tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76827218530347785482024-03-13T19:53:50.334-07:00...the right word in the right place...To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence, is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself... Anybody can have ideas, the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph. -- Mark TwainCarolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-2357912569580140712014-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:002014-05-19T19:57:51.452-07:00NoveliciousI declare, India and I are having a bang-up time introducing ourselves to U.K. readers. <a href="http://www.novelicious.com/2014/05/novelicious-chats-to-carol-k-carr.html" target="_blank">Here's an interview</a> I did for Novelicious, a fun and funny website dreamed up by some U.K. writers. I may have had a drink or two while answering these questions.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-77623017646789471412014-05-12T13:50:00.000-07:002014-05-12T13:50:41.783-07:00Yikes (and a German cover)Once again, I have been shamefully lax at posting any updates. India would not be pleased and would no doubt berate me for my indolence. I'm sure she would be an avid user of social media. Photos of Lotus House on Instagram. Sarcastic digs at politicians on Twitter. And the daily specials available at the brothel on Facebook.<br />
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So, here's a peek at the cover for the German edition of <i>India Black and the Widow of Windsor, </i>with its new title, <i>Danger to the Throne</i>. At least, I think that's the new title. Any German speakers out there who can translate?</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-58402650105825609302014-04-25T07:50:00.001-07:002014-04-25T08:01:19.704-07:00Across the PondThe first and second books in the India Black series were released in the U.K. last week. Here's <a href="http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2014/04/india-black-by-carol-k-carr.html" target="_blank">a review </a>from the other side of the pond.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-51027391661877592442014-04-22T08:54:00.002-07:002014-04-22T08:54:04.759-07:00Canada!All the way from Canada, you can read <a href="http://www.fredasvoice.com/2014/04/31-india-black-and-gentleman-thief.html" target="_blank">Freda's review here</a>. Thanks, Freda.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-14077798017918435692014-04-13T09:15:00.000-07:002014-04-13T09:15:27.830-07:00Pajamas? Shower? Here's<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kayepublicity/weird-things-that-authors-do-fkhg" target="_blank"> something funny</a>, Still in pajamas. Haven't showered yet.<br />
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<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-46085410343606755282014-04-07T10:43:00.002-07:002014-04-07T10:43:22.307-07:00Female FirstHere's a link to <a href="http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/carol-k-carr-india-black-and-the-gentleman-thief-449383.html" target="_blank">my interview with Female First</a>, an online lifestyle magazine for women in the U.K. <i>India Black</i> and <i>India Black and the Widow of Windsor </i>will be released there on April 17th.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-80578141396878297932014-04-03T13:01:00.003-07:002014-04-03T13:01:46.488-07:00Tarts Or Torts?Here's a l<a href="http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/yourebooked/2014/04/law-ladies-of-the-night-by-carol-k-carr/" target="_blank">ink to an article</a> I did for the Harrogate Festival magazine in the U.K. Did I mention that I love my publicist at Titan?<br />
<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-88245891119052828502014-03-30T08:56:00.001-07:002014-03-30T08:56:07.902-07:00SHOTSNot that kind<br />
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I mean <i>SHOTS Crime and Thriller Ezine, </i>a UK based digital magazine devoted to, uh, crime and thriller writing. The publicist at Titan, my UK publisher, arranged a guest post there for me, and <a href="http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/feature_view.aspx?FEATURE_ID=248" target="_blank">here's the link</a>.<br />
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I've just sent off an article to the publicist which will appear in <i>Your Booked, </i>the online magazine associated with Britain's premier crime writing convention. Very exciting, if a little weird. I'm introducing India to a new group of readers and revisiting the topics I wrote and talked about when India made her debut in the U.S., including what motivated me to write the books in the first place. It's been fun making an excursion down memory lane.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-10798123489683286072014-03-26T08:12:00.000-07:002014-03-26T08:12:02.137-07:00Epic CostumeI'm not a fan of dressing pets in costumes, but this is pure genius.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wZuKRSzNGV1nO6nGVQXs3lv2rwmYQG8bJw1Xv0g1yL1uh7fOzh-xN1h0CnLLKFUoZUsJxxqb08zdbyjKYd3D223b6okOkyDq14BlLeCWF0KBQBQn64C-0HtmeXpfMbmfLYA3XrTr8V8/s1600/Dog+Martini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wZuKRSzNGV1nO6nGVQXs3lv2rwmYQG8bJw1Xv0g1yL1uh7fOzh-xN1h0CnLLKFUoZUsJxxqb08zdbyjKYd3D223b6okOkyDq14BlLeCWF0KBQBQn64C-0HtmeXpfMbmfLYA3XrTr8V8/s1600/Dog+Martini.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-45975487135390262062014-03-24T05:02:00.000-07:002014-03-24T05:02:36.320-07:00New Covers for Great BritainThe publisher of the British editions of the India Black series, Titan Books, has provided covers for the current novel and the two digital novellas previously published here in the States. Here they are:<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-13505227711225729782014-03-20T07:48:00.000-07:002014-03-20T07:48:03.726-07:00The Antidote to WinterHere's a <a href="http://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2014/03/india-black-gentleman-thief-review.html" target="_blank">very nice review</a> from Bev over at My Reader's Block. That took some of the sting out of this dreadful winter. More UK covers coming soon.