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Bouchercon

The Big Thank You!

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Huge thanks to RT Book Review and their reviewers, for nominating CITY OF DRAGONS for a 2010 Reviewers Choice Award in Historical Mystery!

I’m honored to be in the company of Jeri Westerson, Rhys Bowen, Charles Todd, and Deanne Raybourn, and am looking forward to attending the RT Book Convention in April (my first!)

It’s hard to believe that November is here–especially with summer temperatures in Giants-loving, World Series winner San Francisco. Boy, typing those words felt good! 😉

October flew by on a supersonic broomstick. First there was Litcrawl, which was a load of fun–Michelle Gagnon, Simon Wood, Julianne Balmain and Seth Harwood and I all read from our books for “Mystery and Mayhem” at the Mission District Police Station. Wonderful crowd for the festival!

Bouchercon by the Bay was an incredible experience. I am awed every year by the sheer amount of dedication, time, energy and passion that Bcon volunteers bring to this event, and continually amazed at the miracle they make happen. San Francisco was an exceptional Bouchercon–and the City’s weather cooperated and played nice.

I was busy from Thursday morning (a guest at the Bouchercon newbie’s breakfast) through very late Thursday night (with a very cool Subterranean Noir Manifesto event in North Beach, through Peter Maravelis and the celebrated City Lights Bookstore).

Friday through Sunday zoomed by. I greatly enjoyed moderating a panel on books to movies (with the incomparable Val McDermid and terrific panelists Paul Levine, Derek Haas and Alexandra Sokoloff); was honored to be a panelist on the “San Francisco Noir Panel” moderated by Peter, with fabulous writers Domenic Stansberry, Lisa Lutz, David Corbett, and the Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, all of whom were also part of the Noir Manifesto evening; met a ton of wonderful readers, spent some time with friends and colleagues and rooted for award-nominated pals; and did all the stuff authors usually do at Bouchercon–except for the bar. I came home before midnight, like a good girl.

Once it was over, I caught the post-Bouchercon virus–and have spent the last few weeks fighting the typical nasty cough, sore throat, etc. etc. I’m almost back to normal. Watched a lot of movies in the meantime–and can’t recommend DEAD OF NIGHT, a 1945 classic by the British Ealing Studios, highly enough. Not a noir, just a great horror movie.

In the meantime, the GIANTS won, my galleys of THE CURSE-MAKER arrived, and I’ve been in the midst of plans for a brand-new (and very content-rich) website, launching soon–complete with prizes and a party!

On November 20th, I’ll be stepping away from pressing deadlines to read at the recently-restored Sunset Branch library in San Francisco, with authors Mark Coggins, Deborah Grabien, Michelle Richmond, Mary Germaine Hountalas, and Lois Ungaretti. The theme is “West Side Stories: Mystery and History.”

Thanks for reading Writing in the Dark, and stay tuned for updates on the new website … it’s shaping up to be quite a springy fall! 🙂

Bouchercon Comes to San Francisco!

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In just three short weeks the city of San Francisco will be overrun by people thinking about murder.

In a good way! 😉

Bouchercon, the world’s largest crime fiction event, is coming to Hammett’s city. Writers, readers, editors, agents, librarians, book collectors, book stores … it’s a giant festival of crime (writing), right here in my home.

If you like mystery–and you live anywhere in the Bay Area–try not to miss it. The cast list is huge, and the events will knock your socks off.

Bouchercon is extra-special to me. My first large conference (in October, 2007, almost a year before my debut book was released) was in Anchorage, Alaska. I’ve written before about how much that seminal experience taught me; how it focused me on taking the plunge into writing the book that would become CITY OF DRAGONS.

