On the Literary Scene

A moment of silence for David Foster Wallace, a victim of depression. How deadly this disease can be. How sad for anyone, and especially when we lose one of our great writers. It is hard.

I continue to struggle, but in a good way, on my newest novel. It is my sixth, and I currently have three unpublished babies that want to be adopted. They are feeling like ugly stepchildren, wanting love and appreciation.

Tomorrow night, if you're in the vicinity of Cambridge, MA/Somerville, MA, drop in for a drink and some appetizers at Redbones Barbecue and meet three Boston mystery/suspense writers. My friend Sibylle Barrasso will be signing Dark Waters, along with two fellow writers. The company can't be beat and the food is to die for. Sponsored by Kate's Mystery Books.

A confession is now in order. Saturday I made the appetizer that my main character in the new book is taking to a party and I carried it to not one but two parties. It is called Shrimp Butter on Toast, and it actually tastes quite yummy. The shrimp butter is made out of shrimp and butter with some seasonings, and dumped into the Cuisinart, and the toast is made with little triangles of sandwich bread brushed with butter and toasted in the oven. It's a fairly simple thing if you have a Cuisinart, and isn't too fancy or complicated, because my character is not a gourmet cook, only an adequate cook. Fancy is when you garnish it with tiny shrimp and a bit of parsley.

My character is eating in a restuarants where I ate and living in my friend's father's old condo. It's nice when you don't have to make everything up, and I need a bit of local Florida color.

Don't forget The New England Crime Bake if you're a mystery fan or writer. See the website for details, www.crimebake.org.

The Red Sox are creaming Tampa Bay, and I have to watch the last inning.

Grapeshot