Cynthia here, and I’m thrilled to welcome back to Chicks on the Case the wonderful Alexia Gordon, author of the fabulous and award-winning Gethsemane Brown mystery series! Her latest book, Execution in E, just launched yesterday, and we all can’t wait to read it. Many thanks to Alexia for generously offering a giveaway today as well–please read through her terrific post for more details.
If I had to give the year 2020 a name, I’d christen it, The Year of Change. It’s only March and already I’ve experienced significant changes in my personal life, my day job, and my writing life. On a global scale, the pandemic-that-shall-remain-nameless has brought about changes that seemed unimaginable a few months ago. Many of those changes have been inconvenient, at best, life-altering and traumatic, at worst. Not all of the changes have been bad, however. I’m not going to talk about the bad ones. If you want to know more about those, social media and Google will happily oblige you. I’d rather highlight the positive changes, the changes brought about by peoples’ resiliency, creativity, and adaptability.
For instance, the use of technology to put a 21st-century spin on “armchair travel.” Museums and other tourist attractions closed to visitors and concerts and plays were canceled or rescheduled. So, the art institutions devised ways to keep culture and entertainment accessible to patrons now stuck at home. Ways like virtual tours and streaming concerts—for free! The Paris Opera is screening its performances online for free, Winchester Mystery House is offering free virtual tours for homebound horror fans, and Google Arts & Culture compiled over 500 virtual tours of museums around the world.
Not to be outdone, the literary world offered free digitized books, free audio books, and videos of authors reading their works aloud. Schools, publishers, and bookstores provided lesson plans for parents to use while homeschooling and teachers to use in distance education courses.
The literary world also needed help from the public. The Library of Congress asked those sheltering at home to use their indoor time to transcribing rare documents. Bookstores, especially independents, struggling to survive store closures and delivery delays offered customers incentives such as free or reduced shipping and free delivery. Readers reminded each other to order books from independent bookstores and urged each other to buy gift certificates redeemable for use after restrictions are lifted. The closing of bookstores and canceling of gatherings hit authors as hard as they hit bookstores. Book bloggers and reviewers rushed in to help by offering guest spots and reviews to authors whose book tours had been canceled. Some publishers lowered the price on their books. Event organizers moved events online. And the writing community wrapped its arms around its members (figuratively speaking, while maintaining the appropriate social distance) with encouragement and support.
What positive changes have you made to adapt to negative changes of circumstance? What suggestions do you have for coping with change? Leave a comment for a chance (if you’re in the US) to win a copy of Murder in G Major, the first Gethsemane Brown Mystery—an electronic copy if you want it now or a print copy if you can wait until going to the post office is safe to do.
And you can order a copy of Execution in E, the 5th and latest Gethsemane Brown Mystery. It released Tuesday, March 24.
Virginia native, physician by training, author by passion, I write the award-winning Gethsemane Brown Mysteries. Book 5, Execution in E, publishes March 24, 2020. I’m a member of MWA, SinC, ITW, and CWoC. I blog at Missdemeanors.com and with the Femmes Fatales (femmesfatales.typepad.com/my_weblog/) and host the podcast, The Cozy Corner with Alexia Gordon.
Find me on social media (Facebook: AlexiaGordon.writer, Twitter: @AlexiaGordon, Instagram: DrLex1995) and visit my website (www.alexiagordon.net) to sign up for my newsletter.
Chicks on the Case 
Happy book birthday, Alexia! I have been amazed by how communities have banded together to help during this crisis. A handful of my sewing friends are making masks for hospitals in their area, and many of us are offering to shop for neighbors. Here’s hoping the crisis hasn’t affected your book release too much.
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How wonderful, Marla!! Your neighbors are lucky to have you.
