What could be better than Malice? With great panels, meeting old friends and making new, and the wonderful Berkley dinner, Malice is a tough act to follow. However, the folks at the Mystery Lovers Bookstore in Oakmont, PA, did just that. Each year on the Monday after Malice, they put on the Festival of Mystery.
I'd heard about this mythical one day event last time I was at Malice. Talk of many authors, many books sold in just a few hours. So Joanna and I climbed into their rental car and made the 400 mile trip to PA.
The next day a volunteer, Joyce Tremel (whose mystery is with an agent, fingers crossed for her), picked me up at my hotel and we drove through the rain-slicked streets of Pittsburgh to get to the first event, a tea thrown by the libraries of Alleghany county. We mingled with the librarians and locals, some book club members, some Friends of the Library and I introduced myself to authors I’d missed at Malice.
From there it was on to the Greek Church Hall for the main event. There was a line of people outside. Did I mention it was raining? I learned later that they’d come from all over and started lining up hours earlier.
We entered through the kitchen, glamorous as always. I found my name on a table piled high with my books. Right next to Elaine Viets and Heather Webber to one side and Heather Terrell and Marcia Talley to my right.
The doors opened and the place was packed. Readers, armed with their lists, gathered up books from their favorites. My books were new to them but many were willing to take a chance on a new author. I got the feeling that they’d discovered many wonderful authors at this event, and so were open to try new series.
After the first hour, Richard Goldman interviewed the authors on a little stage in another part of the hall. The audience, sated from their book buying frenzy, sat in rapt attention. He was a gracious host, as was Mary Alice Gorman. The event lasted four hours with all the authors being introduced and fans lingering even as clean up (by a crack team of volunteers) began. Afterwards, it was back to the bookstore for pizza and down time.
According to their email, over eighteen hundred books were sold, a 15% increase over last year. 8 books a minute!
What a wonderful event for both readers and writers! I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope Richard and Mary Alice continue doing this. One way to ensure this is to support them and other independent book stores. You can order directly from them at www.mysterylovers.com. I’m going to buy some of the books I saw last Monday night.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saving the Brick & Mortars
Cricket McRae
Last year one of Colorado's premier mystery book stores, High Crimes, closed the doors of their shop in Boulder. Unlike many of the smaller independents that have disappeared, they transferred their business to the Internet. Now High Crimes is an online indie that still specializes in mysteries. They even continue to host the occasional author signing at a local coffee house.
Of course, we all know of independent book stores that are either in danger or have gone out of business. Times are hard and the major chains and Amazon are not only accessible but offer discounts. And book stores aren't the only ones in jeopardy; local businesses of all types face increasing odds as the recession wears away at them and their customers alike.
The 3/50 Project is a nationwide effort to stem the flow of dollars out of our local economies. Now, I'm not a fan of the idea that we need to all run out and spend a bunch of money to stimulate the economy. In fact, I get a bit riled every time I hear it suggested. However, we all need to buy some stuff, don't we? Might as well spend our money at home.
A couple of tidbits from the project's website:
"If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than 42.6 billion in revenue."
And:
"For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 remains here. Spend it online and nothing comes home."
The project has gone viral, and has been covered in a number of newspapers and blogs. I'm doing it again here because it's important, and it's something we can participate in as individuals. Other organizations that emphasize local buying are the American Independent Business Alliance, Indiebound, and the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies.
Check these folks out -- and spend your money in a way that not only benefits you, but your entire community.
Last year one of Colorado's premier mystery book stores, High Crimes, closed the doors of their shop in Boulder. Unlike many of the smaller independents that have disappeared, they transferred their business to the Internet. Now High Crimes is an online indie that still specializes in mysteries. They even continue to host the occasional author signing at a local coffee house. Of course, we all know of independent book stores that are either in danger or have gone out of business. Times are hard and the major chains and Amazon are not only accessible but offer discounts. And book stores aren't the only ones in jeopardy; local businesses of all types face increasing odds as the recession wears away at them and their customers alike.
