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Theresa de Valence
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Hey Jeff. Glad to hear you're doing well!
Commented May 29, 2017 on Thanks For Seeing Me Through Chemo at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Thanks For Seeing Me Through Chemo
Jeff Cohen Don't get used to this look. Last Wednesday marked my last of six chemotherapy treatments to get rid of Hodgkin's lymphoma, which it appears they did. So I'm grateful I had the treatments and I'm REALLY grateful they're over. The next month or two will be devoted to feeling--and ho...
Great news, Jeff!
Commented May 15, 2017 on It Happens Every Day. For a While. at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
It Happens Every Day. For a While.
Jeff Cohen Buy this book. Medical bills don't pay themselves. I get cancer every day. In fact, I get cancer multiple times every day. There's that moment when I first wake up in the morning and I'm not thinking about my health that I put my hand to my head or my face and that's the reminder. ...
Jeff, you are such a Dear.
Commented Mar 19, 2017 on A Hair-Not-So-Raising Tale at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
A Hair-Not-So-Raising Tale
Jeff Cohen Before During People have been getting in touch because I've posted here and there (mostly there) about losing my hair to chemotherapy. They think I'm overly distressed by this development, that I'm sitting around mourning my lost... I don't know, virility or something and that ...
Nice post, Jeff. And Happy Birthday.
Commented Sep 26, 2016 on R-E-S-P-E-C-T at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Jeff Cohen This is the one thing you'll read today that isn't about The Debate. Jerry Lewis, at the age of 90, has a new film out now. He didn't write or direct this one, although he did that quite often decades ago; now he's "just an actor." And it's in an indie film about a elderly man who sus...
Oooh. Audiobook Head.
Long list, Jeff. I knew what would be on it and I read it anyway—this must be your word power!
Cheers,
Theresa
Commented Mar 9, 2015 on Plus... A Chance at a Free Audiobook! at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Plus... A Chance at a Free Audiobook!
Jeff Cohen Our parents were, by and large, very nice people who did what they could to help us through this grand pageant that is life. But I've reached an age now where I've discovered the things that they never bothered--or simply chose not--to tell us, and that leads to the inevitable conclus...
I just KNEW you'd have something great to say, Jeff, and I was right!
(I was leafing through old DL posts and ran across your BSP post).
Happy Thanksgiving,
Theresa
Commented Dec 2, 2013 on A Matter of Character at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
A Matter of Character
Jeff Cohen In order to fully appreciate this week's post, you need to watch this. I urge you to buy this in order to do so because I object to copyright infringement, but if not, you might have to satisfy yourself with my description. This ends the special announcements for this week's post. I ...
Nice post. Very "you", if you know what I mean.
:)
Theresa
Commented Jun 25, 2012 on Hey TED! No, Over Here! at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Hey TED! No, Over Here!
Jeff Cohen I have a new impossible goal in life. I know, I've already posted here about how I'd like to meet Mel Brooks someday, and how I would desperately love to be interviewed on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But this is a new, different, clearly unobtainable goal that I can obsess about...
Hey Jeff, nice post.
Commented Mar 5, 2012 on Why Not Be Both? at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Why Not Be Both?
Jeff Cohen Are you a series, or a standalone? What the hell, I can steal from the Mac/PC commercials. I'm shameless. I just finished writing my first standalone book. For the uninitiated, a standalone is a book whose entire story is told in one volume, as opposed to a series, which has a new st...
I got started with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but my deep fascination with mystery came from swiping the books from my Dad's bookshelves. His favourites: Rex Stout and A. A. Fair (Earle Stanley Gardener). There were a few Agatha Christies hidden in the shelves but not nearly as many as I have now. I spent dozens of years hunting the mystery section of bookstores, but it wasn't until I found San Francisco Mystery Bookstore (then a used-only, on weekends only bookshop) that I really expanded. And then, of course, I found DorothyL and my reading tastes expanded and expanded and . . .
Welcome, Marilyn!
Commented Jan 7, 2012 on Beginnings at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Beginnings
Marilyn Thiele Jeff’s invitation to join “Hey There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room,” combined with that time of year when we think about where we’ve been and where we’re going, got me thinking about my love of mysteries and my lifelong dream (now fulfilled) of owning a mystery book store. Whe...
A great list for a morning smile. Thanks!
