Hi. I’m Meg Gardiner, and I’m sitting in this week on Ecstatic Days. Many thanks to Jeff for inviting me to join his global circus of guest bloggers.

Jeff sketched my biography for you: I write thrillers. I used to practice law. I taught writing at the University of California. Of course, there’s more — and because the internet can fact-check you, faster than you can type Sarah Palin, I’m going to come clean: It’s true that I used to be a mime. But only before mimes became annoying. And yes, I did go in costume to the Star Trek exhibition in Hyde Park. But I did not wear the Ferengi ears.

And though I’m American, I currently live near London. This can confuse people.  At British book events, people ask, “When did you get in from California? Aren’t you jetlagged?” And in the USA, people sometimes say, “But you don’t have an English accent.” And I never will. If you put a gun to my head and told me to pronounce jolly good, I’d blurt out, “Dude!” Or, if truly panicked, “Y’all.”

Finally, like Jeff I have a soft spot for evil monkeys. But mine doesn’t converse with me — he causes havoc for the heroine of my latest novel. Which makes this the place to say: Go to my website and check out The Dirty Secrets Club.

If you have any questions, let ‘em rip. I’m looking forward to spending the week here.