The Reds Weekly Check-In, or, BEE Grateful

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Let’s check in on how we’re all doing, what reopening looks like in our neighborhoods, and any notable events from this past week or upcoming! Last week’s big event for me was a bee invasion upstairs - literally. My Guest Son’s room filled up with bees, much to his consternation. We could see them sort-of-swarming outside, going in and out of a crack between the main house and the addition. They were entirely peaceful honey bees, but even the most peaceable bees aren’t what you want to see inside the house - less so when you can see a hundred of them!

I contacted the Maine Beekeepers Ass’n and left a help ticket on their website, but it seems they’re more or less offline during the pandemic. Instead, we found help through Twitter! My oldest daughter, the Maine Millennial, tweeted about our...issue, and she got a DM from a beekeeper at The Honey Exchange. This led to a phone call, and within a few hours, a wonderful young woman named Thalassa Raasch was at our door, net hat and bee vacuum in hand.

With a little sleuthing, we discovered the bees were reachable via the inside wall of a kneehole closet in Guest Son’s room. We took out everything stored there (mostly old luggage, which I was happy to remove to the attic) and could see a brand new colony was trying to start itself in an uninsulated gap in the wall. (Old house - modern insulation was shoved in where workmen could reach and left off where they couldn’t. Please refer to past JRW posts where I complain incessantly about the cold.) Fortunately, we caught the bees before they were able to begin building, so it was a relatively straightforward job for Thalassa to suck them up into the bee vac. 

We got thank-you honey for saving the bees!

We opened up the windows, closed the door, and gave the room twenty-four more hours to clear out. Fortunately, when we went inside, most of the bees had escaped, leaving behind only a handful of tiny striped corpses to be swept up. Even better, Thalassa reports the bees have been successfully moved into one of her hives, meaning they, and we, can now continue to lead happy and productive lives - twenty-plus miles apart.

What’s buzzing in your life, Reds?

LUCY BURDETTE: That’s a wonderful story Julia! We are in Connecticut now, which is just opening up. I walked on the wild side and went to my favorite local bookstore, RJ Julia Booksellers. Everyone was masked up and there were markings on the floor showing us where to walk, and books! Thousands and thousands of books--definitely essential for these times! I’ve also been going to our farmer’s market on the town green. Again, masks and social distancing required. So many yummy veggies and good bread...I’m in heaven.

Bad news--we are worried about the spike in Florida and people getting crazy in Key West. Praying for everyone to stay sane and safe.

HALLIE EPHRON: The bee invasion sounds terrifying. We’ve had a swarm of thousands of bees take up residence hanging from a bush in our backyard (called the beekeepers and they were moved to safe quarters), but never IN the house. Yes, Florida looks ominous. Ditto Texas (sorry Debs). And Arizona not so good either. Time will tell.

I’ve been slowly crawling out. I went to my local grocery store for the first time, bought plants for the garden and fresh cherries and plums which, ordering for delivery, is a crap shoot.  I clipped my front hedges and the hedge clipper promptly died, so I ordered one from my local hardware store and went to pick it up. They are doing a busy busy business and had it totally under control.

Feeling like small bits of normal are creeping back. We’re in the suburbs so at least we can walk and sit out in the yard anytime we want, and I have great neighbors.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Our little air conditioning issues are very tame compared to Julia's bee story! So glad you are now happily separated, Julia--a win-win!

Yes, Texas is very worrying. I think we are just now starting to see the results of our "opening" and all the Memorial Day festivities with no masks or social distancing. I don't want to contemplate what will happen in the next couple of weeks after all the protests here.

I've had two masked trips to Trader Joe's at senior hour now--so exciting to pick out my own produce and groceries!! Also, two outings to the farmer's market. It was very busy this Saturday, but more people were wearing masks than the previous Saturday, so maybe that's an improvement. I've also had a friend (waving at you, Gigi!) over for a socially distanced happy hour on the patio, ditto morning coffee with another friend. I would really really hate to give up these small gains, but I think a lot of people here have just decided the pandemic is over, which doesn't bode well….

RHYS BOWEN: We have finally made it safely back to California after 110 degrees drove us from Arizona. The drive went amazingly smoothly. We spent the night at a Hyatt in Pasadena where they have arranged everything really well. We stopped at clean rest area bathrooms. No problems.  Now we are enjoying cooler weather and we’re back in Marin County where everyone wears masks, is polite, and only a few things have opened up… yes, and they have 17 deaths to date. None of them recently.  So I feel much safer than crazy Arizona.

We also go to Trader Joe’s for senior hour. Very well done with no stress. And I’m busy with the edits of my new Venice Stand alone. I’m also on a cleaning and weeding out jag. I’m about to Kondo my house, after my Arizona home that has no clutter. I’ll be ruthless!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh-- BEES! Oh my gosh, that is a nightmare. Just like everything else. Anyway, Massachusetts is apparently doing well, but we shall see. Reading about all of you is fascinating--truly. Jonathan and I are not budging. Not one bit. We have been home for 93 days. Not going anywhere. We have ordered groceries, ordered front porch chairs, ordered plants, planted tomatoes and basil, we have worked worked worked. Jonathan in virtual court, with the full array of personnel, I’m trying to write and be on TV (via Zoom) and it’s like--living on our own private planet. 

