An Interview on Chiseled in Rock

Today on my virtual book tour, I am interviewed by Patricia Stoltey at Chiseled in Rock, the blog for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW), a writing organization to which I belong. Among other interesting topics, we talk about my new release, Deadly Currents, which is the first book in my new RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. It has received good reviews in Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly and from other reviewers.

Please stop by and ask me some questions of your own. Remember, if you post a comment at Chiseled in Rock you will be entered into a contest for a free copy of Deadly Currents. You can find the schedule of my complete Virtual Book Tour HERE. I hope you'll read each day's post, and leave a comment on each one. And I hope you'll spread the word about my book and my VBT to your mystery-reading friends. Good luck in the contest!

Fall Appearances at Writing Events

Since I don't have a book release this year, I've been concentrating more on writer events this year than reader events. That will reverse next year after Deadly Currents is released. If you live in Colorado and are a writer, you may want to come to one of the upcoming events that I've listed below. You're guaranteed to learn something useful, and as a bonus, we can meet and chat with each other. :)

Friday, September 24, 2010, 5-7 PM
Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Trade Show
Denver Marriott Tech Center
4900 South Syracuse, Denver, CO 80237
(I will be at the booth for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America to talk about our authors and services.)

Saturday, October 2, 2010
Author Fest of the Rockies
The Cliff House
306 Canon Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(From 2:45 - 3:30 pm, fellow mystery author Laura DiSilverio and I will present a workshop on "Getting Serious about Series Writing," then I will sign copies of my books at the Authors Showcase book signing from 4:30 - 5:30 pm.)

Saturday, October 23, 2010, 1-3 PM
"From Real-World Bookstores To E-Book Promotion In The Virtual Universe: Strategic Marketing In 2010" Panel
Arvada Public Library
7525 W. 57th Avenue, Arvada, CO 80002
(Fellow authors Patricia Stoltey and Ron Heimbecher and I will present this panel to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.)

Saturday, October 30, 2010, 9 AM - 2 PM
Book Promotion Workshop
Falcon Police Station
7850 Goddard Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920
(I'll be presenting this workshop with other published authors for the Pikes Peak Writers.)

Photos from the RMFW Colorado Gold Conference

What a great time I had at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold writing conference last weekend! I ate too much at the meals, drank too much in the hospitality suite in the evenings, signed some of my books for folks, and networked with lots of writer friends. My favorite workshops were my own "Agent-Author-Editor Relationships" panel with my agent and editor, "Busted: A Hands-On Workshop on Real Police Arrest Tactics" by Laura Manuel, and "The End is Near! Now What Do I Do?" by Joanne Kennedy.

Below are a few photos from the event. The first one shows me with Mario Acevedo, author of the Felix Gomez vampire detective mystery series, in our matching turquoise-colored shirts.



The next photo was taken at the Saturday banquet of me with my roommate, good friend, and fellow Five Star author Patricia Stoltey, and our Five Star editor, Denise Dietz.



The photo below was also taken at the Saturday banquet. It's of me with my Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff and my agent, Sandra Bond.



The photo below shows one of the fun genre-related workshops, this one on sword-fighting. I like the guy in historical costume holding a modern-day camera.



In the photo below, I'm with Connie Willis, the inspirational closing luncheon speaker and award-winning science fiction author, outside the Renaissance Hotel, right before we both got into our cars to drive home.

I'll be mining for "Nuggets of Knowledge" at the Colorado Gold conference

This weekend I will be attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' (RMFW) Colorado Gold conference in Denver, Colorado. This year's theme is "Nuggets of Knowledge," and I hope to both glean some nuggets for myself and offer some to others. For information about the conference, go to the RMFW website. For those who plan to attend, here's when and where you'll find me:

Friday, September 10th, 1:00 pm: Getting to Know Your Characters Workshop
I'll teach this writing craft workshop that offers oodles of tools and techniques for getting into the heads and hearts of your characters and turning them into realistic, three-dimensional people.

Friday, September 10th, 7:30 pm: Book Sale
I'll be signing copies of my own books, A Real Basket Case, To Hell in a Handbasket, and The Epsilon Eridani Alternative, and also of Killer Recipes, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that includes two of my recipes. Please stop by my table for a chat!

Saturday, September 11th, 9:00 am: Agent-Author-Editor Relationships Panel
Along with my agent, Sandra Bond, and my Midnight Ink editor, Terri Bischoff, we will discuss the relationships between our roles and how to make them successful.

Sunday, September 12th, 8:00 am: Planning and Conducting a Virtual Book Tour Workshop
In this workshop, I will discuss all aspects of planning and conducting a virtual book tour in the blogosphere to promote a new book release.

You'll also find me at the meals, parties, hanging out at the bar, and networking with everyone I can. For aspiring mystery authors, I will have information about the Sisters in Crime Guppies on-line chapter, and a free chocolate fish for you if you ask me about the Guppies!