Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five…

I’m going into space today. 

Okay, maybe not truly, but kinda. Sorta.

My fifth grader is going to a space mission simulator with some of her classmates and I volunteered to go along (really, who can resist a chance to pretend something so cool as space travel?!?!?). If I understand correctly, the kids will get to see what a mission into space truly entails. While there, they’ll perform the tasks that a real team must perform every single time we go into space. There will be kids who get to be the astronauts, kids who get to be the communication officers, kids who get to work with the gear, etc.  You know, a real hands-on learning experience that will make them see space exploration in a whole new way.

Now, I realize I’m only there as an extra set of eyes for the teacher, but I have to tell you…I’m more than a little excited. I mean, really, how many times in life (as an adult) do you get to experience something so cool through the eyes of kids (one of which is your own)?

So, since I’ll be learning space jargon and all the buttons you’re not supposed to push, I leave you all to carry on a conversation together. As for a topic? How about the coolest field trip you’ve ever been on (as a student or a chaperone) and what made it so cool…

~Elizabeth

When Music Leads the Way

Last night I had the pleasure of attending my 11-year-old’s school orchestra concert. And while most of the parents seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event, I was the one getting teary-eyed (on several occasions).

I don’t know what it is about watching her play the violin that gets to me, but it does. Every single time.

Perhaps it’s the poise she exudes as she glides the bow across the strings. Perhaps it’s the simple fact that I *love* the violin (whether it’s played fast like a fiddle or more violin-like). And perhaps it’s nothing more than a mother’s pride. But while I’m sure it’s a little bit of each of those things, I wonder if it might be a little bit of regret, too.

I played the piano for a few years as a kid. My teacher taught me to play by numbers rather than reading music (big mistake). I did fairly well but I never really *learned.* Fast forward to now. I’m a firm believer in the healing power of music. It’s why I tend to listen to it whenever I’m sad or struggling with something. But can you imagine if I could *play* it myself at those same times? The feeling of accomplishment I’d have?

So how about you? Did you–or, better yet, *do* you–play an instrument?

~Elizabeth

A Taste of Home

I’ve lived in a lot of places over the years, claiming eleven different structures as “home” in eight different states. I’ve lived in New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, and New York.

While I enjoyed many aspects of all of these places, the place I feel the strongest pull of “home” is St. Louis. Much of that pull, I’m sure, is because of time (the better part of seventeen years was spent there–my longest stretch in one place ever).

That said, I guess it’s natural to miss it from time to time. Fortunately for me, I get to go back once or twice a year to visit thanks to my work as an author and annual checkups with my M.S. doctor. Those visits enable me to see my friends face-to-face and to breathe in the St. Louis atmosphere I grew to love.

For the most part, the visits hold me over from one to the next thanks to memories and future plans. But, from time to time, I need a little dose of home in between visits. Sometimes, flipping through pictures helps. Sometimes, emailing a friend and asking for the latest scoop helps. And sometimes–as was the case this past weekend–incorporating a little “St. Louis” into my life in New York helps. 

My latest attempt to infuse a little St. Louis into my life here in New York? I baked a pan of Ooey Gooey Butter Cake (a St. Louis tradition) using a recipe from a friend I met while living in St. Louis.  I brought the treat to a PLOT LUCK dinner some fellow RWA friends and I had on Saturday night. The smell in the house while I baked planted a smile on my face a mile long…one I spread to my friends when they got to try my little taste of home!

So how about you? What’s something that reminds you of home (wherever home may be)?

~Elizabeth

For those who might be interested, here’s a recipe for Ooey Gooey Butter Cake as told by my friend, Heather Richards. Just do me a favor, okay? If you make it, tell people it’s a St. Louis tradition, okay?

Ingredients for bottom:  *1 package yellow cake mix. *1 stick butter. * 1 egg.  Combine (this will be relatively dry). Press into greased 9 x 13 pan.

Ingredients for top:  * 1 (16 ounce) package of powdered sugar. * 8 ounce package of cream cheese. * 2 eggs. * 1 tsp. vanilla.     Combine.  Pour on top of crust.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool completely or it will be runny. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut in squares.  Enjoy!!!!