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Dear Alexia, Congratulations on your latest release and thank you for focusing on the positive things in our world. It’s so easy to see only the doom and gloom so all of your highlighted events are wonderful reminders of things people can do while sheltering at home. Because I now live in a smaller city (in southwest Virginia), we’re still able to take walks and enjoy the fresh air without encountering others in a close space. One thing that I also appreciate are the movement classes on Youtube. I am taking line dancing classes – trust me, there’s much more than just the Electric Slide (remember that one?). For those who can’t get out to move, Youtube offers instructional videos of all kinds. Thanks again, Ruth
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What a great idea, Ruth–thanks for mentioning the dancing!
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Happy book birthday, Alexia! Phipps Conservatory is doing flashback pictures of past years’ flower shows on social media. The art museum is doing a series with pictures of their paintings, the aviary is doing short videos on birds, and members of the philharmonic orchestra are doing short music snippets. Local restaurants are offering specials and “tours” where you can go from place to place. Our local indie bookstore is doing specials and shipping. It’s wonderful to see how people are making the best of a trying situation.
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Those are great to hear about, Liz.
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Alexia, huge congrats on the new book! And thank you for inspiring all of us here on Chicks today. I live in rural NH, and a very positive outcome in my area is that many less advantaged kids have greater opportunities now for academic equality through online learning. Many didn’t have computers at home, and now they do, on loan.
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That’s great to hear, Lisa!
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Similar computer shares are happening here–so good!
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Congrats on the new book.
I’m working from home for the first time in my life. I’m kind of enjoying the freedom (yes, I am getting things done), although the end of the week will be rough since I will have lots of questions on how to do things for my co-workers, and it will be harder to get answers.
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Good luck with the end of hte week, Mark!
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Congratulations, Alexia, and welcome!!
This positivity is such a salve. In my community, I’m seeing people come together for with such kindness. A dear friend is sewing masks for the hospital, my son’s Boy Scout troop is working on ways to serve vulnerable populations, local restaurants are delivering free food for those in need, and indie book stores are holding virtual book clubs. Thanks for this reminder of the good in the world.
Wishing you much success on the latest in this amazing series. ❤
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Yay, Scouts! And the people sewing masks are absolutely lovely. (Am so bad at sewing that I’m afraid I’d endanger someone by it falling apart unexpectedly, eek.)
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Thank you very much, Alexia, for visiting today and for helping us think about the positive side. I don’t have any suggestions–am struggling on a variety of levels like most of us are–but I am so incredibly heartened by the acts of kindness I see everywhere. Congratulations on Execution in E: I LOVE this series! Hope that your launch goes smashingly well. ❤️
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I’ve been overwhelmed by all the beautiful and creative ways artists of all sorts (authors, musicians, visual artists) have used this time to produce new and different kinds of art and present it for all via social network. And it’s heartwarming to see how social network is being used now more for unity and love than for the divisiveness we were seeing so much in the past.
Thanks for visiting the Chicks today and for your uplifting post, Alexia. And congrats on the new book–yippee!
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I’ve tried commenting twice and WordPress has refused to accept it. Here’s hoping third times the charm!
LOVE your series. Congratulations on the new book! I bought a gift certificate from our local mom and pop art supply store. When this nightmare is over, my daughter will either use it for supplies or it will be a donation to them.
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Alexia,looking at the good news is good medicine for all of us right now! Congrats on the new release — I’m a fan! And a big thank you to you and all the doctors and medical professionals out there!
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Congratulations on your book! Here in CA we are staying at home. I am happy that my teacher son can work via online and we can order groceries to be delivered!
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I’m working from home, as are all of my office mates. One of the things that has been so positive is that in email interactions, we are now taking time to say “how are you holding up?” and sharing thoughts and stories. Happy Book Birthday!
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I’m heartened to hear of all the good things people are experiencing during this difficult time. I especially love that museums, galleries, and musicians are providing free virtual tours and concerts–maybe someone who otherwise would never have been able to visit a museum or attend a performance will be able to partake of the opportunity.
Thanks for the good wishes for my new book and thanks for commenting
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ANNNNNNND we have a winner: congratulations, Linda Herold! You will be hearing from Alexia to make arrangements.
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