A Heartfelt Farewell to The Mystery Bookstore

Today is the final day of business for The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. If you are in that area, be sure to stop in to their farewell party tonight.

Since I can't be there, I wanted to send my own farewell wishes and sincere thanks to the staff. I had a slew of friends who agreed to help me and this is what we put together. I hope you'll take a few minutes to enjoy it and then leave your own farewell in the comments. This post is a tribute to a wonderful store, a wonderful staff and the end of an era in crime fiction.

Thank you Mystery Bookstore! We Love You!

A Day to Celebrate; A Day to Mourn

Today marks the 3rd birthday of Jen's Book Thoughts. I had anticipated a great day of celebration because I'm still slightly amazed that it's been 3 years since I started this blog. In a way it feels like just yesterday and in other ways it feels like I've been talking with you all forever.

I'm proud of the way the blog has grown and the accomplishments we've been able to make, the authors we've been able to talk to and hype, spreading the crime fiction love! I want to continue to grow and accomplish and discover. That's what my goals are. A bit broad, but it leaves me room to be creative, which is what I love.

However, this is also a sad day. Yesterday the announcement came out that The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles is closing its doors at the end of the month. If you're a regular reader here, you've heard me talk about them and their link is at the bottom of the blog. Two years ago, when I was still a wee blogger and basically didn't know my way out of a paper bag, I visited The Mystery Bookstore for the first time. They were friendly and welcoming, despite the craziness of the pre-Festival of Books party going on.

The Mystery Bookstore is where I met Chris Grabenstein, Craig Johnson, Jeff Parker and Gregg Hurwitz for the first time. It's also where I met my wonderful friend Michael Alatorre for the first time.

I returned to my home across the country but continued to develop a wonderful friendship with the folks there. Linda introduced me to Reed Farrel Coleman's work and sent me pictures of Gregg Hurwitz signing my book; Emily - bless her heart - was always so thorough about my e-mail orders; and when I sent a request and said, "I'd like to spend xx dollars for prizes for my theme week" Bobby picked the greatest selection of books for me. Their entire staff is just amazing.

I had the good fortune to return again last year to see them in person. There's something just so magical for a crime fiction fan walking through the front door. You just enter a world where everyone "gets" you. Even though I couldn't walk through that front door very often, I still feel a loss. The Mystery Bookstore is much, much more than bricks and mortar. It's friends; it's family.


Please, if you have the chance between now and January 31st, visit the Mystery Bookstore. Take a picture of yourself there and send it to me. If you have a mystery indie bookstore near you, VISIT! Patronize. We can't afford to lose more of these magical places. They're endangered as it is; let's not allow them to become extinct.

The L.A. Times Festival of Books

Alright, my second visit to L.A. for the Festival of Books. It was as wonderful and magical as the first. You've heard about the great Mystery Bookstore party and the fabulous Kingpins panel. This post will be highlights about all the rest of the weekend wonderfulness and will probably be mostly pictures.

From Wednesday's post, you know I was blessed to meet my wonderful friend Elyse, a.k.a. Pop Culture Nerd, for the first time in person.

And was joined by Michael, a.k.a. le0pard13, and Christine. We also had the privilege of meeting Elyse's friend (and now our friend too) Debby as well as Michael's family. This was our "festival crew"

We spent a hefty amount of time hanging out around the Mystery Bookstore booth because they had the BEST signing schedule imaginable:

(Gar Anthony Haywood, Reed Farrel Coleman, Eric Beetner, Duane Swierczynski)

(Robert Gregory Browne, Gregg Hurwitz, Ed Decter)

(Lisa Lutz, Andrew Gross)

And I presented Michael Connelly with a copy of the World's Favorite Detective bracket for Harry Bosch's win. When I found out that he knew about it, I was floating! O.k., yeah, that's totally geeky fan girl. I own up to it 100%!

And of course MBS has the greatest staff, so that adds to the fun! I just love them.

(Linda Brown)

(Bobby McCue)

Spent some quality time talking with Gregg Hurwitz about his upcoming release THEY'RE WATCHING. Plan on hearing plenty about that later here on the blog. Can't wait for the release in July!

Even managed to snag a hug or two from Robert Crais!

Saw my pals Steve Hockensmith and Sophie Littlefield at the Mysterious Galaxy booth while they were signing.

