Newsletter

Greetings!

The last two months whizzed by at the speed of light – it happens with every new book release.  CITY OF SECRETS has been keeping me busy with interviews, appearances, and other fun promotional stuff since August 21^st.  Compounding the time warp effect is the fact that I was concurrently racing to meet my deadline for the eleventh Monkeewrench novel.  And I made it.  Just barely.  Lesson learned — never have a deadline and a launch in the same month. 

Now that the hullabaloo is subsiding, I am in that strange dimension where I have way too much time on my hands.  It’s always the same whenever I finish a novel.  For a few weeks, I roam around like a zombie wondering what I’m supposed to do with my life.  I tell myself that being a zombie is good, I need a break; I’ll get used to all the idle, stress-free hours and learn to enjoy them.  But that never happens.  So of course I’ve started writing again, I can’t help myself.  It’s the greatest entertainment I know and it never gets boring.  For now, it’s just pages and pages of warped ideas and vignettes, but those scribbles will eventually become a book.

This year, my zombie downtime coincided with the autumnal magic of the changing of the leaves.  They were spectacular in Minnesota this year, and I took many leaf-peeping tours around the state with friends, something my schedule doesn’t always allow.  Most of trees are bare now, but the stalwart oaks are still hanging in there, and more vivid than they’ve been in recent memory.  They don’t care that it’s November already. 

And speaking of November, this month is the official gateway to the holiday season, and I’m ready for it.  No more idle hours, there are parties and menus to plan and gifts to buy!  I’m a shameless sentimentalist – some of my most cherished memories revolve around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and continuing the traditions is a job I take almost as seriously as writing.

Be well, enjoy the transition to the new season, and I’ll be back soon with more news from the Midwest Mystery Conference on November 9^th in Chicago.  If you’re in the area, stop by and visit me!

Cheers,

Traci   

Greetings and happy spring!

This will not be the standard newsletter where I share salacious details about my life (LOL) or kvetch about the weather.  There is nothing to complain about on that front – our winter was phenomenal.  No snow to speak of and 50s, 60s, and even 70s! It’s a once in a century occurrence!

Instead, I’m sharing a letter to booksellers I wrote to give you a little background on my writing process and CITY OF SECRETS, which launches August 20th, 2024 and is now available for preorder!

I’m thrilled to announce that Los Angeles homicide detective Margaret Nolan is back and feisty as ever in CITY OF SECRETS.  So is her steadfast partner Al Crawford and colleague cum lover Remy Beaudreau, who is turning up the heat on their forbidden relationship.  Together, they navigate the murky, morally ambiguous waters of big business as they work to solve the sordid murder of a CEO, a double kidnapping, and hunt a mysterious figure known on the streets as the Angel of Death. 

This story is replete with conundrums and trompe l’oeil– I even shocked myself as I wrote the final pages.  Making stuff up for a living is endlessly entertaining because you never really know what’s going to happen until the words are on paper.  My beloved late mother and writing partner PJ always joked that she became an author because she had a penchant for lying (that was the only lie she ever told in her life), but there was always wisdom and truth in her humor.

I have loved writing this series about my former hometown, probably the most misunderstood city in the country.  It is an enigmatic and often troubled place, diverse and richly layered, particularly on a human level.  My aim has always been to portray the real LA and its inhabitants; to probe beyond the cliches and allow the characters to reflect the complexity of their environment. Of course, one of the remarkable things about Los Angeles is that the cliches are also real, but what lies beneath is where the true adventures live.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing! 

And now, a progress report on the next Monkeewrench novel.  I’m plugging away on it and having a lot of fun with my old pals.  I brought back Sheriff Iris Rikker from SNOWBLIND, she’s a great character who deserves another costarring role.  Interestingly, it wasn’t easy jumping from Nolan and LA back to Magozzi and Gino and Minneapolis.  I did my due diligence and read all ten of the novels before I started – invaluable research that put me right into the thick of things again. I’m currently on the dreaded page 200 and proceeding beyond this critical juncture never gets easier.  At 200, you’ve laid out the network of threads; in the second half of the book you have to weave them all together.  It’s the hardest part of writing a novel, at least for me, but I will get the job done.  I still don’t have a title – that’s the second-hardest part of the job – so for now it’s MW11.  Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?

Enjoy this beautiful season of rebirth and the gateway to what I hope will be a hot, steamy summer. Let me leave you with a marvelous quote from Faulkner that always makes me chuckle:

‘A writer without a whiskey bottle is like a chicken without a goddam head.’

I don’t drink whiskey, but it just occurred to me that page 200 might be easier if I did.

Take care, friends,
Traci

Happy new year, everyone!  I am so ready for it!  Good riddance, 2023!  Onward and upward!  

I am genetically stoic (with a Germanic surname like Lambrecht, how could I not be?), and whining is not acceptable, which means I go to ground when times are trying.  That’s why I’ve been so silent lately.  Without getting into all the gory details, let me sum it up this way:

2023 was the year I discovered Dante had written a little-known sequel to Inferno.  How surprised I was to learn that there are actually fourteen circles of Hell, and I lived through all of them.  A physicist friend who is a chaos theoretician told me that true chaos is when everything is going perfectly.  If that’s the case, then bring on the chaos!

I have emerged victorious from my trials and tribulations and life is back to a shiny, happy place.  I often think of Byron’s quote: ‘If I laugh at any mortal thing, ‘tis that I may not weep.’  Humor gets you through anything.

And so does writing. I finished CITY OF SECRETS, the fourth installment of the Detective Margaret Nolan series, and I’m so excited about the manuscript.  It will be released in August this year.  The series is also being translated into Arabic, which was a delightful, unexpected surprise.  

And some news I know many of you have been waiting for – I signed on for a new Monkeewrench novel!  I’m hard at work on it now.  It’s super fun to be back with the gang, I’ve missed them.  It will be released in 2025, and I know that’s a long wait, but you’ve been so patient, what’s one more year?  The way time flies, it will be here in no time!

That’s about it for now.  I truly hope you all have the best year ever, and I promise to be I touch more often while I laugh at any mortal thing. 

Cheers,
Traci  

Holiday 2022                      

Happy New Year!  Well, almost…a few more days to go.  Near enough for felicitations! 

I hope your holidays were wonderful and chockfull of the same kind of magic that always fills my heart this time of year.  It’s those warm memories that ease the sting of what happens outside in December in Minnesota. 

