Thursday, April 9, 2020

Pandemic Writing

Southernmost Point, Key West

LUCY BURDETTE: I was interviewed last week about how people are coping with the stay-at-home orders, and at the end the reporter said: “This will all be wonderful fodder for another book in your series!” And I thought, good lord, no, who will want to read about this once we’ve lived through it? I remember there were a spate of books about 9-11 and its aftermath, and I have the impression that most of them sank like stones.


But the reporter persisted a bit, asking how my Key West characters would react to pandemic conditions. So I imagined Hayley Snow buzzing around deserted Key West picking up takeout--though I couldn't picture her reviews getting any traction. And probably her mother, who runs a catering business, would be cooking for people in need. Houseboat Row, I thought, would probably stay much the same. The boats are in close proximity so the neighbors could still sit out on their decks (with masks?) and gab. Hayley would be super-protective of her 80-something roommate, Miss Gloria. But a murder during the epidemic? For what reason? Toilet paper hoarding? Inadequate social distancing? Counterfeit Florida Keys re-entry stickers?


I honestly can’t imagine wanting to write about this situation, nor can I imagine wanting to read about it! What about you Reds, can you picture any of your characters rising to this occasion? 


JENN McKINLAY: This is a very timely question since I’m writing about a character in next summer’s WAIT FOR IT, who is homebound for various reasons. Now that I’m in the thick of the manuscript, I have other characters thinking, Why would you settle for being stuck at home? Didn’t we get enough of that last spring? That is the complete reference I will make to this ver horribilis - to paraphrase Queen Elizabeth’s reference to 1992. I’m hoping it’s just the spring and not the whole year! I most definitely do not want to read about quarantine once we’re done with it. 


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Such a deeply fascinating question--and I keep envisioning every writer crafting tales of murder mysteries in quarantine, and rom-coms where the people meet cute in masks and then have a big reveal, how facial recognition will be useless, and meetings missed, and people vanishing and no one notices, and and and and all kinds of plot devices ...but hey. if all goes as we all deeply hope, I’ve got to say I do not want to read that. 
I know of authors who are setting their books-in-progress in 2019, and that’s one solution, I suppose. I love Jenn’s one reference idea, because--we can’t ignore it.

But my upcoming book, THE FIRST TO LIE, which comes out in August, just saying, has no references, of course.
Thinking about this a bit more--the books I’m reading now were “before” and they don’t make me think: oh no, don’t shake hands! It’s the world of the book.


HALLIE EPHRON: I don’t know about my characters rising to the occasion when I’m barely able to do it myself. I keep thinking, “when will it be over?” And that’s not what you want a reader to be thinking while reading your book. 


Funny, what Hank said, because right now I’m reading your new Key West food mystery, THE KEY LIME CRIME, Lucy, and Hayley keeps hopping on and off her motorbike and toodling around town and I keep thinking, Wait, wait, she can’t do that… can she? And I love it that she CAN and I can follow her vicariously when in real life our wings are clipped.


RHYS BOWEN: I’ve already tackled this subject in last year’s book THE VICTORY GARDEN that was set in WWI and then the following flu epidemic. I hadn’t realized until I researched that the flu killed up to a hundred million people worldwide. It was harrowing to write about because the chances of surviving were slim. But my story was about rising to the occasion, how women took over tasks and did jobs they never believed they could do. I like to think that both Molly and Lady Georgie would not shirk from playing their part, going what was required. But as to writing about this…. I’m so glad my books are set in the past!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am thinking about this, too. My books have always floated fairly loosely in time, except for a couple that have concrete time references (which I now pretty much regret.) The WIP is set just six weeks after the end of A BITTER FEAST, so would that be November, 2019, or November, 2020, or some unplaceable autumn? I'm going for the latter, although by the time the book is finished I may have to rethink that. I can't imagine wanting to write about this time, and I rather like the idea of my characters' lives going forward in an alternate virus-free world.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I have the same reaction to Hank - I can see all sorts of plot possibilities to various aspects of the crisis. After all, there's a whole genre of end-of-the-world books. (They never, however, seem to feature protagonists sitting around endlessly binging Netflix - even the apocalypse in this timeline is the worst.)

I also agree with Lucy - it's going to be a while before anyone will be able to get any traction with fiction about the pandemic. It takes time, sometimes a long time, to get enough distance to turn pain into art. But mentions of the pandemic? We'll have to drop them in, at least those of us writing in the present day. The great novel about the 1918 pandemic, Pale Horse, Pale Rider, was published 20 years after the events it covers, but countless novels written before that had men who had been in the war and women who had lost family to the influenza. 