And this time at the festival, I didn't miss seeing fellow blogger and friend, Trish (from Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?). I introduced her to Sophie and then helped her spend money on books! So happy to finally meet Trish in person and I'm already looking forward to the next time we can see each other!

A surprise I wasn't expecting was seeing Tim Hallinan. He stopped up at the festival and introduced me to Gar Anthony Haywood! How cool is that? Tim speaks very highly of Gar's work and since I think highly of Tim's work, I'm looking forward to reading Gar.

Another great surprise was meeting Brett Battles' gorgeous family. Thank you, Brett! Had a blast listening to Reed's stories. I think he's just the cat's pajamas. And that silly Andy Gross. When I went to say good-bye to him, he thought he was going to get off with just a hand shake! What a super guy.

And the highlight that wrapped everything up was having the chance to just hang out and talk with Alafair Burke. Have a mentioned lately how fabulous I think she is? Oh right! Well, one more time won't kill you.

I probably don't need to say it was just a fantastic weekend. As I'm writing this and loading the pictures, I'm smiling all over again. Tucking the memories into my bag of cherished times. I hope that each and every one of you has the chance to experience a weekend like this at some point in your life. This community is full of warm, generous people. So, stop by and introduce yourself. You'll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: LATFoB, Reed Farrel Coleman, Robert Crais, Andrew Gross, Alafair Burke, Sophie Littlefield, Gregg Hurwitz, Michael Connelly

Reed Farrel Coleman - the "hard-boiled poet"

Last year, Linda Brown from The Mystery Bookstore in L.A. introduced me to my first experience with the work of award-winning author Reed Farrel Coleman. I read his first Moe Prager novel, WALKING THE PERFECT SQUARE at Linda's recommendation. About the same time I was pestering him to participate in the six-word memoir project. In our conversations about the memoirs, he told me that he had started out in writing with poetry. And boy did that ever make sense. Reed's prose flows with the beauty of poetic language. Imagine that! Beautiful language in crime fiction. For those who think that's an oxymoron, all you have to do is pick up anything Reed's written. You can also see my comments about that here in my review of WALKING THE PERFECT SQUARE or here in my review of Reed's collaborative work TOWER, which he wrote with Ken Bruen. This is far from an original thought. Many, many folks wiser and more well-read than I have made similar comments about Reed's poetic style. At the core of who he is, Reed Farrel Coleman is a poet.

I invite you to take a look at Reed's own comments about his poetry and while you're there, mosey around the site a bit. Get to know this writer. It is well worth your time, I promise. Reed states that he loves to play with words. His play turns into beautiful art. And this is precisely why I want to highlight him today.

When I asked Reed for some resources of his poetry, in addition to THE LINEUP, he did me one better. He shared some of his poems with me and gave me permission to share them with you. So it is an honor for me to share with you the work of one of my favorite writers, my favorite poets, my favorite artists: Reed Farrel Coleman.

The first poem I have to share with you is from his "Trilogy of Childhood." It was originally published in the LONG ISLAND QUARTERLY in 1996 and it's called "Sonnet of a City Once Known." Those of you who insist that a poem must rhyme will enjoy this one. For me it was the sense of place and atmosphere that Reed creates. And the tone of the poem has a echoing, haunting feeling. And I think I connected with it because of what's happening in my own neck of the woods. I hope you enjoy, "Sonnet of a City Once Known."

Sonnet of a City Once Known

Have you not seen the city I once knew
buried beneath years of silent defect,
impatient rust and angry shades of blue?
History’s hidden beneath its neglect.

The endless sewer to sewer stickball games,
crumbling cement, steps worn smooth as slate,
summer Tuesdays, boardwalk firework flames,
my father coming home (always too late).

Soft blacktop leaps to meet a kid’s sneaker
rounding first, but dreaming of home at last.
Old tar just hardens, the streets grow
bleaker and bright futures are leveled by the past.

On fall days as shedding trees turn to stone,
my shadows visit this city once known.
—Reed F. Coleman

The other poem that I have to share with you is called "New Orleans" which is part of his "Trilogy for My Father." "New Orleans" was previously published in CHIRON REVIEW in 1989, in CINCINNATI POET'S COLLECTIVE in 1996 and POETRY OF MURDER in 2005. This one veers more from poetic conventions and we see Reed's love of word play.