The 3/50 Project is a nationwide effort to stem the flow of dollars out of our local economies. Now, I'm not a fan of the idea that we need to all run out and spend a bunch of money to stimulate the economy. In fact, I get a bit riled every time I hear it suggested. However, we all need to buy some stuff, don't we? Might as well spend our money at home.
A couple of tidbits from the project's website:
"If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than 42.6 billion in revenue."
And:
"For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 remains here. Spend it online and nothing comes home."
The project has gone viral, and has been covered in a number of newspapers and blogs. I'm doing it again here because it's important, and it's something we can participate in as individuals. Other organizations that emphasize local buying are the American Independent Business Alliance, Indiebound, and the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies.
Check these folks out -- and spend your money in a way that not only benefits you, but your entire community.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Inkspot News - May 9, 2009
Photos from the recent Malice Domestic conference are posted here. (Click on the Photos tab at top if you aren't taken directly there.)Friday, May 8, 2009
The Best Part of This Job Is...
At presentations I do for school kids, I’m often asked, “What’s the best part of being an author?”
I love that question. Really I do. But there are so many good parts, I have trouble picking just one. Here’s a partial list I’ve developed—and I’m counting on my Midnight Ink friends to add to it.
1. The dress code—I can do my work in jammies, without makeup, with makeup, in jeans, or even in the buff. (But I wouldn’t do that because my chair covering is itchy. Don't ask how I know.)
2. The hours—Okay, they are long, but I do have some control. I can start early and work late or work late and start early. I can work weekends. I can work in the middle of the night. I can work from the road. I can read which is working, sort of...
3. The office staff—Rafferty and Victoria, my dogs, are very accommodating. They don’t gossip. They don’t interrupt too often. I told them about my Agatha nomination first thing. I swore them to secrecy feeling quite confident they’d never spill the beans--unless someone bribed them with yummies.
4. The escape—I tell lies, and I believe ‘em. I make a nicer world than the one most folks live in. When reality presses down on me, I can go to “my happy place,” and take a mental vacation. I don’t need drugs or booze or expensive flights to exotic spots.
5. The fans—I meet the sweetest people who say the nicest things. A man at Malice told me, “I was reluctant to read about a scrapbooker. But…I figured I owed it to you to read all the books up for Best First Novel—and I have to tell you that I LOVED your book! The characters were so human! I can’t wait for the next one.” (Yeah, I’m bragging, but it was a cool moment, so indulge me.)
6. The fan mail—Also, totally awesome. One woman told me my book helped her forget about the problems with her mother's health. Another told me how much she loved the references to the St. Louis area. Yet another told me she totally identified with Kiki Lowenstein and that feeling of being an outsider. I ask you, how many people get to open good mail like that every day?
7. The travel—Just got back from Festival of Mystery, and I can honestly say Pittsburgh has fascinating neighborhoods. Last fall, I drove through eastern Tennessee and the view was so gorgeous I nearly drove off the side of a mountain. Flying over DC this year on my way to Malice Domestic, I had a terrific look at our national monuments.
8. The other authors—When I walk into a bookstore or read the NYT Book Review, I think to myself, “I’ve met him; and her, and him, and talked to her, and corresponded with him” etc. It’s a cheap thrill, but one I still get. This year at Festival of Mystery I sat next to Wendy Corsi Staub. Last fall I signed with Lora Leigh and Julia Quinn. Emilie Richards is one of my mentors. (I still pinch myself to realize that.) Shirley Damsgaard is my best bud. Talk about high clover. It doesn't get much better than rubbing elbows with these industry titans.
9. The librarians—Always wonderful, erudite, thoughtful, intelligent people. Who doesn’t love librarians? I'm going to give a presentation in July to the library in Vincennes, IN, where I grew up. I can't wait to tell them how their kindness and their book collection made a big difference in my life.