"Ryan could win a sixth Agatha with this one." !!!

Sometimes I actually pat the freezer to reassure it that  I am so pleased with it. My hair is awful, but I am persevering with many zooms and appearances and bookclubs, and THE FIRST TO LIE got a Publishers Weekly starred review so I am counting blessings.

I think the whole thing is horribly scary, insane, and I hope we can just all hang in.

JULIA: Check in time, dear readers! How are you doing, what are you doing, and are there any BEES involved? 

No No Nan--cy Drew?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Okay, so we have to talk.  There are some things in our lives which just...aren’t mainstream. For instance. I don’t like the movie Pretty Woman. I’ve never seen Beaches. I only watched one episode of This is Us, and said—not for me. I don’t like beer. I’ve never had a massage. Just saying.

And so I am thrilled that Kellye Garrett (whose debut Hollywood Homicide was a Library Journal Debut of the Month and described as a “winning first novel and series launch” in a starred review by Publishers Weekly) has agreed to share her own non-mainstream admission.

NANCY WHO?
    by Kellye Garrett

Ask any female mystery writer about her influences and you’re sure to consistently hear one name. Well, ask any female mystery writer except for maybe one…
So I have a confession to make. At the risk of being permanently banned from all mystery conferences, groups, amazing blogs like Jungle Red Writers and possibly even reading any mystery novels, I don’t count Nancy Drew among my major childhood influences when it comes to writing.

I know. Eek!

There was actually another whip-smart young detective who was a driving force of my love of all things mystery. And his name was Encyclopedia Brown!!

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed Nancy and her escapades. I came of age in the “Nancy Drew Files” era where she had a cool Mustang, there was always boyfriend drama, and she was always going on some really cool vacation.

Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown may not have driven a cool car. He may not have had a college-age love interest. He may not have been allowed to go around the corner, much less on a ski trip. But what he did have was my heart.

He was a business owner. (Brown Detective Agency! No case too small! 25 cents per day plus expenses.) He wasn’t afraid of bullies like Bugs Meany and the rest of the Tigers. And he could do more crime solving over dinner than McNulty and Herc could do over an entire season of The Wire.

You could see why a girl might be just a tad in love. In fact, he might be the sole reason why I’m still a sucker for a guy in glasses.

And that’s just as a reader. The books are chock-full of great advice that I (try to) use when writing my own books—short scenes that jump right into the action, the need to share information without it feeling like an info dump, and, perhaps best of all, how to subtly plant clues in a way that makes the reader go “Aha!” Plus, it—along with Murder She Wrote—showed that you could totally get away with having so much time in one small town, as long as the story was good enough.

The last Encyclopedia Brown adventure was published in 2012, the same year that his creator Donald J. Sobel passed away. In all, Donald J. Sobel gave us 29 novels and Encyclopedia also has been seen in a comic strip and TV series. There’s even rumors of a movie! I just hope they don’t try to change his name to Wikipedia.

What about you? Any detectives close to your heart who aren't named Nancy? Comment below!

HANK: Yeah. Tell us. I mean, it always kind of drove me crazy that Nancy called her pal Bess “plump.” Some friend.  (And, sigh, when I read Nancy there was no such thing as a Ford Mustang.) And okay, I’ll confess. Hanging head--I’ve never read Encyclopedia Brown.

How about you, Reds and readers? What’s your non-mainstream confession? Kellye and I will never tell.  

(And Kellye, Hollywood Homicide is terrific. Hilarious. Congratulations!) 

Kellye Garrett spent 8 years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for the CBS drama Cold Case. People were always surprised to learn what she did for a living—probably because she seemed way too happy to be brainstorming ways to murder people. A former magazine editor, Kellye holds a B.S. in magazine writing from Florida A&M and an MFA in screenwriting from USC’s famed film school. Having moved back to her native New Jersey, she spends her mornings commuting to Manhattan for her job at a leading media company—while still happily brainstorming ways to commit murder. Her first novel, Hollywood Homicide, was released by Midnight Ink in August 2017.  It was a Library Journal Debut of the Month and described as a “winning first novel and series launch” in a starred review by Publishers Weekly.

Hollywood Homicide

Actress Dayna Anderson’s deadly new role: homicide detective.

Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semifamous, mega-broke actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. So after witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she pursues the fifteen grand reward. But Dayna soon finds herself doing a full-on investigation, wanting more than just money—she wants justice for the victim. She chases down leads at paparazzi hot spots, celeb homes, and movie premieres, loving every second of it—until someone tries to kill her. And there are no second takes in real life.

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