New Orleans

And Betty
watches me
with winter eyes
blue as
snowfall
and maybe rain.
Her snowfall says
she knows me
like
some weather-tired
gypsy
reading my falling father’s
tea leaves
in this basement
in New Orleans
not in Spain.

And I said
“Hello”
to Jesus
but I knew
he could not hear answer.
I read
where
his ambition was to be
a soft-shoe dancer
not some wounded
wooden jet plane
married to the runway
by unrelenting failure
and a
cane.

And I kissed
the hands of
Jesus.
Again
there was no
answer.
I did not need one,
really!
I noticed I
was crying
seeing through his
mangled fingers
like Betty
sees
through winter
and maybe rain.
—Reed F. Coleman

Effective poetry has a way of grabbing ahold of your soul. That's the best way I can describe the feeling I get inside. Reed's poems do just that for me. They fill my head with thoughts that I jumble around, literally, for days. These are also thoughts that will be trigged by people and events later. You know those thoughts that drive you to say, "that makes me think of..." His words become a part of my person and I feel richer for it.

I hope that you've enjoyed these poems. My most heartfelt thanks to Reed for sharing them with us. I am truly honored. You can learn more about all aspects of Reed's writing at his website: http://www.reedcoleman.com/

For more on the National Poetry Month blog tour, check out Savvy Verse and Wit.

This Week's Odds and Ends

Happy Sunday. I have a busy weekend lined up in an effort to get a good chuck of the Six-Word Memoir scrapbook finished for Bouchercon, which by the way, is now less than 2 WEEKS away. I absolutely can not believe it. It is on the horizon.

But, there is also something else on the horizon...Christmas. There appear to be 81 shopping days until Christmas. Don't worry. I'm not going to do a Christmas countdown, I promise. I'm not ready for decorations or music or anything like that yet, but usually I start thinking about Christmas gifts long before this. It's a financial thing. I simply can't afford to wait until Thanksgiving to start doing the shopping. Have to spread it out. This year my attentions have been all focused on Bouchercon - I know that comes as a complete surprise to you all! And I'm sure by now you're all going, "Jen, this is a book blog; what does this have to do with anything?" Well, in my wordy, round-a-bout way I'm getting to some recommendations. First, I'd like to once again begin to recommend books as Christmas gifts. I was utterly disgusted when I read this quote from a NYT article about the possibility of adding versatility to the Kindle:

"My general thought is that the limitations of e-ink make this a limited device for applications," said Evan Schnittman, vice president at Oxford University Press. "It's for reading, not interactivity. The refresh rate alone would kill anything remotely fun or cool." (Article: "Will Amazon Open the Kindle to Developers"; New York Times, Sept. 25, 2009)

Uhm, EXCUSE ME? Who says that READING isn't fun or cool? And the vice president of Oxford University Press? Huh? I think it is both, which is why I want to send that message by using books as gifts, especially for my niece and nephew who are young and need to learn from the get-go that reading is both cool and fun. So, all that hoopla to first remind you of some FABULOUS bookstores that specialize in mystery/crime fiction. I love all of these stores. They work incredibly hard to bring about the best of the best in customer service. And if you're wondering, yes, I believe all of them will be able to tell you books what would be great gifts for me - ha! Just kidding.

The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles totally won my heart when I visited there in April. If you ever want to feel like family, just cross the threshold of their store. Of course, I don't have the chance to visit often physically, but via Twitter, Facebook and e-mail I've experienced events and such that would have never been possible 10 years ago! Bobby, Linda and the entire staff are beyond wonderful. I have to give a special shout out to Emily who was corresponding with me this week, too. Just love all of them there! As part of their customer service you can expect many things. I know if I order a book to be shipped from them, it will come in pristine condition. I'm not kidding. They package that baby up so it could make a detour through WWIII and still come to me in perfect condition. They also have a slew of signed books, so if you want to give an extra-special gift you can find one of the many titles that they have available autographed by the author. Or even better yet, if you know the author is going to be doing an event there, you can order your book and request to have it personalized. Wouldn't that make a heck of a gift? Absolutely awesome folks!

The Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, is another great resource for your mystery book shopping list. If you're planning in advance, they can order ANY book for you (as I'm sure any of these stores on my list would be willing to do). And like The Mystery Bookstore in L.A., they are customer service-centered. The last time I visited, I was driving in to see Craig Johnson's event and I was greeted at the door with a warm reception. I almost felt like I was the guest of honor, not Craig. And that's how they treat you, like their guest of honor. They also carry a significant line of puzzles and games. I bought Banana-grams for my niece from them. Very cool. If you're ordering a purchase for delivery in advance, you can get free shipping for any order over $10. It comes media mail, so you need to have enough time for it to get to you, but if you need it quicker, for a nominal fee they will ship it in under quicker rating. They often have signed books on hand from their many events as well, so you can check and see what is available at any given time.

The Foul Play Bookstore in Westerville, Ohio, is another specialty mystery bookstore I've had the joy of experiencing. They have a nice selection of used books, cat gifts (gifts with cat themes that is - not gifts FOR your cat) and new releases. They can also order books for you if you're interested in certain titles. Their store is very unique because it is a renovated Victorian home. If you have the chance to attend an event - not in the winter - you can sit out on the beautiful back porch with them and enjoy the fresh air. And again, I can't say enough about how nice the people are. Despite the fact that villains are doing bad things IN our books, super nice folks are selling those books to us, I promise!

And finally I want to highlight a bookstore that I haven't ever actually visited. It's Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas. I am so determined to visit these folks. I've gotten to know the store a little through Twitter, and I have to tell you that I am totally in love with these. And this duel interview was awesome! I'm also extremely envious of all the amazing events they have there. You can obtain autographed copies of books, order whatever suits your fancy, and get great recommendations. As a matter of fact, assistant manager David just gave me a recommendation this week. If I can't manage to get there before, our organization has its trade show in Houston in 2011 and I'll make sure I visit THEN!

So I've given you some stores all around the country. I do hope that you will think of one of them - or another independent near you - when you're doing your book shopping this year. Remember they can order anything for you, and I know they will be willing to do so. These folks are all about customer service. They do what they do because they LOVE selling mystery and crime fiction books to you.

I know there are many more great stores out there; this list is a list of the ones who have made a tremendous and lasting impression on me. I am certain they will do the same for you.

And just a few other odds and ends before I head off to do my weekly grocery shopping...ugh. I am thrilled for Steve Weems who is going to see his first book published very soon. During the manuscript process, he asked if I would read it and give him some feedback. Well, the English teacher in me probably provided a bit more than what he was actually expecting (sorry, Steve), and I felt bad because it took me FOR-EVER to get through the manuscript, reading parts at lunch breaks and before bed and whatnot. So, it's very neat to have been involved in his "process" and now see this.

If you have a chance snag a copy of the Oct. 12th?/15th? PEOPLE magazine. It should actually be out now, whichever date it actually is. I'm picking mine up when I go out this morning. There is a review in the books section of, yes, Louise Penny's THE BRUTAL TELLING. How fabulous is this? Not only did she make a B&N Main Selection, a NYT Best Seller, a USA Today top 150, but she also made PEOPLE magazine. This is huge and it is wonderful. Go Louise!

O.k., I think that is about it for this edition of odds and ends. I hope you have a wonderful week. It may be a little on the thin side here at Jen's Book Thoughts as I plug away at that scrapbook, but rest assured a mystery backlist title tomorrow and new memoirs on Wednesday.

Happy Reading!

A Very Special "You Have the Right to Six Words"

This week we are recognizing book bloggers for their tireless efforts in promoting and sharing their love of reading. So, this week's "You Have the Right to Six Words" is going to mirror that appreciation. I had planned initially to wrap the whole series up with these memoirs, but when the series continued on this long, I thought this would be the perfect week to celebrate these folks because they too do what they do because they love to promote and share books. So, please help me recognize them today.

First up is a lady you hear me mention regularly here on Jen's Book Thoughts. Most of us know Lesa Holstine as the wonderful blogger at Lesa's Book Critiques. But there's a blessed community of folks who know her as their Library Manager. She's forever organizing wonderful activities and events that celebrate the joys of reading, especially reading mystery books. And when she's not organizing them herself, she's off attending other ones or writing book reviews for mystery publications and websites. I find it especially fitting that Lesa even met her husband, Jim, at the library! These days Lesa and Jim call Arizona home, but Lesa's shared her love of books and the library with folks in both Florida and Ohio as well as the blog-o-sphere. In addition to her love of books, Lesa enjoys many sports and can often be found cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes! Lesa is an integral part of the book community and especially the crime fiction community. It's a wonderful thing that she

Found life's passion in sharing books.