I never make resolutions, but I did make a promise to myself this past fall: I would not get stressed or angry over the weather this winter.  All the angst in the universe isn’t going to change the course of Mother Nature, and pointless teeth-gnashing consumes a tremendous amount of energy much better spent on positive things.  It was a great choice — I haven’t had a better season since PJ passed.  I spent an inordinate amount of time decking the halls (every decoration and bauble is a trove of reminiscences from Christmases past), I entertained a TON (thanks for hanging in there, brave liver), and hardly noticed the subzero temperatures and the blizzard (kind of a lie).

I’m excited for 2023, and getting ready for the launch of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW on January 17^th!  It is a wild ride through the dark side of Hollywood, and Publishers Weekly says:

‘Great atmosphere, vivid characters, and an intricate fair play plot that surprises as it twists its way to a satisfying resolution make this a winner. Fans and newcomers alike will have fun.’

Hope the new year is kind to everyone.  Be well, be safe, and consider each day as an opportunity to find joy in life.

Best wishes,

Traci

Happy spring!  Wait, what?  Spring?  It sure as you-know-where isn’t spring here in Minnesota.  I won’t subject you to the bitter, elegiac meanderings of my thoughts on the topic, but suffice it to say, I am displeased with Mother Nature at the moment.  Always the optimist, I remind myself that the ice is off the lake and the loons, swans, and other migratory waterfowl are back, and making lovely music to accompany my days.  If their inspiring songs are actually avian complaints that I’m not interpreting correctly, I wholly commiserate.

Aside from the resultant doldrums of a winter that just won’t release its rapacious grasp, I am very happy – I finally completed book number three in the Margaret Nolan series.  It was a tough slog at the end, which explains and hopefully excuses my silence.  Some books finish quickly once I near the shore, but just as many pull me out to sea on a rip current.  All the more rewarding when I finally drag my sorry, exhausted carcass onto the beach, gasping for air.  So, regardless of the weather, I feel a very spring-like sense of renewal. 

Isolation in my hermitage is necessary to do my job, so this newsletter is one of the first forays into communicating with real people I’ve had in a couple months, so I’ll keep it short.  Hope you are all celebrating this time of birth and regeneration.  There will be leaves on the trees again; cheerful, colorful flowers offering their nectar to bees and hummingbirds; warm earth to trowel and sow.  And I can’t wait for the joy of a cold, adult beverage in the hot sun! 

Best wishes to you all,
Traci

Oh, summer, we hardly knew ye!  But it was a glorious one.  For the first time in many, many years, I took a sabbatical to recharge body and spirit.  It was incredibly restorative – I have always believed that when you are comfortable, there is no growth – but my perspective has since expanded, which is exactly the point of a sabbatical.  Although I was slightly alarmed by how easily I slid into a life of languor.  The pleasure was so anesthetizing, I barely noticed the lush beauty of summer fading.  When did those potted plants die?  When did the leaves start to change color? 

Today, I refreshed the moribund landscape with pumpkins and mums, took my serious parka (cozy at forty below!) to the drycleaners, and excavated my sweaters, hats, gloves, and boots.  You can never be too prepared for winter in Minnesota. 

Yes, I’m back to reality now that autumn is officially here, and work-wise, I’ve hit the ground running with renewed vigor.  I am incredibly excited for the January release of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, the third book in the Detective Nolan series.  It is a decadent confection of Hollywood scandal and tragedy (if you write about Los Angeles, you have to go there at some point), but at the foundation are the perceptions and heartbreaks of the characters — familiar and new — as they navigate emotionally hazardous, and sometimes deadly, terrain. 

DESOLATION CANYON also comes out in paperback this October, and I’ve just turned in pages on a new project.  Here are two Goodreads giveaways that are live now:

DESOLATION CANYON paperback:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/349123-desolation-canyon-a-mystery

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/352853-the-devil-you-know

And if you are so inclined, vote for the book on the Goodreads reading list!

https://www.goodreads.com/list/book/60784629

I hope you all had an equally wonderful summer; or winter, if you’re down under.  I am keeping all of my Florida readers close to my heart and in my thoughts as they recover from Ian, as well as the folks still in the line of fire.  Weather can be so terrifying, and I won’t be so quick to complain about the cold this year, because there are things that are so much worse.  You can dress for sub-zero temperatures, but you can’t stop a hurricane.

Best wishes to you all!
Traci

Tree is up, presents are wrapped, my holiday menus planned, and I’m not totally sick of Christmas music yet!  Cold weather aside, this is my favorite time of the year because it stirs so many wonderful memories of PJ and I, and how magical she made the season for me, even as an adult.  I still try to make her famous cinnamon rolls, with mixed results, but it’s the act itself that is truly meaningful.  Every ornament, every dish, every tradition, is filled with deep connection to the love and spirit of the holiday season, those we’ve cherished and lost, and those we’re still lucky enough to have with us.  Nothing can explain how special Christmas was to us better than our novella Return of the Magi, available as an ebook.  I was able to tell her it would be published the morning she passed. 

On to book news — 2022 starts out with a bang for me: Desolation Canyon, the second novel in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, will be released on January 18^th.  I’m looking forward to virtual events and some local in-person events – yes, in-person, in public, real book signings!  A year ago, that was a fantasy.  I will post an event schedule with links on pjtracy.com and Facebook (PJTracyAuthor) when they become available.  And if you want to catch up on old newsletters, there is an archive at pjtracy.com under Newsletters (obviously) on the top navigation bar.

https://read.macmillan.com/lp/desolation-canyon/

I’ll let you go, as I’m sure you’re all very busy with your own holiday preparations, and I have a date with destiny (or disaster) today – a friend and I are making spritz cookies for the first time.  The antiquated cookie press I have looks like serious trouble and I’m a little concerned about the learning curve.  The recipe makes 72 cookies, and if I get a dozen decent ones, I’ll be happy. 

I hope everyone is enjoying this festive season as much as I am.  And whatever you celebrate, there are plenty of opportunities to eat, drink, and be merry.  And also to reflect on the past year, and its blessings.  2021 wasn’t perfect, but it was much better than its predecessor, and that is definitely something to be thankful for.  Here’s to a very happy, very healthy 2022!

Traci

October 2021

Ah, a month of vibrant foliage, crisp mornings, and cerulean skies.  The air is redolent with the aromas of wood smoke, apples, dried leaves, and pumpkin spice coffee drinks.  Halloween decorations – some as elaborate as any Hollywood horror movie set — have been excavated from storage and displayed.  In my line of work, there’s hardly anything more inspiring than seeing somebody’s entire front yard transformed into a cemetery.  Tis the season for ghosts and ghouls and spooky soundtracks.  Halloween is not complete for me until I listen to Bauhaus’s “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” at least twenty times.