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-14369659251561562232014-03-17T06:02:00.000-07:002014-03-17T06:02:18.884-07:00$%^#@ SpringYesterday. Rain. Sleet. Snow. Too depressed to blog. Losing will to live.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpckHq_8d2HOS_cqTiuD7kyfjuw7A7tYGpZO4eLEB79tnhlI7iHPW2WuTUww_cZnNCMXHCyz9M6kv8U3CBWDuo5vL6GNMjiuE-RMoARAMGnVZ7GfBJtboxb0zgHWs2kY7zdTWgwjyPlc/s1600/Winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpckHq_8d2HOS_cqTiuD7kyfjuw7A7tYGpZO4eLEB79tnhlI7iHPW2WuTUww_cZnNCMXHCyz9M6kv8U3CBWDuo5vL6GNMjiuE-RMoARAMGnVZ7GfBJtboxb0zgHWs2kY7zdTWgwjyPlc/s1600/Winter.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-78879371009987396452014-03-09T18:54:00.004-07:002014-03-09T18:54:51.258-07:00Across the PondThe British publisher has finalized the cover for <i>India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy </i>(sorry, I just have the cover from the Amazon UK page at this point)<i>.</i><br />
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Hmmm. That face is a little sweet for India.<br />
<i><br /></i>Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-18247270893163841192014-03-02T12:55:00.001-08:002014-03-02T12:55:44.878-08:00Mord im LotushausMore exciting news for me. The German edition of India Black is coming out soon. The German publishers opted to add an additional title, <i>Mord im Lotushaus, </i>which appears to translate into <i>Murder in Lotus House.</i> That's cool with me. And here's the cover, which I love. Sexy!<br />
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<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-71863529903166828732014-02-26T08:29:00.000-08:002014-02-26T08:29:05.129-08:00Keeping It FreshHere's a <a href="http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/2014/02/26/not-so-cozy-wednesday-with-carol-k-carr-author-of-india-black-and-the-gentleman-thief/" target="_blank">short guest post</a> I did over at Lori's blog (you do read her, don't you?).Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-85523267431988033532014-02-20T08:13:00.003-08:002014-02-20T08:13:38.195-08:00I Haven't Been Found Out Yet<i>Gentleman Thief</i> is getting some nice reviews. Here's <a href="http://www.newandusedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=this_review&ID=11747" target="_blank">one more</a> from the Reader to Reader website. You should check it out.<br />
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<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-38015318732138201612014-02-14T12:10:00.002-08:002014-02-14T12:10:07.610-08:00Another Nice OneThank you, Judi, for <a href="http://judieasley.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/india-black-and-the-gentleman-thief-madam-of-espionage-4-by-carol-k-carr/" target="_blank">another nice review.</a>Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-39833046731412428402014-02-07T06:09:00.004-08:002014-02-07T06:09:56.348-08:00A Nice ReviewHere'a a<a href="http://audreyellis.blogspot.com/2014/02/book-review-india-black-and-gentleman.html" target="_blank"> nice review</a> from Audrey.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-30956625147689102592014-02-05T06:23:00.001-08:002014-02-05T06:23:14.876-08:00RT ReviewHere's <a href="http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/india-black-and-gentleman-thief" target="_blank">the review</a> of <i>Gentleman Thief</i> from RT Book Reviews.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-28889405451569467452014-01-25T09:56:00.001-08:002014-01-25T09:56:26.882-08:00 Hello...Hello...HelloWaits for the echoes to die away.<br />
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Well, I've been gone for awhile. No particular reason except that life has been so quiet that there's been little of note happening. But that's changing, as <i>India Black and the Gentleman Thief </i>will be released on February 4th and is available for pre-order now.<br />
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But that's not the only news I have. The India Black Series has been sold to a British publisher.<a href="http://titanbooks.com/" target="_blank">Titan Books</a> will release the first two titles in April. I received the covers for these last week, and here they are:<br />
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Titan is an interesting company with an emphasis on comics, graphic novels, historical and adventure fiction, film and television tie-ins, science fiction and detective novels. After looking at their list of representative authors and books, I think it will be a great fit for India.<br />
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Finally, <i>RT Book Reviews </i>has the first review of <i>Gentleman Thief. </i>Unfortunately, you have to subscribe to the magazine to read it, or wait another few weeks when they will make it available to the general public. I can tell you that it received four and a half stars and has been designated a TOP PICK.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-64221904961470855142013-10-11T05:18:00.001-07:002013-10-11T05:18:49.639-07:00Splendid!In 1851, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations opened in London. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was a driving force behind this spectacular display of machinery, inventions and products from around the world. The purpose was to showcase Britain's role as the foremost industrialized nation of the world, and it was a huge hit. A third of the British population, over 6 million people, viewed the exhibition. The proceeds were used to establish the Victoria and Albert Museum.<br />
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The event was held in a purpose-built building, the Chrystal Palace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85PaGpUeL-sVp1lk6XIB_Ru9to_bUs3YIOUSjavZyk4fxhXx7MN4Au4cEqxRkvFm6pEEkHXUD0pPk39atx5cC0PINO8V4zFwbCBZBMSZK7ZBvxHKHwpq3yljfxz-DGUshvziNvAju2tM/s1600/chrystal+pal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85PaGpUeL-sVp1lk6XIB_Ru9to_bUs3YIOUSjavZyk4fxhXx7MN4Au4cEqxRkvFm6pEEkHXUD0pPk39atx5cC0PINO8V4zFwbCBZBMSZK7ZBvxHKHwpq3yljfxz-DGUshvziNvAju2tM/s400/chrystal+pal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Made of iron and glass, the building was 1851 feet long, 454 feet wide, and contained almost one million square feet of space. It was remarkably modern in design and was a real feat of engineering. Sadly, it burned in 1936.<br />