10. The bookstores—Every shelf promises ideas, excitement, and entertainment. So many choices, so little time!
I’ll stop now. But how about you? If you’re an author, what do you think is the best part of the job?
I love that question. Really I do. But there are so many good parts, I have trouble picking just one. Here’s a partial list I’ve developed—and I’m counting on my Midnight Ink friends to add to it.
1. The dress code—I can do my work in jammies, without makeup, with makeup, in jeans, or even in the buff. (But I wouldn’t do that because my chair covering is itchy. Don't ask how I know.)
2. The hours—Okay, they are long, but I do have some control. I can start early and work late or work late and start early. I can work weekends. I can work in the middle of the night. I can work from the road. I can read which is working, sort of...
3. The office staff—Rafferty and Victoria, my dogs, are very accommodating. They don’t gossip. They don’t interrupt too often. I told them about my Agatha nomination first thing. I swore them to secrecy feeling quite confident they’d never spill the beans--unless someone bribed them with yummies.
4. The escape—I tell lies, and I believe ‘em. I make a nicer world than the one most folks live in. When reality presses down on me, I can go to “my happy place,” and take a mental vacation. I don’t need drugs or booze or expensive flights to exotic spots.
5. The fans—I meet the sweetest people who say the nicest things. A man at Malice told me, “I was reluctant to read about a scrapbooker. But…I figured I owed it to you to read all the books up for Best First Novel—and I have to tell you that I LOVED your book! The characters were so human! I can’t wait for the next one.” (Yeah, I’m bragging, but it was a cool moment, so indulge me.)
6. The fan mail—Also, totally awesome. One woman told me my book helped her forget about the problems with her mother's health. Another told me how much she loved the references to the St. Louis area. Yet another told me she totally identified with Kiki Lowenstein and that feeling of being an outsider. I ask you, how many people get to open good mail like that every day?
7. The travel—Just got back from Festival of Mystery, and I can honestly say Pittsburgh has fascinating neighborhoods. Last fall, I drove through eastern Tennessee and the view was so gorgeous I nearly drove off the side of a mountain. Flying over DC this year on my way to Malice Domestic, I had a terrific look at our national monuments.
8. The other authors—When I walk into a bookstore or read the NYT Book Review, I think to myself, “I’ve met him; and her, and him, and talked to her, and corresponded with him” etc. It’s a cheap thrill, but one I still get. This year at Festival of Mystery I sat next to Wendy Corsi Staub. Last fall I signed with Lora Leigh and Julia Quinn. Emilie Richards is one of my mentors. (I still pinch myself to realize that.) Shirley Damsgaard is my best bud. Talk about high clover. It doesn't get much better than rubbing elbows with these industry titans.
9. The librarians—Always wonderful, erudite, thoughtful, intelligent people. Who doesn’t love librarians? I'm going to give a presentation in July to the library in Vincennes, IN, where I grew up. I can't wait to tell them how their kindness and their book collection made a big difference in my life.
10. The bookstores—Every shelf promises ideas, excitement, and entertainment. So many choices, so little time!
I’ll stop now. But how about you? If you’re an author, what do you think is the best part of the job?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
What Should I Read?
Well, I'm at that stage again. (Cover your eyes, fellow Inkers) I've read a dozen mysteries in a row ranging from Alexander McCall Smith's Tea Time for the Traditionally Built to Louise Penny's A Rule Against Murder. I loved most of the books I read but folks, I need a genre break. I'd love to read a moving women's fiction novel or an imaginative historical fiction or even a fantastically original sci-fi or fantasy book. In fact, I love a good YA novel as much as any middle-schooler, so the field is wide open.
What I don't want: The Oprah Book Club gloom and doom but oh-so-literary type of book. It's spring and I"m in the mood for renewal, not suicides or overdoses.
I know our blog followers are voracious readers. You have given me incredible recommendations before - many of which I would not have discovered without your guidance.
So think back over the past few months. What book did you talk about most? What book did you pass on to a friend and say, "Put this on the top of your TBR pile!"