Historically, the encroaching “darker half of the year” was believed to be a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned, affording great travel opportunities for spirits to pass into our realm.  Definitely something worthy of an annual festival, and the pagan Celts called it Samhain.  They celebrated with bonfires, feasts, mumming (the beta version of trick-or-treating), and divination.  Sacrifices are also a frequently mentioned feature of post-harvest festivals of yore, but let’s not get into that.

In the 9^th century, churches in the British Isles moved All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hollows’ Day) from spring to November 1.  This is probably because they couldn’t get the recalcitrant pagans to give up Samhain, which was embarrassing.  In the 10^th century, the whole Catholic church embraced this calendar flip-flop.  Over the centuries, the two syncretized to become modern Halloween. 

Aside from a brief and incomplete history of our favorite fall holiday, I guess the moral of this story is don’t whistle past a graveyard this time of year…or are you supposed to whistle?  I think there are two opposing theories, so I would just avoid passing a graveyard altogether, at least until Thanksgiving, just to be safe.  Your neighbors’ decorative graveyards are okay.

Onto less preternatural things – Desolation Canyon has an official release date: January 18^th, 2022!  You can preorder a signed copy here (U.S. only, sorry!):

https://read.macmillan.com/promo/smppjtracypromo21/

Have a lovely autumn, everyone, and happy Halloween!  I’ll be back to you when the snow flies so I can complain.

Traci

pjtracy.com

Labor Day 2021 

I am in denial.  Summer isn’t really over.  The leaves aren’t really starting to change color.  I’m not really wearing socks, leggings, and a sweatshirt.  Snow two months away?  Nope, it’s all a bad dream.

I know the vast majority of people love autumn, and I don’t hate it, I just hate what comes afterwards.  But there’s nothing to be done, except remind myself that the change of seasons can be inspiring, and I can start making soup again.  And winter gives me something to bemoan.  We all need a little kvetching in our lives.  That’s the Gino Rolseth in me.

No complaints about the hot and humid summer, now sadly in the rearview mirror.  I got a great tan, threw lots of parties to make up for last year, and I was very productive – I’m well into book number three in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, and without fine weather distractions, I’ll be even more productive.  Desolation Canyon, the second book, will be out in January!  Love the cover art.

https://read.macmillan.com/lp/desolation-canyon/

And if you’d like to enter a sweepstakes to win a complete set of Minotaur Signature Edition books (Deep into the Dark included), click below:

https://read.macmillan.com/promo/minsignatureedsweeps/

In other book news, the Deep into the Dark paperback will be available September 28^th.  It includes three bonus features: an author introduction, where I talk about writing and developing a new series; discussion questions; and an excerpt of Desolation Canyon.  

I’m keeping this short because it’s a holiday and I’m expecting company soon, but I hope everybody is healthy and happy, and enjoying whatever season is upon you!

Best wishes,

Traci

Happy spring!  (Or fall, if you’re down under!)

Minnesota is enjoying a rare, early awakening.  The ground is thawed, the lake is open, buds are popping, and sleepy frogs are peeping.  The trumpeter swans are back and my torpid cats are reanimated and hunting small rodents with vigor after their hibernation.  I even started my tan on a glorious Easter Sunday while sitting on the deck with food, wine, and family.  I haven’t forgotten about winter, but thankfully, it’s receding quickly in my memory.  Now it’s just a little mote of dust floating around in my mind, there and gone. 

I don’t do resolutions for the new year, but I did commit to being in touch with you more frequently in 2021.  So where is the March newsletter, you might ask?  The month whizzed by because I was working on a revamp of pjtracy.com, which is now live, so check it out!  I also finished edits on the sequel to DEEP INTO THE DARK, continued my aggressive campaign to downsize my closets and cupboards, and tackled a shameful mountain of paperwork that had been accruing in the desk drawer farthest from where I work (so I would forget about it.)  Did you know that things can get dusty, even if they’re in a drawer?  I had no idea until recently.

What’s next?  Enjoying the gifts of spring and summer.  Trying to figure out how to keep my tomato plants from being ravaged by deer and raccoon this year.  Throwing epic parties to make up for 2020.  And best of all, jumping head-on into the next novel.    

Wishing you all the joys of this season, and may there be lots of parties in your future, too, as we emerge from the pandemic.  Here’s to hoping that will also soon be a little mote of dust floating around in our minds, there and gone.

Best wishes,

Nothing inspires writing like a stretch of truly evil winter weather.  It gives me the opportunity to complain, which seems to improve my outlook.  After eleven straight days of bitter cold, 120 hours without ever reaching a temperature reading above zero Fahrenheit (who’s counting?), and a rock-bottom wake-up temperature this morning of twenty-nine below – actual air temperature, not windchill – I’m hanging by a thread that is beginning to resemble a noose.  My cats are depressed, too.  They’ve stopped grooming themselves and sleep even more than usual.  Why does that sound oddly familiar? 

But everything is relative.  Minnesota winters are COLD, no doubt about it, but we usually get a little relief between Arctic blasts.  Still, we have the infrastructure to deal it, so life goes on.  We have power (and many of us have generators for the times we don’t), our gas pumps aren’t frozen, the pipes in our homes aren’t bursting, and our roads are clear.  Ironically, this brutal cold repels the weather-making jet stream and keeps us precipitation-free.  But the rest of the country and most of Europe is suffering with this massive influx of cold, too, along with crippling ice and snowstorms.  The old, Minnesota maxim that things could be worse doesn’t always resonate for us, but it certainly does this year.  The good news is there is finally an end in sight for all of us as that nasty Polar Vortex gets it act together and recedes back to where it belongs.  Hang in there, everybody.

To change topics and roll back to a more pleasant time, January was actually mild (by our standards) and also a very busy and excellent month for me with the release of DEEP INTO THE DARK.  I even finished the sequel!  After the initial flurry of publicity events and pressing the ‘send’ key on the new manuscript, I forced myself to take a vacation, which constituted me wandering around the house aimlessly, seeking purpose in life without putting down words.  Writing is the most entertaining thing I do, so without it, I’m lost.  I do have very clean closets and organized kitchen drawers now, and finally found that nice set of steak knives I’d misplaced two years ago.  But instant gratification is like instant coffee: a tasteless, watered-down version of the real thing, even if you do get a little caffeine buzz off it.      

I’m still a reluctant vacationer, but anxious to get back to business.  Edits will come soon and then I will be ignoring closets and drawers again, which is as it should be.  Warmer weather will arrive before we know it, our moods will lift, and my cats will start taking care of themselves.  You wouldn’t believe how much time it takes to style the fur on four felines once a day.  May you never have to find out.

Stay warm and safe, and next time, I look forward to reporting on budding trees, emerging tulips and daffodils, and my first encounter with sunscreen this year. 

