History and Mystery and Crime Bakes

 I returned home from New England Crime Bake late Sunday night. I spent a wonderful weekend in Woburn, Massachusetts meeting old friends, meeting Facebook friends face-to-face, and making new friends. I participated on a great panel, moderated by fellow Missdemeanor, Michele Dorsey, where we discussed mash-ups/cross-genre novels, what they were, how they came to be, and what they mean for the publishing industry. Hank Phillipi Ryan complemented me on my panel performance. (How cool is that?) I spent time chatting with conference attendees about medicine and whiskey. I got to hang out with the incomparable Walter Mosley. And I heard Mr. Mosley, Frankie Bailey, Bill Martin, and Elisabeth Elo talk about how they use history in writing mystery. This panel especially intrigued me, as I’m a history buff. The past fascinates me. Not so much the big, well-known stories—although as I discover the version of history I learned in school as “fact” may not have been 100% accurate, I’ve re-examined some of the big stories and found them more interesting than I originally thought—but the history of everyday people. How did Regular Jane and Average Joe earn their living? What did they wear? What did they eat? What did they think about the “big” stories, stories that were news to them, not history? How fitting that Crime Bake is held in one of the most history-filled areas of the United States. I wondered why our hotel was decorated with sewing machines, shoe lasts, and photos of old bills for footwear, some Google sleuthing revealed Woburn’s leather tanning industry dates back to the 1600s. Woburn is near Boston, a historical treasure trove, but it’s also near Salem, home of the infamous Witch Trials and location of the house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne as The House of the Seven Gables. I made time for a side trip to Salem and spent a sunny afternoon learning about the Turners and Ingersolls (the house’s real-life owners) and Hawthorne. I had no trouble understanding why the mansion (and his cousin who owned it) inspired Hawthorne to make it the centerpiece of his novel. Are you a history fan? Are you a names and dates kind of history buff or do you prefer the stories of the not-so-famous people who lived on the dash between the dates? Or the more thoroughly researched stories of the famous which goes beyond the popular myths and shows them to be humans who accomplished things? What historical person or period would you want to experience in a novel?

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Thrilled by ThrillerFest

It’s been a couple of weeks but I’m still enjoying the afterglow of attending ThrillerFest for the first time. From meeting a few more of my fellow Miss Demeanors to hallway chats with some of my literary heroes, I made the most of the experience. How, you may ask? To paraphrase literary publicist Sara Wigal, by saying yes. When my agent invited her clients to an opening night cocktail party, I said yes. In addition to finally meeting D. A. Bartley, Alexia Gordon, and Cate Holahan in real life, along with seeing Susan Breen again, I met Lisa Gardner (and her mom) and Lee Child. Susan and I somehow ended up in a conversation with Mr. Child about rats. It must have been memorable to him, as well, because he greeted both Susan and I by name on separate occasions throughout the weekend. Life achievement unlocked.
 At every opportunity to speak with the authors who generously shared their time and experiences on panels, I said yes. This is how I had multiple hallway conversations with Lisa Gardner, spoke with Meg Gardiner, and fangirled over Walter Mosely. To those people who took photos of my conversation with Mr. Mosely, feel free to post them on our Facebook page.
 When riding in an elevator with A. R. Shaw, she asked if I was published and I told her about my forthcoming short story. She said, “Follow me.” I said yes. I ended up on a live broadcast of the Authors On The Air radio blog streamed from the Strand’s onsite bookstore. When several authors, including a best seller, asked me if I’d be willing to give them insights into cyber crime topics, I said yes. I’m now fielding questions and having a blast. Saying yes to the Fest has kept the thrill going as I power through the homestretch with my latest manuscript. I hope ThrillerFest inspired you, too! 

