THE hottest book at BEA

No surprise there, it's Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games, a book I wrested from Michael Bourret in hand to hand combat last year at an AAR meeting.

Galleys for Catching Fire were handed out on a very limited basis. Several pals rose at ungodly hours to get in line early. My strategy was slightly different: steal one.

Sadly, Jenn Laughran did not fall for my ploy (Hey! Look over there, it's Daniel Pinkwater!)




I tried plying Holly Root with vast quantities of mai-tais so I could steal hers, but sadly, I succumbed to the ravages of strong drink before she did (I may have been outsmarted there!)

I guess I may be reduced to begging. Tiffany! Ohhhh Tiffany!!!

Editor's Buzz panel

One of the must-attend BEA panel presentations for me is Editors Buzz. Five editors are asked to talk about upcoming books they're passionate about. It's a real thrill to be chosen to be on the editor panel, but it's even more thrilling for the author who has his/her book selected by the editor.

Here's Jill Alexander (ably represented by my fearsomely talented competitor Michael Bourret) whose book The Sweetheart of Prosper County was selected by editor Liz Szabla at Feiwel & Friends.

She was a real delight and I snagged a copy of the book of course!

"nailed flawlessly"...why yes, yes he did!

Coffee, Black by Bill Cameron unwinds in Seven Corners, "a tangled confluence of streets at the southeast edge of Ladd's Addition," where another former cop is on a stakeout to see who is trashing the Starbucks on a regular basis. The gritty, aging side of PDX hipster culture is nailed flawlessly and the insurance scam at the heart of the story rings perfectly noir."

from The Oregonian's review of Akashic's Portland Noir by Peter Handel

A perfect gift for the graduate

THIS IS WATER: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace.

I bought this on a whim to fill out an Amazon order past $25 for free shipping.

I have a feeling that long after that other book is read and shelved, I'll be reading and re-reading this very small, very elegant book.

Here's Tom Bissell's essay in the New York Times on the topic.

Standing room only at the BEA Editors Buzz panel

It's always interesting to hear what editors are salivating over. Today's panel at BEA was SRO.

Extraordinary

I don't know how you did it.
Honest to God, I don't.
But you did.

Today at the Writers' Digest Conference and Pitch Slam fifteen of you lined up, rushed up in fact, to be in line to have your pitches critiqued.
In public.
Into the microphone.
In front of God, mammon and 500 people attending the conference.


I don't know how you did it.
Honest to God, I don't.
But you did.


In order to demonstrate how the Pitch Slam worked, you came up on stage, sat down next to me, said hello and started in. I stopped you sometimes with a scream (185,000 words!!! ACK!!) Sometimes it was just a "stop, what's the novel called."
Sometimes it was "your memoir about your life isn't enough."

And you listened.
And you thanked me.
Honest to God, you thanked ME.


It's easy to be flamboyant and fun and crack jokes on stage when you're an agent at a writer's conference. It's as close to playing to a packed audience of relatives as I'll ever be now that I'm not in the third grade.

But you, you weren't playing to that house. You were in front of your colleagues, your competitors, and agents. You were alone. Just you, in front of everyone. Risking it all to tell me about a project you've labored over, loved, polished, prepped and are hoping someone else will love too.

What you did today was extraordinary.
Never doubt that.
And never forget it.

Come what may, know that you have what it takes. Writing can be learned. Grammar can be corrected. Courage comes from your heart. You've got that and then some. I saw that clearly today. And so did everyone else.


Thank YOU for letting me be part of your conference, your day, and your creative life.

Yes, I'm awake at 8am

Don't get used to it; this morning thing is vastly overrated.

However, after reading Kari Dell's most recent blog post, I am now fortified by enough guffaws to face not only morning, but the attendees at today's upcoming Writers Digest Conference.

Yeehaw!

if you don't know her, you need to

Toni McGee Causey rocks.
That is all.

Do you know what "polite" means?

Polite does NOT mean you follow a rule no matter what.
For example, in the presence of people who eat fried chicken with their hands, you don't ask for and use a fork because "polite people eat with a fork, not with their hands."

If a group of people are introduced by first names, you don't insist on calling everyone Mr. X or Miss Y because "polite people don't use first names until asked."

In other words, polite means you follow the acceptable practices of the group you're with. You don't insist on doing it "the polite way."

