There’s something to be said about living vicariously – in that watching something exciting happen, when you don’t have to experience the tensions and nerves that often go along with “exciting” can be really good. You don’t have to deal with the butterflies or the pick-your-image-of-stress-here, you just get to go “ooh COOL!” a lot.

I highly recommend this when a friend’s book is being released, the reviews are coming in and she’s going on tour. It’s way easier to just sit and read what’s gong on and not deal with the anxiety. As I told Cornelia yesterday, this is the way to go. I don’t have to worry about what to wear. I don’t have to worry about what to say, or how to ensure I don’t roll my eyes at the first dumb question, or the first person who asks me if I outline, or write in longhand or how to get an agent. I don’t have to deal with airports and remembering to ask for something to drink because I’ll lose my voice otherwise. I don’t have to worry about being sweaty.

This is the life, lemme tell ya. I mean yes, geez of course I have dreams of fame, or what passes for fame in MY world (teenier by far than say rock star fame or headline fame). And while most of me is not a wannabe writer, there’s a bit that is, sure. But not having to make the decisions that I’ve watched Cornelia deal with for MONTHS now. Oh far easier to mouth off here from the sidelines, confidently tell her what to do without having once to deal with the consequences.

But look really, I mean gods. I’ve been having this amazingly fun time watching it all happen, and while I know I’m not alone, this is MY blog so I get to talk about – well, moi, of course. I read the book in manuscript; I’ve got my emails from when I wrote Cornelia about what her agent said and how WRONG he was (ok, he was right about maybe 10 things, I had no idea if he was right about 5 others and wrong about one. WE know he was wrong – it’s just well, he’s not a woman. There are things he can’t know.) I was here watching the back and forth during that day that the various publishers were making offers. I’ve had the book in ARC and I have it in final. I’ve read it like FIVE TIMES. And I swear to you guys, I laugh at different things EVERY damn time. Sometimes the same things (I will never stop snorting at the now famous line “debutante sensibilities my ass” – famous because Louise made cards for Cornelia that have that line). But I’ve been doing all the goofy author things WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO WRITE A WORD.

I’ve been checking Amazon and B&N, I’ve been Googling for reviews and mentions. I’ve been pretty much as weepy as Cornelia has been – over some of the same things. I KNOW that actor who emailed her about optioning the book and have been of course telling her what to do. As have at least 5 more experienced people who know the film business and have expertise. I don’t need no fuckin’ expertise – I’m in the part of Best Friend and Confidante. I’ll be played by Janeane Garofalo in the movie. (I should be so lucky – as long as she doesn’t go blond again.)

I met Cornelia on line. In the History of cute meets, it wasn’t. I admit that I actually wrote “oh THAT Cornelia” – yeah, right like I’ve known, oh 6, 7 women named Cornelia in recent years, but no, it was Elaine Flinn who AGES ago said “oh, you have to meet this woman some time, I’ve read her stuff and she is talented and you will love it” but it took a bit to CLICK. Okay, okay, because the Wonderful Cornelia got me with like her first email wherein she said something nice and well, say something nice and I’m like a puppy, falling over with love and totally forgetting what happened 2 minutes ago. So yeah, I knew the person before I knew the book. But I also KNEW, not very long after we started talking, that I would have to love the book.

I dunno what would have happened if I hadn’t loved A FIELD OF DARKNESS, then called SORE EXCUSE. I think that title was the only thing I ever didn’t like about the book. But honesttogod, it was impossible to imagine not liking what Cornelia wrote because, Because I don’t know why. Because I thought her personality would come through? Because of her way with words? I don’t know, I just knew whatever it was, I would love it.

And as I told her after reading it for like the 3d time if I had NOT known her, I would have crawled over broken glass to meet the talented amazing person who wrote the damn thing.

I’ve said and believe that no one will be neutral about AFOD (sorry but I tend to get tired of writing out the title, ear with me.) It’s not a generic book. At one time months ago, I asked a particular expert in the filed to give me an opinion of it and the opinion was that “the voice was too strong”. I get that. She's wrong, but I get it. I don’t think that’s possible or a negative but that’s my taste. I get why it would not work for people. I don’t CARE. It contains talent that leaves me breathless. It is written by someone with just a brilliant grasp of words, a brain that goes so quickly and makes connections so gorgeous….if I didn’t love Cornelia I would be so consumed with jealousy I’d …I dunno what I’d do.

If you read DorothyL or the new blog, you know some of this. Sorry for repeating but it’s MY THRILL and I’ve been trying to write this for like three days.

The book’s gotten starred reviews in PW. In Library Journal. In Kirkus. In Booklist. I did a quickie Q&A with Cornelia in the brand new Library Journal – they don’t do those for every author; they have to be sure the review is positive before they’ll highlight someone. The newest Mystery News has an interview and a top notch review of the book. Booklist – which is the ALA magazine – has already listed it among the “top 10 crime books” AND the list of “top 10 crime novel debuts” of 2006, even though it’s the first week in freakin MAY. Mysterious Press has a huge ad for the book coming in this Sunday’s NYT book review. In Color.

And we have NO idea, none zip nada what turns Marilyn Stasio on – I’ve been reading her reviews in the NYT Book review for years and sometimes when I adore a book for its explication, she pans it as “too talky” and we just don’t read the same things, so we cannot imagine WHAT La Stasio will make of AFOD but It’s getting a freakin review on May 23.

And we won’t even start talking about Lee Chlid. You’ve heard the story right? Lee basically saw the book in its earliest form at Book Passage, read the first paragraph and was knocked flat. His support for this book and its author – from naming it one of his top picks BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED – and requesting that Cornelia tour with him puts him in a very special category. Since Lee despises it when I talk about what a seriously fine person he is and how nice he is, I won’t. Not at all nice. Nope. Nothing to see here, move along, move along.

I really think I’m enjoying this more than if it were me out there. I swear. I’m exhausted and I haven’t DONE anything. I’ve had crying fits when my copy arrived and I’ve screamed when I’ve read stuff on the web. I’ve put down other BRAND NEW BOOKS – books that I want to read or have reviews due on – to reread a few more pages of AFOD. I know how many holds there are on the book in libraries all over the country – THAT’S how I’ve been spending my Google time.

Just remember the name. Janeane Garofalo.