Under a Microscope

It’s been one of those weeks. Lots of Ups, a few downs, all part of life.

Ups:

*My launch excursion to Missouri was wonderful. Main Street Books rolled out the red carpet for the debut of DEATH THREADS, as did the McClay Road Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library District (their Readers & Stitchers group is awesome)! Main Street Books still has a few autographed copies left, so give them a shout if you’d like to order one!

*My oldest daughter earned a “tinted bronze pin” from the National Honor Society for her freshmen year of high school (shared by a proud mom).

*DEATH THREADS landed the # 5 spot on the B & N national mass market mystery list for its second week. And # 12 on Bookscan (a more encompassing list) for its first week. Woo-hoo!

*I came home from my launch party trip to find a box of books (A MOM FOR CALLIE–my July romance for the Harlequin American line). Can’t wait for this one to hit stores!  The excitement of seeing my work in book form never grows old.

*My launch party gave me an opportunity to see some old friends I haven’t seen in a while. Love that!

Downs:

*The internet decided to die at home, leaving me with a mountain of email and no real opportunity to blog yesterday–sorry, folks.

*A routine “skin check” resulted in a small section of my calf being biopsied yesterday. Everything else looked good, so I’m not terribly worried, but still…

*My launch weekend was so jam packed with activities that I didn’t get to have solo time with my two best writing buddies.

So that’s my week so far in a nutshell. How’s yours going?

~Elizabeth

A Quest to Change

I have a quest. It’s one I’ve had before, and certainly one I’ve dreamed about during moments of frustration, but this time it’s going to happen.

Really.

Truly.

I’m about to embark on a journey that takes my already decent organizational skills to a whole new level. One that will keep me from ripping my hair out as deadlines approach and, hopefully, find me some much-needed (and fairly regular) “me time” in the process.

First step? To put my goals where I can see them.  Hence, the purchase of the bulletin board at Staples this past week (the fact that it’s still sitting on the floor is beside the point).

Next step? Hanging it.

So stay tuned. This is truly a work in progress.

In the meantime, what’s a quest you’ve had that could possibly go a wee bit better than it is? 

~Elizabeth

Me and MHC…Can You Believe It?

Well, it happened. It finally  happened.

I, Elizabeth Lynn Casey/Laura Bradford, finally got to meet the woman who has sent me to a bookstore every March/April for the last 28 + years.  I own every single suspense novel she’s ever written and she–singlehandedly–propelled my desire to be a writer into the mystery/suspense arena.

And I have pictorial proof thanks to our very own Dru Ann (a regular visitor to this blog).

That’s me…with none other than Mary Higgins Clark at the Malice Domestic Msytery Conference in Arlington, Virginia this past weekend.

I stood (okay, maybe I really danced and hopped and squealed) on line with the book that made me want to be a mystery writer as opposed to the children’s writer I always assumed I’d be. It’s 27 years old, yellowed, and more than a little tattered from countless readings but it’s special.

And now that she’s signed it, it’s even more special.

So now it’s your turn. Is there anyone famous you’d like to meet?

~Elizabeth

*Scroll down for a look at the first two winners in my Launch Week Challenge!!!

The Missing Gene

Okay, I have a confession to make. 

I don’t like to shop.

I don’t know if it’s a lack of fashion sense (if it’s not put together on the mannequin, I’m at a loss), a worry about finances (I don’t really  need that shirt…), or a flashback to the days of being dragged from store to store by a mother who got the shopping gene (or at least the kind that made her pick through every rack in the store) in spades. But, whatever the reason, I’m most definitely not a shopper.

While this little fact probably made my ex-husband a happy man for the seventeen years we were married, it makes things a bit tricky when the need to shop collides with my distaste for the process. It’s not that I don’t like new clothes, because I do. I’m just not a fan of the picking-them-out-process.

And therein lies my dilemma.

