Wednesday, June 24, 2020

The Secret Life of Mrs. Hudson

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: True royalty on Jungle Red today!  I mean Laurie King, the queen of us all.  

Somehow in my conflated fiction/reality brain I can begin to believe that Laurie actually knows Sherlock Holmes. I mean, personally. And if there’s any group in which I can say that without hoots of laughter, this is the place. Right? 
She certainly knows Mrs. Hudson. Because listen to this:  she also knows Mrs. Hudson is not at all what we were led to believe by Dr. Watson.
Laurie’s most recent Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes novel, Riviera Gold, finds the former housekeeper living amidst the millionaires and retired party girls in 1920s Monte Carlo.
Mrs. Hudson! How can it be?
Here’s the fabulous Laurie to tell us all about it. And a—whoo hoo—giveaway below!

THE FEISTY OLD LADIES
I once knew a pair of aged anthropologists, man and wife, known for their detailed and subtle reports on various African peoples. The papers, books, and academic degrees were all in his name—but no one seemed to remark on how unlikely it was that this eminent academic always managed to ingratiate himself into the women’s world with so little fuss.
Of course, he hadn’t. Instead, his diminutive English wife would leave him by the men’s fire to slip into the women’s quarters, admiring a baby here, stirring a pot there, soothing a fallen toddler, then settling down to needlework, conversation, and note-taking.
Invisible, subtle, all-seeing.
Similarly the grey-haired ladies of crime fiction, especially those Golden-Age women rendered “superfluous”—the actual term used in newspapers and government reports—by the deaths of the Great War. Miss Marple and Miss Climpson, like the widows Pargeter and Pollifax of the next generation*, pull out their knitting, fumble for their spectacles, don a look of wide-eyed innocence, and come out with questions that would make a man stammer and blush.  Even Lord Peter Whimsy recognized what a terrible waste of talent this was.
One might think that a century later, with average life expectancy hovering near eight decades, the grey-haired lady detective might be coming into her own…
Well, no.
The feisty old lady has yet to have a #MeToo movement of her own, and is as blithely overlooked by society as ever she was.
But that doesn’t make her any less of a blast to write.
To be fair, the old lady I’ve been writing about this last year is not a detective, being far too occupied with beating crime off with a stick. 
And though this femme d’un certain âge is more limited than the story’s 25-year-old protagonist when it comes to physical strength and quickness of step, she is compensated by the migration of strength upwards to her heart and her wits. A woman in her seventieth year has seen enough of life to know what matters and what—or who—does not.  She knows when to go around barriers and when to confront them face-on, forcing an opponent into retreat. She knows how to bully and to charm, when to call on friends and when to strike out alone, when to warn and when to step back and let people make their own mistakes.
Writing an older woman also lets me put together scenes where the younger folk are as shocked—shocked, I tell you—by her uncompromising attitudes and her hitherto unseen skills as they are by the unexpected contents of her lingerie drawer.
Subversive, entertaining, colorful, and just a little thought-provoking: what more could a writer ask for, as she delves like an anthropologist into characters who keep her occupied for a year of writing? Especially when the writer is in her sixties herself.  Role model, anyone?
But I’m curious: if you’re in the neighborhood of 70, is it what you imagined? And if you live far from that neighborhood, what do you think you’ll be like when you get there?
(*Miss Marple is a long-lived character by Agatha Christie; Miss Climpson is in two Dorothy Sayers novels; the Mrs. Pargeter series is by Simon Brett, and Mrs. Pollifax comes from Dorothy Gilman.)

HANK:  Oh, what a fabulous question!  Yes, I am in that precise “neighborhood” of seventy. Is it what I thought it would be? In absolutely no way. I always burst out laughing when anchorpeople talk about “senior citizens” or “elderly people” who then turn out to be younger than I am. And I realize, full well, that I have no idea what I look like to the rest of the world. I do have clothing that I have donated away because it’s “too young for me”—but that’s not a disappointing thing. And when we go to the movies—er, when we used to go to the movies—I would always remind the cashiers I was due for the senior discount.
How about you, Reds and readers? And a copy of RIVIERA GOLD to one super-lucky commenter!


 Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 novels, with 16 in the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series (The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is "one of the 20th century’s best crime novels”—the IMBA.)  She has won an alphabet of prizes from Agatha to Wolfe and been guest of honor at several crime conventions. Laurie is active on Facebook & Instagram  and has a YouTube channel, a Virtual Book Club on Goodreads, & a Facebook Group called “The Beekeeper’s Apprentices.” Riviera Gold is her new one.



RIVIERA GOLD

The Jazz Age has hit the Riviera when the world’s greatest detective—with her husband, Sherlock Holmes—arrive in Antibes during the summer of 1925. When Mary Russell steps ashore, she is astonished to find everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Pablo Picasso there, baking in the sun. And among them, their long-time housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. Mrs Hudson's racy past has already started to come out, but that doesn’t begin to explain the body of a beautiful young man in her front room

Riviera Gold: June 2020. Excerpt, buy links, and book club extras are here.



129 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your newest book, Laurie . . . it sounds perfectly wonderful and I’m looking forward to finding out what transpires with Mrs. Hudson . . . .

    I’ve never really wondered what it would be like when I reached any particular age, so I can’t say that how I’ve felt truly matched whatever age I happened to be . . . To be honest, I’m not good at paying attention to what folks say you can [or can’t] do at any particular age . . . .

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    1. Well, of course, that is the wisest possible way to handle it!

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    2. I know--my sister in her 70s teaches aerobic exercise, my brother-in-law in his 80s runs a couple times a week. We basically have no time for retirement...

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  2. Congratulations on your latest book, Laurie!

    When I was 30, I thought 50 was old, and that 65 was ancient!

    I retired from work 4 years ago but I am nowhere near the age of 70.
    About 80% of my regular Meetup group of walking friends are retirees.
    But they call me "the junior senior" since I am in my mid50s, lol.

    Many of them are in their 70s and are so physically fit, mentally sharp and very busy in their retirement. I have had to re-think what an active 70 might be able to do!

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    1. Yes, so agree… In your 30s, those ages seem very very far away…

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    2. Grace: I remember thinking how old my mother was at 42 -- not that she is "old" now at 91, but from my vantage point all those decades ago, her age seemed extraordinary. Now that I am 60, 42 is but a distant memory. ha ha

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    3. My 70+ sister teaches aerobic exercise, her 80+ husband runs several times a week. We have no time for retirement....

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    4. Hmm, not sure why it posted that reply to two different comments...

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  3. I love senior sleuths for exactly those reasons. Julie Hennrikus, as Julia Henry, is writing one in her fabulous Garden Squad series. Each of my series includes a wise and crafty senior who sometimes helps out the younger protag.

    I'll be seventy in two years and mostly am dismayed by how creaky my body is becoming. But it's manageable and mostly doesn't hold me back. Not caring about what people think about me is freeing, and being invisible isn't all bad!

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    1. You do a lot of walking, right, Edith? That is supposed to be the best thing!

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    2. Being invisible, Edith? Like when?

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    3. I do a long fast walk every day, for sure, Hank.

      Grace, I mean to the general public. In person. I'm just a squat silver-haired lady they don't have to pay attention to. Works for me!

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    4. And as Mrs Hudson knows, being invisible lets a woman get away with a lot.

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  4. I can't wait to read this one! And Laurie, what you wrote is encouraging to me. I had an idea for a book with an older woman protagonist, loved how it started out, and was discouraged about the interest in such a book. Then I read what you wrote and thought,"Ha! Laurie King says..." And yes, I am in the age neighborhood. It is kind of a surprise to realize I got "check in" calls recently...and they were checking on me. However did this happen?

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    1. Yes, Triss the publishing "wisdom" used to be that no one wants to read about seniors...

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    2. I know :-) word supposed to be the checkers, not the checkees!

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    3. Lucy, has that changed though? I thought it was a silly restriction when I started writing, and even more so now that we have such an enormous population of baby boomers aged 56 to 76 who have time to read and money to spend on books. But having an older main character still seems newsworthy.