Lesa helps to spread the word about great crime fiction through her work in the library and on her blog. Jon Jordan and his wife Ruth help spread the word through CRIMESPREE Magazine. As co-publishers and authors of the magazine, they work to bring mystery lovers around the globe together. Jon also published an Anthony Award-nominated book called INTERROGATIONS. INTERROGATIONS is a collection of 25 interviews of people in the crime fiction community. Music, comic books, movies, and good tv are also on Jon's list of "good things in life." Jon says that sleep is optional but caffeine is not. That explains how he just keeps going and going and all because

I want everyone to read more.

Linda Brown, the assistant manager at The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles, helps us all do just that. Where would the crime fiction world be without enthusiastic book sellers like Linda? Not only is she a book seller, she's also a crime fiction fan. I know I feel reassured to know that I'm not the only one out doing the wide-eyed adoring fan bit. Need book recommendations? Linda's got plenty for you. Want to attend an event in L.A. but live in NYC? Linda will Tweet it for you. Gonna be in the L.A. area? I assure you that she and the entire staff of The Mystery Bookstore will make you feel right at home. Linda tells me that she's the mean one at home, but somehow I think her two cats, Lulu and Betty, may have Linda wrapped around their little paws.

Linda grew up moving from place to place since her father was in the military. After college she did some non-profit work and then about 15 years in the film industry before she discovered her calling in the mystery book world. Now she's firmly rooted in the crime fiction community, and I for one am glad to have her stability:

Took a while. Found my place.

In case you were unaware, this picture shows Linda moonlighting. When she isn't recommending books to customers and helping them feed their crime fiction addictions, she's Detective Linda in Robert Crais' CHASING DARKNESS! Get those bad guys, Detective Linda!

Most everyone who visits Jen's Book Thoughts regularly knows that I am a big fan of the audiobook as well as the printed book. I have now established some fairly regular narrators as my "favorites" much like I have the authors who are my favorites. So those audiobook narrators are essential to this industry for folks like me. And that is why I am absolutely over-the-mood giddy to introduce to you the man I would rate the greatest living audiobook narrator. He has recorded over 850 unabridged novels over the last 20 years and won 2 consecutive Audie Awards. George Guidall also spent 40 years in the theater and has appeared on television shows such as Law and Order and Spenser for Hire! George's narrations include the likes of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR, and I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE. He has also narrated the novels of Tony Hillerman, John Grisham, and Lillian Jackson Braun. But probably his most endearing works for me are his narrations of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series. Bringing together my favorite narrator and one of my favorite authors and series created an explosive result. And while George's memoir is

So many books, so little time

I'm especially glad he made time for the Walt Longmire series! I'm also humbled that he made time to share a memoir with us today. I hope that you will join me in acknowledging all of the contributions each of these individuals make not only to the crime fiction community but to the entire book community. Thank you Lesa, John, Linda and George for being a part of this project and representing the folks that we maybe have a tendency to forget play such a vital role in this world we all love.

See, I told you this week was extra-special! And I still have more! So hang in with me and check back here same time next week for more fun with memoirs! And make sure you take some time this week - if you haven't already - to visit your favorite book bloggers and show them your appreciation! Happy Book Blogger Appreciation Week, everyone!

P.S. - As a little side note, I forwarded a flyer about an event that George Guidall does for libraries, if any of the libraries in my area host George, can you be sure to let me know? I'll promote here, but mostly I want to come myself!!! And if you would like the flyer but I didn't send it to you, let me know and I'll forward you a copy.

A Smattering of Stuff on Sunday

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We had a lot of rain here yesterday and today the rain has stopped and the thermometer is steadily rising. The forecasters are saying 90s for today. This is the first time this summer we've been this high here in Northeast Ohio, I believe. Very unusual. But regardless of the weather, I have lots to do for this blog. There's exciting stuff coming up. So, Twitter and Facebook are going to remain off and I'm going to be working, working, working!

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass on a few things for you all to check out.

First thing I have today is a blog I've mentioned on here before. It's become one of my new favorites, and I simply adore the writing from each of the seven authors who blog on 7 Criminal Minds. Each week they have an assigned question to respond to, so it's like a virtual panel. They are fun responses every week. And did you know that if you comment, they'll put your name in the monthly drawing for books and gift cards? If you haven't checked it out, make sure you do so soon. You don't know what you're missing if you don't!

