Volume 4 Number 6 June 2004

UH HUH, LATE

As usual.

POISON TEA PARTY IN MISSOURI

Springfield, Missouri offered the Sleuth's Ink Conference. I went. What was little old Peggy Lou Moss Fielding doing at such an affair? Although I was drawn by the idea of learning something new, of course, I really went to the mystery event as a kind of a "payback."

I should tell you that the person I need to pay back can never be paid back. She has done way, way too much for me. She has spent hour after hour driving me here and there, even to Miss Hazel's burial in Glen Rose, Texas. That's good, of course, but on top of all that driving she has spent many other hours listening to me and other writers talking about the kind of writing she already knows about or that she may not prefer to do. She is a died-in-the-wool mystery fan and has written several mystery novels as well as tons of mystery short stories.

WHO IS SHE?

That person is, I need hardly say, my pal, Jacqueline King and I think I should include her champagne colored Corolla in this paen of praise. It's a great little car... very comfortable and elegant as a rolling enclosure for my peach skinned, red haired friend, Jackie.

AT THE CONFERENCE

The conference was held in a pleasant hotel and a special perk of the meeting was seeing our old friend Carol MacLoud, from Oklahoma City (formerly of Tulsa) and her sister Nita. That's one of the great things about hanging with writers. I can expect friends to turn up at any place where writers congregate and sometimes they even show up where writers aren't expected. (See Contest paragraph!)

I received a great deal of fascinating forensic information from a G man (Do we still call them that?) and I learned so much abut the business of writing mysteries. I must say, they got me into the mood to write a mystery novel. I can't teach mystery writing at TCC because I make it a rule never try to teach what I haven't done myself but I suppose that mystery writing is on my horizon. I can feel it.

My friends, Marcia Preston and Radine Nehring appearred as featured speakers at the meetings, talking about their new mystery novels. That was fun. I always love to see Radine because I love her and her appearance means that means I will also get to see John Nehring. Radine is so lucky. They are a well-matched pair. I am always quite ladylike about Mr. Preston because I don't know him so well, having never had him as a student, but I do tease John mercilessly. He smiles, shrugs, and goes on.

ANOTHER CONTEST AT LAST?

A signed review copy of BARBARA goes to the first two people who send in the name of the writer friend whom I met unexpectedly at the Eureka Springs UFO conference in April.

POISON TEA PARTY CONTINUED

Gaylene Langthorn was the first person I met at the Sleuth's Ink happening. She was introduced to me by Carol MacLoud. Gaylene is from Oklahoma City. I don't know if she and Carol were friends from there or if they had just met at the Poison Tea Party. Gaylene won one of the certificated for flash fiction given to Okies. Mary Coley of Tulsa also held up the honor of Oklahoma writers. Sorry, Jackie and I won no prizes or certificates even though we wrote really great flash fiction mysteries (Short short stories.) Mine, I understood after the hours passed and I listened to the local folks, was a bit too naughty but I didn't understand why Jackie didn't win. Her story was well written, ladylike and extremely clever. Oh, well.

I did learn a lot from the Deadly Divas, Susan McBride and Denise Swanson. What fun those ladies were. We Oklahoma writers need to insist that these writers come to Okie land, maybe to OWFI, with their feather boas, wild jewelry for the audience, tiaras on their heads and all. Really, they were quite charming as well as informative.

BACK TO THE PAST MUSICALLY

We did a fun thing on the drive home. Jackie stopped at a Truckers Place for lunch and they had a live band, playing and singing really old country/western tunes. I'm talking old. I had heard my father singing some of those old songs and he was forty one years older than me. (Yep, forty years old when he married pretty little Miss Hazel.) One of the guys strummed a washboard on his chest. The food was pretty good, also. That made up for some of our poor food choices earlier.

MORE STRANGE TIDBITS OF INFORMATION

At one meeting where almost everyone was seated I saw empty chairs for Jackie, Carol and me right up front, just under the nose of the woman in charge. The room was quiet. A moment after my bootie touched the chair, the Missouri lady said into her microphone, "And here is Peggy Fielding, queen of the self published book authors." I was stunned. Couldn't believe my ears. You know me and money. I never give it away voluntarily. I expect publishers to give pesos to me. If they don't I won't. Know what I mean?

I said nothing but perhaps shock was written on my face.

Carol MacLoud shouted back at her, "She's not self published. What's more, she won't even allow us to become self published." Oh, good girl, I thought, and smiled at her.

The lady on the stage said no more and went on with her planned program. Carol was incensed. I told her to forget about it. I should mention that I had been behaving quite well, I thought. All through my notes from the two days sessions I find reminders to myself saying the awful words, "Shut Up!" The words are framed in flame like outlines. so you see I was being on my very best behavior. Those were notes to myself and I really tried to keep from saying anything that was not requested of me. I was with a roomful of strangers in an unknown group so I felt my input would perhaps not be desired. I kept really quiet (For me) Next day I asked the head lady privately why she had announced me to the room in such a way. She said she had just been blubbering.

Another interesting moment came about at the hotel breakfast. Too early for me, of course, but I came with my plate to the table to sit with Radine and John. I seated myself behind a young man who was there touting his first book. His name is Evan McNamara and his book is called SUPERIOR POSITION. At his table were Carol, her sister Nita, and Jackie King. The kid (as he seemed to this oldie) was really taken by Jackie because she had bought his book and than asked for his autograph. He followed her around the whole time we were there. He was talking with those three and the first words I heard him utter as I sat down were: "...and that nice little old woman friend of yours, uh..." H couldn't think of my name even though I bought his book also. I leaned toward him and said, "Whoever she is."

By this time, all my friends, including John and Radine, were already laughing fit to kill. I knew the reason for all that snickering. It wasn't the "little" nor the "old" of his description. They would all agree with that, I'd suppose. I think it was the word "NICE" about me at 8:00 in the morning that was causing those friends of mine to suppress loud snorts of laughter. And they were right to do so. I would describe myself as little and old, but I would never call myself nice, especially not at 8:00 in the morning. I don't think NcNamara ever figured what was causing the hilarity around the two tables.

SEX THIS MONTH? WELL,YES, BUT ONLY FOR THE EYES

For my own good, John and Radine both told me separately and quietly, that I needed to clean up my newsletter. They are so good and so Christian and they would like me to demonstrate good and Christian behavior also. Do you suppose they would think badly of me for telling you that I have Okie Artist Teresa Farrington's watercolor caricature of me on display in my living room? The gorgeous naked guy from the UFO conference stands? rises from a book? behind me in the newly framed drawing. I love it.

I guess next month it will be back to Dusty. I have several of his books to report on. Oh, sex, sex, sex. I just can't wait.

See you all in July.

Love Peggy