I’ve been in denial the last month or so. I’ve been refusing to acknowledge the fact that the holidays are upon us.

But they are! We’ve got the decorations up. My mailbox is full of catalogues. Everywhere I look is a big brown truck with a UPS guy hopping in and out. And yet here I am without a single gift purchased. I haven’t even made a shopping list yet.

And to make things more stressful, the holiday season is starting earlier and earlier each year. Did you notice the inflatable snowman at Walmart jostling for floor space with the plastic skeleton? Sometimes I wonder what it will be like, say, ten years from now when the holidays have become nothing more than a three-month shopping binge.

And then there’s the food. Every Thanksgiving, the women in my family (i.e. my mom) spend days working on a meal that ends up revolving around a football game.

In my family at least, seems like many of the things we put the most effort into don’t end up being that meaningful, but some of the simplest things end up being important. How is it in your family?

I took a poll this year and was surprised to learn that my kids’ favorite holiday activity has nothing to do with piles of presents and labor-intensive food. The vote was unanimous: their favorite holiday activity is to pile into the car and drive around looking at lights–the more outlandish, the better. And we listen to sappy music, too, like Anne Murray and Johnny Matthis. I have to admit, I love it every year. But what about all that shopping I did? What about all the elaborate dinners and painstakingly decorated cookies?

I think I’m making this too hard. Maybe what will matter in hindsight is the time spent together doing whatever activity no matter how sappy, because it’s the hanging out together that counts.

What are  your favorite traditions? I’m talking about anything, big or small, that you do to commemorate the holidays.

Leave a comment for a chance  to win a holiday CD I just picked up from Starbucks (it has everyone from Frank Sinatra to Rosanne Cash) plus a $15 gift card to buy yourself a coffee break.

Just share  your favorite holiday tradition! I really want to hear it!

UNFORGIVABLE comes out today!

For months I’ve been counting the days, and it’s hard for me to believe it’s finally here! Today is pub day for my new book, UNFORGIVABLE.

At first, Mia Voss thinks it’s just bad luck when her already lousy day ends with a carjacking. But what seems like a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. A DNA expert, Mia has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. Suddenly, she’s become the target of one. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free.

 Once, Mia trusted Detective Ric Santos. That was before Ric let his turbulent past ruin his chances with Mia, the sexiest, most intriguing woman he’s ever met. But he can tell when she’s lying—and when she’s scared. The key to catching a sadistic madman lies within a long-buried cold case that has haunted Mia for years.  Only she can uncover the truth, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets . . . and her life.

 I’ve been thrilled with the reviews for the book, including this one from Publishers Weekly:

“The science is fascinating, the sex is sizzling, and the story is top-notch, making this clever, breakneck tale hard to put down.”

And from RT Book Reviews:

“Strong characters, a tight and complex mystery plot and nonstop action make Unforgivable a must read.”

I’ve been so excited about the Tracers series, and I’m happy to say I’ll be doing at least three more books, beginning in 2011. And for those of you unfamiliar with the series, it focuses on a high-tech crime lab, where forensic experts known as Tracers work with homicide cops and cold case detectives to solve the very toughest crimes. 

Readers often ask me if it’s necessary to read the Tracers books in order, and I tell them not to worry about it. The characters overlap from story to story, but each suspense plot stands on its own, so feel free to dive right in! I write the series this way because, as a reader, I’ve often “discovered” a new author by picking up a book in the middle of a series and felt a bit lost, then had to go back and start at the beginning.

I hope you will like UNFORGIVABLE! Writing it was an emotional rollercoaster for me and I’m so happy to finally get to the fun part: sharing the story with readers.

To celebrate the release of UNFORGIVABLE, I’m giving away a $25 VISA GIFT CARD. (Get started on your holiday shopping, if you haven’t already!) Just leave a comment for a chance to win!

And to read an excerpt of UNFORGIVABLE, just click here. http://www.lauragriffin.com/books/unforgivable.php#excerpt

Oh, also if you’re interested in other books in the series, my publisher is offering a free digital sample at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/40260625/Laura-Griffin-Sampler-Tracer-Series-and-Whisper-of-Warning

Happy reading!!

I had a fun first this weekend.

I was at the Readers ‘n ‘Ritas conference up in Dallas, and a number of readers at the book signing came up to me with smiles and Sharpies and asked me to sign their Kindle cases.

Mari Mancusi and Laura Griffin at Readers 'n Ritas in Dallas (yes, that's a margarita in my hand)

Another sign of the times occurred last week when The New York Times announced that it will publish an e-book bestseller list, for fiction and non-fiction, starting next year. For many authors this is a welcome announcement, particularly those whose fan-base includes people who prefer the digital version, or whose books are available only electronically. I suspect there will be an age slant (more younger readers) to these bestsellers lists, so I will be eager to see which titles make the cut.

I still haven’t made the big switch, because I just love the feel of that paperback in my hand and I’ve got too many gadgets in my life already. However, I did do a bit of legwork for you guys, in case any of you are in the market for an e-book this year. Here’s what I discovered through my very non-scientific research (skipping around web sites and reading a few articles).

For your shopping convenience, here is a list of the most common e-readers and their approximate cost (in ABC order, by the way… no bias here!)

iPad– starting at $499.

Kindle–starting at $139

Kobo–starting at $139

Nook–starting at $149, $249 for color

Sony e-reader–starting at $139, although I did see a scaled-down version for $98.