Traci

Merry Christmas, happy holidays!  Whatever you celebrate, do it large this year, even if your gathering is small or not at all.  We’ve almost put 2020 behind us and that alone is reason for joy and hope and unabashed revelry.  It has been a traumatic and challenging year (to say the least), but in spite of the hardships, the loss for many, and the general craziness and uncertainty, there is still so much to be thankful for: friends, family, memories, kindness, patience, generosity, and love.  Out of darkness, let light shine.  That is the true spirit of this season which culminates in a new year.  May that light shine in all of your homes and hearts.  Discover or rediscover what is truly meaningful and carry it with you always.  Wishing you peace and happiness and a very merry Christmas.

Traci

Greetings!

We already knew this was a really screwed up year, but here in Minnesota, we had December in October and September in November.  Talk about weather whiplash!  But after six inches of snow before Halloween with sub-freezing temperatures, the last blast of 60s and 70s was a gift we absolutely deserved.  Now we’re sort of back to normal — November in November.

We’ve all done a lot of reflecting these past months and have come to a deeper understanding of what’s truly important in life.  I have always kept friends and family at the top of the list, and the significance of that lifelong priority was poignantly magnified when I lost my father, Phillip Lambrecht, on October 29th.  Like PJ before him, he had a zeal for life and fought like a warrior until the end.  He also left many enduring memories.  All of you have suffered loss, and you know what I’m saying about the importance of memories.  There is a great Irish saying:  Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

I don’t feel like an orphan, because they are both still very much with me, and I know they always will be until it’s my time to shuffle off this mortal coil.  Each of us is a miniscule part of a universal continuum, but tiny grains of sand make vast deserts.  Every new beginning is some other beginning’s end.  And with the knowledge that they are both looking down on me (and not up!), I will continue the thrill of living and doing, and they will continue to live through me.

The publication of DEEP INTO THE DARK on January 12th is my new beginning.  I dedicate it to PJ and Phil, phenomenal parents who encouraged me to be anything and do anything as long as it brought joy into my life and others’ without harm.  Ironic, considering that I write about murder and other dark and unsavory topics, but I sincerely hope I’ve done no harm!

A little side note on the publication date, 1-12-21.  PJ passed away on 12-21.  I think that’s a compelling bit of evidence that she’s been pulling some strings.  She’s always with me, especially when I write, but I had no idea her powers expanded beyond that.

Currently, I am at the finish line of the sequel to DEEP INTO THE DARK, and a good thing, because my deadline is December 1st!  Duty calls, so I’ll sign off for now, but I’m wishing you all happy holidays, good health, and all the wonderful things life brings, even during times like these.

Cheers,

Traci

A friend of mine recently sent out a newsletter with this title, and it seemed so appropriate, I’ve decided to steal her idea.  I hope she won’t mind.  It’s not really plagiarism if you’re honest about it, is it?

Things have been so surreal for so long, this alternate universe is actually beginning to feel normal — proof that we are able to adapt to anything in time, even if we don’t like it.  It’s like getting mono – you feel so horrible for so long, you don’t realize the extent of your suffering until you’re healthy again.  (I had a really bad case of mono.)  This will all be behind us eventually, and it will be reason to party like it’s 1999!

I have always worked from home, so when this craziness began back in March, my writing life didn’t change at all (or so I thought.)  My heart broke for the millions of people who no longer had jobs, and I considered myself very lucky indeed.  Until I discovered I couldn’t focus, which meant I couldn’t work.  The turmoil and uncertainty occurring in the world had snuck into my home and my head.  In a convoluted way, my inability to work while others didn’t have the option felt like a betrayal.

You’d think writing about fantasy mayhem would have provided succor, but it really didn’t; nor did it allay my frustration.  I reached out to other artists on the topic and learned I wasn’t alone; that our experiences were exactly the same.  We loosely agreed that when you have to dig really deep and access your emotions as part of your daily grind, everything — good and bad — is vastly magnified (and vastly distracting.)  Nobody is impervious to chaos.  But I soldiered on and finally rediscovered my focus, even though the world is still upside down.  I’m grateful for the aforementioned adaptation thing.

I’m also grateful for a beautiful Minnesota summer and the bounty of the harvest season.  There is nothing better than gorging on ripe tomatoes and sweet corn.  I’ll hate myself for saying this in a couple months, but I’m getting sick of my healthy diet of marvelous produce. 

Book update: I’m thrilled to announce the January 12^th publication of Deep into the Dark, my inaugural venture into an entirely new fictional world.  I will never desert the Monkeewrench gang – they are an enduring tether to my deeply missed writing partner and mother, PJ — but as life transforms after seismic shifts in circumstances, so do our hearts and minds and creative yearnings. 

My decision to write about Los Angeles was easy: I lived there for a decade and had a capacious vault of experiences and observations just waiting to be opened.  Exploring new characters and a new setting was exciting, energizing, and rewarding, and the book took shape in ways that even surprised me.  The twists, turns, and general mayhem of the Monkeewrench series are all there in abundance, with the additional edge of Los Angeles’ urban zeitgeist.

My personal relationships with brave men and women of the armed forces inspired one of the main characters — Sam Easton — a wounded combat veteran suffering from PTSD.  The battle after the battle is often the most difficult, the struggles tragic and complex; I wanted to explore the depth of Sam’s strength and courage as he manages this in the face of a devastating series of events in his personal life. 

Murder brings two strong and complicated women into his life: Melody Traeger and LAPD detective Margaret Nolan, who both have demons of their own.  Together, they navigate love, obsession, grief, and revenge in the City of Angels.

I hope you enjoy!

Be well, take care of each other, and remember to enjoy every little thing.

Traci

Well, I got through the majority of the winter without too much weather-related angst.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as last year, and although it could still snow (lots), still get cold (very), neither will linger, so there are tulips and daffodils and hope on the horizon.  The sun angle is strong enough now that ice and snow melt even if the temperature is below freezing, and the birds are cautiously trying out their spring tunes.  A huge sigh of relief.  Ditto from the cats, who have been very grumpy lately.  They spend the majority of their waking hours trying to devise new ways of tormenting each other.   

Writing newsletters only every six months or so does have an upside: I always have something to report.  This February, I have a lot of exciting things to share, so let’s start with the new book, a psychological thriller that had me tied in knots while I was writing it.  It is titled DEEP INTO THE DARK and it is not a Monkeewrench book!  You see, my favorite friends needed a vacation, so I dove into a whole new cast of characters and setting — Los Angeles, to be exact.  It was incredibly energizing to let my mind roam unrestrained and construct a whole new, wild world. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the gang as much as ever, but time spent apart can be very productive in any type of relationship.  DID will be released in February 2021 – a long wait, I know, but the publishing houses are reluctant to release much of anything during election season, so everything is getting pushed forward.  Most people I’ve talked to about this feel just the opposite – they want a diversion from politics.  But there isn’t anything I can do about it, so we just have to be patient.  I wrote it as a stand-alone novel, but the publisher wanted a sequel (in progress), so I guess you could call DID the first book in a new series.