Summer's coming and I bet we could all benefit from a new reading list so please share.
I know our blog followers are voracious readers. You have given me incredible recommendations before - many of which I would not have discovered without your guidance.
So think back over the past few months. What book did you talk about most? What book did you pass on to a friend and say, "Put this on the top of your TBR pile!"
Summer's coming and I bet we could all benefit from a new reading list so please share.
And congrats to G.M. and Joanna for being on the prestigious Malice Domestic Agatha Awards ballot. To me, you both won right from the get-go. It was great to see you gals. (And Alan too!)
A Mystery of History: Where is Cleopatra?
by Julia Buckley
A news update here suggests that archeologists may have found the final resting place of doomed lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
Cleopatra, generally assumed to be a beautiful and clever ruler, was the last Pharoah of Ancient Egypt; though her love affair with and marriage to Mark Antony was the stuff of legend, she was first married to her own brothers (Ptolemy VIII and Ptolemy VIX) and was the mistress of Julius Caesar, who was more than thirty years her elder. With Caesar she conceived a son, Caesarion. She also bore three children to her husband, Mark Antony. Caesarion was later executed by the ruler Octavian, but the three children she bore to Mark Antony survived their parents' deaths and were protected, ironically perhaps, by Antony's former wife.
Today's publicity agents could only dream of keeping their clients in the public consciousness for as long as Cleopatra has fascinated the world--and all without representation. :) Of course, Cleopatra had historians on her side, and her legend was recorded by writers like Pascal and Plutarch. It is generally thought that because she was able to charm and manipulate men and to stay alive amidst much violence and chaos, that she was beautiful. Today a general picture of Cleopatra has emerged--based more on Elizabeth Taylor's performance in Cleopatra than on any sense of reality.
Her affair with Mark Antony was immortalized by Shakespeare in his play, Antony and Cleopatra. His character Enobarbus, convinced that Antony's love for her is dangerous, describes her this way:
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety. Other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies."
Now Zahi Hawass, an archeologist who dresses like Indiana Jones, is trying to lure the world to his latest site by drawing on the continuing fascination with Cleopatra. The AP's Paul Schemm hints that perhaps people shouldn't yet get their hopes up. Says Schemm in the linked article, "Hawass' claim is the latest spectacular announcement by the archaeologist, who continues to capitalize on the world's fascination with ancient Egypt. He regularly unveils discoveries that are often met with skepticism and bemusement by Egyptologists abroad."
Still, the most interesting thing about this story is that it is a story at all, and that after 2000 years a woman's bones are potentially as compelling as her living self. What is the lure of Cleopatra, of Antony, of history?
Why do we cling to the mysteries that can never be solved to our satisfaction? Is it because they cannot be solved that we love them?
Your thoughts?
Cleopatra photo link here.
A news update here suggests that archeologists may have found the final resting place of doomed lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra, generally assumed to be a beautiful and clever ruler, was the last Pharoah of Ancient Egypt; though her love affair with and marriage to Mark Antony was the stuff of legend, she was first married to her own brothers (Ptolemy VIII and Ptolemy VIX) and was the mistress of Julius Caesar, who was more than thirty years her elder. With Caesar she conceived a son, Caesarion. She also bore three children to her husband, Mark Antony. Caesarion was later executed by the ruler Octavian, but the three children she bore to Mark Antony survived their parents' deaths and were protected, ironically perhaps, by Antony's former wife.
Today's publicity agents could only dream of keeping their clients in the public consciousness for as long as Cleopatra has fascinated the world--and all without representation. :) Of course, Cleopatra had historians on her side, and her legend was recorded by writers like Pascal and Plutarch. It is generally thought that because she was able to charm and manipulate men and to stay alive amidst much violence and chaos, that she was beautiful. Today a general picture of Cleopatra has emerged--based more on Elizabeth Taylor's performance in Cleopatra than on any sense of reality.