Commented Dec 5, 2011 on Mystery Titles You'll Never See at Mysterious Matters: Mystery Publishing Demystified
Mystery Titles You'll Never See
Every few years, an email of "children's book titles you will never see" makes the rounds. Among the titles of these unpublished classics are Mommy and Daddy Got Divorced Because You Were Bad and Take Candy from Strangers and Get in Their Cars. I am feeling a bit punchy after editing a 700-page ...
A friend of mine, who is a lawyer, dictates his briefs from a treadmill. Uses software (called Dragon) which gets tailored to one's voice. Would be an interesting way to keep the internal editor silent, wouldn't it!
Oh, and Jeff, if you were to buy one, you'll never have to buy another chair!
Commented Nov 28, 2011 on Sit On It, Fonzie at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Sit On It, Fonzie
Jeff Cohen The time comes in every author's life, and it is one that we try to put off as long as possible. It's not something we like to consider, nor to talk about, but it is inevitable, and never convenient. I need a new writing chair. Now, you might be thinking, "That's not much of a problem...
Well, Jeff, about 10 years ago, more really, I had the same problem.
I bought a chair. It was delivered near the weekend. There was some business strife, so I spent 9 hours in the chair Saturday and Sunday in front of my computer without any discomfort. Which was a first.
With a really small office, I wanted to nip in the bud any ideas people might have about wanting a similar chair for themselves.
So I called a meeting Monday morning and told everyone that the chair was more expensive than God and I had paid for it out of my wages, and if they wanted to do the same, they might have a chair also.
Some while later the bookkeeper got around to processing current invoices.
"What is this?" she stormed into my office. "Look at this price." She gave me the eye, then slowly smiled. "Will it have sex?"
So, here's the good news. In the modern day, the chair is cheaper by more than three times, and that doesn't count inflation.
There are a lot of reasons why this chair is worthwhile and I'll go into detail offline if you want to know. The most important part, not surprisingly, is the posture it puts you in and the preventative carpal tunnel support it provides. Here ya go:
http://www.humanscale.com/products/product_detail.cfm?group=FreedomTaskChairWithHeadrest
And yes, it's possible to fall asleep at your desk in this chair.
Cheers,
Theresa
Commented Nov 28, 2011 on Sit On It, Fonzie at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Sit On It, Fonzie
Jeff Cohen The time comes in every author's life, and it is one that we try to put off as long as possible. It's not something we like to consider, nor to talk about, but it is inevitable, and never convenient. I need a new writing chair. Now, you might be thinking, "That's not much of a problem...
Ha! Cool post, Señor Emporer.
-Theresa
Commented Sep 26, 2011 on Elly May Clampett? Happy birthday! at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Elly May Clampett? Happy birthday!
Jeff Cohen Born on this date (different years): Olivia Newton-John, T.S. Eliot, Jack LaLanne, George Gershwin, George Raft, Linda Hamilton, Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett), Johnny Appleseed. If I were suddenly (or even gradually) elected Emperor of the Publishing B...
Done.
Commented Aug 29, 2011 on Aaron Tucker is Back! For less than a buck! at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Aaron Tucker is Back! For less than a buck!
Jeff Cohen Okay, now that we've had an earthquake and a hurricane, let's get down to business: Hot off the (e)-presses: The Aaron Tucker short story (and prequel to the book series) THE GUN ALSO RISES, which originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in the January/February issue...
Very amusing, Jeff.
Commented Jun 27, 2011 on Interview With the Opposite of a Vampire at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Interview With the Opposite of a Vampire
Jeff Cohen With much love and admiration: In the interest of finding a new angle on the whole "crime-fiction-writer" business--and more to the point, in the interest of finding someone else to do the majority of the work on this week's post--I thought maybe we'd take a look at the unsung heroine...
Jeff, you do know you can suppress all games from your version of FB, don't you?
Happy Holidays,
Theresa
Commented Dec 21, 2010 on To Friend or To Unfriend, That is the Question at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
To Friend or To Unfriend, That is the Question
Jeff Cohen Those expecting a holiday-themed post will no doubt be disappointed: A while back, I used this space to lay out my criteria on whose friend requests I would and would not accept on Facebook. Since one of the founders of Facebook has now become Time Magazine's Person of the Year (it'...