And please, don’t panic.  ICE COLD HEART was not the last Monkeewrench novel, the gang will be back after their extended tour of the world’s greatest beaches.  I will never stop writing about them, and doubt I could, even if I wanted to (which I don’t).  In fact, they may have a renaissance on the screen!

Let me preface these next bits of information with a disclaimer: I am not an idiot.  I know the film biz very well, and as far as I’m concerned, the deal is done when I see it on the screen.  That said, I’m allowing myself some guarded optimism.  I’m working with an incredible production company out of the UK and long story short, I co-wrote the script, they put together a brilliant pitch package, and it’s getting shopped around.  The idea is a series for either TV or a streaming service like Netflix, and each season would span a book.  Cool idea, huh?  Keep your fingers crossed!

And believe it or not, at the same time this was unfolding, I was approached about turning RETURN OF THE MAGI, our Christmas e-book, into a full-length animated feature!  Another cool idea, one I’d never thought of, but when I heard this, it really hit home, it would be a perfect animation!  I can’t help but think PJ had a hand in this – as many of you know, Magi was our beloved pet project.  Again, fingers crossed!

I sincerely hope that the next time I report to you, I will have news of great progress in the above endeavors.  And in truth, I am pretty excited.  Nobody should ever squander an opportunity for excitement, even if the long game isn’t a certainty.  

So, that’s about all the news from my part of the world.  Wishing you all, near and far, a wonderful 2020 filled with love, health, and happiness.

Best and cheers,

Traci

Happy summer!  It’s finally here, along with this newsletter, which is so long overdue, I’m mortified.  At a speaking engagement in January, I appropriately did the mea culpa thing and apologized for being the worst newsletter writer to have ever lived.  I don’t know why that is.  I love to write, I love to talk, I’m extremely disciplined, and yet somehow, that discipline doesn’t transfer to conjuring a few hundred words for an update.  Considering a novel is 80,000 words or more, you’d be right to wonder what my problem is.  It’s clearly one of my weaknesses (along with my inability to read maps.) 

Or maybe it’s because my life for the past eight months has mirrored Gino’s in a spooky way, consisting solely of twelve-plus hour work days punctuated by embittered grumblings (many of which included profanity) about winter.  Neither is a compelling talking point and nobody should be subjected to them.  Trust me, I was doing you a favor by staying off the grid.

But it’s a new season in many ways – the ice and snow has been replaced by lush green and abundant blooms, and the woods and my yard are filled with marauding critters that are thrilled to have their grocery store open once again, which includes my gardens.  Oh well, we all need to eat, and I don’t mind sharing, especially since my human grocery store is open all year. 

AND…I just finished a stand alone novel, tentatively titled Deep into the Dark.  Writing a novel outside the Monkeewrench series with new characters and a new setting is something that’s been on my mind for a while, and I finally decided it was time to fully commit, which explains the long work days when I should have been on break.  It’s too early for any details as it’s just hot off my computer, but I’m so excited about it.  It really was the breath of fresh air I needed to re-energize and reboot my mind, even though it meant missing a mental vacation. 

So now that I’m finally on mental vacation, you might wonder what that looks like.  You’re in for a surprise, and I hope you’re not too disappointed by the reveal.  The thrill of completing a new project is always mitigated by the abject shock of suddenly having hours of free time stretch endlessly before you (as if that was a bad thing.)  What do you do when something that has consumed most of your waking hours for a year or more is suddenly gone?  First, you go through a short mourning period.  Mine lasts about three days, then I enter a state of confused limbo that I call writer’s purgatory, which is filled with insecurity and pointless internal conjecture about what I might have done differently in the manuscript, even though it’s already off to the editor.  Still, I’m tempted to go back and rework it.  I fight off the demons and remind myself this is the warning Klaxon that tells me to stop being a control freak, take a step back, and re-enter the real world.

And so I do.  I jump on the endless list of neglected chores before I become an irredeemable sluggard, and fill those hours with productivity of a different kind.  You wouldn’t believe the sense of instant gratification and accomplishment that comes from taking a jaunt on Amazon to buy glamorous items like vacuum cleaner bags and refrigerator filters.  Better than two weeks in Fiji. That sounds hyperbolic, but it is the truth – when I’m into work, I’m gone.  I can’t buy vacuum cleaner bags and I obviously can’t write a newsletter. 

Honestly, life without writing is super boring, but in a good way, and I’m going to enjoy the boredom while I can.  And in another week or two, I’ll probably be at it again, and I’ll be so happy, I’ll forget about the chores, the house projects, and yes – probably the newsletters. 

On to current book news, which I’m very excited about as well — you all probably know that the latest installment of the Monkeewrench/Twin Cities series, Ice Cold Heart, will soon be released – August 23 in the U.K. and September 10 in the U.S.  This is my favorite book to date, VERY creepy and dark with some crazy twists that made me lose sleep while I was writing it.  I hope it does the same for you (I mean that in the best possible way.)  It takes place during a particularly brutal winter in Minneapolis.  Those of you who endured the wicked 2018-2019 season here will nod your heads as you read the vivid descriptions of Hell on Earth – but most of it was actually written in the hottest months of 2018.  Goes to show that we never forget.  The U.S. paperback of The Guilty Dead will also be out this year, in July.  

Enjoy your summer or winter, depending on your hemisphere, and thank you for being patient with me!

Happy reading!

Traci

I hope everybody is enjoying the summer that took forever to arrive.  Ah, but it finally did, skipping right over spring and making up for lost time by dazzling us with heat and humidity, the likes of which we haven’t seen in Minnesota for years.  Well, it dazzles me, but I have the heat tolerance of a camel.  In fact, I don’t even have central air, nor do I want it.  I must have been an equatorial dweller in a past life (but not a camel.)

I forget from year to year that summer not only brings great fun and joy, but also a colossal amount of additional work, things you can’t get to in winter.  I hope I’m not alone when I share a shameful secret – at the beginning of July, I’ve checked exactly one thing off my long to-do list, even though I don’t have the weather as an excuse.  I’m now wearing the psychological equivalent of blinders, lest I dissolve into frantic weeping, wailing, and hair-pulling as I lament lost time and unfinished business.  Somebody recently reassured me, ‘Things will get done when they get done.’  Brilliant!  My new motto!