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Now, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10352466/Crystal-Palace-to-be-rebuilt-on-original-Victorian-era-site.html" target="_blank">the Crystal Palace will rise again</a>. This is wonderful news for Victorian enthusiasts. Can't wait to see it.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-28500862229101169052013-10-09T05:10:00.000-07:002013-10-09T05:10:47.222-07:00"Insanely Prolific"That would be Peter Ackroyd, one of my favorite authors, who is 63 and has written 50 books. And he does it all while drinking two bottles of wine every day of the week. <br />
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(Photo from the New York Times)</div>
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Not only is he prolific, he's versatile, writing history, biography and fiction. His books aren't short or superficial, either. His biography of Dickens checks in at 1,000 pages. He's written great books on the history of London (which I try to read before every trip to that city), the river Thames, and is now at work on a history of England, projected to be six volumes. My favorite book is <i>Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination. </i>It's just what the subtitle suggests: a history of all the things which have influenced British painters, musicians and writers. There are chapters on trees, rain, hills, the sea, and faith. It's both enchanting and erudite. </div>
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I was reminded of how much I love Ackroyd's work by<a href="http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/arts-and-letters-peter-ackroyds-london-calling/?hp" target="_blank"> this article</a>, which appeared a few weeks ago in the NY Times magazine.</div>
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<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-1414073296846000552013-10-07T07:34:00.000-07:002013-10-07T07:34:01.911-07:00I'm Always the Last to KnowI don't cook, knit, scrapbook or decorate the house for Halloween, so it's no surprise that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Branch" target="_blank">Susan Branch</a> has never appeared on my radar. I'm more likely to think of knitting needles as murder weapons, thanks to the hundreds of mysteries I've read over the years. I stumbled on this artist/writer/blogger/entrepreneur by accident. Scrolling through the latest additions to my local library, I came across <i>A Fine Romance,</i> the diary of her recent trip to England. I checked it out. Now I'm hooked.<br />
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I have a confession to make. I'm a complete anglophile. Thanks to my Grandma Pal's shelf full of Agatha Christie's books, I was an early convert to tea, sherry with the vicar and English country houses. I may live in a contemporary-style house with contemporary furniture, but in my heart of hearts I yearn for a garden like this<br />
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outside a cottage like this</div>
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where I drink tea from a cup and saucer like this</div>
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I think you get the picture. Back to Susan Branch. When I'm feeling the need for something sweet and charming, I'll be <a href="http://www.susanbranch.com/" target="_blank">visiting her blog</a>. It's a quick fix when I want to feel safe and cozy, and it's a wonderful antidote to all the negativity and vitriol emanating from our nation's capitol right now. </div>
<br />Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-37334004381357306312013-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:002013-10-04T08:18:18.850-07:00Choosing an Author PhotoI like this one:<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7682721853034778548.post-74813729785516420372013-10-02T05:19:00.001-07:002013-10-02T05:19:12.115-07:00The Invention of MurderSome of the best social histories of the Victorian era are written by Judith Flanders, a British historian and journalist. My library just acquired <i>The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. </i><br />
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I've read a quarter of the book and can tell you it's meticulously researched and engagingly written. I've uncovered a few nuggets.<br />
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When the first police force was created in London, its members were given blue uniforms to accentuate that the force was not connected to the military (who wore red, as I imagine most of you know). Soldiers were considered to be of low character and far too accustomed to violent death.<br />
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The current style of helmet worn by London bobbies was introduced in 1864. <br />
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Ever heard the expression "to read someone the riot act?" The Riot Act of 1715 permitted "tumultuous and riotous assemblies" to be broken up with force only after the Act had been read aloud and a one hour period had expired.<br />
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The media hype surrounding the trials of O.J., Jodi Arias, and George Zimmerman, to name just a few, isn't a recent development. Victorian era newspapers issued special editions covering famous trials, stage plays were introduced before the trials had even begun, and the public had a ravenous appetite for ghoulish detail. The body of one murderer was publicly displayed after his execution - 30,000 filed by to have a look. Fascinating stuff. You can visit <a href="http://www.judithflanders.co.uk/" target="_blank">the author's website</a> here.Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069656952527430818noreply@blogger.com0