      I always figured it wasn't the readers' prejudices, but that of editors and marketing people, who tend to skew young.

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    4. Roberta, in this case, not"used to be" - it was less than a year ago and from a pro. (Sigh) But then I can remember when wisdom was "Americans won't read foreign-set mysteries." Stieg Larsson or Cara Black, anyone?

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    5. I know--"Old? Me?" but it's a great excuse when you want someone else to do your shopping, or take the car for servicing. "Well, if you don't think I need to be sheltering in place, I'll go..."

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  5. Laurie R. King! Whoo Hoo!

    I'm a huge fan! Kate Martinelli got me started which led me to Mary Russell and then the standalones and then to the LOCKDOWN book that I got to review for Mystery Scene.

    Hank said "Queen of us all"...and it would be hard to argue the point. There are so many great stories that have come from Laurie it is hard not to be just a bit jealous one person has been imbued with so much talent.

    I'm really looking forward to Riviera Gold and a feisty Mrs. Hudson? Can I get a Hell Yeah?

    As for today's question, I'm not there myself. I am closer to the neighborhood than I am to my 20's but I've got a couple decades or so distance between me and 70. What do I imagine it will be like?

    Hmmm...well assuming I make it there (which is no sure bet), given my naturally occurring sense of the obstinate, I'll likely be the same as I always am also known as cranky and grumpy. I'm sure I'll be the guy yelling at young whippersnappers to get off my lawn even as my body steadily declines.

    And while that's the humorous response, I pretty much just hope that I'll have a roof over my head and food in my belly. I figure it that is all that I accomplish at 70, I'll be okay.

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    1. That is very very wise, dear Jay! And I have to say, I think ypu will be terrific.

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    2. Hi Jay--and thanks for that LOCKDOWN review!
      A friend and I used to look forward to being cranky old ladies in our 80s, but why not start a decade or three earlier?

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    3. Hank, a terrific cranky and grump old man maybe. LOL

      Laurie, you are welcome for the review. I really did enjoy the book. And yes, even when I was a teenager, people said I was the youngest grumpy old man they'd ever met.

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  6. Welcome Laurie, we're thrilled to have you visiting! When we were kids, 70 looked positively ancient. Not anymore. I figure as long as I stick with the Reds and their fabulous guests, I'm surrounded by amazing role models

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    1. Yes, Lucy, we are quite the team! Xxx

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    2. I do not have many role models in their 70s in my family. My mother passed away at 66 (her mother died at 39 from TB). And my other 3 grandparents lived in Japan. I visited them 3 times before they all passed away in 1980. Only one of them lived past 70.

      Lucy and Hank, I agree that the Reds and friends are great role models of fabulous women (at any age).

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    3. My sister and I were talking about being aware of peoples' age recently, and we agreed that we're only aware of it when it isn't certain--if a successful person looks about 15, or someone looks older then they act. And at any rate, since I married a man 30 years older than I was, in my 20s, I'm probably not the most aware person when it comes to ages...

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  7. You know, this is reminding me that when I first submitted the PRIME TIME (see what I was doing there? ) the first Charlotte McNally book, my agent was all excited about a “grown-up” main character. But then she asked: how old is Charlie really? When I told her I had made the character 55, the same age as I was at the time, my agent said, and this is a direct quote, “Oh, that’s too old!”

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    1. Ouch, Hank! And how old was your agent?

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    2. That is the perfect question, isn’t it? it’s a different agent than the one I have now… And she was in her 30s . She may have been right, I suppose, but it was quite the moment!

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    3. Too old. Well, that is one of the reasons the Russell & Holmes stories are pretty much back to back. He's in his 60s, so I don't want to linger too long between their adventures....

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  8. I never imagined that I would someday be near 70 and , at times, I am very surprised to be.
    What I appreciate about aging is that I know me better, I know what I want or not. I feel liberated. I'm essentially the same but, not caring what others think of me, I mostly do what pleases me because life is so short. I like feisty old women.

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    1. I agree with you, Danielle. I am comfortable in my own skin and like myself better now than when I was in my 30s or 40s. I know what I want and can usually do what I want. I can picture myself as a "feisty old woman" one day!

