I Am A Published Author by Dru Ann Love
This is a short post while I recover from my recent surgery. It’s hard to sit at a desk when you can’t bend your knee or if you do “ouch.”
Bouchercon 2023
by Dru Ann Love
This week I’ll be in San Diego attending Bouchercon. It is a special occasion as I am Fan Guest of Honor. I was already Fan Guest of Honor at Malice in 2022 and Left Coast Crime earlier this year.
All three events were packed with obligation as being Fan Guest of Honor and I relished them. One of the things we had to partake in was an interview or an activity and we had to attend the banquet. There were other events that we had to partake in, but I can’t recall.
For Malice, Kristopher Zgorski of BOLO Books fame, penned my article for the program book. Heather Webber, wrote my article for Left Coast Crime program book. And Eleanor Cawood Jones wrote my article for Bouchercon.
I don’t think I did an activity for Malice, but for Left Coast Crime, with the help of Michael G. Mueller, I had a pub quiz based on Tucson and prior to getting on stage the helm the question, Michael and I did a little “western” skit with horses. We had a great time setting it up and then doing the skit.
For Bouchercon, I will be interviewed by Kristopher. Nervous, you betcha. But it should be fun.
If you are attending Bouchercon, you can find me at the 7:30am panel on Saturday, I’m moderating “Dru Ann and Friends, Talking About Books” and on Friday at 10:20am being interviewed by Kris. I will also be at the banquet. Oh I did submit something for the auction. But mostly I’ll be around, as much as I can with a scooter and my support cane.
I will find a corner and dub it “Dru’s corner.”
Will I see you there?
A Momentary Blip
Last week Paula told you about my trip to Charleston, South Carolina. It was great seeing the local authors at lunch.
Me and my friends met at an author event many years ago and we decided to travel across the United States. I’m thinking one of these days, we will plan an international trip, perhaps to Canada or further. Prior to us three traveling together, we’ve been to St. Louis, Florida, and Washington D.C. with the author event.
So far, the three of us have been to Boston, Denver, Savannah, Memphis, Nashville, and just last week Charleston. We are toying around San Antonio or Seattle for our next trip.
Some of you may or may not know, but I’m experiencing a few mobility issues, I can’t wait nor stand for a length of time. I will be having a knee replacement in the fall.
What keeps me going during this momentary blip is my love of traveling to reader/fan conventions and with my girls.
Have you let a momentary blip in your life change the course you set?
A Gathering in Charleston, South Carolina
by Paula Gail Benson
82 Queen
This year, I had been regretting my inability to attend any writing conferences. Being among writers and readers always helps to inspire and bring new ideas into focus. Not to mention, adding to my “to be read” list.
A few months ago, I heard from a dear friend to so many of us, Dru Ann Love, that she would be coming to Charleston, South Carolina, to tour the city with friends. Could some of us who lived nearby join them for lunch one day?
My work schedule kept changing, so I wasn’t certain until the last minute that I could join the group. I asked my friend Sue Husman, a retired librarian and voracious reader, if she would ride with me from Columbia to Charleston.
For lunch, we had a reservation at 82 Queen, described on its website as “a uniquely ‘Charleston’ dining experience” in “three buildings and a garden courtyard nestled in the Historic French Quarter.” I had not been there in decades, but I knew it would be delightful and memorable.
As we left the Municipal Garage, we ran into Jackie Layton, who writes “cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths,” including the Low Country Dog Walker and the new Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mysteries, which will debut in July. I was impressed to learn that Jackie combines writing with being a part-time pharmacist. She lives in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, and her website is http://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com. Sue, Jackie, and I took a few minutes to peruse Buxton Books on King Street before heading to 82 Queen.
We dined upstairs in a room wallpapered with images of green parrots. Dru Ann was our most gracious host, introducing us to her friends, Yifat Cestare from New York and Marla Husovsky from California. Since meeting, they had traveled to join each other at several destinations for exploration, food, and fun. Yifat explained the number one requirement was laughing a lot. We were glad to comply.
My lunch: tomato pie and salad. YUM.
Dru Ann made sure we knew about each of the authors. Tina Whittle and Nora McFarland had traveled from Savannah, Georgia.
In addition to short fiction, Tina Whittle writes the Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver mysteries that feature gunshop owner Tai and corporate security agent Trey. She reads tarot and enjoys boxing, sushi, and mini pilgrimages. Her website is http://www.tinawhittle.com.
Nora McFarland has an MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and has worked in national (CNN) and local news. Her protagonist is Lily Hawkins, a TV News photographer who lives and sleuths in Bakersfield, California. Nora’s website is http://www.noramcfarland.com.
Pralines and Cream Ice Cream for Dessert!
Dorothy McFalls and I always joke that we only meet when traveling to writing conventions. We have both been members of the Lowcountry Romance Writers (chapter of RWA), based in Charleston. Dorothy’s a Charleston resident who writes romance and mysteries. She has two websites: http://dorothymcfalls.com and http://dorothystjames.com. Her mysteries include the White House Gardener, the Southern Chocolate Shop, and the Beloved Bookroom series.
Everyone was very supportive of my short stories, including “Crossfire in the Crosshairs” available in eBook A Death in the Night to be released in August by Dragon Soul Press. You can pre-order here.
