Book Award Season - Please Consider My 2013 Titles!

This is the season for nominating books that were published in 2013 for various awards. My publisher, Midnight Ink, or I have nominated one or the other or both of my 2013 titles for the following awards:

- Best Novel Edgar Award given out by the Mystery Writers of America (a judged award)
- Best Genre Fiction Novel Award given out by the Colorado Book Awards (a judged award)
- Best Contemporary Fiction WILLA Award given out by Women Writing the West (a judged award)

- Best Contemporary Novel Agatha Award given out at the Malice Domestic conference (a fan voted award)
- The Squid Award (for best mystery set in the US) given out at the Left Coast Crime conference (a fan voted award)

Now, I have a favor to ask. If you are a mystery fan who has read and enjoyed one or both of my 2013 books, and you are able to nominate books for the Agatha or Squid awards, I hope you'll consider adding my books to your list. Here's some information about them to remind you, and you can follow the links to their book pages on my website if you need more information. Thanks!

A Basket of Trouble, third book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, released in November, 2013.

“Groundwater combines a satisfying mystery with aspects of riding life and a look at the illegal immigration issue. A good choice for fans of small-town amateur sleuths.”
   -- Booklist, Oct 1, 2013

Fatal Descent, third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures series, released in June, 2013.

“Groundwater’s third entry (after the Left Coast Crime Rocky Award finalist Wicked Eddies) is marked by an outdoorsy intensity and authentic sports chatter sure to resonate with Nevada Barr readers. Her methodical, gentle buildup mirrors the river’s course so that when the characters hit the rapids, life jackets are a must.”
    -- Library Journal, June 1, 2013

Naming Characters After Real People

I'm blogging at Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, today about the only times I name characters after real people. It's when they make the winning bid on a character name in an upcoming novel of mine in a silent or live auction for a literacy-related charity that most mystery fan conferences conduct.

Please read my post to learn about the fun I had with the latest two character names. Also, if you've ever had a character named after you in a mystery novel, please tell all! What did you think of the experience?

Photos from the 2012 Malice Domestic Conference

This is the first of two reports on my east coast trip. (The next one will appear Monday.) I started in Hampton, Virginia, visiting my parents. While there, I signed some stock at the local Barnes & Noble store and I gave a talk on "Series Writing for the Organizationally Challenged" to the Chesapeake Bay Writers. In the photo below, I'm with their Vice President, Jackie Guidry, and my proud mother. :)

That was followed by the Malice Domestic conference, where I had a blast! I arrived just in time on Friday to relieve Beth Wasson, the Executive Secretary of Sisters in Crime, at the SinC table in the bookroom, so she could attend the SinC Chapter Meeting. I serve on the National Membership Committee, so I spent the next couple of hours encouraging folks to join the organization. After Beth returned, I attended some panels and schmoozed with old friends such as Liz Zelvin and Leslie Budewitz (winner of the Nonfiction Agatha Award) in the photo below, and made some new friends.

Then I met up with the Midnight Ink gang (see us in the group shot below!) for dinner at a local Mongolian BBQ restaurant. I returned to observe the Live Auction for the JLG-RICA charity and watch a character name in my next RM Outdoor Adventures mystery book, Cataract Canyon, go for $400. Wow! During the dessert buffet at the Welcome Reception, I talked to my hubby on the phone and found out some buyers had signed an offer contract for our Colorado Springs house, which has been on the market almost forever. Double wow!

The New Author Breakfast and more schmoozing and panels filled up Saturday morning, then I joined some fellow members of the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime for lunch at Booeymonger (see the two photos below).

The afternoon kicked off with my lively panel, "Three Strikes, You’re Dead: Sports-Related Mysteries" including Laura DiSilverio, Sasscer Hill, Maggie Barbieri, and our referee moderator Alan Orloff. Alan kept things lively with sports-related puns, a Seventh Inning stretch, getting the audience to do the wave, and his whistle.

The panel was followed by a signing, and here I am with a whitewater paddler fan, who is looking forward to reading Wicked Eddies. Below that is a photo of me with Parnell Hall, still in costume from the roast of Elizabeth Peters, and Geezer Lit author Mike Befeler.