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    2. It is one of the benefits, you are so right!

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    3. Danielle: I agree with you. The older I get, the more settled into myself I become. I am looking forward to my Third Act (as Jane Fonda calls life after 60), in which I am planning to do more of what I want and like and less of what others think I should!

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    4. Liberated, indeed. Would anyone want to be 20 again?
      (Well, perhaps parts of me. Hip, thumb...)

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  9. Ouch, Hank. Just ouch.
    Congratulations on your new book, Laurie. I am very excited to read your latest.
    I am looking at 70 in the rear view mirror and it's really funny, but I'm the same person who was 9 once, looking forward to turning 10. Maybe mellowed. Certainly not as flexible, but a return to yoga would help that.

    I had a client who was a widow. (I was in my 40's.) He was selling his home here in CT and moving to FL to be married. He was 83. He told me that he was surprised to realize how he was just as excited about his future and his bride as he'd been when he was in his 20's. Yep. Lesson learned.

    One other thing, my dad and step-mother were pretty spry in their 70's. My grandparents seemed much older at that age. Not only because I was so much younger but their demeaner.
    Also, age is a state of mind. No?

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    1. Yes, I think a lot of it has to do with genetics, and attitude, and… Luck.

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    2. Luck is indeed a big part of how well a person copes with age. Someone in chronic pain from arthritis, or who has no retirement income, is maybe not as enthusiastic about another 20 years as those with lucky genetics and a solid living situation.

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  10. Oh, Mrs. Hudson, you naughty girl! Can't wait to read Riviera Gold!

    When my mom had to have complete bed rest before the birth of our youngest sister, who came to look after her and a houseful of kids? Her grandmother, in her 80s. So, hell yeah, Jay, gotta love those feisty older women. Of which I have been one for years and figure by the time I hit 70, I'll be in my groove ;-)

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    1. Enjoy the ride! if I had to do anything over, it would be savoring my time more…

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    2. FAR better than finding yourself left out of the action because of your age!
      (Though man, those three-year-olds can sure run!)

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  11. Laurie R King is the Queen! I see what you did there, Hank. And it's so true. Laurie, thank you for this series, and for Kate Martinelli, who has broadened my perspective in many ways.

    I'll be 70 in just a little over a year, which is really hard to contemplate. Except, that's how old my husband is right now. But 70 is the new 50, and that's not just a knee-jerk platitude. We are SO much more vibrant for longer today than our parents and grandparents were. Shoot, my mother, at 90, is still bopping around and flirting with boys. I can barely keep up with her. Pictures of her own mother in her 50's show someone wearing orthopedic shoes and housedresses, which my mom would not be caught dead in. Her rhinestone-trimmed skinny jeans will do fine, thank you.

    When I was traveling alone in Europe a couple years ago I decided that my OWI, Older Woman Invisibility, was my superpower. It offered a completely different perspective from that of my younger days. I can totally see how the anthropologists pulled that off. Too bad about him not sharing the credit, though.

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    1. Some people never loose their love of rhinestones, Karen!

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    2. I love that description of your mother, Karen!

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    3. She's a riot. Everybody loves Granny Smith!

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    4. I so agree! Giving into being “old “is such a moment…

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    5. Agreed, Karen. I have a picture of my grandmother at my mom's college graduation, wearing a sensible dark dress, her white hair in the kinky poodle perm she had for my entire life. She looks older than any of the Jungle Reds - she was 52!

      That's not to say looking like a little old lady is necessarily bad - that's how Miss Marple and Mrs. Pollifax got so much information out of suspects. But in real life, the way we expect older women to look, dress and behave has changed dramatically in the past 40 years.

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    6. Hi Julia! Yes, that knitting is so disarming when it comes to picking brains and slipping under defenses... (Too bad my arthritic thumb means I can't do it any more, sigh. Not that anyone in California actually wears sweaters.)

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  12. I'm 57; I'm not sure that makes me a "woman of a certain age. I DO know that I'm really enjoying Riviera Gold! What a joy to visit with Mary, Holmes, and Mrs Hudson, uh I Miss Hudson, again.

