This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. On the Friday morning in mid-October that I arrived from the USA into Nice, France, the airport wasn’t functioning. Perhaps a thousand people stood motionless yet clearly anxious in the airport’s immigration line ahead of us. I had arrived with a husband, a dog in a carrier, and … Read more
For the last two weeks, I’ve been working through the painful loss of my father, Subir Kumar Banerjee, who passed away at his home in Saint Paul, Minnesota on September 20. We are pictured above, five years ago; my sister Rekha is on his left, and Claire is just to his right. On the outside, … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Have you ever watched or run a marathon? I had the good fortune of living for a while in a Minneapolis neighborhood on the route for participants of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, which happens in early autumn every year. We gathered along the street, cheering on everyone … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Say you were to spend the night in my house, or hang in the living room, lounge on the porch, or have a cup of tea in my study. I would be happy for your company. Yet you would probably notice you were sharing space with plenty of … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’ll start by saying that I’m not afraid of bugs. As a child, I picked up worms and ladybugs. Even now, I’ll go to the effort of carrying a cricket or Daddy-Long-Legs lost inside my house outside to safety. I treasure the wild world—and it’s my opinion that … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. In Mid-Coast Maine, the sun comes up just little after 5 in the morning. I stay awake, no matter what, because of the light and the singing robins and chickadees in the garden outside the Cape Cod house we’re renting. The sky is always blue, the air never … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Not only am I an old writer, I started writing fiction a very long time ago. Seventh grade, to be exact. It was the greenest of seasons—when I’d read hundreds of books but not taken a single class in the craft—was an afterschool pleasure coming after or sometimes … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’ve been in Nice for 14 days, and as I pack my bags, I’m filled with yearning. I’m not ready to leave. Against all expectations, this city has won my heart. Even in a heatwave—one with breezes, tall green trees, and the sea nearby—I couldn’t get too bothered … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. In a few weeks, I head off on a trip to the south of France. Just Tony and me, I thought—but a tagalong friend has become part of the planning. This friend is a writer I greatly admire: the late Edith Wharton. Obviously, Edith Wharton and I haven’t … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Stacks of books, Sharpie pens, a microphone. A sea of empty folding chairs—and a slight rush of nervous energy. This scene is a cliché for any author who’s been fortunate enough to have a bookseller invite you sign books. I count myself very lucky to see whatever number … Read more