Friday, June 29, 2007

Meeting Friends

As you know from reading this blog, I love jazz. For my page on MySpace, I went to various other pages to invite people to be a friend. Of course, I went to Dean Koontz, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Westwood's Mystery Bookstore in California, and various crime magazines. I also had fun inviting some of the jazz greats like Pat Metheny, Allen Vizzutti and Herbie Hancock. Quincy Jones is there too. Also, two House of Blues sites. In looking at the info on the page for trumpeter Sal Cracchiola and his wife, Melanie Jackson, a singer, I saw Sal had played in some of the same bands our oldest son had. So I sent a message asking if he by any chance knew our son.

He does! Said they'd been mentored by trumpeter Bobby Shew. Apparently they toured Japan with the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and have played other gigs together. When I told my son, he said, "Of course I know him! He's a good friend."

What great fun to make this connection.

Now I'll have to go looking for other musicians. Maybe Bobby Shew has a page there too.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Posted by Dee Ann Palmer 10:37 PM 0 Comments:

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

See MySpace

Jazz has been big in my life ever since I was a student RN in San Francisco. My boyfriend, who is now my husband, flew up from Burbank, CA, to visit. He took me to my first nightclub to hear Errol Garner play piano. Garner sat on a New York City telephone book to put him at the right height, and I found the music and the experience fascinating.

I think most people have to get used to jazz. You hear a bit of melody, and then it's gone, lost in a flurry of notes played around it. Musically, I have no idea what the flurry is, but I love it.

Protocol says you clap each time a musician solos. Recently we attended a high school jazz festival where one of our daughters-in-law had brought her new band to compete. The band before them arrived late due to L.A. freeway problems, and when they played their first tune my husband and I clapped after each solo.

We were the only two people in the audience. When they'd finished, and we'd again clapped, we discovered that was just a warm up tune.

Oh well. A little encouragement is never a bad thing.

We're going to L.A. this afternoon to hear jazz again. On the next blog I'll tell you about seeing the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Dee Ann
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Posted by Dee Ann Palmer 10:50 AM 0 Comments:

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Monday, June 11, 2007

THREE BEAUTIFUL THINGS

I'm borrowing an idea from Kate Thornton's blog to describe yesterday's "No Crime Unpublished" mystery writers conference in Arcadia California:

The Embassy Suites Hotel. Fountains, lush plants, beautiful woods and colors. Easy to reach from the freeway.

The attendees...warm and friendly, eager to discuss writing and ask questions. All six at my luncheon table were seat-of-the-pants writers. Yay! Most of my workshop presenters were, too. Yay!

Keynote speaker, Rochelle Krich, president of Sisters in Crime National, and a gracious woman with the perfect address for her listeners.

The workshop presenters. Presenter by presenter, the most knowledgeable and worthwhile, in my humble opinion, of the four conferences I've attended. SinC/LA improves with every conference experience.

The SinC/LA board! Lovely tributes and a thoughtful gift to Sue Ann Jafarian, whose new three book contract has forced her to resign early as president.

Marvelous raffle baskets. There must have been twenty. Proceeds went to Jan Burke's Clinical Laboratories Project. Gayle Poole wrapped all but two of them, and they were gorgeous.

Conference Co-chairs Jan DiLucchio and Diana James, who did a marvelous job of providing a conference that truly made us proud to be members of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. Diana was brave enough to step out of her vice president's shoes and into the presidential shoes vacated by Sue Ann.

Well, I guess that's more than three beautiful things, isn't it? All together, they created a BEAUTIFUL THING of a conference.

I've attend four "No Crime Unpublished Conferences," and since I'm a published writer I almost didn't sign up. I'm so glad I did. I'll sign up for the next one, too.

Click on http://www.deeannpalmer.com to read my interview with SinC/LA membership chair DARRELL JAMES, author of BODY COUNT: A KILLER CONNECTION.

And have a wonderful week.

Dee Ann Palmer
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Posted by Dee Ann Palmer 8:35 AM 1 Comments:

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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

SUNDAY JUNE 10 IS "NO CRIME UNPUBLISHED" MYSTERY WRITERS CONFERENCE DAY

As the day draws closer, my excitement grows. I've attended the conference three or four times, but there's always something new to learn about the craft of writing mysteries. Plus, the company's great.

It's not too late to come to the Embassy Suites in Arcadia, CA! Registration is from 8-9:15, and breakfast begins then. Click here Sisters in Crime, LA for the latest update.

I've been in the Embassy Suites (it's very nice) because it's up the street from the Hampton Inn, where my husband and I stay every year for the Santa Anita Derby. They have a 5K race before the track opens, and I participate in the masters division. It's a scenic, easy runs through the Los Angeles Arboretum. The last quarter mile's on the training track. Great for horses, terrible for runners.

June 3, the "LAndmarked for Murder" crew spent 3 1/2 hours in the El Segundo Public Library for a book fair organized by the Friends of the Library. The person with the most business, however, was the animal-balloon man. Parents brought their kids in for a free balloon, and the most fabulous one was a huge Simba, from The Lion King.

Afterwards, my husband and I traveled to the home of our youngest son and his wife for a visit. He's refinishing their dining table, so they barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, and we ate at a card table. Afterwards, we walked the Salukis to a nearby Foster Freeze for dessert.

We live 85 miles away, and the freeway wasn't too crowded. We were home before dark...to a warm refrigerator...which is a story in itself.

Hope to see you June 10,

Dee Ann Palmer
heists2683@mypacks.net
http://www.deeannpalmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/deeannpalmerwriter

Posted by Dee Ann Palmer 9:56 PM 0 Comments:

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