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    1. Cathy, we'll make you an honorary WoaCA, how about that? And you can be the one to carry in the heavy boxes and climb ladders for us.

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    2. Thanks, Hank!

      Laurie, I would be honored. Thank you!

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  13. I am 72 and I wonder how that happened since it occurred rather rapidly. I realize though that I can accomplish a great deal, move easily and am able to keep up with the young since most of them are out of shape and don't move off of the couch. Riviera Gold sounds captivating and fascinating.

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    1. Hope you enjoy it, Traveler.
      (And hope you can live up to your name again soon...)

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  14. First, I have to say brava to Julia. I finished HID FROM OUR EYES literally an hour ago, and I was 20 minutes late to work because of it (meaning, I crossed the room and turned on the computer 20 minutes later than I usually do). Count me now among the legions of fans who will be pestering you for the next book, Julia.

    I'm still quite a ways from 70. When I was younger, I hoped I'd be like my grandmothers at 70. Both of them were energetic, feisty women who didn't let age stop them. Now that I've developed certain health issues, well, I *hope* I'll be able to be half as active as they were. I'm doing what I can to make it so.

    Also, we're currently watching the Miss Marple shows starring Joan Hickson, and we got a kick out of a police detective superintendent who described her as "the finest criminal mind in England."

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    1. Those Joan Hickson Marples are great.
      And you're right, attitude is key. I think it's the reason retirement communities are so filled with lively women, since men hit retirement then look around and see...nothing. The women look around and see potential.

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  15. Riviera Gold would be a real treasure to enjoy. Congratulations! Being 73 gives me certain privileges but I know that I am invisible to most which makes life entertaining at times and frustrating as well. I am used to being overlooked since the older are not valued for anything at all. I do appreciate though and am lucky to enjoy my grandchildren who give me great joy and keep me young.

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    1. Hi Petite--you should take a look at the Instagram feed for iris.apfel if you want to see a way NOT to be invisible. She wears more bright colors than I did in the Sixties!

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    2. Iris is a hoot!! Talk about a role model!

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  16. I LOVE reading (and writing!) old ladies... especially when they defy the cliche in unexpected ways. But OLD for me is not 'over 70' - not any more. Now that I've reached that golden plateau myself, I realize you've got to be talking mid-80s or 90s to have any serious patina.

    WELCOME TO LAURIE R. KING!! She's a star, and so excited to have her today on JRW! One of the highlights of every Bouchercon and the occasional Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference is getting to see Laurie... and btw we both have spectacular daughters.

    Loading the new book on my Kindle right now.

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    1. Yes, I am now thinking well, 90. That’s kind of old. xxx

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    2. My friend's mom died this year at 107, and up until a few years ago was still in her apartment and going to exercise classes. You just never know, Hallie.

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    3. Oh, Hallie, I am going to SO miss conferences this year: no Book Passage, no Bouchercon. Sigh.
      HUGS TO ALL THE REDS OUT THERE!!!

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  17. Laurie R. King, to me, means Kate Martinelli and Rae Newborn -- two books/stories that have stayed with me even years after reading them. I channel Rae and her island life when I am on my own at the cottage, in the dark, and needing to find my inner resources...Such is the power of good writing and strong female characters. Thank you, Laurie King.

    As for age, I'm still a decade away from 70 and I am loving being 60. The older I get, the more free I feel to be me. :)

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    1. Amanda, that's the great blessing of getting older.

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    2. Rae Newborn--now talk about a strong older woman. Though I suppose she's a young thing. Was she even 60? I don't think so.

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  18. I hit 70 last November when Bouchercon was wrapping up. In the past I never thought of my age. Seriously, I was “ageless. “ But there is something about that number I do not like. It keeps trying to slap me in the face and remind me I’m mortal. Maybe by the time I turn 71 I’ll get over it.
    I had the pleasure of meeting Laurie briefly at Bouchercon. I have enjoyed her Mary Russell books forever! I would love to read another Stuyvesant and Grey story (forgive any spelling blips). Are there any on the horizon?