Dru Ann had her own happy news that was announced at Malice Domestic. She and Kristopher Zgorski have collaborated to write a short story for a Beatles related anthology that will be edited by Josh Pachter. We are all very excited to read their work. Meanwhile, we’ll be following Dru Ann’s reading adventures at https://drusbookmusing.com/.
The group with something above!
We had a fabulous time, enjoying great food and conversation. One of the topics was about staying in haunted places. I noticed in the photo our server took that a shiny figure seems to float above us. Some might call it a reflection from the light fixture, but I wonder!
Many thanks to everyone involved in this wonderful day. Dru Ann, Yifat, and Marla, don’t you think you could make Charleston an annual destination?
Reading Mojo and LCC
I don’t have much to say. I lost my reading mojo due to medical complications. I got it back by reading a domestic thriller (Teach Her A Lesson by Kate Flora) which is not my preferred genre. Then I followed that up with reading the last book (The Last Remains) in a beloved series by Elly Griffiths. Then followed that up by reading Four Leaf Cleaver by Maddie Day and Gone But Not For Garden by Kate Collins. So I got my reading mojo back.
In the meantime, I am Fan Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime next month and part of that honor is either being interviewed and being on a panel. I’m not an interview type of person, so I opted to do something else. Yep, I’m doing a LCC Pub Quiz.
First I had to come up with a theme, I did, and then a few questions. I started out with 25 questions but needled it down to 17 questions and even had the form “beautified”. Then two weeks ago, decided that two of the questions didn’t fit the theme, so there will be 15 questions on my pub quiz.
I too straight forward to be comical, so I enlisted the help of a friend who will be my sidekick. I love this person because he has created a fun-filled interactive experience that will be a hoot. I won’t tell you the details, but if you are attending LCC, come to my pub quiz to see for yourself.
Have you ever done a pub quiz or something interactive at an event?
Lack of TV by Dru Ann Love
It had to happen to this TV addict. It had to happen to this award show addict. What has happened? Well for the award shows, they rarely nominated a show that I watched, so it was useless to watch the Emmys or the Daytime Emmy since I don’t watch the few soap operas still on the air. I stopped watching the Golden Globes and the People Choice award shows because I knew less than one percent of the nominees – okay maybe five percent. The Grammys – who are these artists that are half dressed – wait, hardly dressed. I think the only show I still watch is the Oscars and that is to see what people are wearing.
Oh, and let’s talk about TV shows. Back in the day, my whole week was taken over by the TV shows I HAD to watch. Now, I calculated I watch one show on Sunday (Equalizer), one on Monday (9-1-1) and two shows on Thursday (Young Sheldon and the new show, So Help Me Todd). Nothing else enticed me to watch. They need to bring back shows like Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Remington Steele and so on.
So, what am I doing when I’m not watching these four shows, I’ve been reading. Post pandemic my book reading was 2-3 books a week, now it has picked up to 3-5 books a week. I’ve been reading a lot of advance reader copies, mostly non-cozy titles with a few cozies in the pack. Last week I read a historical thriller and enjoyed it. A few weeks ago, I read a book that took place in Ireland. Everyone who knows me know I do not read books where the location is outside of the U.S.A nor do I read historicals. But lack of TV viewing is opening me up to branch out my reading habit.
So, has the lack of anything caused you to increase other things?
Setting dates
Bouchercon convention is fast approaching. This year it is being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota and it will be my first time in this city. For those that don’t know, Bouchercon is the world’s finest annual crime fiction event, bringing together more than 1,500 authors, fans, publishers, reviewers, booksellers, editors, and every other part of the community for a fantastic four-day event.
As a longtime fan of Prince, I’m hoping, mobility issues will hamper this, to visit Paisley Park. If it does, I was told there is a Prince store at the airport.
So I’ve read and scrutinized the schedule for what panels I hope to attend. It looks like I’ve penciled in two to three panels that I want to attend throughout the four days. There are also publisher’s events where you can get free books and meet the authors. I look forward to this event.
One of the activities I can’t wait to do while attending this convention is seeing my friends and meeting new ones. Some, it’s been two years since I’ve last seen them. Some I saw at one of the last two conventions I went to this year.
But the most important activity is setting dates for meals. Yep, I am almost booked.
What do you look forward to when attending reader/fan convention or writer’s conference?
Weekend with Friends by Dru Ann Love
by Dru Ann Love
Every year me and two of my friends plan a weekend getaway. We’ve been to Boston, Denver, Savannah, and most recently Memphis and Tennessee. Whatever is our destination, I always look to see if I have any author friends in the area and plan a lunch. I like to introduce them to the authors and the books they write. In most cases, they do tend to make a purchase or two.
This past weekend, we did the touristy things, Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks march to the fountain in Memphis and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Johnny Cash Museum, and the Musicians Hall of fame. But the most entertaining activity was meeting the authors and one of them was Lois Winston. We picked the Margaritaville restaurant for lunch, but who knew they had live music that just never stopped. It was hard hearing conversations if you weren’t nearby. It was great seeing Lois and my other friends.
When you travel, do you seek out friends to visit?