06 December 2016

A Day in the Life of Dru Ann Love


Her name says it all. Dru Ann Love. She loves mysteries and their authors, and they love her back.
You'd be hard pressed to find someone in the mystery community who doesn't know Dru. A self-described book nerd, she began blogging about the mysteries she adores in 2008 on her blog Dru's Book Musings. In 2010, Dru attended her first mystery convention, Malice Domestic, where she found what she calls "her community"--mystery readers and writers. A year later she implemented her idea to let mystery authors share their characters directly with her blog readers, uploading A Day In the Life posts in which the fictional characters talk about their days, and her blog really took off.


Since then, Dru has been a finalist for the 2015 Anthony Award for Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work. And last week she was named the 2017 recipient of the Raven Award by Mystery Writers of America (MWA). The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. Dru will receive the Raven during MWA's Edgar Award ceremony in April.
Dru Ann Love

"I knew a couple of weeks before," Dru said. "It was hard to keep the news to myself. I wanted to shout it to the world."

The mystery world shouted their approval back once the news was announced. And I thought this is the perfect time to let people get a glimpse into Dru's life. (Reporting and writing by Barb Goffman, life lived by Dru Ann Love.)

A Day in the Life of Dru Ann Love

It's four a.m. and I'm wide awake. No alarm necessary. I've always been an early riser, and today's no different. First stop: my computer to check email and Internet. I have several friends who are regularly up at that hour, and it's nice to touch base with them. Barb Goffman, this means you. (Note from Barb: If I'm up at that hour, it's because I woke up hot and will be returning to bed once the sheets cool off.)

Then things happen in a hurry. I turn on the TV news and weather at 4:30, hit the shower, and am out the door at 5:10, on my way to the Daytime Situation. After an hour-long train ride during which I read mysteries (of course) on my Kindle, I arrive at a well-known financial conglomerate and head to my desk in the marketing department. While my author friends are at their computers during the day, writing zigzagging plots and zany characters, I'm working on online surveys, helping to write them, program them, and send them out.

Love my Kindle!
Finally lunch time comes. Some days I'll meet a friend for lunch, but today I'm heading to the Irish pub across the street from my office. I love how quiet it is. I grab a corner table, order my favorite meal of fish and chips--extra crispy, no lettuce, tomatoes, or anything that would make my fish soggy--and I read, read, read.

Alas, lunch time must end. I'm spending this afternoon reviewing survey results to ensure we received enough back as well as  working on a preliminary analysis for clients. I wonder if I could program a survey through which I send out cryptic murder instructions. I'll have to share that thought with my author friends. (Note from Barb: Excellent idea! I feel my muse preparing to visit. ...)

The benefit of starting work early means I get to leave relatively early too. Before you know it, it's a little after five p.m., and I'm back home in Brooklyn. On the agenda for this evening: dinner with a friend, people-watching on the boardwalk, reading (of course), catching up with Facebook friends, and working on my blog, all with the TV on for background noise.
Heather Webber

This weekend I'll begin work on a new quilt and probably start reading another new book. And for sure I'll thank author Heather Webber. She was the one who convinced me to go to Malice Domestic for the first time. I'm such an introvert, it's amazing she succeeded in getting me out of my comfort zone. But boy, I'm glad she did. I wouldn't have found this crew of people, my community, without her.






40 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the Raven Award, Dru Ann! Very exciting and very cool.

    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  2. How lovely to turn the tables on our dear Dru Ann! Thanks for sharing your day with us. Next time I'm in NYC, I'm coming to lunch at that pub with you. And so many congrats on your award. It's well deserved.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations, Dru! Ahh...the day job. Or situation as you refer to it. I don't have an hour train ride but I do have a cubicle. We can be cubby buddies!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love it when tables are turned! Great job! You are both amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dru, your energy is pretty amazing! As a fellow morning person, I wonder what time you go to bed? I'm thrilled for you and your well-deserved Raven. Your generosity to the writing and reading community is legendary.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So happy to learn a little more about our wonderful Dru Ann Love!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful blog. Thanks for giving us all the inside scoop on Dru Ann Love. Congratulations on The Raven it is certainly well-deserved.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Paul - thank you.
    Edith - love to do lunch with you.
    Lynn - I loved my cubicle where I could sneak in some reading time. I can't do that now.
    Sherry - thanks.
    Michele - I usually in bed around 9ish.
    Victoria - thanks.
    Gram - thanks.