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    1. Pat, maybe you can try the mind trick I did when I turned 50 and was taken aback by being so aged. :-) A friend suggested I think of myself as having changed from being an OLD 40-something to a YOUNG 50-something. It worked!

      Of course, now I'm an old 50-something... so I can look forward to being a young sixties in a couple years!

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    2. I'd like to do another Stuyvesant & Grey, though I'm not sure when I'd fit it in....

      And yes, Pat--Bouchercon is fab. Though I got food poisoning at Dallas last year, and this year is cancelled, and next year is in New Orleans in AUGUST, so I'm not sure I'll get to one before 2022. Left Coast Crime, maybe.

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    3. New Orleans in August is hell. I know. I lived there back in the late sixties, early seventies. Now in live in Houston which has the same hellish summer weather.

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  19. Hi Laurie!
    Being of that age I have to state that I still feel the same as I did at 40 or 50 I still act the same. I can’t imagine retiring. And if you call me ‘dear’ watch out!

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    1. I used to go to breakfast with some fellow moms and we always went to a place where the waitress called us "girls". Made us laugh every time.

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    2. I think the worst is "young lady." Or--so many "years young."

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  20. Hi Laurie! Welcome to JRW and congratulations on your new Mary Russell novel. I look forward to reading the novel. I met you when I went to the Book Passage conference. You and Rhys were at the BP mystery writing conference.

    What a wonderful question! When I was born, most of the people in my family were in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Some of them were born when Queen Victoria was still on the throne. I learned a lot from them. IF I live to see my 70s, I will consider myself to be very fortunate. Imaging myself in my 70s, I hope that I will still have my health and still enjoy life.

    With climate change and the current pandemic, you never know.

    Question: Who is the lady on the cover of your book?

    Diana

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    1. The lady on the cover sure isn't Russell, is she? Though one of my readers who saw it asked if the placement of the hand meant that Russell was pregnant.

      Uh, no. I think the lady is meant to be the Spirit of Summer. (In gloves and carrying a wrap.)

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    2. Laurie, thanks! For some reason, I thought the lady on the cover was Mrs. Hudson.

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  21. I'm not going to delve into the older women theme, other than to say I'm very much looking forward to RIVIERA GOLD. Instead, I'm going to add three personal observations:
    1. Laurie was one of the women who inspired me to stop coloring my hair and go natural, because her silver hair looked so spectacular.

    2. She had me and Youngest to stay at her house several years ago while we were doing a seminar at UCSC together, and she is hands down the hostess with the mostess.

    3. After the BEE EPISODE, which you all have heard about, the Smithie was talking about how much she admired the young woman who arrived to save the day by so competently vacuuming up the bees. "Maybe I should do that," she said. "I could be a beekeeper's apprentice."

    "By God," I said, "that would make a great book title!"

    Youngest looked at me with a gimlet eye. "Mom," she said, "that's Mrs. King's first book."

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    1. Ah, I love your Youngest. That was such a fun time--and what a panel we did!

      It's still up on YouTube:
      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5ipjEUqRS97CCO8zGXUkppujI8nK7q2r

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    2. I had my hand on the mouse to watch this--then I thought--I HAVE TO WRITE! You all are too tempting..it'll be my treat for later!

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  22. P.S. For those of you who are writers, Laurie is also over at Career Authors today, giving a lesson on how to get the most out of your supporting characters.
    https://careerauthors.com/how-to-make-your-supporting-characters-shine/

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  23. I've been in that neighborhood for quite a few years now and I admit it is absolutely shocking to me that I am that old! Inside I'm still the girl of the sixties, belting out all those rock and roll lyrics we can never forget. If only they knew. But Edith is right about the perks of being invisible; if I come across as eccentric so be it.

    My mother was in her eighty-eighth year when she died in a car crash. Other than that, nothing slowed her down; she worked and volunteered and drove her "old ladies" to church because they had all given up driving. After her obituary was in the paper someone mentioned how surprised they were to see her age. All the "old ladies" she had driven around were much younger! She would get such a kick out of hearing that so I hope she did.

    I like reading about people my age, people who have a lot of the same memories and get the same jokes. Probably why I enjoyed the Southern Sisters books by Anne George so much.