Why am I ranting about this on a lovely Sunday morning?

Cause I'm getting replies to my form emails that say "I know you said no reply needed but I want to be polite."

It's ok to not reply if I say specifically please don't.

Please believe me when I tell you I don't expect a reply, even a thank you, for a form rejection. That's the ONLY place I put "no reply needed."

(of course, the people who read this blog aren't the ones doing this, so once again, I'm howling at the wrong wolves!)

What I'm looking for-updated!

About two weeks ago, I asked for your help on writing a description of what I'm looking for. I needed it for an event on the 20th and again for the BEA Pitch Slam on the 27th.

You rose to the occasion!

Many of you offered up comments on the blog post, and more offered up direct emails. A lot of them were hysterically funny and most of them were pretty darn accurate.

I couldn't choose just one, so I figured I'd triangulate on the target and use three. Here they are in no particular order:


I’m interested in all kinds of crime novels.

I look for vivid writing, brisk pace, an element of humor -sardonic or otherwise, and characters who surprise me.

In non-fiction I lean toward history, science, biography, death penalty issues, modern and contemporary art; contemporary music.

But honestly, query me on anything. I’d rather see something and say no, than miss something fabulous. (contributed by Dylan)


In fiction I specialize in mysteries and thrillers, but am also looking for: off-beat stories, cowgirl lit, and anything with a compelling plot. I’m a sucker for flawed heroes. In non-fiction I like exposes of the criminal justice system and memoirs about vanishing ways of life. All of the above are just preferences, not iron-clad rules. What I am looking for, above all, is a story I can’t put down. (contributed by Caroline)


I want to see strong, well-crafted stories that take me to a darker, grittier place. If it's got crime, I'll see it, fiction or non. I don't walk the well travelled road, so show me the other path, be it quirky or just downright strange. I also want to see a fabulous, literary love story. They never go out of style. (last paragraph of the comment contributed by Jim)


So, if yours was selected I owe you a prize! Of course it's a book but I have several here and you'll get to choose! Email me and we'll talk.

And thanks to all of you who took up the challenge! It was really interesting to read what you wrote!!

FridaySaturday night at the Question Emporium

QUESTION: I realize that you are not interested in fantasy but I value your prospective from Query Shark so much that I'd like to ask you a question. Your blog has been invaluable to me in drafting an appealing query letter but I'm getting stuck on how to categorize my work. The trouble I'm having is that I've written a graphic novel but instead of it being formatted like a comic book with panels, mine is more like a richly illustrated fairytale in the style of Hans Christian Anderson or Arthur Rackham. I've done the illustrations myself ( I graduated from college for fine art so please don't stop reading) and this format fits the story best, in my opinon at least.

So my question is that in my query can I still call my book a graphic novel? Will an agent or editor think that I'm a nut trying to pass off a really huge picture book or is there a better term I could use to describe it?

Here's a picture so that you can get a better sense of what I mean. I could send the query as well but I understand how indundated you are and I didn't want to take up more of your time.


ANSWER: You don't have a graphic novel. You have a novel in pictures like:

Flood by Eric Drooker

and

Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock (title recalled with the help of my twitter community!-thanks Nichole!)

Yahoo networking

Headed to BEA? Me too.
I've been to some events recently that could be mistaken for I AM A YAHOO club meetings. Since we all know you do NOT want to be a yahoo, here are my three top suggestions for avoiding Yahooterville:



1. Do not waylay someone on a mission: someone going toward a specific destination with focused intention. This can be the bathroom; this can be a meeting; this can be a suddenly open spot at the crowded bar. If someone is clearly moving toward a destination, that is not the time to stop them and introduce yourself and start talking.


2. Do not begin pitching a product or service upon introduction. Effective selling is solving a problem for the buyer. To solve the problem you have to know what it is. That means you have to ASK and then listen. For me, this means I ask "what kinds of books are you really hoping to find" or "what is on your wish list" Then listening carefully, thinking and MAYBE writing a pitch email the next day.

We've all been annoyed by people who've buttonholed us with solutions for our salvation. Don't be this yahoo.



3. Do not pounce. I know, I'm tempted to do this myself when Lee Child ambles by, but it's really bad form. Pouncing means just what you think it does: leaping into a person's field of vision with a squeal of delight and begin extolling their virtues. (or worse extolling their weaknesses!) It's entirely correct to introduce yourself to someone you don't know. That's what these events are for after all. But you do it in a way that you don't evoke Hobbes:

I take my voting job VERY seriously so...