So I can picture Russ recalling having to struggle to get his officers masks and gloves, or Clare telling someone about her church's efforts to keep the food kitchen going, but only if it's all safely in the past, and we can get on with a nice, simple, wholesome murder.

Reds, would you want to read about this pandemic in the future? And do have your copy of Julia's new book yet?


Lucy scores Hid from Our Eyes

76 comments:

  1. Read about this pandemic? I don’t think so.

    Interestingly enough, Lawrence Wright’s new book ["The End of October"], due out at the end of the month [so obviously written long before all this began], is about a mysterious new killer virus that brings the world to its knees . . . and I’m wondering how many people will want to read about that pandemic while being quarantined at home?

    Lucy, Barnes and Noble promised me my copy of “Hid From Our Eyes” would be here tomorrow . . . this is my grumble about pre-ordering . . . I have to wait beyond the book's release day to get it. Of course, I couldn’t head off to the bookstore yesterday anyway, so I guess it doesn’t make too much difference at this point. Still, waiting is HARD . . . .

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    1. Oh it will be interesting to see what happens to that book. Either he'll be delighted or dismayed.

      And boo on waiting! On the good hand, you can stretch out reading the book at least two days! (I know you're fast.)

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  2. I have been assured my copy of Julia’s book is on its way. I can’t get too excited about reading about the pandemic in the future. A new variation of the Andromeda Strain perhaps. Or a political thriller where someone is taking advantage of the situation. But not a story about “ordinary” life during the pandemic. No thank you.

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  3. I'm trying to imagine how you would even write about this. With police main characters, maybe. But definitely not in a cozy. I mean, the main character is supposed to be staying home with her business closed. Hard to drive the action with that.

    And I'm certainly not that interested in reading about it. Maybe in a few years, but not right now.

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  4. I'll answer the last question first. Yes, I've read and reviewed Julia's Hid From Our Eyes, and my review reflects how much I loved the book. Three different timelines. No problem for our brilliant Julia and her talents. Everyone should read it as soon as they can.

    I don't think I have any desire to read about this pandemic, although I'm not ruling out someone being able to write a book worth reading dealing with it. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was an outstanding book in my opinion. Published just three and a half years after 9-11, it seemed too soon for such a novel, but it was a book I wouldn't mind reading again. For many though, 9-11 was way too personal for any novel, and since this virus is affecting the whole country with its illness, death, and quarantine, it might be that a novel would prove too stressful for anyone. I guess we'll see how that turns out. Lots of different angles available.

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    1. Kathy, I didn't read your reply before I made my comment below. I agree about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. But of course it had an unusual perspective, too.

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    2. Thank you, Karen! As for novels about the pandemic, I suspect it will be at an intersection between "enough time passed" and "brilliance of author's take." Or maybe, as Karen points out, a unique perspective.

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  5. Lucy, I meant to tell you that I do love your mask!

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  6. No, I have no desire/interest in reading about a pandemic, except for The Victory Garden (Rhys' book) which is now on my Kindle app. And yes I read and reviewed Julia's Hid From Our Eyes (ARC) a couple of months ago. So glad I did so when my reading mojo was strong. Like I said before, I don't give many 5-star ratings (2 books in 2019, 3 books in 2018). Hid From Our Eyes is an amazing read and easily deserved this rare rating from me!

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  7. Motivations for murder = hoarding/accidental as the person on a gurney in Brooklyn who pushed a dementia patient who grabbed her IV pole/ other group retribution punishments..should this appear in a cozy? maybe under Roberta or Jenns skilled hands/ The title "Love in the time of Cholera" is stuck in my head this week. The silver lining of love and connection is happening for me.

    My take on people who write books set in the present. Future historians will read YOUR fiction to uncover how we were/ the dialogue/settings/and concerns. These words will become as useful as The Canterbury Tales or Shakespeare's words are for us.

    Julia -- looking forward to 'zooming' in on one of your promotions. Will post my review on B & N and Amazon today.

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    1. Thanks, Coralee. My next one is going to be April 16, sponsored by Northshire Books, and I'll be talking with the amazing and very funny Archer Mayor, who is one of my writing gods. It should be an interesting evening.

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  8. Lucy, you must now be "that famous author" in Key West who everyone wants to interview! I've already done what Jenn did in my WIP, which won't be out until late 2021, I think. A character doesn't extend her hand for a handshake and the other reflects on how they'd all gotten out of the habit during the pandemic. And that'll be it.

