Propelled back into the blogosphere by Cara Black's "Murder Below Montparnasse"


One of the best things about being a blogger is that I can set my own hours and work whenever the mood strikes me. One of the worst things about being a blogger is that my boss is with me 24/7, which explains why I was called in for a conference about my disappearance from the blogosphere at 2:00 am this morning. Even though I wasn't fully awake at the time, I'm fairly sure that our discussion went something like this:

Boss (shaking her head with disappointment): What has happened to you? You haven't posted in days ... or is it weeks?
MK (rubbing the sleep from my eyes): I told you that I was going to take a break. Go on vacation. Disconnect from social media. Spend time - really spend time - with my family. Be present in the moment. Do all of the stuff that's important for maintaining relationships.
Boss: I know but I really didn't believe it when you said that you were going to take a break. I mean, no one goes cold turkey from blogging, Twitter and Facebook. In this day and age, it's virtually impossible. What with your children tweeting and blogging, I was sure that your resolve would crumble like a chocolate chip cookie. The temptation is just too great. Plus, you visited all kinds of interesting places in Boston, Texas and New York. You'd be lying if you say that you didn't have the slightest urge to write about your first real visit to NYC or the tangy beef BBQ that you devoured in Texas.
MK (momentarily distracted by the memory of the beef BBQ): How about if I start blogging when I get back to Paris on Sunday morning? That makes sense. After all, I don't think I'll have time to write a post before leaving Annapolis because I've got a lot of other work to do. Stuff that really needs to be taken care of. And there's happy hour at the Chart House tonight. I don't want to miss that.
Boss: Get some sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow.

Now, I don't know if it was serendipity, kismet or if my wily boss pulled a fast one on me, but I couldn't keep my trembling fingers away from my laptop after being inexplicably drawn to the Annapolis Bookstore this morning and discovering that Cara Black, the author of Murder Below Montparnasse, will be there at 6:30 pm tomorrow evening. Suddenly, I had a mission that couldn't be postponed. I tweeted about it, posted the information on Facebook and found myself feverishly writing this blog post. I sure hope that my boss is happy and let's me sleep tonight!

Be sure to check author Cara Black's website for additional information about her national tour of the USA. If you attend one of the events, you can enter the sweepstakes for a trip to Paris with the author, "Killer Trip to Paris with Cara Black", in October 2013. Good luck!

Comments

  1. Hahaha poor Mary Kay! We'll definitely check about Murder Below Montparnasse.

    xx Alice from Le Grumeau

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    1. Yeah, I wouldn't wish my boss on anyone! I hope that you enjoy Murder Below Montparnasse. I was hooked as soon as I started reading it.

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  2. Love Cara Black. I just finished the book. Began it while in Paris in March. However, I couldn't register for the give away as there was no page in my e-book to give me details!

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    1. It's a shame that you weren't able to register for the "Killer Trip to Paris". It sounds as if the organizers have planned a lot of interesting events, plus it would be fun to spend more time with Cara Black. She's a wonderful story teller!

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  3. What a mean boss you have, Mary Kay!;)

    Love Cara! Glad to know she has another book out!:) What a treat!:) Will buy the kindle version when I get home from work:)

    Enjoy the rest of your vacation and be good;)

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    1. I'm glad that someone else understands what a rough life I lead with my boss, Duchesse! ;)

      Cara's a prolific author. If I remember correctly, she has already finished writing her next book - the one after Murder Below Montparnasse.

      I followed your instructions and enjoyed the rest of my vacation. Thanks. I hope that all is well with you!

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  4. Mary Kay, you make me laugh! I actually talked with Sara a bit about this, the balance between how much you post, what you do, all that.

    My goal this year is to have a post up every other day...and I try to have them ready to go the weekend before. Though, I will say, whenever I'm on vacation or have guests, I always wait until after they're gone to retro-actively "publish" posts (cheating, I know! But it's my journal of things I'm up to, not a money-making business or my job!). To me, this is a way to make sure I'm continually searching out fun things to do, getting out of lab. Making sure I have something interesting to talk about is a good way to give myself the permission to take off on random adventures sometimes.

    I hope you're having fun on your cross-America tour...and I'll see you in Boston in June!

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    1. You're so incredibly organized, Bridget! I'm continuously amazed that you're able to stay on top of your research, do so many other activities and write a blog.

      Isn't it funny that we feel as if we have to "give ourselves permission" to do something random. It must be due to the Protestant work ethic that's instilled in Midwesterners from birth! I'm glad that you allow yourself to take off on random adventures for quite often it's those experiences that we remember the most.

      I look forward to seeing you in Boston in June and Paris in July!

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  5. OMG, I was going through withdrawal waiting for another post from you! I like your boss and I'm happy that she invaded your sweet dreams. Hope you're enjoying a much needed vacation from...? work. (is THAT what you call it?)
    I too, will be on vacation soon as you know and fortunately, my boss has no idea where to find me!

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    1. You're lucky that you'll be able to leave your boss at home while you go gallivanting about Europe, Nancy ... but I wouldn't be too surprised if Brady doesn't invade your subconscious while you're here! I know you're going to miss him. He's such an adorable puppy!

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  6. Glad you're back! Good for your boss getting you blogging again. I've been a bit apathetic with mine lately too - tail end of winter syndrome I suspect. Not come across Cara Black before but will certainly take a look now.

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    1. Thanks, Steph. Here's to Spring (even though it still hasn't made an appearance in Paris) and renewed blogging vigor. Long may it last!

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  7. Hi Mary Kay, I think you're perfectly right to make the decision to post every second day even though, from a personal point of view, I would rather you posted more often! When I dropped weekend posting, it was a big relief!

    I have to confess that, although I have read Cara Black's books (well, at least two - I came across them in a secondhand book shop), it annoys me that she makes so many mistakes in French. I also don't like all the French clichés, but I guess that's one of the reasons she's so popular.
    I had to laugh at the private detective's name - Leduc - on rue du Louvre. There is a big sign on the second floor of a building in that street that says "DULUC, Détective Privé".

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    1. Prior to starting "Murder Below Montparnasse", I hadn't read any of Cara's books but one of the audience members said that he likes that she incorporates French words and phrases because it helps set the scene. I guess that it's a personal preference.

      Interestingly enough, Cara also explained the story behind the name, "Leduc". As you suspected, it does come from the detective agency that you mentioned. She met with them when she started writing her first book. When they said that they would need to review what she wrote if she used their name, she decided to change it ever so slightly!

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  8. Love this post - made me smile. I'm selfishly glad your boss took you in hand, but also glad you had a reasonable break before she got to you.

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    1. Speaking of bosses, I've often wondered about the origin of "Bossi" and "Used to be Bossy". Did you put your boss in her place when she got too demanding?!

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    1. Me too!
      Have a nice time - S

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    2. Missed both of you, too! It feels good to be back in the blogosphere.

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  10. Sounds like you've been having a whirlwind time. Glad to hear you made it to NYC. Hope it wasn't too cold.

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    1. Everyone kept telling us that we were really lucky with the weather while we were in NYC. The sun was shining while we walked the High Line and while we were at Eataly's rooftop bar. I recognized some buildings, like the Flatiron, from your pictures on Any Port!

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  11. Good for you! And I just thought it was my absence in the wilds of the South China Seas that kept you from being inspired to blog. Seems we're all getting our feet back in again.

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    1. You're my muse, Joseph -- what more can I say! Now that you're safely back from your adventure on the South China Seas, I feel like writing again.

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