Then it was time to get gussied up for the banquet. We had two tables for Midnight Ink authors, with table prizes of Midnight Ink logo T-shirts and books from fellow authors. Our acquisition editor, Terri Bischoff, provided wine, too. I'm with her (sampling the wine) and Jess Lourey in the photo below. Below that, I'm between Maddy Hunter and Darrell James.

Sunday morning began with the Sisters in Crime breakfast, where I gave out Lifetime Membership pins to the lifetime members in attendance. Then Beth Wasson came up to give me my pin. After more schmoozing and panels, I met up with fellow Midnight Ink authors Lois Winston and Vicki Doudera to drive to Oakmont, Pennsylvania, for the Festival of Mystery that would take place on Monday. This coming Monday, I'll post photos from that event!

Mystery Conferences

Well, I've done it. I made the commitment. I've paid my registration fees for the Malice Domestic and Bouchercon mystery conferences in 2012. I'm looking forward to seeing fellow mystery lovers in Bethesda, Maryland, April 27-29 for the Malice Domestic conference and in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7 for the Bouchercon conference.

I'm also planning to include some appearances at whitewater festivals and various Colorado bookstores in my 2012 event schedule, and I hope to be invited back to the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, PA. That's about as far as my writing travel dollars will stretch, but if my husband and I do some personal traveling (Oregon to see our daughter?), I may be able to add on a bookstore appearance or two to that. Stay tuned to the Appearances page of my website, which I'll update as plans firm up.

In the meantime, I'd like to wish all of my blog readers a Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy celebrating whatever winter holiday you embrace, and if you're traveling, may your travels be safe and uneventful.

Malice Domestic 2011 - Report Two

I finished the first report on the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland with the Guppies lunch Saturday. After that I listened to Nancy Pickard's interview of Carole Nelson Douglas and the panel of nominees for the Nonfiction Agatha Award. Then I got dressed for the banquet and met the "Mystery Babes" at the bar. Con Lehane, standing behind Meredith Cole in the first photo graciously took the second photo--and many others. He and I also had a conversation about social networking at the pre-banquet reception, and we're now Facebook friends.



The following photos were taken at the pre-banquet reception, which got very hot and stuffy before the doors to the banquet room were thrown open. The first shows me with Linda Randig, the second shows Midnight Ink authors Kathleen Ernst, Deborah Sharp, and Alice Loweecey with editor Terri Bischoff (second from the left), and the third shows Midnight Ink authors Lois Winston, Jessie Chandler, and Jess Lourey.




The next few photos were taken at the banquet. The first shows my roommate Vicki Doudera with Alice Loweecey, the second shows Best First Novel Agatha Award nominee Alan Orloff with his wife, and the third shows our complete table.




Sunday morning, I attended the Sisters in Crime breakfast, then rode the Metro down to National Airport to pick up a rental car and drive it back to the hotel. I got back in time to check out, have lunch with my editor Terri Bischoff and some fellow Midnight Ink authors and attend the closing tea. The photo below shows some of my tablemates at the tea.


More events and more photos to come!

Malice Domestic 2011 - Report One

I finally have a day without an event (just driving) in my east coast book tour, so I'm posting my impressions and photos from the 2011 Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland. Friday morning, I took the Metro from Alexandria, Virginia, where I'd spent Thursday night with friends, and arrived at the Hyatt about an hour before Malice-Go-Round. I stowed my luggage, registered, and met up with my pitching partner, Five Star author friend Michael Allan Mallory. I gave a glowing blurb to his wonderful second book with co-author Marilyn Victor, Killer Instinct. He's with me in the photo below, and was a great pitching partner.


Worn out after Malice-Go-Round, I forgot to take the camera out for the rest of the day. I heard Louise Penny's delightful interview of Janet Rudolph and Dan Stashower's of Donna Andrews, and attended the Opening Ceremony and Reception. After dinner with some fellow Five Star author pals, I listened to the Best Novel panel, then collapsed in bed after chatting with my roommate, fellow Midnight Ink author Vicki Doudera.

Saturday began with the New Authors Breakfast, then I schmoozed until my morning panel, "Shot At, Robbed, Hypothermic and More: Travails Authors Endure to Get it Right." The photo below is from that panel, which included moderator Toni L.P. Kelner, Sandi Ault, Joanna Carl, Vicki Delany, and me. I decided I wanted Joanna's research gig--chocolate! The second photo shows me at work in the signing area, courtesy of Michael Allen Mallory.



