Down the Rabbit Hole with novel clutched in hand

The clock is ticking now, just shy of a month before the publication of House of Northern Lights.

Am I happy? Ok, yes. Am I scared witless? Definitely.

I'm learning quickly about all the online book clubs, and will begin posting my connections here as I establish myself as a serious reader on many of them, a pre-requisite to cultivating mutual admiration. The idea is to get my novel in front of large online book groups who now far outnumber the coffee shop version. Those I'm joining too: you'll see me at the We Love Long Beach Book Club at the Auld Dubliner Pub on the 27th and at the Sherman Oaks Book Club Lite meetup on the 24th at the International Printing Museum in Torrance (lunch afterwards at King's Hawaiian Bakery). I suppose it's time I met other bookwormy girls like me...

But, this whole new venture is making me queasy - as Woody Allen quoting Groucho Marx said, "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member." And it's an occupational hazard of a writer who spends a lot of time alone in front of a computer, but I'm pushing outside this particular box and doing what I can to eke out a place (and readers) for my small 10 year project.

So here goes. I begin by dutifully posting my recommended reads from the first of many book sites you'll be hearing about, Good Reads. Thank you humbly for taking the time to step into my world to help my novel blossom. And check out www.goodreads.com for some great input from other readers.

Next up: my "Canadian Women Authors" booklist for Flashlight Worthy, which connects to Amazon. Thank you to the moderator, Peter, for this opportunity.

Big bang.

Selected Poems: 1966-1984 by Margaret Atwood

As a Canadian, I grew up on Margaret Atwood's amazing poetry and early novels, Surfacing, and Edible Woman. I'm not as much a fan of her later, more unwieldy stories, but these two, and her poetry are startling in their simplicity and an intimate look at a woman struggling to find her place in the feminist years of the 60's and 70's. Even if you're not an Atwood fan, check out these two books, and her early poetry. View all my reviews >>

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

Until "Talented Mr. Ripley" Ms. Highsmith was known to all mystery buffs as one of the top writers of the 20th Century. View all my reviews >>

An Instance of the Fingerpost: A Novel by Iain Pears

Everything about this author is worth reading. Sometimes a bit dense in prose, but you feel very satisfied with the consumption of his multi-layered stories. View all my reviews >>

Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie

Deborah Crombie is one of my favorite crime fiction writers. Her series with Detective Kincaid is always a fascinating look into British policing. View all my reviews >>

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton

I picked up "Quiche of Death" at my library and had never before laughed as much in a 'mystery' novel as I did with M.C. Beaton's first offering in what has become a very long series featuring the stubborn, cigarette smoking, perennial bachelorette, bear-like Agatha Raisin. I keep a bunch of them in my guest room reading basket - I live by the beach and this is perfect summer time reading. Or reading when you just need an emotional or mental break. View all my reviews >>