Bouchercon also served as my introduction to the crime fiction family at large … and being a part of that family is truly the best part of being a writer. I dedicated CITY OF DRAGONS to my initiatory Alaskan experience, and I’m looking forward to another spectacular and special time right here in my own backyard, complete with Bertie, who gets to play Toto. 😉

BTW, Bouchercon is pronounced “Bow-cher-con”. I knew it originated with Anthony Boucher, a prolific mystery writer from the 40s who also used to review for our very own San Francisco Chronicle! I used to think his last name was pronounced as if it were French (Boo-shaycon), as in the Rococo painter. However you pronounce it, it adds up to a whole lot of fun. 🙂

Right now, I’m preparing for the conference–working on the launch for a robust and exciting new website–and working on the next two Miranda Corbie books. And gearing up for THE CURSE-MAKER launch! We just received the final cover yesterday, and it’s utterly fabulous–spooky, creepy, intriguing, mysterious, with evocative and subtle allusions to Roman culture. In other words: PERFECT!

In two weeks I’ll be participating in San Francisco’s LitCrawl, the culminating literary trek of Litquake. I’m in Phase Two with friends Michelle Gagnon, Simon Wood, Julianne Balmain and Seth Harwood. We’ll be reading in the Mission District police station in between lineups (no kidding!) so if you’re in the area, c’mon by! No need to get arrested first. 😉

At Bouchercon, I’ll be participating on two panels, and in the “black envelope” event on Thursday night (about which I’m sworn to silence, but can only say: don’t miss it!!)

My panels are fabulous, and I have the thrill and pleasure of participating with good friends and favorite writers:

Thursday at 4:30 PM: “Year of the Locusts: Books to Movies”. I’m moderating, and the panel features Ken Bruen, Val McDermid, Paul Levine and Derek Haas.

Friday at 3:00 PM: “No Minor Vices: SF Noir”. Peter Maravelis is moderating, with David Corbett, Lisa Lutz, Eddie Muller and Domenic Stansberry.

Is it any wonder I can’t wait? 🙂

Day passes are available for the conference. If you’re in San Francisco from October 14th-17th, drop in–you won’t be disappointed! Litquake one week, Bouchercon the next–San Francisco is Lit City in October!

Springing Forward in the Fall

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It’s funny how time works.

The whole relativity thing may be provable mathematically, but I’m more interested in the emotional effects of how time feels … you know, how it speeds up and slows down all at once, depending on what you’re doing–and sometimes who you’re doing it with.

The last couple of months have gone by quickly from the vantage point of today … I spent most of the summer writing the sequel to CITY OF DRAGONS–tentative title is CITY OF SPIDERS–which will be out next year in the late summer or early fall. And while I was writing it–while I was following Miranda through some suspenseful and harrowing events–time was excruciatingly slow.

But not really.

Then came a week of copy editing for THE CURSE-MAKER, which is releasing February 1st, 2011. Now, I’m not a huge fan of the copy editing process, so it seemed much longer than a week. And while the non-writer part of my brain thinks February is a comfortable few months away (all those holidays, after all!), the writer part of my brain (which takes up more space) is about to panic. 😉

So time isn’t just relative between people … it’s relative within ourselves. But hey, this is Writing in the Dark, not metaphysics, so I’m gonna try not to think about it too hard.

What is coming up is Bouchercon, and this year I get to stay home. Yup, it’s coming to San Francisco, which means no jet lag for me, though I still won’t get to stay up as late as I’d like because I’ve got to get myself back home and don’t have the luxury of just rolling into a hotel room. This year will be special, as all parties in San Francisco are!

Before B’con is the big lollapalooza lit festival our City likes to throw: Litquake! This year I’m part of LitCrawl, which means I get to hang out with wonderful crime writing friends and read from CITY OF DRAGONS inside an old police station. This qualifies as a cool and wholly unexpected perq of being a writer.

We’re also in the midst of designing a bigger and better website, of which Writing in the Dark will be an integral part. It’s based on the stuff I like to do when I’m on the web–i.e. have fun–so it’s going to be more interactive and offer more historical extras to look at, listen to and watch. It also means I’m making it a resolution to update my blog more frequently, even if I have to act out the title!

So cool stuff is coming up. Seeing THE CURSE-MAKER in print will be a dream come true, as Arcturus and Co. move to Thomas Dunne/Minotaur. Lots of research went into this one (research spent in Bath, England). And this series is more light-hearted than Miranda, so it complements what will be coming out in CITY OF SPIDERS.

I’m working on the next books–and sketching out plans for a contemporary, stand-alone thriller. If I can squeeze in the time, I may write a short story or two. The experience of having “Children’s Day”–my CITY OF DRAGONS prequel–published in FIRST THRILLS this summer was one of the major thrills of my life.