Another of my favorite blogs to visit belongs to Tim Hallinan, one of my favorite authors to read. He has an excerpt ready for you to check out from his new novel, BREATHING WATER, which will be available August 18. Of course, I'll be reviewing BREATHING WATER, but more exciting than that, Tim will be guest blogging. So while we have that to look forward to, you can check out the excerpt, and there's a contest involved so you can try to win a personalized copy of BREATHING WATER.

Also, you can check out the first part of Tim's book tour here. And for those of you in the Ohio neck of the woods, he's going to be at the Foul Play Bookstore on September 23rd. I'm already planning my trip down there. I hope you'll come out that day as well!

Jason Pinter is also running a contest connected to the excerpt from his upcoming novel in the Henry Parker series, THE FURY. You can check that out here. Here you can win an iTunes gift card, a bookstore gift card, or your name as a character in a future book. I'm going to try to meet Jason at Bouchercon since he'll be an attendee this year.

And of course THE SILENT HOUR, Michael Koryta's fourth Lincoln Perry novel, came out this past week. He was also at Foul Play last week. I believe he's at Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor tomorrow. For us here in Northeast Ohio, though, Michael will be here Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Tuesday he will be at the Fairview Public Library. You need to register for this event and you can do so here. On Wednesday he will be at the Rocky River Don Umerley Civic Center (sponsored by the Rocky River Public Library). This is a pdf flyer, hopefully the link will work for you. Otherwise, try the library link here. Alright, so Rocky River is Wednesday and there's no registration required for that one. Thursday you can see Michael at the Bay Village Public Library. This one is another registration required, so you can register for that here. The next few books Michael has in the works aren't Lincoln Perry and aren't set here in Northeast Ohio, so if you have the chance to get out and see him, I urge you to do so. Who knows when he'll be back to see us again!

And once I post my recap of the event, I'll be sharing a special surprise with everyone. The cat got out of the bag in Columbus last week, so if you already know...don't tell! ;)

My friend Linda from The Mystery Bookstore out in L.A. announced that October 24th is going to be a huge date for them. They will be hosting both James Ellroy and Michael Connelly, plus celebrating their owners' anniversary! If you're in the vicinity of L.A., you need to make plans to be there!

Before that, though, on August 22nd, they're going to be hosting my new friend Sophie Littlefield for her debut book A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. If you're in the area, go see Sophie and tell her I said "hi!"

And finally, bringing up the end of this post of links is the reminder that this is the final week to nominate your favorite blogs for Book Blogger Appreciation Week awards. So, if you haven't done so already, get over and nominate those book bloggers you love.

If you're a book blogger and haven't registered for the event yet...get over and get registered! Don't miss out on the festivities. Remember, that is September 14 - 18 this year. And bloggers who are registered, are you signed up to interview another blogger? You can do that here. It's a lot of fun. Meet someone new!

If you're an author/publisher/publicist you can donate prizes to the Book Blogger Appreciation Week. The committee is hard at work collecting prizes for the festivities and would love to have you included. It's a great way to promote your books to the book bloggers!

Whew. That's it for today. Now I have to make the weekly run to the grocery store and then get down to work. Lots to do. Have a great Sunday, have a great week - see ya at Michael's event if you come out - and as always HAPPY READING!

**side note: anyone find it ironic that the spell check in Blogger, picks bloggers up as a mis-spelling? ;)

Bouchercon countdown: 67 days!

News and Other Such Stuffs...

I have so much to share with you that I'm not even sure where to start! First, how did it get to be the end of July already? Someone is stealing my summer and I'm none too happy about it. It does take us a little closer to Bouchercon in October, though. Official countdown: 82 days! And the other thing about this summer? I've read a lot of GREAT stuff. I just finished Michael Lister's DOUBLE EXPOSURE, which you'll hear about soon, but it was fantastic. Just brilliant. And now I'm in the throws of Ridley Pearson's KILLER SUMMER. Good stuff, good stuff!

First up on the list for today is an announcement for my audiophile friends. Michael Koryta's new book THE SILENT HOUR will be available from Blackstone Audio read by Scott Brick. You can listen to a sample of it here. In addition to that, Michael informs me that ENVY THE NIGHT has been recorded for Audible.com. I don't have more details on that one, but when I do, I'll pass them along.