    On Tuesday my indy bookstore - operating on skeleton staff and hours, of course - hadn't unpacked the new books yet, and they still haven't called. I'm hoping to have Hid from Our Eyes in my hands today!

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    1. Edith, that strikes me as a smart way to handle it. Acknowledge, but no need to dwell, because that's not what the book is about.

      I've been hearing, anecdotally, that people are getting their books faster from independent book stores than from Amazon, which, rightfully, is prioritizing shipping essential supplies. I haven't heard anything from folks who ordered from B&N or BAM; I'd be interested in knowing how quickly they're managing to fulfill orders.

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  9. I’m fascinated by these reactions, so very interesting. And how we are recoiling from it now. It is so complicated to think of how we’ll deal with something that’s so unthinkably horrible now, once we are into an uncertain future, because we don’t even know what the future will be. . It’s just too hard to process, and even know where our minds will be. As I always always always say, one step at a time. Love you so much. .

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  10. Last question first, I am in the middle of Julia's book. It was on my Kindle when I awoke yesterday! I also saw the Poison Pen interview which made me feel like an insider. I am loving the book so much! But, I had to put it aside while I cooked a special supper for Passover, although honestly, my heart just is not in the holiday this year.

    That said, I think there might be a baby boom coming for us next winter, just saying. So, that could be a reference to this time.

    Yeah, I will not be looking for books about our quarantine. However, Roberta/Lucy's cheerful and intrepid Hayley and Nathan's job and their location, make Key West, Nathan and Hayley the only acceptable characters and location for a story about this time. Think of all those tourists you couldn't get rid of, and the photo up top of the closed attraction. Roberta, just saying! LOL
    Stay safe and well everyone. I hope your "Julia" books arrive soon.

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    1. It's true Judy, we're seeing the best and the worst of humanity down here right now...

      I was thinking of Passover last night--another tragedy, not being allowed to gather with friends and family because of the virus...

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    2. Baby boom a year later! What a smart idea...

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    3. Thanks, Hallie. Enforced Honeymoon, if you care to think of it that way! LOL

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    4. OMG, now Jenn has GOT to write a book titled "Enforced Honeymoon."

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  11. Sadly, I do not have copy of Julia's new book yet. Emphasis on the YET.

    And honestly, I do not want to read about the pandemic as a plot device. If it was mentioned in passing reference like Julia suggested, that's one thing. But otherwise, I'd rather it be ignored.

    And if the argument was made that to do so would be unrealistic, I'd remind you that most people don't run across a series of bodies and then investigate the circumstances of the victim's demise all while working at their reasonably successful day job either.

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    1. Jay, that made me laugh out loud. If you don't mind me asking, did you order from an independent, a chain or the Big A? I'm trying to collect experiences so I know where to steer readers who ask me.

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    2. Julia, I have not placed the order yet. I have to wait for the credit card payment to go through before I can order it. Normally I would order it from Barnes and Noble since I get the discount and free shipping because I'm a member of their rewards club. But I am planning to order it from the closest indie store to me. I'd say I would do curbside pickup but none of the stores near me are doing that, just online ordering.

      If it works out, I'll be ordering from Titcomb's Bookshop in East Sandwich, MA.

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  12. I feel a bit like a contrarian here. I think no one will want to read about the pandemic for a while -- but then, once we have had time to process it, we WILL want to read sensitive treatments of it. Has anyone else here read Lawrence Block's SMALL TOWN? It wasn't released until 2009, but it is a story largely inspired and driven by 9/11 and how it affected people -- one in particular -- after the dust settled and life went on. It was gripping and compelling and it haunts me!

    Alas, I do not have a copy of Julia's new book yet, either. But that just gives me something to look forward to!

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    1. Susan, I read and loved SMALL TOWN. Lawrence Block is one of my writing idols, and I thought he took some real risks with that book. It was a very mature work - not in the "adult" sense, but that it was written by someone with a great deal of both life and writing experience.

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  13. Susan and Coralee have similar takes--let the dust settle and if the story makes sense and is compelling, the right person can tell it.

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  14. So weird, isn't it, how when you're in the middle of something like this we have no real perspective on what we'll think about it in the future. A year from now, for instance, will we be in the middle of a 'second wave' or even a third? Will we be quarantining anyone who doesn't have the antibodies and still waiting for a vaccine?

