I haven't posted anything in almost two months and I'd like to reassure those kind enough to keep visiting the Villa: the blog is not dead, just sleepy - not for too long, I hope.
This is not the place to discuss my private life - not that I'm one to dwell on it anyway - so let's just say that I'm currently not in the mood for blogging. Not to help things out, I'm stuck with major reader's block - my house is filled with books that sound great, but the impetus to read them is missing. There again I can't but hope it doesn't last too much longer. But enough with the autobiographical stuff.
One of the reasons why I started At The Villa Rose was a perceived dearth of blogs exclusively focusing on older mystery fiction; now there were recurrent events like Patti Abbott's Friday Forgotten Books and erudite diarists like Martin Edwards frequently payed tribute to the classics but still most of the mystery blogosphere was primarily concerned with contemporary writing. Four years on I can't say this blog is extremely popular (my very irregular posting habits certainly accounting in no little part for that) but at least it exists and I hope its few readers enjoy it overall. What's more, it's no longer alone in defending and promoting the old stuff as the excellent blogs Detection by Moonlight, At The Scene of the Crime, Pretty Sinister Books, In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel and Tipping My Fedora demonstrate. I've added them to my favorites and I strongly suggest you do the same.
All that could give an impression that I'm comtemplating retirement, but I'm not. While regular posting is out of the question for now, I have no plans to retire and I'll try to post at least once or twice a month, if only not to lose my grip. So keep an eye on the Villa; it's not empty yet.
8 commentaires:
I do (enjoy your blog).
Dear Xavier,
First of all, before anything else, I hope that the burden of your reader's block will be lifted from your shoulders before long, but don't push yourself on our account. We still be here whenever it is that you chose to return. It takes more than just inactivity to get rid of us, you know!
Secondly, thanks for the plug! There's a lot of room for improvement though. Extensive proofreading is still an alien concept to me. ;)
TC/LCD (from Detection by Moonlight).
Dear Xavier,
First of all, before anything else, I hope that the burden of your reader's block will be lifted from your shoulders before long, but don't push yourself on our account. We will still be here whenever it is that you chose to return. It takes more than just inactivity to get rid of us, you know!
Secondly, thanks for the plug! There's a lot of room for improvement though. Extensive proofreading is still an alien concept to me. ;)
TC/LCD (from Detection by Moonlight).
Thank you for the update. I too enjoy your blog and as it is in my RSS reader I shall read your posts however irregular.
I suffer a bit from readers' block at the moment and have been trying to read some books that I would not usually read, in order to "break" it. The ones I've enjoyed the most have been some of the Victorian novels of Anthony Trollope, who has an engaging, colloquial style as well as addressing timeless emotional, social and political dilemmas.
Xavier,
Thanks a lot for your mention of "At the Scene of the Crime" here, as well as mentioning a few other blogs I will definitely be checking into from now on. Do not try to rush yourself too hard- whenever you feel the time is right for a return, I assure you that I will be one of the readers happily coming to visit.
I wish you the best,
Patrick
Thanks for mentioning the Tipping My Fedora blog on your excellent site - I very much started my own as a way to get back into reading after a block of my own.
Bonne chance and buona fortuna,
Sergio
Xavier, I always look forward to reading your keen thoughts on the genre. You are one of the most perspicacious people on the net!
Hi Xavier,
My name is Andrea Hofer and I have a free add-on for At the Villa Rose which I think would be valuable to your readership and also a potential promotion opportunity for your site.
I'm glad to see that you cover older mystery fiction, though I also enjoy Patti Abbott's Friday Forgotten Books. Free books are always fun, so I thought you and your readers might be interested in Shelf Awareness’s embeddable contest for free signed first edition copies and galleys of books including our current offering, a signed, first edition copy of crime thriller Thick as Thieves by Peter Spiegelman. Shelf Awareness (http://bit.ly/luZsZ) is a free e-newsletter reviewing the 25 best books published each week, as chosen by industry insiders, which makes book selection easier for your readers! When your readers tell us you referred them, you'll be entered for a chance to be interviewed for our popular Book Brahmin feature which reaches over 23,000 subscribers!
Here is your link to the contest widget: http://bit.ly/kpC8pH. It auto-updates with new books every few weeks, so you won’t have to adjust it. Shelf Awareness is committed to audiences like yours, please consider me your personal contact and I hope to work with you now and in the future. We’d love any feedback regarding how you and your readership enjoy the widget!
Best,
Andrea Hofer
Account Executive
Andrea@BanyanBranch.com
BanyanBranch.com
Mobile: 850.556.9830
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