    Looking forward to reading the book, laurie

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  24. One of my sister's water aerobic clients is 103, and only moved into a retirement home and gave up driving at 98 because her kids complained.

    She's really looking forward to gyms being safe again...

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  25. FROM DebRo--whose computer will STILL not let her comment!
    Hi Laurie,

    Your books have been on my radar for a long time. I’m glad you’re here today because it’s a reminder to me that I need to start reading them!

    I turned 71 recently but I feel like I’m in my twenties— except that I’m much happier and less intense than I was at that age. I’ve learned, among other things, that what I viewed as a disaster back then is something that I can overcome. Life seems far less threatening.

    It’s unsettling when I realize that I can remember when my grandparents were my current age. They looked OLD! I could never imagine them joining a gym or playing tennis or basketball with other seniors, activities that so many seniors participate in regularly now.

    I didn’t retire until I was 69. I used to think that being retired would make me feel old. However, in some ways I feel more like a kid because, until the pandemic, I had more time to “play” with my friends! If we did not have the need to shelter in place, I would be off to the gym this afternoon!

    DebRo

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  26. Less intense is a great point--one thing age brings (well, to some people...) is a little perspective.

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    1. Thank goodness. Though heaven help you if you try to explain that to someone who doesn't want to hear it..:-) That being realistic isn't being passive.

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  27. My favorite t-shirt says "Cleverly Disguised As a Responsible Adult." I used to wear it on the last day of finals.
    I also embrace the mature aspect of the feminine, maiden, mother, crone, using the colors white, red, black to make my water bottle holder. There's a freedom, an independence when "of a certain age" and if it takes a bit more maintenance to stay mobile, the journey is worth it. RIVIERA GOLD is wonderful! I've read and reviewed (guess how many stars;-) and requested it again because . . . the Goodreads book club will be discussing it in July.

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    1. Well, at this point I'm not sure anyone would be fooled into considering me a responsible adult.

      And I'll see you in July, Srotyteller!

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  28. Laurie, congratulations on the new Mary Russell! I can't wait to find out what Mrs. Hudson is up to on the swinging Riviera. And what's in her lingerie drawer:-)

    I can remember my grandmother telling me, when she was in her eighties, that she still felt like a girl. And it's so true, isn't it? I am looking at 70 not too far down the road and I don't imagine I'll feel any different then than I do now. I'm still shocked when I get mail for "seniors." Surely, they can't mean me?

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    1. Oh, the lingerie drawer...
      (Some scenes are more fun to write than others!)
      As for seniors, I'm always startled to remember that yes, I am on Medicare. Who, me?

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    2. Even weirder--to be on Medicare, and think it's great!

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  29. I think age kind of creeps up on you and one day you realize how old you are and find it hard to believe. I'm in the neighborhood of 70 and find it hard to believe. It doesn't stop me from doing anything I want to do.

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  30. And isn't it lovely to live in an age where 35 isn't considered ancient? Those Medieval women didn't have an easy time of it.

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    1. SO true! I was making fresh pesto, and thinking -- I am like a PIONEER woman. :-0

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  31. Laurie, I’m so happy to see you here today. Life events have delayed my reading if Riviera Gold until now, and I am so loving it. Mrs. Hudson’s age is a definite benefit for her in this book. And, I have to tell you that Mary’s affection for Mrs. Hudson is one if my favorite parts of the whole series. Also, I want you to know that I’ll be in touch this week about the blog appearance.

    From my own feelings, I think a majority of “senior citizens” have their inner self as a younger person. I’m 66 now, but I don’t think of myself as old. I guess because my father lived to 96, 66 seems middle age.

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    1. We come from good genes, Kathy! My dad lived to 96, too. So, yes, definitely middle aged lol

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    2. Yep, I'm happy to think of 66 as middle aged!

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  32. I’m saving Riviera Gold for a special time. Can hardly wait to discover what’s in the lingerie drawer. I had the pleasure of attending a talk with Mrs. King at the Santa Clara Library when Lockdown was released. She kindly signed all my Mary Russell books.