I think it's very brave of you to have written this post because, not only did you set the baseline, but you actually had to answer the question of regrets . . . in public.
I regret a great many things, some of them quite trivial. All of the recent ones regularly wake me up in the middle of the night where only a comfort read will put me back to sleep.
Commented May 10, 2010 on I Have A Few. But Then Again... at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
I Have A Few. But Then Again...
Jeff Cohen Things haven't been so hot, business-wise, around the old homestead lately. It's a function of the truly crappy economy, people refusing to believe in the daily newspaper, and other such stuff that I can blame my lack of business on. I'm getting by, but not as by as I'd like to get. Th...
Nuts, I tell you. Nuts.
(Good morning, Jeff)
Theresa
Commented May 3, 2010 on Language Lessons at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Language Lessons
Jeff Cohen After driving to Philadelphia, then Arlington VA, then back to central New Jersey in the course of a few days, it's important to sit back, take stock, and think about life. Okay, now that we've done that, let's think about learning a new language. Let's face it: English isn't what it u...
Nice, succinct description.
Commented Apr 27, 2010 on Writing the Cozy: Keep It Delightful at Mysterious Matters: Mystery Publishing Demystified
Writing the Cozy: Keep It Delightful
Given how much I've been thinking about the subgenres lately, I have decided to do a series of posts on my philosophies (opinions?) regarding the writing and publishing of each. I'd like to look at what makes the entries in a particular subgenre work for the reader (and publisher) or not. The ...
Happy anniversary Jeff.
-Theresa
Commented Apr 26, 2010 on Great Art at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Great Art
Jeff Cohen I have some screenwriter friends (no, really; I do!) who think that what I do is absolutely astonishing. They believe that writing a novel is an undertaking of such high art and seriousness that it dwarfs what they do by a factor of about twelve. Utter nonsense, to be sure. Writing is...
Hi Jeff, what can I say? I donno what you otto do about promo! I'll review EJ's first book if you'd like to send me an ARC.
I'll go and check out EJ's blog now.
Best,
Theresa
Commented Apr 5, 2010 on Blockhead at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Blockhead
Jeff Cohen As I have often said in this space and anywhere else someone will listen, I don't believe in Writer's Block. There is no special disease that only writers get which prevents them from hearing The Muse. If I told my editors from my "day job" that I couldn't get the newspaper article in ...
Nice.
Commented Mar 29, 2010 on Get OUT of Here! at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Get OUT of Here!
Jeff Cohen What are you doing reading this blog? Haven't we made it clear that we don't WANT your kind checking in on us, looking over our shoulders, making us feel uncomfortable? Do you really think we post every day for YOU? Go read some other mystery blog, and leave us alone! See? Nobody likes...
Good luck to Eve. I think it's interesting that you know exactly who Elliot and Aaron are . . . and they're both lovable. So, in spite of your publishers pointing out the sad truth that they didn't catch on with enough readers (so nix to both series), these are characters whom you do very, very well. And the readers you do have, love those characters, so you have to keep some parts of that style alive.
Yup, quite a conundrum.
Best,
Theresa
Commented Mar 22, 2010 on Who Am I? at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Who Am I?
Jeff Cohen I'm trying to find my identity. Normally, I'd throw in a joke there about how I know I had it here a minute ago, and it must have slipped under the desk chair, but I'm not kidding about this. A writer needs to establish an identity, a niche, a brand, for him/herself, and at the moment...
You're a nut, Jeff. Truly.
;)
Theresa
Commented Mar 1, 2010 on Day 6 at Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room
Day 6
Jeff Cohen We'll be back with more of Really Long Stories on Depressing Issues in a moment. But first, a reminder that this is Day 6 of our pledge drive here at your local station, and we'd like to take a moment to discuss the benefits you can enjoy by becoming a member. As you know, we provide y...
What an *extremely* amusing exchange!
-Theresa
Commented Feb 25, 2010 on Originality in Crime Fiction: A Mysterious Matters Panel Discussion at Mysterious Matters: Mystery Publishing Demystified
Originality in Crime Fiction: A Mysterious Matters Panel Discussion
Through the marvels of technology, our far-flung panelists gathered virtually on a wintry afternoon in February to discuss originality in crime fiction. Not surprisingly, given the diverse composition of the panel, the conversation ran the gamut as we discussed such age-old questions as “Why ar...
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