids, all our thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time!

Wouldn't you know it -- my sore throat developed into a full fledged case of SICK! Three days in bed running a fever and hurting all over, and three days further behind on all my projects. But at least I'm up and around today, thank God! Although with the bad weather right after we arrived, then coming down with this "bug," I didn't get to ski, worst luck.

On the plus side, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer spot to be sick in than beautiful Lake Tahoe. Watching the snow fall in front of a blazing fire is pretty darn hard to beat. Putting it that way, it's hard to complain. And I have to say that I got a lot of reading in, mostly audio books on my iPod, since my head hurt too much to actually use my eyes. Something else to be grateful for!

We were supposed to head back to Eugene, Oregon, last Sunday, but obviously I was in no fit state to travel, so we're going to try for this Thursday or Friday. If I didn't have so much on my plate, I'd vote to stay here for another week, in the hope I could yet hit the slopes. But then I guess I'd better to stick to counting my blessings.

Anybody have any home "cures" for this cold/flu/virus thing I've latched onto? Believe me, any and all hints will be gratefully accepted!![image error]

Unbelievable! I've waited since before Christmas to get in some ski time, and here I go and get sick in beautiful Lake Tahoe. My husband Bob took to the slopes this morning and said it was absolutely glorious! There ought to be a law against a husband bragging about how great the skiing was when his wife is stuck in the cabin!

Yesterday it snowed all day, and tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. Oh, well, maybe next time. At least I'm getting some publicity work done. And, glory alleluia, I'm actually making some progress on the 5th book in the Sarah Woolson series. (Between sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose, that is).

Sorry, if it sounds as if I've got a good case of the "poor me's", you're probably right. Then again, when will another "perfect ski day" come along? (When I'm here to enjoy it, that is).[image error]

I owe so many of you a HUGE apology! In the past I've been pretty honest about my lack of computer skills, but today I found out that I'm a whole lot worse than even I suspected!

When I went online to write this blog today, I discovered -- yes, believe it or not for the very first time -- that I had quite a few comments sitting in a little corner of this (to me very confusing) blogging website, all by themselves and waiting patiently for me to post them to the proper page. Some of them date ba...