The Anthony Award nominations have been announced! Anthony Award winners are decided by the attendees at Bouchercon. This year B/con is in Indianapolis in October. Since I take my voting responsibilities VERY seriously, I'm left with no choice but to read ALL these books! It's a tough job of course, but someone has to do it (that odd sound you hear? ....me polishing my halo!)

2009 Anthony Award Nominations
(fabulous clients in RED!)

Best Novel
Trigger City by Sean Chercover [William Morrow]
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly [Little, Brown and Company]
Red Knife by William Kent Krueger [Atria]
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny [Minotaur]


Best First Novel
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris [Minotaur]
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer [Doubleday]
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet [Midnight Ink]
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith [Grand Central]


Best Paperback Original
The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins [Hard Case Crime]
Money Shot by Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime]
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy [Berkley]
In a Dark Season by Vicki Lane [Dell]
South of Hell by P. J. Parrish [Pocket Star]


Best Short Story
“The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe [Ace]

“A Sleep Not Unlike Death” by Sean Chercover from Hardcore Hardboiled [Kensington]

“Killing Time” by Jane K. Cleland from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (November)

“Skull and Cross Examination” by Toni L. P. Kelner from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (February)

“Scratch a Woman” by Laura Lippman from Hardly Knew Her [William Morrow]

“The Secret Lives of Cats” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (July)


Best Critical Nonfiction Work
African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey [McFarland]

How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson [Perseverance Press]

Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Marks [McFarland]

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale [Walker & Company]



Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel
The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein [Random House]
Paper Towns by John Green [Dutton Juvenile]
Kiss Me, Kill Me by Lauren Henderson [Delacorte]
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart [Little, Brown]
Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen [Knopf]



Best Cover Art
Death Was the Other Woman designed by David Rotstein and written by Linda L. Richards [Minotaur]
Death Will Get You Sober designed by David Rotstein and written by Elizabeth Zelvin [Minotaur]
The Fault Tree designed by David Rotstein and written by Louise Ure [Minotaur]
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo designed by Peter Mendelsund and written by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
Money Shot designed by Steve Cooley and written by Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime]

Special Service Award
Jon and Ruth Jordan
Ali Karim
David Montgomery
Gary Warren Niebuhr
Sarah Weinman

"my favorite is Bill Cameron!"

On the list of things I like to see in reviews: "my favorite so far is Bill Cameron" is right there in the top three!

Here's the link to Alison Hallett's write up on Portland Noir (Akashic).

Three guesses!

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane??

Is it Superman???

No! It's how we must fold your letter when you send a query letter and a too-small envelope. #10 Envelopes are long enough to fold an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper in a trifold. That's the correct sized envelope to send.

Anything else, and you'll turn into a:

Benchmark books

I bought and dove into Rogue Males by Craig McDonald as soon as I could get my mitts on it. It's a collection of interviews with mystery writers including Elmore Leonard, James Ellroy, Pete Dexter, Lee Child, James Crumley, Daniel Woodrell, James Sallis and others. There's not a name on that list I don't revere as a writer.

In the opening interview with James Crumley, Craig McDonald writes:

As Dennis Lehane confided to me in April 2003, speaking for himself and fellow crime authors George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly, "I think it's funny we all hold the same book in a certain high regard, which is James Crumley's Last Good Kiss."

I don't find it strange at all. I've always got my eye peeled for those books respected writers admire in common. Under The Volcano is an example: almost every serious literary writer I've met has not only read it but studied it carefully. Get a group of literary writers together, I guarantee you that they've all read that book.

And today I was reminded of another: Love, Loss and What I Wore. This is a small book, published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill in 1995. It's never been on a best-seller list; I don't think the author has ever been on Oprah. But, if you scratch an editor, agent, or writer who loves delightful books, you'll find a fan of Ilene Beckerman.


Thus it was with great delight I saw this announcement on Publishers Marketplace today:

NON-FICTION: MEMOIR
Antiques Roadshow author Carol Prisant's DOG HOUSE (pitched as in the tradition of Love, Loss, and What I Wore) a memoir of a 42 year marriage and the 9 dogs that sustained it, to Megan Newman at Gotham, for publication in summer 2010, by Emma Sweeney at Emma Sweeney Agency (NA).

