http://www.teenreads.com/features/teen-choice-book-of-the-year/nominate-your-favorite-books-of-2011

Thanks a million! Dandi

An unspeakable crime.

This is the first day I’ve been allowed to post an excerpt from my new mystery, so I’d love to have any feedback (if anyone is really out there reading this). You could follow the Random House link to their site,http://www.randomhouse.com/book/208605/the-silence-of-murder-by-dandi-daley-mackall#excerpt or you could read the same excerpt at my website: www.silenceofmurder.com. I’ll be standing by. Thanks! Dandi

So, help me out, okay? I’m really trying to connect here. Standing by…Dandi

Yet here I am, and I’m even excited about blogging because I want to focus on mysteries. I love mysteries. I grew up in a small Missouri town, for which I’m extremely grateful. But our little library operated out of the basement of the bank and stocked very few books. I jumped from fairy tales straight into Agatha Christie mysteries. I’ve been reading mysteries ever since.

And now I have my very own honest-to-goodness murder mystery, complete with a complex whodunit plot, courtroom scenes and witness testimonies, loads of suspense, and more. Knopf/Random House will release the book on October 11. (I thought about holding my breath until then, but I nearly passed out after forty-three seconds.)

What I’d like to do is get a discussion going onreading mysteries and writing mysteries. In future blogs, I plan to talk about the importance of strong characters, character vs. plot in mysteries, the intricacies of point of view, and whatever anyone else might like to talk about. So, any mystery lovers out there? It would be great to hear from you.

www.silenceofmurder.com           www.dandibooks.com

A New Mystery!

An unspeakable crime.

Hi, Everybody!  

I thought it was about time for an update. I’m so grateful to all of you for helping get the word out about STARLIGHT ANIMAL RESCUE, the new THAT’S NAT series, and especially MY BOYFRIENDS’ DOGS. Sales have been going great, and the paperback will be out soon. Here’s the new cover:   

“Teens who appreciate feisty female characters will be entertained by Bailey’s voyage to self-discovery, and the star-crossed ending will satisfy romance enthusiasts. Kirkus Review  

If I were pitching one of these books to a movie producer, this wouldn’t be a bad way to begin.  “Girl walks into a diner with three dogs.  She’s in a prom dress, she’s soaking wet, and each dog is from a different boyfriend.”  Best description of this one?  “A Diane Lane movie for YA.”  Sold!  It’s My Boyfriends’ Dogs by Dandi Daley Mackall. From Fuse 8 blogger for SLJ “Librarian Preview” Elizabeth Bird, Sept. 28, 2009  

I absolutely loved this book.  It made me smile and it has a very good message for young girls.  I am going to recommend this book to all of my students, and I hope some of you will pick up this story, too! 5 STARS; Reviewed by:  Marta Morrison, teensreadtoo.com
  

Her love stories of three ex-boyfriend contenders— and their dogs—recount hilarious, poignant, heart-warming adventures of l’amour as Bailey slowly understands not only why her attempts at mating for life go awry but also her own unique role in capturing true romance. Along the way, readers may well wish that Bailey’s support group, her garage-sale obsessed Mom, devoted friend Amber, and of course, Adam, Eve and Shirley were in their lives also, as they point Bailey toward realizing that finding true love means being true to oneself. Mary Arnold, Voya Magazine  

I don’t know what else to say about this novel except that it was fresh, fun, and lighthearted with a lovable main character who you can easily sympathize with as she stumbles her way through love. Reading Is Bliss  

Coming this Christmas—17 CHRISTMASES, ill. Michele Noisette, Zondervan, Sept. 3, 2010.  

   A rollicking journey all over America, this is a fun story about a young child’s Christmas road trip to see family and friends from Alaska to Maine and everywhere in between.  

    “In Missouri my granny serves turkey and ham,  

                      Potatoes,  

                                    Tomatoes,  

                                                   And biscuits with jam.  

     We all clean our plates ‘til we’re very well fed,  

     Then snuggle up close while the Bible is read.  

     (We fit 14 children in only one bed!)  

     Then head for the hills of Ohio.”  

       THE ONE YEAR DEVOS FOR ANIMAL LOVERS, Tyndale House Publishers  

 365 Facts about animals, ranging from the beloved and familiar (horses, dogs, cats) to the extraordinary and unfamiliar (like the kookaburra and the Pompeii worm. Did you know…?  

 You can tell a whale’s age by counting the number of rings in its earplugs. (Children should not try this at home.)  

• The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death.
• The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in 17th Century England. During heavy downpours of rain, many of these poor animals unfortunately drowned and their bodies would be seen floating in the rain torrents that raced through the streets.
• Cows can pick and lick their noses with their tongues.
• A Chameleon’s tongue is as long as its body.

NEWEST NEWS – Coming Soon:  

2 New Mysteries sold to Knopf/Random House (Much more on this later!)  

New Horse Series: Backyard Horses (Chapter books)  

More I Can Read titles  

There’s a Baby in There! (picture book coming from Marshall Cavendish  

Sounds of a Silent Night (picture book coming from Dutton/Penguin)  

Thanks again for reading! And I’m sorry I’m not better at this. Sigh… Dandi