    I was in the middle of writing when SARS hit and a character in the book was paranoid. I knew, in an epidemic, he'd take his family and flee for some isolated spot, so taht's what I wrote. My editor advised me to take the reference to SARS out since 'no one will remember it' by the time the book comes out. WHich turned out to be more or less true. Somehow I don't think that's what will happen with COVID-19. Feels order-of-magnitude more life changing.

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    1. Hallie, the University of Pittsburgh has applied to start clinical trials with a vaccine and Kaiser Permanente has one in clinical trials out in Seattle. My money is on science winning again and we'll have a vaccine by this time next year.

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    2. I lived in Toronto when SARS hit in 2003. I think your editor made the right choice...no one remembered or talked about SARS until COVID-19 started. Over 40 people died from SARS in Toronto but it still was a pretty localized problem and most Torontonians (including me) were unaffected. Definitely a different situation now with COVID-19 changing our way of live now and perhaps for a very long time.

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  15. I do not want to read about this pandemic for, oh, a while. Get some distance, as it were.

    But in a spark of hope, my dentist called yesterday to reschedule my cleaning and they are reopening Memorial Day week. It gives me a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, The Boy's graduation (scheduled the same week) will happen. A lot can happen in a month and a half, right?

    And Mystery Lovers delivered my copy of HID FROM OUR EYES yesterday! Julia, they said they were having a hard time keeping copies in stock and had to keep ordering more.

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  16. Perhaps at some point in the future I might be open to reading stories about the pandemic, but right now I can’t see that far into the future! I like the idea of mentioning it in passing just to ground the story in reality, but not focusing on it as a main part of the plot.

    I ordered Julia’s book from my local bookseller and am now waiting patiently(ish) for it to arrive.

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  17. I would not want to read about this pandemic in the future but as I think that our lives will be changed in many ways, there will be references to it anyway.
    I'm presently reading Hid From Our Eyes and loving it and not wanting it to finish.

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  18. Of course I have a copy of HID FROM OUR EYES, and it on top of my TBR pile.

    Mostly I avoid apocalyptic books, so I can't imagine wanting to read about the pandemic. I do read about the AIDS epidemic now and then, when I lost so many, but the difference is that I was never in danger myself. Is that what makes the difference for me? Same when I read about all the wars that I've experienced only from a safe distance.

    But if any of you write about the pandemic, I promise to read it.

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  19. No book yet, dagnabit!! And, like Ann, I mostly avoid apocalyptic books, so unless the treatment was extremely well done, I doubt I'll be reading about this pandemic in the future.

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  20. As Ann said, if any of you write about the pandemic, I will read it; but can you hold off for a while, please? I'm almost finished with Hid From Our Eyes and am loving it (thank you, Julia!). The advantage of ebooks is that you don't have to wait for delivery. Patience has never been my strong point. But, having a Kindle has worsened my need for instant gratification. If only my favorite writers would write faster! Just kidding... sort of.

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  21. I just started HID FROM OUR EYES yesterday and I am trying to read it slowly and make it last. That will be difficult since I don't want to put it down. But I have found if I keep reading at night and get too tired, the next day I have no idea what I read.

    But I wanted to say that I did notice Julia used the term "present day" when the action was taking place now. I think that was very clever of her so when people read it years from now it will make sense.

    No, I do not want to read about the pandemic and don't think I would any time soon. But maybe in 10 years or so a story set in that time, but not about it, would be good.

    I've been thinking about how on 9/11 there were people that were never accounted for. That could be a good place to start for a story about someone who disappeared and started over with a whole new life somewhere else. I've been thinking about a similar one where a couple were never seen again after they drove home to VT from a bar in NY. They crossed on the frozen part of Lake Champlain.

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  22. It's a testament to the Reds' collective marriages that none of you thought about domestic violence as a motive. Abuse is high right now, with so many people not only isolated but stuck inside together without their usual steam-releasing coping methods. Plus, all that time without the scrutiny of neighbors, friends, co-workers--plenty of opportunity to dispose of the evidence in creative ways.

    Now I'm giving myself the shivers!

    My book club has a couple members who love dystopian topics, and science fiction, too. That is my least favorite of all the genres we read (all fiction). Our next book is The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin, and I'm not sure I'll be able to read that one. It hits way too close to home.

    Roberta, I can think of a couple 9/11 aftermath books that did very well: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. And the one by his wife Nicole Krauss, The History of Love.

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    1. Good point about domestic violence--it's really scary what might be happening with people cramped up together who didn't like each other that much to begin with...