What are your benchmark books- the ones that make you happy to find fellow devotees?

Andrew Grant's in Crimespree magazine!

Well, yes, he was in the New York Times too, but Jon Jordan was first! (and a devoted early fan of EVEN!)

We've terrified the wrong half of y'all

Writers penning query letters fall into two groups: those who are extremely careful to follow the rules, and obsess about getting things right; and, those who don't know (or don't care) there are any kinds of norms to observe.

Blogging agents have terrified the first group. The second group doesn't even know there are blogging agents.

Websites, guidelines, and query workshop have terrified the first group. The second group wouldn't recognize a workshop or a guideline if it was offered to him/her on a clearance rack at Kmart.

Form rejection letters and the dreaded "no response means no" have beaten down many in the first group. The second group don't even know there are such things as form rejections and have a neat trick of saying "get back to me if you're interested" thereby discouraging even agents like me from sending a form letter.

Ever get the feeling we're terrifying the wrong half?
Yea, me too.

If you're reading this blog; if you've read QueryShark; if you've paid any attention at all to the myriad of other agent blogs, chances are pretty darn good you're doing things right.

If you're not, well, you're not reading this post so I'll just say it straight out: quit ruining it for the rest of these guys.

SOME GIRLS ARE (finding out second books are all they are) CRACKED UP TO BE

The incredible Courtney Summers has a compelling post on the editing process.

Those of us who twitter with Courtney will never forget The Night the Laptop Died, but thankfully, all's well that ends well!

This cracks me up...but it might not be as funny to you

Uses for failed writers

I've heard people say agents are just failed writers a couple of times. I read those sentiments again today in this blog post, only it was about editors and critics.

Consider this: the one person who knows how really hard it is to write a good novel is the one who has tried to do it.

I've failed at a number of things. I won't enumerate them but let's just say I know there are a number of things I'm not very good at. Every time I see someone do one of those things, and do it well, I know it's not just luck. When I see someone do one of those things and make it look effortless, I know I'm seeing thousands of hours of practice and a singular devotion to excellence.

I know this from actual experience so my understanding isn't just cerebral, it's visceral.

The next time you're tempted to believe agents and editors don't understand you, you might want to think that maybe they understand all too well.

Resistance is apparantly futile, so at least do it right

There's an overwhelming temptation to include blurbs, or quotes, in your query letter. "So and So said this fabulous thing about my novel!"

I understand that you want me to know people other than your mom or your clever dog have read Fabulous Novel and liked it.

And it's fine to include those things if you can't resist (I pay no attention to them, just so you know.)

What you need to remember about those blurbs is that they are effective only if:

I know the person lauding you.

Not necessarily personally, but at least by name. At the very worst, if I google "Lauder's Name" and "author" and I don't find anything, this is a useless blurb.

The corollary of this rule is that you must use the person's name. Both of them. HoneyPie, a reader, is useless. As is Famous Novelist who wishes to remain anonymous.

Also useless is a professional designation without a name. I see this a lot from people who are querying for novels they entered in the Amazon Breakout Novel contest: PW said this and that about Fabulous Novel.

If you don't know this you should: PW did not say that about your novel because it was not printed in the pages of Publishers Weekly. A person working for PW read contest entries and made comments. Those two are NOT the same thing.

It helps if you put the name in context as well. Example: "Sophie Littlefield read my manuscript as part of a critique group. I know you adore Sophie, and she adored Fabulous Novel (insert quote here.)"

If you take a class from a famous writer or editor who reads your book, you mention that's how they read it: Mrs PiggleWiggle read my novel when I took her class on Fascinating Dialogue and she said (insert quote here)

The bottom line is that introductions or references aren't needed but if you can't resist including them at least make them effective: full name, quote, context of how the quote was obtained ALL need to be there:

Janet Reid, SharklyAgent, read my blog post and says "Too kind. Be meaner" when I accosted her at the local watering hole and held her scotch bottle hostage.

You've got a book deal...what now?

Sean Ferrell emailed me the other day to say he'd signed up for a writing conference.
I thought he was kidding. After all, Sean's pants have been known to phone me...perhaps this was another set up for a joke.

It wasn't.