    **Dru

    ReplyDelete
  9. A charming column. Congratulations to Dru Ann Love!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've known Dru for years and for the life of me I can't remember who introduced us. My lapse in memory seems to have occurred shortly after that spiked tea arrived in the mail. Dru is a woman of mystery (and mayhem).

    All I can tell you is that she's a good friend and mad enabler to all writers and readers everywhere.

    Glad to see you on the other side of the interrogation table, Dru. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Even if you never started your blog and didn't do so danged much for the mystery community, we'd love you. You are a truly wonderful human bean.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very fun idea, Barb, turning the tables on Dru Ann here--and congrats to her on the Raven Award!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I aspire to be someone who wakes up at 4 a.m. and is raring to go at 5. I'm guessing this answers the question "How does Dru Ann manage to read so much and create an always interesting blog?"

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great "day" -- and what a great idea for a plot! Perhaps Dru and Barb could co-write it? :-D Thanks for showing us "A Day in the Life of Dru", Barb!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Four am? Oh heavens. If I'm awake at that hour, someone's sick - maybe me.

    And I do love me a good fish and chips.

    Congrats again on the Raven!

    ReplyDelete
  16. It was so fun to learn more about you, Dru Ann! Many congrats on the Raven Award

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nobody deserves the Raven Award more than Dru! She truly loves writers and books and is a friend to all who take up the task. Whenever I go to a Malice or a Bouchercon, the first person I run into is Dru, and she's always a highlight of the event.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The only chance you'll ever catch me online when you get up, Dru, is if I haven't gone to bed yet. Congratulations on your richly deserved Raven.

    ReplyDelete
  19. A day in the life of Dru Ann. Wonderful idea. Congrats again, Dru.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great column! And congratulations, Dru Ann, on the Raven Award!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks, everyone, for stopping by to learn more about Dru. Writing this post was such a pleasure. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. It was fun to catch up with Dru, and to see a day in her life. Congratulations, again, Dru, on a well-deserved Raven award.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dru, congratulations again on the Raven...so well deserved!

    I like it that we say Good Morning on FB since I am one of those early risers, and this routine starts my day off well. And thanks for sharing more about you and a typical (work) day in your life.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dru also has a very dry sense of humor AND a sharp wit. She is caring and loves to try the different restaurants in the various neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Dru! I'm up early too but with the 3 hour time difference, you're already on your way. Loved hearing about your day!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What fun to hear from the champion of mystery champions! Your blog posts and reviews do so much for readers and writers alike. So happy for you for the Raven, and so happy to be your friend!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  27. Huzzah to a great reader and writer about readers and writers! Thanks for a wonderful post.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Love this post! Thanks Dru Ann and Barb for giving us a glimpse into your day :) (And yes, I'm thinking that's a great murder plot Dru--and Donna Andrews's cyber mysteries series might be just the place for it too.)

    ReplyDelete
  29. So cool to read this, Dru Ann! Congratulations on The Raven Award!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Once again, thanks everyone for stopping by. I so enjoyed turning the table on Dru Ann.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Congratulations dearest beautiful Dru Ann on your Raven award! You ROCK girl! I really enjoyed reading all about you and your awesome life. God bless you dearest Dru Ann! I am so very happy for you!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, Dru, you're a busy woman! I want to join you at that pub for fish and chips sometime!! Love this post, Barb! Fun reading.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I love this! Congratulations, Dru, and thanks for giving us a glimpse into your life, which sounds really wonderful! Thanks for all you do!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I enjoyed the column about a day in your busy life, Dru. Thank you for spreading your love of mysteries in a unique way, and congratulations on the Raven award. Great column idea, Barb!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks, Barb, and congratulations Dru!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Congratulations to Dru for the Raven Award and to Barb for a very clever column.

    ReplyDelete
  37. How lovely! Congrats, Dru Ann.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dru Ann, as I've said before... you are a rock star. What a wonderful gift you are to our entire mystery community. Many hugs and kisses--h

    ReplyDelete

Welcome. Please feel free to comment.

Our corporate secretary is notoriously lax when it comes to comments trapped in the spam folder. It may take Velma a few days to notice, usually after digging in a bottom drawer for a packet of seamed hose, a .38, her flask, or a cigarette.

She’s also sarcastically flip-lipped, but where else can a P.I. find a gal who can wield a candlestick phone, a typewriter, and a gat all at the same time? So bear with us, we value your comment. Once she finishes her Fatima Long Gold.

You can format HTML codes of <b>bold</b>, <i>italics</i>, and links: <a href="https://about.me/SleuthSayers">SleuthSayers</a>