One home project that is getting done is my garage, something that wasn’t even on my radar.  This is a long story, so suffice it to say, if part of a ceiling comes crashing down, you’ve got a big problem.  Use your imagination, extrapolate from there, and picture a dire scenario of lurking, hidden evil, waiting for the right moment to spring its horrible surprise.  Even though I’m not capable of doing any of the work myself, I still feel a sense of accomplishment that partially mitigates my guilt over the things I’ve been putting off – tomorrow is another day, right?  The perfect time to finally weed that garden!  Paint those windows!  Clean the tool shed!

If I’m sounding like an irredeemable sluggard, I assure you, my hands are far from idle.  In fact, I’m busier than I have been in my life, which is saying something.  I’m on deadline for the next book, #10 in the series (going well, I’m pleased to report), and doing lots of publicity work for The Guilty Dead, which will be out soon: August 23^rd in the UK, September 11^th in the US.  I’m very excited and the early reviews have been terrific.  People have been asking what it was like to write a book without PJ, and I explain that I didn’t – her spirit was with me every step of the way.  It always will be.

We all know how quickly time passes, summer in particular, so let me offer some advice: if you see something you haven’t gotten around to yet, give yourself permission to avert your eyes, pour yourself a lemonade or a glass of wine, and enjoy the lush greenery, the flowers, the birds, and everything else that makes summer so special.  Nature is vastly more beautiful than the result of any home improvement project.  And always remember: things will get done when they get done.

Very best wishes,

Traci

I’m not going to talk about the April blizzard we had in Minnesota a week ago.  I’m sick of complaining about the weather, and now, I finally have nothing to whine about.  It’s in the 60’s, kissing the 70’s, last week’s seventeen inches of white menace has vanished like a bad dream, and the early-rising, weather-stunned plants like lilies and iris are defiantly vaulting up through the last remnants of snow, making up for lost time.

Somebody recently made the observation that Mother Nature had gone off her meds, to which I replied, we all need to go on some.  But our capricious weather in Minnesota has finally settled into normalcy, as it always does eventually.  Sometimes, we just have to wait a little longer for the big pay-off, when we no longer have to swaddle ourselves in unwieldy outwear to survive a trip to the grocery store.

This newly minted spring weather has brought on a frenzy of panic.  There is so much yard work to do, and how can I possibly stay inside writing when there is sun and warmth to be absorbed?  It’s been seven months since I’ve been able to retreat to the deck and don’t I deserve a break?  Yes, I do.  I justify this indulgence by telling myself that sun and Vitamin D and fresh air are crucial to inspiration.

Did I just windbag about the weather when I promised I wouldn’t?  I’m sorry.   It’s a thing here.  I lived in LA for ten years, where weather wasn’t a ‘thing’.  I won’t say those were boring times, we had some flooding rains, mudslides, and seasonal fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds, but it was mostly just peaceful and relatively boring meteorologically speaking, and if it went below fifty degrees, it was a shock and an anomaly that didn’t last long.

Onto a different topic, one you all might find amusing.  For some cosmically ambiguous reason, I started enjoying coffee again after eighteen years of abstinence.  My recommitment to the beverage came as suddenly as my decision to stop drinking it.  One morning, I just thought, hey, coffee might be a nice pick-me-up.  And did I feel fantastic!  Clear-headed, improved as a human being, capable of preternatural feats of strength and intelligence.  Amazing that I’ve been missing out on the joys of a non-classified stimulant for all these years.

So, an update on the writing.  The latest book, The Guilty Dead, is coming out autumn of this year, August 23^rd in the UK, September 11^th in the US.  I love this book and hope you do as well.  And as I sit on the deck soaking up spring, I’m writing the 10^th installment of the Monkeewrench series.  When PJ was alive, and even after her passing, there was never a set title for a book beyond numbers:  #5, 6, 7, 8, etc.  But this time, I have a working title, The Dead City.  I don’t know if having a title before a work is complete will help the process move along, but I’d like to think that this is a good omen.

Everyone, have a wonderful spring, and for my friends down under, have a wonderful autumn.  I know you are enjoying a bountiful late harvest while we wait for the first peeps of edible spring treasures.  There is always something to look forward to, no matter where we are in the world.

Best wishes,

Traci

Spring, huh?  Then why was it twelve degrees when I woke up this morning and why did we just have ten inches of snow?  I know, I know, I shouldn’t complain, I live in Minnesota after all, what do I expect but the unexpected (and unwanted)?  But I really do feel at least a little kvetching is totally warranted.  It helps me keep my sanity.

Ah, but this too, shall pass.  The snow will melt, the lawns will green up, and the spring bulbs will be rocketing out of the ground to make up for lost time.  The only good thing about a winter that never seems to end is there are no temptations to go outside, which leaves me happily planted in front of my computer.  And I have some good news: THE GUILTY DEAD, the ninth in the Monkeewrench series, is slated for release August 23^rd in the UK and September 11^th in the US.  You can check out the reveal of the UK cover on pjtracy.com or on Facebook at PJTracyAuthor.  And to keep myself out of trouble, I’m currently working on the tenth installment and hope to have it wrapped up around the time THE GUILTY DEAD is released.

Other news: NOTHING STAYS BURIED is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards, which take place Saturday, April 21^st.  Fingers crossed!

For all of you struggling with this tardy spring, stay strong.  When it finally does come, enjoy every second of it.  But I don’t have to tell you that.

Best wishes,

Traci

Christmas thoughts and my top five reads for the season I don’t know about you all, but I’m still recovering from my Thanksgiving food hangover. Hope you all had a lovely one!

Amazingly, I managed to decorate my tree and house in spite of my torpor, which makes me very happy. It’s so much work, so why not enjoy every single moment of seasonal decor before it all gets dismantled? I have four cats, so you would think they would dismantle it before I’d get a chance, but they ignore it. I feel extremely lucky, because I know that’s unusual. A friend just sent me a photo of a Christmas tree lot — the sign said: GIANT GREEN CAT TOYS FOR SALE.My publisher asked me to write a short piece about Christmas and my top five reads. It won’t go live until December 1, but I thought I’d share it with you all first, so here it is:

There is still magic in the world, really, there is! You’ll find it in books, of course, which is why we all love them, but to me, nothing more perfectly encapsulates magic than Christmas. I don’t think I’m alone in this belief, because some of the most beloved, timeless stories feature Christmas themes – it’s the perfect opportunity to combine luscious escapism with poignant allegory. And when else can you embrace unabashed sentimentality with abandon?

