RIP Elizabeth Peters
Really sad to read about the passing of the author Barbara Mertz aka Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/barbara-mertz-writer-better-known-as-barbara-michaels-and-elizabeth-peters-dies-at-85/2013/08/08/e92bb442-004b-11e3-9a3e-916de805f65d_story.html
I was just looking about the internet the other week to see if she was working on a new book or not or if there was any new information about her and found nothing. Now this. She was one of my favorite writers. I've got two shelves filled with 48 of her books. I first discovered her books when I was in high school. I read all the books I could find of hers in the library and then as an adult set about buying them as I found them or they were rereleased. You could always count on a new book from her every year and I looked forward to seeing which series or name she was publishing under.
Her Gothic mysteries under the name Barbara Michaels were quite atmospheric. I loved her Amelia Peabody series and learning about Egypt and its history through them. And her Jacqueline Kirby series was quite delightful. It was in the Jacqueline Kirby book, "Die For Love" that I first learned about a very curious phenomenon - the book convention. Its set at a fictional romance writers convention which is I now know clearly modeled on RWA's annual convention. But when I first read it, this idea of such a convention was entirely new to me and I was quite intrigued to search out such things and attend one myself. Now that I've attended a few I can say even though the book was published in 1984 it is clear that the phenomenon of throwing a large group of writers, publishers, reviewers, and fans in a hotel for a long weekend hasn't changed at all in the past 30 years. Except for the murder bit *knocks on wood*
But it is her Vicky Bliss novels that I love most. I absolutely adore her Vicky Bliss series. And John Smythe...*sigh* "Night Train to Memphis" is utterly fantastic. But its "Trojan Gold" that remains my favorite and every Christmas I try to reread it because I find the German Christmas season background to the story always sets a good Christmas mood. I was really looking forward to reading it again this year while I was in Germany and I guess I still will. If you ever want a real treat, try to track down the audio book recordings Kathleen Turner did of three of the Vicky Bliss books. They are wonderful.
Its sad to think there will never be further adventures of Ramses or Vicky or Amelia but its comforting to know there are so many books of her outs there to revisit and continue to enjoy again and again and again.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/barbara-mertz-writer-better-known-as-barbara-michaels-and-elizabeth-peters-dies-at-85/2013/08/08/e92bb442-004b-11e3-9a3e-916de805f65d_story.html
I was just looking about the internet the other week to see if she was working on a new book or not or if there was any new information about her and found nothing. Now this. She was one of my favorite writers. I've got two shelves filled with 48 of her books. I first discovered her books when I was in high school. I read all the books I could find of hers in the library and then as an adult set about buying them as I found them or they were rereleased. You could always count on a new book from her every year and I looked forward to seeing which series or name she was publishing under.
Her Gothic mysteries under the name Barbara Michaels were quite atmospheric. I loved her Amelia Peabody series and learning about Egypt and its history through them. And her Jacqueline Kirby series was quite delightful. It was in the Jacqueline Kirby book, "Die For Love" that I first learned about a very curious phenomenon - the book convention. Its set at a fictional romance writers convention which is I now know clearly modeled on RWA's annual convention. But when I first read it, this idea of such a convention was entirely new to me and I was quite intrigued to search out such things and attend one myself. Now that I've attended a few I can say even though the book was published in 1984 it is clear that the phenomenon of throwing a large group of writers, publishers, reviewers, and fans in a hotel for a long weekend hasn't changed at all in the past 30 years. Except for the murder bit *knocks on wood*
But it is her Vicky Bliss novels that I love most. I absolutely adore her Vicky Bliss series. And John Smythe...*sigh* "Night Train to Memphis" is utterly fantastic. But its "Trojan Gold" that remains my favorite and every Christmas I try to reread it because I find the German Christmas season background to the story always sets a good Christmas mood. I was really looking forward to reading it again this year while I was in Germany and I guess I still will. If you ever want a real treat, try to track down the audio book recordings Kathleen Turner did of three of the Vicky Bliss books. They are wonderful.
Its sad to think there will never be further adventures of Ramses or Vicky or Amelia but its comforting to know there are so many books of her outs there to revisit and continue to enjoy again and again and again.