July 2007
Five conferences, conventions and book fests in five months. Whew! It's been a whirlwind of activity: Left Coast Crime, Seattle; High Desert Crimes, Arizona; Public Safety Writers, Vegas; Malice Domestic, Virginia; and last (but not at all least) Murder in the Grove, Boise.
Cochise County, the area J.A. Jance writes about, was mesmerizing. Kathleen Strasser and I stayed with a terrific couple in Sierra Vista. We “weathered” a thunderstorm to get there and came home with bad head colds. Still, we're hoping to be invited back.
What happens in Vegas is—spectacular! I'm a new member of the Public Safety Writers, an organization for people who write about police work, thanks to the invite by author Marilyn Meredith. I won the Best Novel award and picked up 1st and 2nd for unpublished short stories. I also got a chance for a first run of my Guerrilla Writing Workshop.
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The Public Safety Writers in Vegas.
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The Las Vegas Coroner--spiffy!
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PSWA Award Winners, Liz
Martinez, Leonard Schonberg and myself
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With Denny Griffin and Marilyn Meredith before our panel--very serious!
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With new best friends Johnny Saunders and Michelle Perin (AKA Flamingo) in Las Vegas.
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Malice Domestic is the big one for a first-time novelist. I felt like a debutante as I was introduced to attendees. There was also a table-hopping event where authors performed like speed-daters, with just seconds to talk about their book. I teamed up with Troy Cook (47 Rules of Highly Effective Bank Robbers) and we bounced off each other's pitches to perfection. At least we were entertaining!
I met Laine Estep of North Carolina, who I only knew online. It was her first conference, but she handled it like a pro. I also met Austin Camacho, after many emails and a review of his book. I thanked Carolyn Hart, who blurbed my book, and once again met Margaret Maron. My sister Cathy attended Malice with me and after the action-packed weekend of panels and parties, we enjoyed crab cakes in Baltimore and visited Jamestown before heading back to California.
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The Grand Dames of the Mystery World, Malice Domestic, 2007
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Me signing for a fan at Malice Domestic.
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Austin Camacho at Malice Domestic. |
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Saucy Alexandra Sokoloff at Malice Domestic.
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I was so exhausted, I didn't know how I could climb back on a plane to attend the Boise conference.
The draw of meeting Robert Crais in a small venue and reconnecting with Joanne Pence was incentive. Turned out to be the best conference out of all of them. Boise is a beautiful city, and it was one big party on “First Thursday” with bands and crazy happenings at every street corner. I finally got some quality time with Hailey Lind, Susan Smily, and Honora Finkelstein; enjoyed Beth Groundwater as a roommate and panelist; got newbie Salvatore Falco over his case of nerves before he met Robert Crais; and T.L. Cooper, who kept on top of everyone's needs. I taught my Guerrilla Writing Workshop in Army fatigues and it was a hit. Oh yeah, Robert Crais was no small potatoes either (that's an Idaho joke).
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Joanne Pence and I at Murder in the Grove, Boise. |
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With Hailey Lind (Feint of Art) at Murder in the Grove. |
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With new friends, Beth Groundwater, Susan Smily and Honora Finkelstein at Murder in the Grove.
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With T.L. Cooper, one of the organizers for the terrific Murder in the Grove conference. |
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With Robert Crais (sigh!) at Murder in the Grove.
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Teaching my Guerrilla Writing workshop at Murder in the Grove. Photo by Loay Abu-Husein.
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Authors at Murder in the Grove.
Photo by Loay Abu-Husein. |
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Short story panel at Murder in the Grove.
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Honora Finkelstein and Susan Smily promoting "The Chef Who Died Sauteing."
Photo by Salvatore Falco. |
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The charismatic Robert Crais.
Photo by Salvatore Falco.
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T.L. Cooper, Robert Crais, Rhys Bowen and Joanne Pence at B&N, Boise.
Photo by Salvatore Falco. |
Now I'm home in Lemoore, revising the second book and, by popular demand, pulling together a workbook for my writing workshop. I have no place to be until Left Coast Crime, Denver, next March.
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"If I sleep on her luggage, she won't leave again!" Squirrel.
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Older news pages:
July 2007
March 2007
December 2006
April 2006
June 2005