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    1. Love those library events--I've really missed them this year!
      Laurie

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  33. Laurie, forgive me, but I just looked at your wikipedia page. You are only six weeks older than me - and we could have overlapped at UC Santa Cruz except I ended up at UC Irvine (long story)! I've now lived in Mass longer than I lived in CA (until I was 23), but I'm still a California girl at heart.

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  34. I will be 70 in a few years, and my age still surprises me. I'm enjoying it more since I retired. This Friday finally had lunch with a friend and looking forward to more soon. Stay safe and well.

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    1. Lunch with friends, movies, hugs, mystery conferences...they'll come again.

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  35. Hi Laurie and Hank! I turn 70 next year. I remember my English mum looking in the mirror in her later years, saying, "I don't recognize that person!"

    Your interview is as fun as Mrs. Hudson's adventures! This one sounds delightfully racy. Excited to read it. Amazing how women were represented but are now redrawn, thinking of Della Street in the new Perry Mason.

    I write noir and although everyone loves the old classic movie IN A LONELY PLACE, the book by Dorothy B. Hughes was changed. In the book, the antagonist Dix is a sociopath and is stalking a woman in his apt. complex. In the movie, they make her a femme-fatale, stalking him. He comes out rosy in the end of the movie. Not so in the book. So I'm super encouraged by those who are rewriting the women in famous novels, like you Laurie, and giving them a "life." BTW, say hello to Anna and Mary Alice. And thanks, Hank, for the interview! How do you do everything??

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    1. Yes, there are some odd choices Hollywood makes, aren't there? And usually not on the women's side of matters, I'm afraid.

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    2. Oh, what a fabulous question--aww...thank you! One step at at time... :-) We just watched Woman in the Window, with Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett. Gorgeous--and truly discussion-worthy.

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  36. When one over sleeps badly, one is very late to the party. I'm less than ten years out of 70. I hope to be retired by then and able to work if I want, how I want. I remember feeling "old" when I turned 21. That was one of those threshold years in my mind.

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    1. Yes, to be 21--surely the pinnacle of life? The world at one's feet, and ordering a drink in a bar, what more can one ask?

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  37. I just finished Island of the Mad yesterday and I'm so looking forward to reading Riviera Gold.
    I turned 60 recently and call myself an old lady,but I don't really feel old. A few aches and pains, some wrinkles but also more confident in knowing I can handle things. I'm around my grandchildren daily; they are 1,3 and 5 years old,so they keep me going as well. And I love getting senior discounts if possible. My mom is 92 and going strong. She sets a good example for me.

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  38. Grandkids are indeed an injection of youth into life.

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    1. Plus they can fix your computer stuff.

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    2. I have had a fabulous Laurie R. King evening, having watched your Zoom appearance, Laurie, a few hours ago with Houston's great Murder by the Book And now I've read your wonderful, witty guest post.
      I loved the previous book set in Venice and "Riviera Gold" I have craved ever since I first read about it.
      As to being a woman of a certain age, I think it is just ducky. I have hit 70, I confess, and everything is great so far. The only thing that brings me down, so to speak, is when someone in my exact spot on the 70 to 80 spectrum is called elderly" in the news.That happened (repeatedly) recently, and I was not amused.
      I have always enjoyed being around older people because I was close with all four of my grandparents, each of whom lived into their 80s. My mother passed o92at 92, with only my beloved fathebeing being felled in his 70s.
      I watched closely how my mom and her friends aged, saw who did it well and chose them to emulate.
      Since I aspire to live well into my 90s, I plan to enjoy all those years. It is ridiculous to lament one's age. If we are lucky and blessed with many years, one might as well enjoy them.

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    3. Sorry about the typos. My edit function would not work on my phone. Curses.

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    4. Glad you enjoyed the chat, Kay--I'll talk with Les Klinger any time about anything!

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  39. I am shocked to be nearing the 70s club! I am wondering if I will ever be a grandmother! I prefer reading about older sleuths in the books I read lindaherold99(at)gmail(dot)com

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  40. Mrs Pargeter, Miss Marple--what other older sleuths do people like?

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