I've spoken before about The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. These are the folks who so generously allowed me to attend their Festival of Books pre-party back in April. Well, I have to tell you that their customer service continues to astound me. Assistant Manager Linda Brown maintains Mystery Bookstore's Twitter account (@mysterybooks) and whenever possible she tweets during their book events. So, from across the country, I was able to join in the release party for Brett Battles new Jonathan Quinn novel, SHADOW OF BETRAYAL, and was able to attend Gregg Hurwitz's event where he signed my book for me, see:





Linda posted these pictures to TwitPic for me so I could see them in real time during the event. And I got a "hi from Gregg at the author's table." Now that's amazing customer service! And it totally made my weekend. I just love these folks. They have some more great events coming up too if you're interested. If you're in the area, of course nothing tops seeing the authors live. But, this is a great alternative for when the authors aren't close enough to you. And Mystery Bookstore will gladly save books and have them personally inscribed for you if you can't make the event (like me).

You can see the link here for their August events, but I wanted to point a few out to everyone. On August 1st a debut author by the name of Kwei Quartey will be signing his book WIFE OF THE GODS. Kwei will be here on my blog the following week. August 15th they will host Linwood Barclay signing his book FEAR THE WORST. Linwood will be a 6-word memoirist, so he'll be making an appearance here soon, too. And you all know how much I adore Poke Rafferty. Tim Hallinan will be signing BREATHING WATER on August 21st. I haven't posted my review of this book yet, but I'll tell you that you should NOT miss it. Call and order your copy now! And the last event I want to point out to you is the following day and it's called A DEADLY COMBINATION. MBS will host three talented female crime fiction writers, one of whom is Sophie Littlefield. I am SO excited to get my copy of A BAD DAY FOR SORRY, which is coming out this week. I really am looking forward to this debut novel. Sophie will also be one of our upcoming memoirists and she's one of the bloggers over at Seven Criminal Minds.

I've been meaning to mention this for awhile and haven't gotten around until now. I won what I think is the most creative contest from a book blogger. Jennifer over at The Literate Housewife held a contest awhile back to win a membership in the bookmark of the month club. Each month she MAKES a book mark for the folks who won this membership, and these bookmarks are absolutely wonderful!! I wanted to post a picture of a few so you can see. This was just a superb contest. She's a thinker, that lady is.


And another cool book-related item I want to share with you is this gift my boss gave me. It's called the Porta Book and I guess it's been advertised on TV. My boss (who is awesome by the way) bought a case of these to use as graduation gifts. I wanted to know if she was keeping one for herself and if she would tell me how it was for reading in bed because I wanted something since I do that so often. She reached in and pulled one out and said "happy graduation." And let me tell you that this basic little gadget is heaven for reading in bed. I use it literally every night now. I keep a pencil in the tray for making my notes while I read, and it folds up when I'm not using it so it isn't an inconvenience to store. Honest, I'm not trying to do a commercial - "the blogger has not been paid for these comments," I just really love this thing. It has made my evening reading 100 times more comfortable. I love that it props my book up for me and I don't have to hold it - and it weighs nothing. Thanks Candace!!



Really quick I want to remind you that the nominations are still being accepted for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. They will be open until August 15th and EVERYONE, blogger or no, can vote in the nominations - there are quite a few categories. So make sure you get over and recognize your favorite bloggers. If you are an author, publisher, publicist, whatever and you'd like to donate a prize to the BBAW, you can find a form to do so here.

Alright, hopefully that covers everything I wanted to mention...oh wait! One more thing. It's official now (I saw it with my own eyes) so I can mention it. Two of my reviews are printed in the new edition, #31 July/August, of CRIMESPREE magazine! I'm officially published! I don't think I could be more thrilled because I love this magazine. It is all about highlighting the amazing world of crime fiction literature. Every edition I pick up is packed with great stuff. I read about authors I enjoy, I learn about new authors and events. And they have tons of contests for you contest lovers. I am beyond humbled to have my name appear in this magazine. O.k., what are you waiting for? Go buy it!! ;)

Alright, now I really am done. That's all the news for this Saturday. Hope you have a wonderful last week of July 2009. Happy Reading.