Last weekend I was the emcee at "Murder and Mayhem in Muskego."
It's a one day conference thrown by Penny Halle, the world's coolest librarian and Jon and Ruth Jordan, the publishers of Crimespree magazine.
It's the one weekend a year I feel like a rock star.
They put you up in the Iron House Hotel--one of the top boutique hotels in the country according to Budget Travel. They transport you by limo to the library and they wine and dine you.
The fans at the library are the most attentive readers in the world. It's my third trip and it's very hard to return to regular life when I get home.
I hung out with Jeffrey Deaver, who is a very cool and regular guy. I got to talk to my new buddy, Jamie Frevletti about pending movie deals, sang Sinatra songs with Laura Lippman, Joe Konrath, Blake Crouch and Marcus Sakey. I moderated a panel with a group of women, including Joanna Campbell Slan, who abused me...in a nice way.Spent a lot of time with blogger extraordinaire and every mystery writer's best friend, Jen Forbus.
Monday morning came around and I had to go to the day job.
There was no limo and no NYT bestseller to ride with.
It was tough to take.
4 comments:
I'm sorry to have missed the singing. Really.
No, *really*.
Mean it.
Not that I don't believe you, Tom, but I want better evidence of your stardom than you ALONE with a mic and Jeffrey Deaver ALONE without you. No pics of limos, nada. Prove it.
Tom, we always hurt the ones we love. Remember that. ;)
But seriously, our "Who Needs the Mean Streets" panel had people howling with laughter, thanks in large part to your fantastic moderation. Richard Katz, the bookseller, told Shirley Damsgaard that he sold more books after our panel than after any panel of the day.
And, Keith, Tom certainly was a rock star. He was sweet enough to choose the photos where you could see him because the security guards were holding back the mob.
It is incredible, and while Penny and ourselves try to make you all feel special, it is the Muskego Library patrons and the Friends of the Library who create that rock star vibe. And you all, you make us feel something so incredibly special words cannot express our gratitude at being included into this marvelous world known as Crime Fiction... G.M. the singing? out of this world even when off key...
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