Then came lunch with the Sisters in Crime Guppies chapter, and the remaining photos are from that. What a fun time that was!

The Malice Domestic Conference

I just sent in my registration for next year's Malice Domestic conference, that celebrates the traditional mystery genre, and I hope that I will see many of my blog readers there. I'll be talking about the newly-released debut mystery in my RM Outdoor Adventures series, DEADLY CURRENTS, making new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones. Next year's Malice should be a great one, with Toastmaster Donna Andrews (always a hoot and a half), Guest of Honor Carole Nelson Douglas, and Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Sue Grafton. And it's in Bethesda, MD next year, not Arlington, VA, so I'll be staying at the conference hotel instead of my friends' house in Arlington. It's a trade-off in that I'll be spending more money, but I won't have to worry about how much I have to drink in the evenings! ;-)

I'm also planning to extend the trip with other events back east, such as the Festival of Mystery put on by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, a dialogue workshop for the Hampton Roads Writers, hopefully some sort of fundraiser event for American Rivers, and signings in Annapolis, MD, Charlottesville, VA, Newport News, VA, and at my alma mater, the College of William and Mary bookstore. And, I'll get to visit my parents and sister in Virginia! That's another reason I love going to Malice.

What about you? Are you planning to attend the conference? Let me know in the comments!

My Week Back East - Part Two

And now on to the second half of my very busy week. After the Guppies luncheon at the Malice Domestic conference on Saturday, I sat in on the Tales with Tails: Roles Animals Play in Mysteries panel, did some chatting (networking) in the Hospitality Lounge and Booksellers Room, then changed into a dress for the evening. I met up with some Mystery Babes in the Marriott bar and indulged in a chocolate martini. Yum! The next two photos show the group at the bar (note the empty Margarita glasses and the satisfied grins).



























Next we tried to corral all of the 13 Midnight Ink authors at the conference for a group photo at the reception before the Agatha Awards Banquet. Our editor had asked for one. You can see 10 in the photo below (Alan Orloff and G. M. Malliet are hidden and Jennifer Stanley is missing). The authors shown include (left to right): Vicki Doudera, C.S. Challinor, Lisa Bork, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Joanna Campbell Slan, Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli, Deborah Sharp, me, Sue Ann Jaffarian, and Kathleen Ernst.














On Sunday I went to The Art of Distraction: Using Red Herrings panel, where Joannna Campbell Slan passed out a useful handout on Twenty Types of Misdirection. Next came the Bosom Buddies: Friendships in Mysteries panel, which included Margaret Maron and Nancy Pickard. When I heard Nancy's The Scent of Rain and Lightning was on sale pre-release in the book room, I rushed to buy a copy and have her sign it. The photo below shows Margaret and Nancy at work at their signing following the panel. The last panel I sat in on, Characters We Know and Love:Authors Appear in Character, was a really fun one, especially watching Mary Jane Maffini try to portray multiple characters.













Hank Phillippi Ryan did an excellent job interviewing Rhys Bowen, then came my favorite dining event of the conference, the Agatha Tea. The next photo shows some of the folks at my table, including Luci Zahray, the Poison Lady, and authors Barbara Graham and Peg Herring.










Then L.C. Hayden and I climbed into my rental car and tried to keep each other awake on the drive up to Oakmont, PA. We were both thoroughly exhausted from conferencing, so this was really tough and required a pit stop for more sugar and caffeine. We fell into beds in our hotel and slept like the dead until mid-morning. Just before noon, Linda Randig, who appears as a character in L.C.'s latest book, When Death Intervenes, came by with her husband for a visit. After giving us homemade gifts, she took us to the scrumptious Oakland Bakery for a snack (I took photos and brochures for my pastry-chef-in-training son), then to the Mystery Lovers Bookshop, which puts on the Festival of Mystery. While there, we chatted briefly with co-owner Richard Goldman before heading over to the Author-Librarian Tea at the Oakmont Carnegie Library. The crowded room soon heated up as authors pitched their books to the attending librarians and the book club leaders and members they brought along. The next photo shows a librarian sandwiched between me and thriller author Kevin O'Brien.
