Her affair with Mark Antony was immortalized by Shakespeare in his play, Antony and Cleopatra. His character Enobarbus, convinced that Antony's love for her is dangerous, describes her this way:
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety. Other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies."
Now Zahi Hawass, an archeologist who dresses like Indiana Jones, is trying to lure the world to his latest site by drawing on the continuing fascination with Cleopatra. The AP's Paul Schemm hints that perhaps people shouldn't yet get their hopes up. Says Schemm in the linked article, "Hawass' claim is the latest spectacular announcement by the archaeologist, who continues to capitalize on the world's fascination with ancient Egypt. He regularly unveils discoveries that are often met with skepticism and bemusement by Egyptologists abroad."
Still, the most interesting thing about this story is that it is a story at all, and that after 2000 years a woman's bones are potentially as compelling as her living self. What is the lure of Cleopatra, of Antony, of history?
Why do we cling to the mysteries that can never be solved to our satisfaction? Is it because they cannot be solved that we love them?
Your thoughts?
Cleopatra photo link here.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Would You Get Knocked Out for $12 million
by Tom Schreck, author of the Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries
Saturday night I spent fifty bucks to watch a fight that lasted less than six minutes.
Well worth it.
To the casual observer I'm sure it looked like two tough guys beating each other up.
To me it was ballet.
Hatton, the Brit, came right at Pacman, the Filipino.
Pacman stayed his ground and with a total economy of movement avoided getting hit and hit back hard.
Hatton went down three times and the last one scared the hell out of me. Slow motion showed he was unconscious the instant he was hit.
Hatton is probably in the 99.8 percentile of excellence in the boxing world. Unfortunately for him, Manny Pacquaio is two tenths of a single percentage point higher.
Hatton got paid 12 million dollars to get hit that hard.
Would you take that shot for that salary?
Before you answer think:
Would you being willing to have a headache the rest of your life?
Would you be willing to risk early dementia?
Would you be willing to roll the dice with things like sanity, pain and quality of life?
$12,000,000 is a lot of money for six minutes.
Forever is a long time to hurt.
And maybe this explains my rage when sports announcers claim that golf, tennis or even football are the most demanding sports.
Let's see Tiger hit a chip shot when his eye is closed from swelling, or Nadal approach the net if he was going to run into Pacquaio's left hand as he did or even let me see Ray Lewis try to hit someone who sees it coming, who can hit back and isn't wearing body armor.
Please...
Saturday night I spent fifty bucks to watch a fight that lasted less than six minutes.
Well worth it.
To the casual observer I'm sure it looked like two tough guys beating each other up.
To me it was ballet.
Hatton, the Brit, came right at Pacman, the Filipino.
Pacman stayed his ground and with a total economy of movement avoided getting hit and hit back hard.
Hatton went down three times and the last one scared the hell out of me. Slow motion showed he was unconscious the instant he was hit.
Hatton is probably in the 99.8 percentile of excellence in the boxing world. Unfortunately for him, Manny Pacquaio is two tenths of a single percentage point higher.
Hatton got paid 12 million dollars to get hit that hard.
Would you take that shot for that salary?
Before you answer think:
Would you being willing to have a headache the rest of your life?
Would you be willing to risk early dementia?
Would you be willing to roll the dice with things like sanity, pain and quality of life?
$12,000,000 is a lot of money for six minutes.
Forever is a long time to hurt.
And maybe this explains my rage when sports announcers claim that golf, tennis or even football are the most demanding sports.
Let's see Tiger hit a chip shot when his eye is closed from swelling, or Nadal approach the net if he was going to run into Pacquaio's left hand as he did or even let me see Ray Lewis try to hit someone who sees it coming, who can hit back and isn't wearing body armor.
Please...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Breaking News: Agatha to InkSpotter G.M. Malliet
The winners of the Agatha Awards were just announced at Saturday night's Malice Domestic banquet and guess who picked up the laurels for best first novel? Our own G.M. Malliet for Death of A Cozy Writer. Terrific. Fabulous. Fantastic. Congrats to Gin!
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