I’m Baaaack!

Happy September, everyone! If you’re anything like me, you’re ready for some cooler fall weather. So bring it on!

August was a very busy month, so I wasn’t able to post every Tuesday as I usually do. But good news: yesterday I sent the edits of my third novel, House of Hanging Jade, to my editor. Now I can get back to writing my next two novels in earnest. And cooking regular meals, and doing the laundry, and keeping the flower beds weeded, and cleaning the house…

This week I want to tell you about some of the events I participated in this summer. I had a great time and I’m happy to have some photos to share with you.

First, Sun Rose Words and Music, an independent bookstore in Ocean City, NJ, hosted a booksigning for me on a beautiful Thursday in July. Some fantastic folks stopped by to chat and I even sold a few books! It was great seeing old friends and making new ones.

                

Second, I was lucky and honored to be included in the Summer Author Lecture Series at the Avalon Free Public Library in Avalon, NJ. This year and in the past, the library has attracted the likes of Elin Hilderbrand, Lisa Scottoline, and Lee Child, so it was thrilling for me to be able to be included in the library’s line-up this summer. Here are a few photos of the event:

                

A few days after the event in Avalon I had the opportunity to visit my hometown of Watertown, NY, to be a guest of the Asbury Book Club. It was a group of lovely and lively people (mostly women, but one man came, too!) who asked lots of questions about my books and the publishing process. And they were kind enough to invite my mom, which was a big bonus. Some of the people at the meeting didn’t make it into the picture below, but it was wonderful to meet all of them (my mom didn’t make it into the picture, either, because she was the photographer). And after the book club meeting, I got to have lunch with Sharon Aguanno, an avid reader and friend whom I’d never met in person. What a treat for me!

And finally, I attended the second annual Suffolk, Virginia Mystery Authors Festival on Saturday, August 22nd. It was such a thrill to share the stage with so many talented and prolific writers and friends! The event actually started for the attendees on the 21st, when we were treated to a Suffolk Ghost Walk. We learned about the history of the beautiful city of Suffolk and the ghosts who haunt its homes and businesses. On Saturday there was a meet & greet for guests and writers, then a panel of the 24 authors, followed by booksignings, readings, workshops, and other panels. I participated in the Location, Location, Location panel and had a great time. I am already looking forward to going back next year.

                    

I’d like to thank all the people who showed up to any of these events, everyone who organized and coordinated the events, and anyone who took pictures and shared them with me!

I hope you had a great August, too. How did you spend your time?

Until next week,

Amy

Suffolk, Virginia Mystery Authors Festival

Before I get started, I’d like to let everyone know that Secrets of Hallstead House was featured as the Cool Book of the Week on Amy Metz’s blog, A Blue Million Books. I’d love for you to check out the post: you can find it at http://abluemillionbooks.blogspot.com/. You may have to scroll down just a bit, but I promise it’s there. Many thanks to Amy Metz for the opportunity to appear on her blog!

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Suffolk, Virginia Mystery Authors Festival, hosted by the Suffolk Division of Tourism in partnership with the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts and the Suffolk Public Library. It was a gathering of twelve very talented and prolific mystery writers, a literary agent (Dawn Dowdle), a freelance editor (Jeni Chappelle), several members of the Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime, and hundreds of very happy readers.

I had the opportunity to meet and chat with the likes of Ellery Adams, Mollie Cox Bryan (who shares my Kensington editor), Mary Burton, Erika Chase, Vicki Delany (who also writes as Eva Gates), Linda O. Johnston, Joyce and Jim Lavene (who write together as Ellie Grant and J.J. Cook), Maggie Sefton, Gayle Trent (who also writes as Amanda Lee), LynDee Walker, and Wendy Lyn Watson (who also writes as Annie Knox).

Many of these authors write cozy mysteries. The cozy is a sub-genre of crime fiction in which the main character, generally a woman, is an amateur sleuth with a day job that allows her to interact with members of the close-knit community in which the crime usually takes place. The cozy is populated with quirky-next-door-neighbor-type characters and the reader gets to know many members of the community as a cozy series progresses. Often the main character has a close relationship with a member of law enforcement (say, a brother, best friend, boyfriend, ex-husband, etc.) and you’d be amazed at how often cats, dogs, and other animals are important cast members. Cozies tend to be on the milder side of crime fiction and generally avoid strong cursing and graphic descriptions of violence and intimacy. It is common to find the main character’s job or hobby (such as knitting, scrapbooking, or animal rescues) as a theme throughout a cozy series.

But not all the authors I met write cozies: some write novels and stories that are a bit darker, such as Mary Burton’s Cover Your Eyes or her Texas Rangers series or Maggie Sefton’s newest political mystery Poisoned Politics. I’m happy to report that both Mary and Maggie are charming in real life and exude none of the danger they write about.

I wish I had time and space to write more about the books I discovered and the authors I talked to, but I will provide their website addresses below for you to check out.

The festival included presentations throughout the day that focused on everything from the History of the Mystery to a talk by Dawn Dowdle, literary agent, about the importance of finding an editor that fits a writer’s needs and genres. While the presentations were being held, many of the authors read from their most recent releases, which was a treat for the readers who attended.

If you ever have a chance to visit Suffolk, Virginia, I have a couple pieces of advice. First, try to avoid I-95 at all costs, even if it means walking the entire distance (you’ll get there faster if you walk, anyway). Second, get there on a day when the Suffolk Division of Tourism is hosting one of its tours, such as the Suffolk Ghost Walk (which I missed because I was sitting on I-95) or the Great Dismal Swamp Guided Nature Walk. Third, don’t leave until you check out the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts, which is housed in a restored high school and is a beautiful space that houses, among other things, art galleries, a gorgeous theater, a ballroom, and studios for dance, weaving, pottery, photography, and much more. The Suffolk Division of Tourism couldn’t have picked a more breathtaking and inspiring place to hold its Mystery Authors Festival.

Here’s that list of the authors’ websites:

Ellery Adams: http://www.elleryadamsmysteries.com/
Mollie Cox Bryan: http://molliecoxbryan.com/
Mary Burton: http://www.maryburton.com/
Erika Chase: http://www.erikachase.com/
Vicki Delany: http://vickidelany.com/
Linda O. Johnston: http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
Joyce and Jim Lavene: http://www.joyceandjimlavene.com/
Maggie Sefton: http://www.maggiesefton.com/
Gayle Trent: http://www.gayletrent.com/
LynDee Walker: http://lyndeewalker.com/
Wendy Lyn Watson: http://www.wendylynwatson.com/

Jeni Chappelle: http://www.jenichappelle.com/
Dawn Dowdle: http://www.blueridgeagency.com/

Sisters in Crime: http://www.sistersincrime.org/?7

Suffolk Division of Tourism: http://www.suffolk-fun.com/

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Mystery Authors Festival!

Until next week,

Amy