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ThrillerFest in Photos

Last week, as I may have mentioned, I went to ThrillerFest in NYC. Had a fabulous time, and here’s the proof. The conference began with an absolutely fabulous party, thrown by the wonderful Talcott Notch crew of Gina Panettieri and Paula Munier. As you can see, a quorum of Miss Demeanors gathered together and had some fun. At that party were the great Lee Child and Lisa Gardner. They both signed my poster. You can’t see their signatures, but trust me, they’re there.  Following that was a barrage of workshops and panels. I heard Alexia Gordon talk about “Werewolves, Vampires or Witches” (in a panel moderated by Heather Graham). Hank Phillippi Ryan talked about “Playboys, Scoundrels or Foxy Floozies.”Paula Munier talked about “Editing Your Manuscript,” on a panel moderated by Lori Rader-Day. And then there was George R.R. Martin, who traded stories with Lee Child, Heather Graham, David Morrell and R.L. Stine. (On a personal note, I spent a good chunk of the 90s reading R.L. Stine to my children and he’s absolutely lovely.)  There were also tons of book signings and I came home with many wonderful things to read, among them a signed version of A Game of Thrones. Below is a picture of me meeting with George R.R. Martin. True to form, I could think of nothing fabulous to say, but we did agree it was nice that I did not have to travel a long way to the conference.   So there it is!A wonderful time. Anyone else have any ThrillerFest stories to share?

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How Much To Drink On The Job?

Here’s a real question for all the writers out there and non writers, too. When at a professional event where much of the business happens around alcohol, should you have a drink or two, despite it killing a few brain cells that you might need to be on your game, or remain stone cold sober? #askingforafriend  Personally, I’ve had conferences and panel events during which I’ve imbibed very little (potentially coming across as a too reserved and standoffish as a result). And others when, in embarrassing retrospect, I probably had one too many and wasn’t my best self by the end of the night. Alcohol is a social lubricant and it helps me, like many people, feel less anxious in large groups of folks that I don’t know very well. Feeling comfortable leads to more natural conversation and, I think, genuine friendships. (And, yes, I understand some people can totally be themselves and have lovely conversations without any alcohol. Kudos to them!….Moving on.)  But these conferences are also where I meet other authors and editors, on whom I hope to make an impression as a smart, capable person. When working and writing, I think that I am a smart, capable, creative person. When drinking, I can become a too-revealing chatterbox. It’s not always so easy to catch and hold the moment between being the former person, yet socially relaxed, and the latter.  So, how much do you drink at these things? One, Two… Hell with it, who cares? I’m thinking no more than one glass… and only seltzer lime for the important meetings….   

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Authors and Books and Readers, Oh My

 Crime conference season is still in full swing. Thrillerfest takes place in New York City in a couple of weeks. (Yes, I’ll be there!) Bouchercon happens in Florida in September. Dozens of other events are scheduled worldwide between now and November. I counted 17 on Sisters in Crime’s upcoming events calendar. Libraries also kick off their summer reading programs this time of year. They host author events in conjunction with their efforts to encourage people to get out and read. This Saturday, June 30, from 1-3pm, I’ll be at the Dixon Public Library in Dixon, IL as part of their Summer Author Series. Author events and conferences have several things in common—authors, books, and readers. Beyond that, they’re as different as, well, authors, books, and readers. Some feature moderated panels. Several authors answer questions they may or may not have received in advance. Some feature interviews. Someone, usually an author, interviews the featured guest author in front of an audience. Authors read from their works at some events and give prepared speeches at others. Sometimes an author hosts a table. Readers may spend the entire event seated with the table’s host or they may move from table to table and meet several. These events usually involve food. Yum. This weekend’s event at the Dixon Public Library is a meet and greet and Q and A. Readers will ask me questions and I’ll try to answer them. What’s your favorite format for author events?

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Malice Domestic Most Geographical

This month my story, “The End of the World,” will be in a new anthology titled Malice Domestic Most Geographiical (published by Wildside Press.) I am delighted to be included with so many authors I respect, among them G. M. Malliet, Edith Maxwell, Alan Orloff, Keenan Powell, Triss Stein, Leslie Wheeler, and many more. Even more meaningful to me is that I now truly feel like a member of the cozy mystery writing community. One of the things I like about writing for anthologies is that they prompt you to write about things you might not otherwise have considered. In this case, as you might guess, the prompt was to set a mystery anywhere in the world. Setting had to play a part in the story. I spent months debating where the mystery should take place.  I had recently been on a trip to London and it seemed to me that a tour offered up certain murderous possibilities. But then I happened to be watching an episode of Island Hunters and a couple went on a honeymoon to an overwater bungalow hotel in Tahiti. This is a string of little thatched rooms that are lined up, one after the other, over a bay, connected by only a narrow boardwalk. The minute I saw it I knew that’s where my murder could take place. It was beautiful, it was isolated, and it seemed to me that if the wind blew in the wrong direction, it might be possible to overheard a conversation that might have dangerous repercussions. I can honestly say that I never would have written about Tahiti without this prompt, but I’m so glad I did! Now I would like to stay there.   

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