Perhaps it’s just the lens through which I see Christmas, but the world seems to transform into a better version of itself during the season. People’s hearts open and their spirits transcend the all-consuming, earthly ardors of real life and find time to make things special and perfect for family and friends. Things we take for granted the rest of the year reassert their importance and meaning. Dearly departed loved ones grace us with their presence and fill us with joy in the form of wonderful memories from Christmases past. Anything seems possible, wishes come true. Children see all of this better than anybody, and maybe that’s part of the magic, reconnecting with the innocence of childhood for just a little while and not feel silly about it.

Christmas is not just a time to reinforce connections with family and friends and community, it’s a time to revisit favorite holiday stories that capture the spirit of the season. I’ve compiled a list of my top five, ones I re-read every December in front of the fire while I wait for jolly old St. Nick.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

This is quintessential O. Henry, a brilliant short story with a poignant, ironic twist. Set against the backdrop of Christmas and still very modern in its message, it showcases the selflessness and devotion of love and reminds us that the best gifts can’t be wrapped and put under a tree.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A superb juxtaposition of darkness and light. A dour, dark, and creepy paranormal excursion transforms into an uplifting tale about second chances. It’s never too late to take a different path, and if Scrooge can turn around, anybody can.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

This poem is beloved for a reason. It’s charming, vivid, and has the cadence of an addictive pop song you’re embarrassed to admit you like. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who couldn’t recite at least part of this verbatim.

Christmas Eve by Nikolai Gogol

This is my wild card pick. Only a Russian author could incorporate the devil and a witch in a Christmas story and make it work. It’s pure Gogol – surreal, hilarious, macabre – but like all of his works, there is serious subtext beneath the quirkiness and ultimately, goodness and love conquer evil. Spoiler alert: the story ends with villagers spitting at a likeness of the devil in hell and calling him Poop Head.

Return of the Magi by PJ Tracy (of course!)

We wanted to put a modern, edgy spin on the story of the three wise men by following funny, flawed characters as they are grudgingly thrown together by circumstance and consequently take very personal, transformative journeys as an unlikely squad of misfits. Most important was to write a novel that embodied some of the wonderful things the Christmas season has always represented to us: love, hope, charity, redemption, and of course, a little magic. And no doubt you will find influence from all of the above.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hi everybody,

Merry Christmas?  It feels like Christmas outside (brrrr) and we still have a couple weeks to go before Thanksgiving.  The holidays are my favorite time in spite of the cold and I know it will be over too soon.  Spring before we know it!  Don’t ask my cats about my optimism — they take one step outside into the frigid morning and look back at me in devastation.  Confusion and betrayal.  Like it’s my fault.  They always seem to forget that the holidays also mean exciting new kitty toys, like Christmas ornaments to bat and bows on packages to shred.

I wanted to share a promotional piece on MAGI and some wonderful new early reviews.  I’m so excited, and I know PJ is smiling down — this was truly our baby together and I suspect she’s thrilled.  Enjoy the build-up to the holidays and enjoy the magic, it’s just waiting to be discovered and it only happens once a year.

RETURN OF THE MAGI E-BOOK AVAILABLE  NOVEMBER 15!

Warm your heart this Christmas with this wonderful festive tale from bestselling author P.J. Tracy – perfect for fans of It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street.

Emil Rice has a silver tongue and sticky fingers, the only problem is that his charm always gets him into trouble and he’s never been very good at not getting arrested. Twenty-two times he’s been caught and twenty-two times he’s sworn never to steal again, but it’s on his twenty-third arrest when Emil realizes he may have picked up more than he bargained for. Sentenced to community service at a secure mental health facility, Emil is unwillingly befriended by two elderly female patients who believe he is the final part of a big cosmic plan that will change their lives forever…

This heartwarming Christmas tale of kindness, friendship and redemption will be perfect for the cold winter nights!

Early five-star reviews from Netgalley readers:

“What a lovely read and, for once, I agree with the blurb it’s heartwarming. It’s an exhilarating journey for Emil both physically and mentally as he tries to keep up with the elderly ladies, Gloria and Edith, both funny and touching in turn. This is one of the best Christmas novels I have ever read for sheer verve and audacity. I have no hesitation in recommending Return of the Magi as an excellent if short festive read.” *****

“It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book from beginning to end, not wanting the story to finish. This is a beguiling re-imagining of part of the Christmas Story set in modern America in the most unlikely Holy City – Las Vegas. This is a tale which is instructive in the best of ways. It is funny and moving, light-hearted yet deep. It is so well-written and ends with hope…and with this reader just wishing for more.” *****

“Five brightly shining stars. This book was just adorable.” *****

“It’s humorous, it has delightful characters, it’s festive and it has a happy ending. After reading a ton of gritty dramas and detective stories it’s a lovely change of pace. What more could you ask for?” *****

“Do yourself the most amazing favor and read this superb festive and magical short story by PJ Tracy. It will make you laugh out loud as its deft comic touches and its wisdom will melt your heart.” *****

“An absolutely brilliant read, that I cannot recommend highly enough!! This is a hilarious and touching homage to the biblical nativity story.” *****

Available through Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K., published by Penguin Group.

Dear friends,

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve been in touch, and I think you all know why.  Last year was spent enjoying every single moment possible with PJ, helping to guide her through her long illness to the end of her life in December 2016, and then trying to find my place in a world without her.  She is so deeply missed, but her joy and laughter and love are still everywhere, and in everything I do.  She left an abundance of amazing memories, just one the many gifts she bestowed upon the people who knew and loved her in life, and still do in death.

I’ve spent months wondering how such a catastrophic loss didn’t paralyze me – sure, you can be prepared for an eventuality, but you can never be prepared for the aftermath.  I steeled myself for the worst and kept waiting to disintegrate into a blubbering, useless mess, but as time passed, I was oddly inspired to write — better, harder, faster than ever before.  I eventually came up with an obvious answer to this puzzlement — writing is one of my enduring tethers to PJ, and when I do it, I hear her voice and laughter, I feel her sitting on my shoulder, cracking wise and putting in her two cents.  She is still a part of every word I write because PJ Tracy was an entity and voice we created together, not the sum of separate parts.

As strange and incomplete as 2017 has been without her, she will be very present this year with the release of the last two novels we wrote together: the eighth Monkeewrench thriller NOTHING STAYS BURIED (August 1^st) and the heartwarming, quirky Christmas fantasy RETURN OF THE MAGI, a piece with a long history that has been our baby for many, many years and perhaps the most personally meaningful bit of writing we’ve ever done.  It is pure grace that on the morning of her death, I got the good news and was able to tell her that MAGI would finally be published.  Those were words she’d been dreaming of hearing for over a decade and what a gift to be able to tell her so before she moved onto her next place, her next adventure.

