A Winner in my Virtual Book Tour Contest!

I have randomly selected a winner in my virtual book tour contest for a free autographed copy of Deadly Currents, the first book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. Her name is Heidi Thomas, and she is from Mount Vernon, Washington. Heidi is a writer herself. Check out her website! Congratulations to Heidi and many thanks to everyone who commented on the different stops along my virtual book tour.

Now, get ready for another contest! I'll announce it Friday, and it's NOT an April Fool's joke!

Left Coast Crime: Report 2

This is the second report, with photos, about my trip to Santa Fe, NM, for the Left Coast Crime conference. I ended Report 1 with the Friday evening blessing ceremony. After that, we all chowed down on the plentiful appetizers and the "Mass Market Murderers" made a supreme effort to get liquored-up enough to gather our courage for our later performance of "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles. The photos below are from that hilariously awful rendition--after my muscle pose with program chair Rob Kresge. I've been told we'll be YouTube stars soon. (Shudder!)




Saturday morning was the Established Author Breakfast, where I made my pitch for Deadly Currents, and where I met up with Becke Martin, who runs the Barnes & Noble on-line Mystery Book Club (photo below).



After listening to Craig Johnson's delightful interview of Margaret Coel (photo above), I lunched with the Sisters in Crime Guppies chapter members who were attending the conference, about a dozen of us (photos below).

Patricia Gulley, Avery Aames, Kaye George.

Gigi Pandian, Elizabeth (Liz) Wilkerson, Mysti Berry.

Jill Amadio, me, Kari Wainwright's sister.

Kari Wainwright, Tammy Kaehler, Gigi Pandian.


Then I listened to the "Series vs Standalones" panel of authors who have written both: Michael A. Black, G.M. Malliet, Janet Dawson, Rosemary & Larry Mild, and Penny Warner (photo below). After volunteering in the Hospitality Suite, I napped in my room, then refreshed, dressed for the banquet. I sat at my good friend LC Hayden's table (photo below).



Sunday morning, I breakfasted with Kris Neri and the conference chair, Pari Noskin Taichert, attended the "Police Procedurals" panel moderated by LC Hayden, then hit the road. I stopped in Pueblo, CO, for a signing on the way home to Colorado Springs, did a couple loads of laundry, then fell into bed and slept for ten and a half hours!

And here's the YouTube link to the slide show from our "Murder in the Great Outdoors" panel. it's short and sassy!

Left Coast Crime: Report 1

Last weekend, I attended the Left Coast Crime conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Below are the first set of photos from the event. I'll post another report tomorrow with more photos.

Wednesday, I drove down from Colorado Springs, checked into the hotel, then went to the Otowi Station Bookstore in Los Alamos, NM, for a signing. If you're ever in Los Alamos, you've got to stop in there! What a fun collection of children's science toys and all kinds of books (they're next to the science museum in town), and the two owners, Peggy and Michele, are very nice & friendly. The next photo is of me with two store customers who bought copies of Deadly Currents at that signing.


Thursday, I spent the morning checking in, schmoozing, and figuring out where all the conference rooms were. The first panel I attended was after lunch: "Santa Fe, the City of Different", with Susan Paturzo, Joe Badal, Margaret Coel, and Susan Shea, as shown in the photo below. After volunteering in the Hospitality Suite, I went to the "Short But Not Sweet: Short Stories" panel with Jane Burfield, Stephen D. Rogers, Lance Zarimba, Patricia Morin, and Michael Bracken, shown in the second photo below.



After that was a dinner at Milagro 139 with 20 members of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America that I had arranged. The meals were delicious, the margaritas were flowing, and Denise Dietz, editor for Five Star, gave a brief talk and answered a few questions. The next three photos are from that dinner.




Friday morning I went to the New Authors Breakfast where 16 first-time authors took turns pitching their mystery books. After that, I attended the "Crafts, Hobbies & Murders" panel with good friends and cozy mystery authors Christine Goff (birdwatcher series), Maggie Sefton (knitting series), Avery Aames (cheese shop series), and Camille Minichino (miniature series). Next, I sat in on the "Industry Professionals on Publishing" panel manned by agents and editors with their thoughts on the state of the mystery business, and the publishing business in general.

Then came my own "Murder in the Great Outdoors" with Sandi Ault, Michael Norman, and Twist Phelan. We each brought a few items we took with us into the great outdoors while researching our books. Mine were a PFD (personal floatation device), whistle, and pocketknife. Also, Sandi and her husband crafted a wonderful slide show of photos of us doing outdoor activities & research and of some joke images of celebrities holding our photo-shopped-in books. People kept coming up to me later to tell me how much they enjoyed the panel, so I'm very pleased with its reception! The next photo is from that panel.


Next was a late lunch at Cafe Pasquel's with historical mystery author and long-time friend Ann Parker (photo below).