I’ll be back soon, writing about noir or about adventures in research, and in the meantime, want to thank YOU for reading, and send thanks to all those readers who brought a blog award to Writing in the Dark. Thanks so much for your support!

All Hallows’ Eve

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As I write this, my neighborhood is full of ghoulies and ghosties and short-leggedy beasties, all scrambling for candy. Dressed in hodge-podge homemade costumes and store-bought accessories, kids of all ages revel in Halloween and the celebration of social trust it represents. I do, too. 🙂 All Hallows’ Eve is a magical night …

It was just three years ago, on a Halloween night in 2006, when I finished the sequel to NOX DORMIENDA. I had neither a publisher nor representation, and I wasn’t at all sure I would be able to find either. But I had to finish MALEDICTUS (Cursed), had to finish a story that was wrapped up, in a way, with Halloween. A story dealing with curses, with ghosts, with necromancers, and with violations of that social compact that underlies our modern holiday.

Sure, it takes place two thousand plus years ago, nine months after the events of NOX DORMIENDA — in October, 84 A.D. But it’s a Halloween type of mystery, and a continuation of Roman Noir, all the same.

It’s been quite a three years. NOX was published, won the Bruce Alexander Award for best historical mystery, was nominated for a Macavity, and will be published in Italy and Greece. My second series, set in 1940 San Francisco, is going to be published by Thomas Dunne/Minotaur starting with CITY OF DRAGONS on February 2, 2010. A short story prequel to CITY OF DRAGONS will be in FIRST THRILLS, an upcoming International Thriller Writers anthology featuring bestselling and emerging authors, publishing in June of next year by Tor … my story “Children’s Day” will be in print among writers whose work I venerate.


And now … the Arcturus Series will continue! My Halloween book, finished three years ago tonight, will be published by Thomas Dunne/Minotaur. We’re calling it CURSED, and hoping that it does NOT live up to its name. 😉

We celebrated at Bouchercon, this and other good news … CITY OF DRAGONS will be available through all three major book clubs (Mystery Guild alternate selection; Book of the Month, Quality Paperback Book Club). We gathered as a community of mystery readers and writers and publishers and media, and in that gathering I celebrated career things, personal things, family things, mostly the feeling of being very, very blessed in many ways. I count those blessings every day.

And on Halloween … even with a lingering cough from a bout of bronchitis … I like to spread those blessings around. 🙂 Have a safe, blessed, and wonderful All Hallows’ Eve … and thanks for reading Writing in the Dark!

Bouchercon Countdown!

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In about three weeks I’ll be on the way to Indianapolis and my third Bouchercon. I can’t wait!

CITY OF DRAGONS got the push off from goal to paper after my first Bouchercon in Anchorage, in 2007. I now have the thrill of going to my third Bouchercon, knowing the book will be coming out February 2nd from Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books, and that it is dedicated to my family and the friends I met in Anchorage.

It’s been quite a journey. 🙂

In the meantime, I’ve been busy. I’m involved in several events at the PPWebCon (first ever virtual crime fiction convention!), and have a lot of work to do before leaving for Indianapolis. I just concluded a two part interview with Jen Forbus on the fabulous Jen’s Book Thoughts. I also enjoyed an interview with thriller writer Kathy-Diane Reveille on her wonderful Behind the Books blog. I’ve got a post for the always interesting WordNerd coming up, and I just wrote a Noir Bar review on one of my favorite film noirs–In a Lonely Place–for Pop Syndicate.

I’ve also released the trailer for CITY OF DRAGONS … and am proud to say that the footage is genuine 1940 San Francisco film, in color.

I hope you like it … and hope to see you at one or more of my stops along the way to Bouchercon … and maybe even at the conference itself. Thanks for reading Writing in the Dark!

Time is Relative …

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Can you believe August is over, pfft, gone? Here we are, September 1st, suffering all the endless and aged puns on back to school. Back to Cool? School Daze? Ouch. Where’s Lulu when you need her?