And there is a ninth Monkeewrench novel, already completed and out next year, and exciting new projects in the works, much more to come.  As PJ would have wanted, PJ Tracy will continue.  PJ would have also wanted me to tell you that this week, there is a special price promotion for THE SIXTH IDEA e-book — $1.99 from any e-tailer until Sunday, July 16^th.

Very best to you all,

Traci

Dear friends and readers,

PJ and I are getting excited for the U.S. August 2^nd launch of THE SIXTH IDEA.  We’ve received some terrific early reviews so far, including a “Hot Pick” from RT Book Reviews, a summer reading book pick from Minneapolis Star Tribune, thumbs-up from Publisher’s Weekly, and there is much more to come.  We also wanted to alert you that there is a book giveaway on the blogsite To Read or Not to Read:  2 Read or Not 2 Read–giveaway

Only four days left to enter!

We will be appearing at Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis for the book launch on August 2^nd at 7 pm, and we will keep you posted on further media events on the website and on Facebook as they come in.  And if you can’t make it to Once Upon a Crime or to your local bookseller, THE SIXTH IDEA is available for pre-order in all formats through multiple sources.

To our U.K. and ANZ readers, we will know more about any book giveaways and press in your part of the world next week, which we will post on the website and on our Facebook page.

For the cat lovers out there, my saga continues.  There has been much less killing here lately.  My four furry, homicidal angels have even been so beneficent as to allow a baby possum to occasionally seek shelter beneath the front porch.  Go figure.  I’ve seen momma matriarch kitty chase an adult raccoon out of the yard, but she ignores the possum.  I guess the motherhood instinct is fierce enough to transcend spaying.

All the best to you,

PJ Tracy

Thank you for subscribing to pjtracy.com!  We welcome the opportunity to share a little bit more about who we are and what we do when we’re not writing.  This is the first newsletter we’ve put out in a long time, so it will be part update, part anecdote.

There have been a lot of inquiries as to why we dropped off the radar after the publication of OFF THE GRID.  We would like to tell you some glamorous tale about retreating to Borneo for an Orangutan rescue project or embedding in a foreign hot zone for a psy-op mission, but the unglamorous truth is, we’ve had some rather tenuous family health issues that required our undivided attention.  Things have improved greatly since, and we’re very excited for the release of THE SIXTH IDEA on August 2^nd in the U.S. and for the release of the same novel under the title COLD KILL in the U.K. on August 11^th.  But if you’ve subscribed, you already know there is a new book looming on the not-so-distant horizon.

But what some of you may not know is that we have another Monkeewrench novel coming out in 2017 and are currently working on yet another Monkeewrench novel.  It feels great to be back in the game.

Now, onto the more personal side of things from Traci’s POV (PJ’s soon to come…)

To reference an exuberant Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune, June is busting out all over!  But it’s not June yet (although it looks like it) so hooray for an early spring!  It seems like the world changed overnight, things miraculously springing to life out of winter dormancy – is that why they call it spring?  Trees are unfurling vibrant green leaves, early-blooming shrubs and plants are decked out in floral finery, and the broad spectrum of the animal kingdom is pairing up so they can go forth, be fruitful, and multiply.  Unfortunately, this spring ritual also pertains to mosquitoes and ticks.

Speaking of fruit (and vegetables and herbs and funghi), rhubarb is fat and juicy and ripe for picking, the chives are young and sweet, and once-a-year foraged treasures like ramps (wild leeks), wild asparagus, morel mushrooms, and fiddlehead ferns are in the woods, on restaurant menus, and at the local farmers’ markets.

Spring is a paean to life and a jubilant respite from writing about death.  Or so you would think.  But life and death perennially co-exist, and there is no greater evidence of this than my yard, which has recently become an abattoir.  At any given time of day, I find it littered with the decapitated bodies of mice, moles, voles, and sometimes rabbits and squirrels.  Morning walks have become undertaker’s duty and I never leave the house without a trash bag and a pair of latex gloves.  Forensic analysis is not necessary — this is clearly not the gruesome handiwork of a twisted, ritualistic serial killer, but of Felis catus – specifically, my four beloved, furry companions.

You see, just as the change in seasons compels humans to create immense, overly-ambitious spring to-do lists (that are rarely if ever fulfilled before the snow flies again, at least in my case), so it goes with cats.  But cats are far more adroit in completing their spring to-do lists, because they only have one item to address:  KILL ANYTHING THAT MOVES, AS LONG AS IT’S SMALLER THAN A JUMBO JET.

Yes, my cats are highly-skilled assassins — most cats are, regardless of how well-fed.  That is their primary job, their genetic secret to survival, and it is inexorably woven into the helix of their DNA, bless their little helices and hearts.  They are perfectly crafted agents of death, and consequently, one of the most successful predatory species to ever inhabit the Earth.  They have also rendered my home one hundred percent rodent free, which qualifies them for canonization.

So why the decapitated bodies, why the profligate bloodshed, you ask?  Because cats are fiercely committed predators, hard-wired to take down prey whenever it’s available, whether they’re hungry or not.  But they don’t overeat, unlike their canine contemporaries, and have no way to confit, salt-cure, or vacuum seal and freeze their surplus.  And because we live in the country, surrounded by woods – prime real estate for obligate carnivores like felines (the human equivalent being an oceanfront mansion in Malibu) – there is a grand surfeit in the spring, a rodent bounty of epic proportions.

If they snag a mouse or two, they kill and eat them and rarely leave anything but the occasional kidney or two.  (They don’t like kidneys – neither do I.)  But after the fifth or sixth mouse, the cats find themselves in the same awkward position people find themselves when going to the cinema.  You walk into the lobby and some diabolical inner voice tells you to go ahead and buy that jumbo bucket of popcorn that costs more than your monthly electricity bill.  A quarter of the way through the jumbo bucket, your stomach is bulging uncomfortably, you start to feel nauseated, but you just can’t help popping a few more kernels in your mouth as the movie winds down.  I have come to think of those missing rodent heads as kitty popcorn – just a couple more morsels couldn’t hurt, right?

My cats are a great reminder that nature is always beautiful, but it isn’t always pretty.  There are the sunsets and rainbows and flowers, but behind the scenes, there is always a battle for survival.  Country living teaches you that in a hurry.

But onto the less macabre rites of spring – I hope everyone is enjoying theirs as much as I am, even if darkness and light command equal billing on the marquee.  And for our friends who live down-under, I hope you’re enjoying your opposite change of seasons — there is wonder in all of them.

Much gratitude for being such dear and loyal readers, and we wish you all the very best in the year to come.  You’ll be hearing from us again soon.