When we arrived at the Greek Orthodox Church for the festival itself, readers were lined up under sun umbrellas outside the door, a sight that warms any author's heart! Mayhem ensued when the doors opened and the crowd descended on the authors. Just like my first visit in 2007, I sold more books at this event than at the Malice Domestic conference. The first photo below shows me with Kathy Sweeney, who liked my first book A Real Basket Case so much that she bought two copies of the second one, To Hell in a Handbasket. Thanks, Kathy!

















The next four photos show authors at the festival. In the first one are L.C. Hayden and Sue Ann Jaffarian. The second one shows Leann Sweeney, Marcia Talley, and Elaine Viets. The third one shows me with Casey Daniels and fellow Colorado Springs mystery author Laura DiSilverio/Lila Dare. The fourth one show Hank Phillippi Ryan, Deborah Sharp, and Joanna Campbell Slan. After the festival finished, the authors and bookstore staff trooped over to the store for a pizza party. I chatted with Nancy Martin about cruising, Donna Andrews about bird and animal invasions, and more. What fun! All in all it was a great trip, but I was glad to finally be home again by Tuesday evening.

My Week Back East - Part One

My trip back east was a whirlwind tour with four major stops. I flew into the Newport News airport on Tuesday to spend two lovely days with my parents in Hampton, VA (Mom cooked my favorite dinner of hers--crab cakes. Yum!). On Thursday, I drove my rental car up to Arlington, VA, to dump my luggage at the home of friends. Then I picked up L.C. Hayden at the Crystal City Marriott to drive to the Columbia, MD, Library for a Women of Mystery panel. After that came the Malice Domestic conference Friday - Sunday and the Festival of Mystery on Monday. Tuesday I flew home and put my camera in my husband's hands to process my photos. We were booted out of the house twice yesterday for real estate agent showings, so it wasn't until today that he could finish the photos and I could write up my thoughts about the trip. I'll blog about the second half of the trip tomorrow.

After a two hour drive on Thursday afternoon through rush hour, and including a couple of wrong turns, L.C. Hayden and I arrived at the Columbia, MD library to meet up with the rest of our panel (Meredith Cole, Debbi Mack, Kris Neri, Joanna Campbell Slan, and Elaine Viets) and our lovely moderator, librarian and Mystery Babe, Jacquelynn Morris. We had an early dinner of sandwiches, took a short tour of the library, then settled in for our panel. The first two photos show the panel in action and the third photo shows the appreciative audience. We talked from 7 - 8:30 pm, then signed books for a half hour, then hit the road for the return trip at 9 pm. After dropping off L.C., I stumbled in to my friends' house around 10:30 pm. In hindsight, starting off the Malice Domestic weekend already tired was probably not a good idea!



































Friday morning at the Malice Domestic Conference, I checked in and said hello to the booksellers, Tom & Enid Schantz at Rue Morgue Press, Kathy Harig at Mystery Loves Company, and Don & Jenn Longmuir at Scene of the Crime Books. Then I ran the gauntlet of Malice-go-Round, pitching my books with partner Barbara Graham to 21 tables of attendees. It took awhile to recover from that experience, but I really enjoyed the You've Got Fan Mail panel in the afternoon, the Opening Ceremonies Reception, the panel of Agatha Best Novel Nominees and Parnell Hall's interview of Mary Higgins Clark before heading to my friends' house for the evening.













After sitting at Lisa Bork's table for the New Author's Breakfast Saturday morning, I served on my panel, Into the Wild: Mysteries Set in the Great Outdoors, with Suzanne Arruda, Rachel Brady, and Deborah Sharp, moderated by the delightful Caroline Craig. Barb Goffman, the Malice Domestic Program Chair, told me later that she could hear our audience laughing through the walls as we regaled them with tales of things-gone-wrong during research expeditions into the great outdoors. After that came my signing period, and I took some photos of fellow signers, shown below, after the photo of the panel. The second photo shows Rachel Brady, Dana Cameron, and Joanna Carl. The third photo shows me with my table mate, Barb Goffman. The fourth shows me with Hank Phillippi Ryan, Maggie Sefton, and Deborah Sharp. The last photo shows Alan Orloff and Stephanie Pintoff.









































































Next came the much-awaited Sisters in Crime Guppies lunch, with 33 of us crammed into tables at Sbarro in the Underground. This is such a fun group, and I love getting together with fellow Guppies at Malice every year. Quite a few photos of the lunch follow this paragraph. I'll blog about the rest of the conference and the Festival of Mystery tomorrow.