What do Mary Higgins Clark and Gore Vidal have in common?

Ha ha!  Fooled you.  They're both mystery writers.  Vidal wrote his slim volumes (recently reissued) in the early 1950's when he hit a publishing bump, and the result was Death in the Fifth Position (ballet mystery) Death Before Bedtime and Death Likes It Hot. Pretty good titles you must admit.  Slim volumes, nothing big and meaty like his historical works.   His short oeuvres have been reissued by Vintage Crime/Black Lizzard and Vidal's pen name is Edgar Box.  Hmmmm.  Edgar? 

The Wall Street Journal, (WSJ) which has a real kickass section on Fridays with lots of book "stuff," did a huge article on Mary Higgins Clark today.  She is a true legend and sponsors the Mary Higgins Clark Award to a writer who writes in her style, which is to say "Fem Jep" without bad language, sex, and on-page violence.  About Sex and on page violence:  sometimes hints and small gestures are far, far better than being blatant.  How do you like them apples?  Love apples?  Oh well.  Mary Higgins Clark was the grand master of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, a huge event, in NYC.   Her award is always given out at the cocktail party after the MWA Symposium, the Agents and Editors cocktail party, where all the crime writers needing agents come to schmooze and pitch.  I've attended for years. . . what does THAT tell you.  Thinking about going again this year, because I have a new book to pitch and where better?  Remember the title of this blog is Suck It Up.  What does that tell you?  

I need to get crackin' on the edits my friend sent me.  And an alert reader caught something that no one else did.  Never can have two many eyes.  And now, upstairs for a nip of sherry.  So refined, don't cha know.

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