Espionage, Julie Andrews, and me

Today I received the best package ever delivered to me. I wasn't expecting anything in the mail, so seeing a small package on the front doorstep was extra exciting. On my Excite-o-Meter, an unexpected package ranks quite high.

I've always liked getting mail, but now that I'm a stay-at-home mom the level of exhilaration actual good mail—or, let's face it, a good catalog—incites would have embarrassed Teenaged Erin.

But this package would have registered high, even back then.

I opened the box to find—wait for it—a brown paper package tied up with string! Guess what? It turns out that really is delightful! I should give kitten whiskers a chance, come to think of it.

So I untie the neat little bow and slip my finger under the tape to reveal a smallish silver box with the words "Greetings, detective" written on top. (!) Inside the box, nestled in a bespoke foam cutout, was a small flashlight that when shone at particular objects functions as a black light.

And that was it. No note, nuttin'.

This is obviously some marketing initiative (because the last time I checked in with the CIA they said that, yes, my application is on file in the Spy Services folder, but no, having watched all five seasons of Alias still doesn't count as a qualification). But it's brilliant! I can only hope that some more mysterious/fun packages are in the pipeline.

Still, I plan on fleshing out my alter ego just in case.

Elsewhere, I recently reviewed Karen White's The Beach Trees for the BlogHer book club. For a summer read slash mystery novel, it was quite engaging and featured some really beautiful writing. Although since becoming a mother, anything I read featuring an orphan makes me want to punch somebody in the throat (or, alternatively, cry and weep and then punch somebody in the throat). This book did get the writerly wheels turning in my head about first versus third person narrative, interweaving narratives, and whatnot. Check it out here.