You see, over the next several weeks, I have a lot of professional engagements–a face-to-face with my agent, dinner with the publisher, another dinner/banquet with the publisher, reader events, lots of signings, and my launch party for DEATH THREADS. And my closet (or, rather, the clothes in it) is (are) pathetic at best.

Which means I need to shop.

Need. To.

*shudder*

So, while I’m dragging myself in and out of stores in search of clothes, I figured I’d pose this question to all of you…

What’s a have-to you wish could be permanently moved to the never-have-to column of your life?

~Elizabeth

Let the Flapping Begin

Well, the countdown has begun. DEATH THREADS launches nationwide in just two weeks…

Which means the pre-launch crazies have begun. There’s booksignings to set up, mailing labels to type/print, postcards to get out, promotional material to send, guest blogs to write, travel, and, of course, nerves.

Nerves?

Yup. Nerves. Will this book sell as well as the first (pre-order numbers are looking really good)? Will I add to my fan base? Will I get everything done? Will my signings go well? And the list goes on…

I remember these same worries from last summer when SEW DEADLY hit the shelves for the first time and I was faced with the reality of  just how many books were actually out there (I simply don’t know that many people).  I mean, it’s great to realize a dream but it’s also terrifying to think you might fall on your face in such a big way.

Fortunately, those worries proved to be wrong within a matter of days and I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride. Yet, here I am again…with the butterflies starting to flap their wings in my stomach once again. 

I guess it’s life.

So tell me, what gets your butterflies flapping?

~Elizabeth

Here’s a picture of fellow author, Bente Gallagher, and me at the Southern Kentucky Book Festival this past weekend! We had a great time finally getting to  meet face-to-face and chatting about all things writing.

If you’ve not read her Do It Yourself Home Renovations Mystery Series, you’re in for a treat!

Babysteppin’ Toward a Dream

I’ve known what I wanted to be since I was in fourth grade. And never, in all that time since, have I even considered changing my mind…   

Here is a look at the start of my dream.  It was born on a rainy day while playing at a friend’s house. She brought white paper to the kitchen table and said, “let’s make books.” I was hooked. (If you click on the picture, you can see it a little better)

Then, in eighth grade, my teacher asked us to draw a picture of ourself doing whatever it is we wanted to do for a living. Other than the fact I’m doing it longhand, I’m betting I’m one of the only ones actually doing it…   

Which brings me to this past week–a week I have to liken to being a whole lot like Christmas for a little girl with a dream…        

First, there was a sneak look at the third installment in the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series (set to debut in October). I absolutely ADORE this cover…

Second, came a sneak look at my second-ever romance novel (click on the cover for a better look)…

The photographer couldn’t have done a better job with this cover! It’s exactly how I pictured the main characters. This book, A Mom For Callie, will go on sale July 12th! 

And last, but certainly not least, came the Fed Ex man with two hot-off-the-press copies of my latest (# 2) Southern Sewing Circle Mystery, DEATH THREADS (which will hit bookstores nationwide on May 4th)!!!!

I am SO excited for this book to come out! It’s fun, fun, fun!

The morale of the story? If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen!

~Elizabeth

Strolling Down Memory Lane

I came face-to-face with my high school yearbooks the other day and all I can say is…um…wow?!?

I remember certain parts about high school (favorite teachers, nice people, silly times), but, overall, I don’t remember much. And, looking back at the way I looked, I can see why I’ve opted to block it out.

Seriously.

I’d share some pictures, only I don’t have a scanner (lucky you). And I’d probably be mortified to share them, anyway.

What was fun, though, was seeing the cars…and the clothes…and the hairstyles that were big back then and comparing them to the way things are now. What struck me as funny throughout my little trip down memory lane was realizing how important things were then…that just don’t matter now.  For instance, the people that used to make you feel small or less important just don’t matter anymore. And the people who were true then are, for the most part, the ones who still are…

Almost makes me wish that the wisdom and confidence that comes with age could come sooner. But I guess if it did, we’d miss out on some important life lessons.

So tell me some stuff… Where did you go to high school? When did you graduate? What do you remember fondly/not fondly. And…would you go back if you could?

~Elizabeth