The conference Sean signed up for isn't really about how to get published, although there is valuable info for people who don't have deals yet. The 2009 Center for Fiction Writers' Conference is chockablock full of sessions for writers who have a deal and now wonder what to do next. People like Sean Ferrell whose book NUMB will be published by Harper in 2010. That seems like next year, but in terms of publishing it's tomorrow.

Here are some examples:

1:00-2:00 Beyond the Desk: Finding Your Community of Writers
Panelist: Ken Chen

1:00-2:00 What Good Are Book Reviews, Anyway?
Panelist: Jennifer Weiner
Panelist: Jim Mustich
Panelist: Albert Mobilio


2:15-3:15 Promoting Your Book 101
Panelist: Kathy Daneman
Panelist: Touré
Panelist: Ben Greenman
Panelist: Lauren Cerand


3:30-4:30 After the Book Deal
Panelist: Stefan Merrill Block

4:45-6:00 What Happens Next?
Panelist: Jon Karp
Panelist: Peter Cameron
Panelist: Marlon James

And get this: registration for the conference also gets you a month of free writing space at the Mercantile Library. This might be just the thing you need to finish your novel, or work on revisions from your sharkly agent, or perhaps just get to all those books you've meant to read and haven't.

There's online registration and I hear it's filling up so if you're thinking of attending, don't dawdle around!

So, what are you looking for?

Prompted by this post from Nathan Bransford, I thought it would be fun to see if you, the blog readers can help me hone a description of what I'm looking for to fewer than 100 words.

There's a practical reason I'm asking for help: I need this description for the upcoming Writer's Digest pitch slam and WNBA's Query Roulette.


To assist you here's the link to my most recent sales.

You can post your answer in the comments column.
You can email me!

I've got some great books here to give away as thank you gifts!

Ready, set, Go!

Cowgirl Lit!

I'm adding "cowgirl lit" to the list of what I'm looking for. With a cover like this all I can think of is "I want MORE!"

For those of you who regularly read the blog you'll remember I've posted about Kennedy Foster before.

Never ever let anyone tell you that new fresh talent isn't being published. You're looking at the proof it is.

"Get Specific Names," advises Kristin Nelson

Kristin Nelson's PubRants is a must-read for me (it should be for you too!). Today her post on the importance of specific names on submissions is really valuable.

The perfect gift for your ma if she is one tough Mother!

No, not the handsome model...the shirt!

And if you can't find that, then Portland Noir, the most recent anthology with a story from that handsome model himself.

Warped Minds writing contest!

gotta love the title!
I also adore the instigator: Kari Dell, one of my fabulous clients.

Here are the details for a quick, fun writing contest!

Hell yes I'm buying her book!

This youtube video about edit letters just cracked me up.

Why I Will be at the BEA pitch slam this year

This is my client Alysia Sofios.
She's standing in front of Pocket Books, which will be publishing her book WHERE HOPE BEGINS on 9/15/09.

I took that picture when we visited her editor, the incomparable Abby Zidle, and her publicist two weeks ago.

A year ago, I'd never heard of Alysia Sofios, and she'd never heard of me.

That all changed at the Writers Digest Pitch Slam at BEA last May.

If you've got a project, you'll do well to think about attending the conference this year.

Normally I loathe pitch sessions. Loathe.
There's one good thing that can happen at a pitch session that can't happen as easily anyplace else. You can TALK to the writer.

That's how I figured out Alysia didn't have a true crime book, and she didn't have a story about murder and desperation. Yes, there are those elements in the book but this book is about perseverance, and hope, and taking risks.

I never would have seen that in a query letter, and Alysia would have never written a query letter to me. She'd never heard of me before the fateful day she heard a bunch of people laughing and decided to see what all the fun was about.

Here's the link to the Pitch Slam website.

Maybe it's time for you to take a risk and sign up.
If you do, you darn well better come over and say howdy.

Some days you flip the bird...

...some days you don't!

Dodging bullets for fun and profit

Prima facie evidence that Jessica Faust is nicer than I am can be found on her BookEnds LLC blog post today.


It amuses me to no end when people seem to think that asking for more information, or asking for it in a certain way is a burden. Here's my response to that: don't query me.

Querying an agent is not a right guaranteed to you by the Nth amendment to the constitution. If you don't want to send me information the way I ask for it, don't. It's ok. I'll live. You will too.

Here's my version of pretty much the same interaction:

Ring! Ring!

Me: Hello, FinePrint.

Caller: Hello, I'd like to speak to Janet Reid.

Me: Speaking.

Caller: I'm looking at your website where it says not to call.

(Pause for the irony of this to perhaps dawn on caller, but no such luck)


Caller: It also says you don't want to miss out on anything.

Me: (thinking, yes, I know what's on my website, I wrote the bloody thing) yes?

Caller: Well, I have something that's unlike anything else ever done before!

Me: You'll need to send a query in writing. Email is best.

Caller: oh. But let me just tell you a little bit about it

(Pause for caller to drone on for some time, while I open and sort query letters paying no attention to what caller is saying)

Silent pause

Me: You'll need to send a query in writing. Email is best.

Caller: Ok, well, that's fine. I'll put (redacted) in subject line.

Me: That's fine, just email it to me.

Caller: I'll put a link in the email to my website with the book on it.

Me: I don't click on links, please just send a query letter.

Caller: Why won't you click on a link?

Me: I'm not going to discuss this with you further.

Caller: (in a tone that conveys he'll have nothing further to do with ME, thank you very much) Bye!

Me: (not-so-silent-laughter)

Now, the difference between Jessica and me? She clearly feels bad when this kind of thing happens. Not me! But like I said: she's nice. Me, I'm cruel enough to make werewolves dance!

Just for kicks!

The Malice Domestic banquet was a whole lot of fun!






You might wonder how it came to be that a stuffed werewolf was among our boon companions for dinner? Well, Dana Cameron hosted our table and created an amazing gift bag that was a lot of fun to dig into. My werewolf instigated trouble among his brethren of course. The only part we managed to photograph was the werewolf Rockette kick line.




And if you're wondering about the button (Because I'm the agent that's why) it was a gift from an author with a very dark and twisted sense of humor. (Which is one of the many reasons I adore Toni L.P. Kelner!)

All the fun we had at dinner was mere foreshadowing to the giddy excitement of Dana Cameron winning the Agatha for her short story "The Night Things Changed."










Thanks to Gigi Pandian for the photos (and the art direction and werewolf stylist work too!) I was very glad to find myself sitting next to Gigi at dinner. She's a part of Sophie Littlefield's posse of merrymakers and a darn good writer as well.

Dana Cameron bites the competition!

The annual Agatha Awards were announced this weekend at the Malice Domestic conference in Arlington Virginia.

And Dana Cameron WON! Her short story "The Night Things Changed" from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (edited by the incomparable Toni L.P. Kelner and Charlaine Harris) was selected from a pretty high-powered group of terrific writers.






Sadly, Dana is now deaf in her left ear because when they announced she won, I let out a banshee wail that may have set off car alarms in Reston. Of course, everyone else at our table was also screeching and hugging and helping Dana steady herself for the walk to the podium.

One of the very best things about the people who attend Malice? The very first person to congratulate her was her fellow nominee Toni Kelner. I saw that again and again over the course of the weekend: real camaraderie.

In case you don't know, Malice Domestic is a fan convention, not a writer's conference. That means readers attend to meet their favorite writers and discover new ones. If you're a reader, it's a great place to interact with writers you admire. And if you're a writer, it's a great place to meet your readers.

I had a fabulous time. It was really easy to get to there (the DC subway stops right under the hotel!) and the hotel was almost as nice as the conference.

Will I be back? You bet! After all Dana still has one good ear. I want a chance to deafen the other one!

Hurray! Portland Noir is HERE!

and the cover lists leading contributors: Ariel Gore, Jess Walter, *Bill Cameron*, Karen Karbo, Zoe Trope, Jonathan Sellwood and Monica Drake!

The Edgars!

The awards have been bestowed. The authors have been wheeled out of the bar. The agents have been rolled up with the rugs and sent out for industrial strength cleaning: yes this year's Edgars have come and gone.

It was a lot of fun.

I know this because this morning I awoke with a red feather boa wrapped around my head; clutching a scotch bottle, a program and shrieking Leonard Cohen lyrics; and wondering if I'd really threatened a coup d'etat of Cornelia Reade's fan club leadership so I could be the president instead.

Well, what happens at the Edgars, stays ..um...well, stays in the imaginations of 200+ very talented writers and will most likely be fodder for a great novel next year.

Such is the fate of those of us who work with the Keyboard Cabal.

Now, on to Malice!