We got back to La Fonda in time for Toastmaster Steve Brewer's interview of New Mexico author Steven Havill, which was very interesting and entertaining. We reconvened in the ballroom a half hour later for a blessing ceremony performed by the Ice Mountain Dance Group from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. The rest of the photos are from that ceremony.




Stay tuned for tomorrow's report, with photos of my most embarrassing moment at the conference!

A Flood of Positive Publicity for Deadly Currents

A veritable flood of exciting news has appeared in the press and on-line about my new mystery book release, Deadly Currents. Take a look:

One of the most exciting news tidbits for me is a wonderful complimentary review of Deadly Currents in the June, 2011 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Pick up a copy to read the whole review, but here's what my publicist calls a pull-line:

"Groundwater’s novel is filled with river lore, vivid descriptions, and loving depictions of the varied characters who make up the tight-knit community."

The Colorado Springs Independent printed an interview with me in their March 17th issue, titled "Full Speed Ahead."

My New Books essay, "Deadly Research," about the research I did for the book appeared in the Winter, 2011 issue of Mystery Scene. You can't read the essay on-line, but you can order the issue or subscribe at the website. Also, I'm currently attending the Left Coast Crime conference, and that issue is in everyone's book bag! A reviewer for Mystery Scene who is attending the conference asked me to sign her advanced review copy and said she just turned in her positive review of Deadly Currents to the editors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will make the cut and appear in the next issue!

Mega-mystery-fan Dru Ann Love gave a wonderful 5-star review to Deadly Currents on her blog and in her "Dru's Cozy Report: March Reading List" monthly post to the Cozy Chicks blog.

And here's another great review from a mystery reader at her blog ALMS and Entertainment.

Omnimystery News mentions my river ranger sleuth, Mandy Tanner, in their "Firsts on the 1st" article for March.

Lastly, Deadly Currents is available in over 135 library systems (so far!), from Alaska to Maine, as recorded in the Worldcat System. See if it's in yours!

Hanging Out at the Left Coast Crime Conference

This weekend, I will be attending the 2011 Left Coast Crime Conference, subtitled "The Big Chili," in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It will be a gathering of around 400 mystery authors, librarians, booksellers, and readers to celebrate the mystery genre. If you plan to attend, here's where you can find me:

Today, Friday:

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, “Murder in the Great Outdoors” panel with me, Sandi Ault, Twist Phelan, and Michael Norman, followed by a signing from 12:15 – 12:30 PM. We're bringing props and having a contest for free books!

5:30 - 7 PM, Opening Reception, where I'll be singing "Paperback Writer" with the Mass Market Murderers (members of the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America). This is guaranteed to be a hoot and a half!

Saturday:

7:30 - 9 AM, Continental breakfast featuring Established Authors where I'll give my "elevator speech" about Deadly Currents

2:30 – 3:45 PM, I'll be a volunteer in the Hospitality Room, so I'll be looking for people to be hospitable to!

I'll also be attending panels and the conference banquet and award ceremony, and meeting various groups for meals: the Rocky Mountain chapter of MWA, the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the Mystery Babes.

On the drive home from the conference on Sunday, I'll stop at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Eagleridge Shopping Center in Pueblo, Colorado from 4 - 5 PM for a signing.

It will be a busy and fun weekend, I'm sure!

Fish Tales Guppy Anthology Nears Publication

This is the cover art for the soon-to-be-released Fish Tales, The Guppy Anthology. It's a collection of short stories written by members of the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime, to which I belong. The stories all have a theme related to fish or water. My "Fatal Fish Flop" story was one of twenty-two that were selected to be included in the collection, and I must say I'm pretty pleased with it. The first line is:

"The guppies killed him."

I gave myself the challenge of writing a mystery story where guppies are wrongly accused of causing the death of a murder victim, and I had a lot of fun with it.

Fish Tales will be published by Wildside Press in time for copies to be available at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, MD April 29 - May 1. I and many of the other story authors will be at this conference to sign our short stories in the anthology. I've read them all, and I can tell you its a stellar collection, well worth diving into!

The anthology even has it's own Facebook page. Please go to, "Like" it, read the Info page, then leave a comment on the wall about what you think of it. :-)

Pictures at an Exhibition--or Signing, that is

Last Thursday evening was the Colorado Springs launch party for my Deadly Currents release at the south Barnes and Noble Booksellers store by Citadel Mall. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, I brought green cookies for a treat, and we decorated with a green and white balloon bouquet. The night before, I had "won" a flower arrangement at a silent auction fundraiser for my church's youth group. So, I brought that to decorate my table, too.

The photos below are from the event. The first one shows me at my signing table near the beginning of the event. The second photo shows me with MB Partlow and Vic Cruickshank, two members of my critique group. The third photo shows the store's Community Relations Manager, Lora Reiher, and a friend, Susie Braun. Note how the piles of books have dwindled! We ended the evening with only 4 left. It was a successful and fun launch, all in all, for my whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner.