ShortCon, the first conference focused on short-story writing by crime fiction authors, was held June 22, 2024, at Elaine’s Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Forty-plus writers, including myself, heard Brendan Dubois talk about writing short stories for “fun and occasional profit.” Jackie Sherbow addressed what happens at the editor’s desk at …
The Virginia Festival of the Book, five days of literary events featuring local and national authors, wraps up tomorrow in Charlottesville, VA. The weather gods smiled today (less rain than forecasted) as we made our way to the Omni Hotel for the “Sequels and Segues: Crime Wave” panel featuring award-winning …
On Thursday, March 21, 2024, I attended a Fall for the Book event, “Thrillers, Killers, and Wine Chillers,” at Old Town Hall in Fairfax, VA. Award-winning authors Tara Laskowski and E. A. (Ed) Aymar discussed their most recent novels, Weekend Retreat and When She Left, respectively. Wine and crudités, accompanied …
Attended the 10th annual Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival in Suffolk, VA yesterday. Two excellent panels: “Woman of the People: Inspiring Female Characters” (l to r: Nancy Naigle, Kristin Kisska, K. L. Murphy, Courtney G. Foutz, Christine Trent), and “Nerve Shredders: Fiction to Keep You Up at Night” (l to r: …
On Februrary 28, Mark Greaney, author of the bestselling Gray Man series, entertained fellow authors and fans at Elaine’s Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Jeffery James Higgins conducted a masterful interview, and there was a surprise visit by Senator Mark Warner (VA). It had been several years since we last saw …
I’m a big (huge) fan of book festivals. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the Williamsburg Book Festival in Williamsburg, VA. As usual, I came home with several books to add to my “To Be Read” pile, which is in danger of toppling. The two novels, both recently published, …
I’ve deactivated my Twitter account, at least for a while. We’ll see what happens.
The three books I’m recommending today have been out for a while, so I urge you to check them out if you haven’t already done so. Win, by Harlan Coben, is a brilliant mystery/thriller by a master storyteller. When a Stranger Comes to Town, edited by Michael Koryta, is a …
I am continuing to query agents for my first manuscript and taking solace from other writers who have told me how many rejections they endured before seeing their first books in print. While I wait, I’m also in the process of finishing a second book. I won’t make too much …
This post is probably way too long, but bear with me… It’s hard to believe 2020 is coming to a close, and we’re no closer to life returning to “normal” than we were six or seven months ago. The coronavirus is forcing us to search for a new normal, but …