I’ve been absent … not, with apologies to Shakespeare, in the spring … but throughout the month of August. Unfortunately–in the middle of the month, and while I was in the middle of setting up my new computer and reorganizing the messy but beloved room I write in–I can’t call it a home office, that gives me hives–I came down with what the doctor thought was an upper respiratory infection. It soon migrated to my throat and probably became strep, after which he doused me in antibiotics and I emerged, Lazarus-like, about ten days later.


That took care of the middle of the month. Fortunately, my mom was staying with me on a visit, and she took care of me. My mother’s chicken soup is at least as salubrious as antibiotics.

As soon as I became ambulatory, I plunged into going over copy edits for CITY OF DRAGONS. I just finished the process a few days ago, and that takes me to the end of the month. See what I mean? I’ve had Augusts that crawled by, but this one really flew.


Now I’m getting ready for Bouchercon in October (my panel is Saturday) and preparing to launch the book trailer video for CITY OF DRAGONS next week. And finishing up a much-delayed Noir Bar article for Pop Syndicate, and getting ready for an interview on one of my favorite blogs, Jen’s Book Thoughts, and working on about a thousand other things–videos, podcasts, website stuff, articles, the Poisoned Pen Virtual Conference on October 24th–and oh, yeah–the CITY OF DRAGONS sequel. The working title is COUNTRY OF SPIDERS.

I’ll be back next week with more news … and maybe my mom’s chicken soup recipe. 😉 In the meantime, stay safe–and thanks for reading!

A Wonderful Year

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You know the old saw: if you fall off a horse, get back on right away, or your fear will talk you out of it. As someone who grew up with horses, I can testify to the truth of this particular bit of hoary wisdom.

I’ve fallen off of Writing in the Dark of late. And–though it’s partly due to my impacted schedule of writing deadlines (my third novel), book tours, conferences and promotion–not to mention a day job and ubiquitous chores–it’s partly my fault, too. I’m a perfectionist–I like my blog to be a miniature sketch, complete with images, and if I’m too tired or too harried to make it that way, I tend to put it off.

Well, no longer. I’m also not one for resolutions (I detest the damn things), so call this a realization. The truth is that if I wait until I have the time, I’ll never get it done. I’ll be around more often and more consistently next year … and in the meantime, here’s what I’ve been doing:

October was Bouchercon. Crimespree’s Jon and Ruth Jordan and Judy Bobalik did a superhuman and tremendous job–nirvana for a conference junkie like me. I participated in two panels (one as moderator) and a marvelous author’s showcase with a group of buddies. Had a blast with a lot of friends. Attended my first Shamus dinner, paid respects to Mr. Poe. About the only thing I missed was hanging out with Sandra Ruttan and having coffee with Declan Burke–both of which are must-dos the next chance I get.

After B-con I was the guest of the lovely Sisters in Crime in Sacramento, participated in a library panel in Corcord, was the guest on an hour-long radio segment of Goddess Radio (American First Radio and KCAA San Bernadino) with Midnight Bookworm Vin Smith and Panney Wei, was the guest SinC speaker at the Gilroy library, read at the SinC Fall Soiree at San Francisco’s Books Inc, celebrated the 100th birthday of John’s Grill (home of The Maltese Falcon), and rang in holiday cheer at the annual MWA/SinC party at M is for Mystery.

I also finished my third book–a very dark, sweeping PI novel set in 1940 San Francisco. A big book. We’re hoping to see it with a big publisher, so we’re crossing everything that can be crossed, and a few things that probably shouldn’t be.

The year has been capped with a homecoming. I grew up in northern Mendocino/southern Humboldt Counties (northern California)–spent junior high and high school there. My parents live in the northern part of the county now, near Eureka. I had a signing at Borders in Eureka after Christmas that was more like a party and reunion–old friends from high school, former teachers, friends I haven’t seen in more than twenty years, colleagues who volunteer with my mom. David Dun, best-selling thriller author, Treasurer and one of the wonderful founders of ITW (International Thriller Writers) has a home in the area, and came to cheer me on–it was amazing and truly special! The Eureka Times Standard did me the honor of placing NOX on the front page, too–here’s the link:
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_11312832?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com

After the signing, I was the guest at the lovely home of a lovely woman who hosts a book club. In one of those “it’s a small world” moments, I learned that Marsha Hunt–whose grace, radiance and star turn in Eddie Muller’s The Grand Inquisitor I wrote about last January (it’s almost time for the next Noir City!)–had also been a guest. I met a friend of Ms. Hunt’s and an absolutely lovely group of ladies. What a fantastic way to close the year.

For me, 2008 will always be the year my first book was published. It’s been quite a journey. It has been an honor to meet readers, booksellers and librarians–an honor to know people in places I’ve never been and may never see are reading NOX DORMIENDA. It leaves me with a breathless feeling, one of gratitude and humility.

I’m extraordinarily thankful to be a part of the writing community … friends and colleagues so talented, generous and giving that I wind up feeling like George Bailey every day. As I look ahead to 2009–with a new grog to debut soon (more details next week!), more work with MWA and ITW and SinC, another novel to research, and the second Arcturus book to revise–and hope on the horizon for a contract with a bigger house–I’m thankful to be where I am, ensconced in what is–to me–a wonderful life.

Thanks, all of you, for making 2008 a year to remember! Happy New Year–here’s to a great 2009! 🙂

At Long Last … Blog!

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Bless me, bloggers, for I have sinned … it has been mmmpfh (hand over mouth) days since my last blog.

Much has happened, and I’m going to spend a couple of days catching up. I finished my third novel, which is the main reason I haven’t been hanging around Writing in the Dark. My third is a big dark book set in 1940 San Francisco, and I needed to complete it before Bouchercon. I managed to do so, but literally had no time left over for blogging, reading, email, eating a proper meal, and sleep. I left bread crumbs of my activities on Twitter, and plan to stick to my regularly scheduled blogging programming from now on, though life may somtimes pre-empt me.

I traveled to LA and San Diego and back on a book tour … via US 101 … a wonderful trip along El Camino Real, the old historic route of the King’s Highway, mission to mission, bell to bell. Salinas lettuce fields (Salad Capital of the World!), the Santa Ynez mountains … the drive makes you appreciate the the real gold of California, and it’s not the yellow stuff in vaults.

Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks and The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles are fantastic places to shop and spend time and meet people. Alan and Bobby are absolutely wonderful … and two reasons why I love to support independent bookstores as both a reader and a writer. I was privileged to appear at both stores, and very happy to be The Mystery Bookstore’s Discovery Club pick of the month.

I met friends from Crimespace and Sisters in Crime, including my author friend Mari Sloan, who has written a terrific mystery (Beaufort Falls), and Mari’s wonderful husband, and Travis Richardson, former NorCal MWA member who just moved south. Spent a delightful evening with producer/director/screenwriter pal Victoria Larimore in West Hollywood. Stopped along the way in Salinas, ate a fantastic breakfast at Sang’s Cafe (where Steinbeck used to throw one back occasionally), and lunch in Solvang at the Little Mermaid.

We eventually managed to thread our way through Malibu Canyon, Malibu and Santa Monica before taking rest in our favorite SoCal home away from home, The Culver Hotel.

After a signing at the Gaslamp Borders in San Diego, we headed home the next morning, and breakfasted at Andersen’s Pea Soup in Buellton (a few miles from Solvang) … you haven’t lived until you’ve tried pea soup for breakfast! You get eggs and Danish sausage and pancakes, too, but that soup … mmm. 🙂 Late lunch was again in Salinas, at a terrific newly-opened restaurant (family-owned) called Habanero. Literally the best beans and rice I’ve had since undergraduate years in Texas.

Oh, and Solvang? You haven’t eaten Danish until you eat Danish there. Really. We’re talking melt-in-your mouth, light-as-air crust, real fruit filling … let’s just say this was a memorable trip on every level, and I can’t wait to get back. 🙂

So then I wrote. And wrote and wrote. And finished what I call “my Bouchercon baby,” a novel begun after Alaska and finished before Baltimore.

And speaking of Baltimore, host city for this year’s Bouchercon … well, that deserves its own post. Be back tomorrow with more on Charm City and 1,400 reasons why the crime/mystery/thriller writer life is the one for me!