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  23. It's much too soon to visit this pandemic. I don't know how long it will be before we are willing to look at it. On the other hand one of the most beautiful books I have ever read was Abraham Verghese's book about the AIDs epidemic, My Own Country. I did love Victory Garden too but it was far enough after the fact.
    I have Hid From Our Eyes on my Kindle but am waiting until the weekend, making myself finish some chores and then will have a huge reward!
    Of course if Lucy writes about how this affected Key West, I will read about it happily, just not this year. Love the mask!

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  24. I'm currently reading Hid From Our Eyes on the "MustReads" app, having ordered it via Bookshop. It is my between zoom meetings/coffee break treat. It may be a reflection of how well you all have trained me but I was thinking during my last zoom meeting about how solving a murder remotely might work given the ubiquity of online video communication right now. Did someone see something in the background of a friend's chat? Is there a timestamp on an image that becomes critical? Sort of a modern update of "Rear Window" style sleuthing? I may have too much time on my hands.

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    1. Oh no, you are absolutely right, there will be all kinds of clues hidden in plain sight on the computer screen...

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  25. I'm crying (well, sniffling a little) because Amazon is suffering some delivery delays and "Hid From Our Eyes" is apparently on their non-essential list. Of course they didn't ask ME if it was non-essential. I was supposed to get it last Tuesday, but still I wait . . .

    I can think of a whole bunch of plotlines that could grow out of the pandemic, some of which are found in the headlines. The police in Fort Worth have arrested a guy for deliberately trying to infect people. A semi full of toilet paper wrecked and burned on a wet, empty highway. Was it hijacked? I have thought more than once that "happy" families all crammed together with high anxiety and nothing to do could lead to people being smothered with pillows. Will I want to read those stories? Maybe, a year or two from now, if they promise a fun, intriguing ride. I'm not much into dystopia in the best of times and right now I have plenty, thanks. Don't need any more.

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    1. Gigi,

      Yes! I can think of a whole bunch of novels that could grow out of the pandemic. The other day there was an headline about criminals arrested for selling fake COVID 19 tests.

      Diana

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    2. Gigi, our copies of Hid From Our Eyes must have escaped together. Maybe they went to Key West... But I couldn't wait for it to eventually show up so bought it on my Kindle:-)

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  26. Lucy, your post reminded me of something I read yesterday. A local restaurant was on the brink of laying off employees. NOW they were able to keep all of their employees. This local restaurant connected with a local non profit to provide free food for people cannot afford to buy food. I thought it was an amazing story and wanted to share this with you.

    Not interested in reading about the pandemic now, though I could envision a mystery written in the future about the pandemic. Thinking about future readers who have Not been born yet. For example, Agatha Christie was a published author many years before I was born! I did not discover her books until AFTER she died.

    And I could see a murder (probably not a cozy) disguised as a casualty of the pandemic and how a villain is using the pandemic to cover the murder?

    Diana

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    1. Diana, our Key West church has always provided 150-200 lunch meals on Saturdays for seniors and housebound folks. It's all volunteers cooking, packing, delivering and of course none of that is possible now. We've teamed up with some local restaurants who are doing the cooking for us. It's great, but the camaraderie is gone...and lots of us can't participate. But the main thing is the people are getting the food they count on.

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    2. Lucy, yes, the main thing is getting the food to the people!

      Diana

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  27. i want to actually say "thank-you' to the Jungle Reds and to all authors who have provided me with quality escapism through the years. From today's Covid-19, to personal hurdles, to just the ups and downs of life books provide respite. Credible news sources are the reality but books (for me) take us away from that even if for a brief time. An accompanying glass of wine helps too!

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    1. Jill,

      Agreed that books provide wonderful escape from the harsh reality of the pandemic!

      Diana

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  28. Lucy, a book set in 2020 would probably need at least a line referencing the lockdown. But I wouldn’t read fiction about the pandemic itself for the same reason I wouldn’t read a book about 9/11. It’s too close to home. At some point though, I am going to re-read A HEARTBEAT AWAY by the late great Michael Palmer. If I remember correctly, it deals with a virus and the quarantine of the Capitol building. I’d like to see if there are any similarities.

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    1. Ang, this reminds me of Harry Potter. I recall that some kids living at boarding school REFUSED to read Harry Potter because it was too close to home. A kid I baby sat for loved Harry Potter, but then she did not live at the boarding school. She was there as a day student.

      Diana

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    2. That's true Diana. It's different if you haven't lived through a bad event. I've always been interested in the 1918 pandemic and would read a story about it.