Can you guess which e-reader is the most popular? Actually, it is not a designated e-reader at all, but a laptop computer, which according to a recent poll is used by 34 percent of readers who read digitally. Coming in second is the Kindle, with 32 percent.

So, how do you like your books? Or do you read a hybrid… some on your phone? Some on your e-reader? Some in hardback or paperback? Curious how our MSW audience is trending!

Speaking of electronics, I want to tell you again about the contest I’m running to celebrate the release of UNFORGIVABLE, Nov. 30. I’m giving away a FREE iPOD NANO, in the color of your choice, with engraving. Check out my website for a chance to win! http://www.lauragriffin.com/contest.php

And one commenter today will win a signed advanced copy of UNFORGIVABLE. Yay! Just got my shipment! Nothing like opening that box… I get giddy. Just leave a comment for a chance to win!

Does your life have a soundtrack? A playlist? An assortment of songs that evoke different moods for you?

Sometimes I’ll be driving in my car and hear a song on the radio, and I’m transported to my first love, my first grief, the day something important–or maybe just really memororable–happened to me.

Music is a big part of my every day. Which is ironic, really, because I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. I know nothing about music (except what moves me). And my entire musical education amounts to a series of half-hearted piano lessons.

But maybe it’s like painting. Or a delicious food. You don’t have to be able to make it in order to appreciate something good.

With every new book, I have playlists. It’s not something I plan out–just what happens over the course of writing a novel. I’ll hear a song that evokes a setting, a character, a certain mood. I know many writers have rituals, and one of my favorites is going for a jog in the morning and listening to various songs that get my head in the book.

Music conveys so much emotion, and I love listening to it as I get ready to write.

I hear Stephen King listens to loud rock music while composing his prose. Wow. This would not work for me. I love to be inspired by music, but if I listen to lyrics while I’m actually writing, somehow the words get in the way. What about you?

I did something new for my upcoming release… I sat down and made a list of some of the songs that inspired the story and the characters. Mia (the heroine of the story) is a DNA expert who works at a prestigious forensic lab. She’s smart, capable, and top of her field. But as the story unfolds, Mia’s life spins out of control. She finds herself targeted by a vicious criminal, on the verge of professional disaster, and– maybe worst of all — falling for a man who is all wrong for her.

One of the songs on Mia’s playlist is “Acrobat” by U2, and it has that feeling of everything being in chaos. For a look at Mia’s complete playlist, see http://www.lauragriffin.com/books/unforgivable.php I’m so excited about this book, and in celebration I’m giving away a free iPod nano on the contest page of my web site! Hope you’ll  stop by to enter the drawing (same link as above).

Is music a part of your routine? Does it inspire you? Leave a comment and be eligible to win a signed advanced copy of UNFORGIVABLE!

Oh, and in other news, I just joined Twitter! If you’re on, you can find me at Laura_Griff

When was the last time you went away for a weekend with your girlfriends? ONLY your girlfriends? No kids, husbands, etc… JUST THE GIRLS?

For me, it’s been way too long. And finally, after weeks of logistical acrobatics, I’m finally getting away with four amazing women I’ve known since childhood (we met in sixth grade! God, we were in braces!!).  We all played sports together, went to homecoming dances together, helped each other pick out prom dresses, shared first apartments. The last time we all got together was ages ago… someone’s wedding. In the intervening years, we’ve had many, many milestones–added six children to our lives, moved in an out of homes, changed careers. So much is different now, but I have a feeling the friendships are still there. Maybe it’s the case of wine sitting in the trunk of my car, ready to go, but I have a feeling we’re going to pick up right where we left off.

And where are we going? To a ranch outside La Grange, Texas.

Now if you happen to be from Texas, you are probably raising your eyebrows about now. Ranches outside La Grange are famous, you see. The most famous one was immortalized in a ZZ Top song, La Grange: “Rumor spreadin’ around that Texas town. ‘Bout that shack outside La Grange…” The bearded Texas gentlemen were singing about the Chicken Ranch, immortalized in that Dolly Parton / Burt Reynolds movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Why was this brothel called the Chicken Ranch, you might wonder? I did some pecking around, and legend has it that during the Great Depression when cash was scarce, the house’s madam–Miss Jessie–instructed her ladies to charge cashless patrons a chicken for every sex act.

Hmm… I think someone was getting the short end of the stick there. But anyway, chickens started to proliferate around the place. Coops, too. And Miss Jessie was able to supplement her income by selling off the extra chickens and eggs.

Even after changing ownership, the Chicken Ranch was popular with students, politicians, and lawmen throughout the state… hence, no one quite got around to shutting it down until a very enthusiastic reporter out of Houston by the name of MARVIN ZINDLER (anyone from Houston knows this newscaster for his horrible white wig and blue-tinted glasses–I kid you not) did a big story on the place and helped put it out of business.

I wonder if the house is still there, just outside La Grange, like the ZZ Top song? Maybe this weekend I’ll take a little road trip to see for myself.

Or maybe not. I might be too busy hanging out with the chicas and drinking!

When was the last time you got away with some longtime friends? We should all do this more often!

Anyone who leaves a comment is eligible to win a book by one of MY good friends–J.K. Beck. Her new paranormal series is hot, hot, hot. You may have seen it featured on the cover of RT Book Reviews magazine this October. I’m giving away a signed copy of the first book in the series, WHEN BLOOD CALLS.

Thanks for stopping by and whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope you have a great time!