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    3. it will be interesting to hear whether Michael Palmer foreshadowed our current problems!

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  29. There are topics I avoid in my reading. The Vietnam War, Afghanistan pop into mind. Dystopian in general. I just have no interest - no desire whatsoever. Coronavirus will join that group. The personal stories we're reading in the news right now will stay with me; any future novels will not be able to hold a candle to the fear, the bravery, and yes - the government stupidity - that we're living through right now. It just, to me, feels like a cheapening of what we're living through and how very, very devastating this is to so many. As Julia mentions, I can easily see a good writer being able to do as she mentions Russ and Clare recalling their struggles after the fact. P.S. - LOVED LOVED LOVED "Hid From Our Eyes"

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  30. I can't say I want to spend a lot of time reliving this time in my choice of reading material and I've had easier time than others because I have been able to continue working from the office. We don't have enough encrypted laptops to work from home. The In Death series was being published before 9/11. I remember a reference to the towers in one book and the after 9/11, there was a reference to the memorial in a later book, no fanfare, just a simple statement included in story. I just realized one of the first "adult" books I read, way back when, was Mrs. Mike, it dealt the 1918 pandemic.

    I'm on day one of my vacation. Yes, the vacation I requested back in February. My altar guild team has Easter weekend and I wanted the time to take care of everything without rushing. Then a drive to my sister's in Oregon. There will be NO rushing this year but I was able to at least get veils changed for last weekend because my parish is a ten minute walk from my office. As for going to my sister's, I told her, in no uncertain terms, there is no way in hell I'm going anywhere near her and her numerous pre-existing medical conditions body. I'm now impatiently wait for my delivery of my new book. Waiting is not going to be easy.... Hmmm, maybe I'll just go knock on the warehouse door of Copperfields, it's less than a mile away.

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    1. My book just arrive! Blasted packaging...it was the hardest thing to open, but it's here! Sitting on my footstool. Waiting for me instead of the other way around. :)

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  31. So interesting reading everyone's comments on this. I'm only jumping forward a few months at a time in my series timeline, so it's going to be quite a challenge to figure out how to write around the pandemic.

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    1. Oops, that was Debs, accidentally signed in as Jungle Red!

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    2. Maybe just ignore it; pretend that was an alternate universe and, and wouldn't that be grand!

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    3. Maybe one sentence about the pandemic? Lingering in the background? As long as it is Not the focus of the story. Something like "restaurants were closed during the pandemic and now they are back in business" ?

      Diana

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  32. No, I wouldn't. Books are my escape and I don't want to read books tied to what is happening now.

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  33. I remember wondering about this with regard to 9/11. I think what happened was that there were a few novels that addressed it head on, but even those referred to it indirectly as a huge event that everyone already understood and the novels were really about the human experiences of loss or trauma. I imagine this will be similar. We won't see novels that are directly about Covid-19 and the lockdown, but there may be ones about job loss or grief related to this seismic event.

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  34. Absolutely I have Julia's book. Ordered it when the preorders first opened. No way I was missing it. As for reading about the pandemic. No, I think I'll skip the re-runs. Of course, that may change when there is a bit of distance and I can see it being a solid reference point to ground readers and writers alike.

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  35. There may well be topics and plots that can add to future books, once we have some distance: the reasons for the shortages of supplies and resulting price-gouging, the dedication of health care workers, the big raises to teachers after parents try teaching at home ;-) My niece is a nurse on the C-19 ward. She and three other nurses are sharing a house so they won't carry the virus home to their loved ones. Oh and all the efforts being made by willing helpers. A friend, who is a theater costumer, has made HUNDREDS of masks. Lucy, how did the meal ministry work with a caterer?

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    1. I think it's going well Mary. Oh how hard to have those nurses staying away from their families all this time...

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  36. I don't think I would want to read an entire book about the pandemic. However, ignoring it seems wrong, too, so having the characters mention it in passing or talking about how it affected them or something that happened or that they did during it, would be great.

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  37. Have Julia's book and LOVED it!!!

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  38. Update! My book arrived this afternoon. I ordered from my local indie. They had it shipped direct from B&N by UPS.

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  39. Although, I'd rather wait years before reading a story dealing with Covid-19, I can see there might be some interesting stories. I would like to see references because I think cozy mysteries would have feel good tales of the food people donating food and the craft people making masks.

    By the way, Barnes & Noble has been delivering my books, and I got some from Edward Hamilton Booksellers, also.

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