Report from the Left Coast pt 2

A full agenda Saturday kept everyone busy at Left Coast Crime. I missed the Sex and the Author panel in favor of Agents, Editors and Booksellers but I could hear the laughs coming through the walls and talked to some folks who attended and it sounded great. At the Agents, Editors and Booksellers there was some good information and stories from the trenches of these important jobs. The panel was geared toward writers and the subtitle of the panel - They can make or break your career - was apt. A special shout ot to Linda Brown from the Mystery Bookstore who, in the weeks leading up to LCC, expressed dismay at having to speak on a panel but she did quite well and gave some great insight. 


I finally got a chance to get a signed copy of Christa Faust's Money Shot. Yet another great thing about Hard Case crime is that the books are cheap enough you can buy a second copy of a book you've read just to have a signed one. Can't wait for her next one. She also showed off her new tattoo of the Hard Case logo right on her wrist. It makes a great tattoo and I snapped a picture of her showing it off. On her camera though. I was in such a rush to get out the door this morning I forgot mine. Idiot. Christa and I prmised to spend more time hanging out at Bouchercon in October.


The LOL panel was, of course, funny. I walked in to see all six panelists sitting on the dias in clown wigs. They took their funny seriously, especially Sophie Littlefield who said she hadn't even realized she'd written a comic novel. I tend to agree. A Bad Day For Sorry has it light moments but I wouldn't call it a cozy. Everyone had a unique take on writing mysteries with a humorous tilt. We ran out of time before anyone realized it. 


Brett Battles cornerd me in the hall and told me he found out we had a mutual friend which was a nice way to meet him. I bought his book The Cleaner and look forward to read it. I certainly know him by reputation but haven't read his work.


The Rap Sheet already covered the one-on-one with Gregg Hurwitz and Lee Child so go there for coverage. 


The Meet A New Author panel I was on went realy well. It was late in the day but we still got a good crowd to come out and see me, Rebecca Cantrell, Gabriela Vazquez, Sharon Rowse and Rachel Brady. Moderator Eric Stone did a great job of keeping it fun and lively. We all had planned to read a short section of our books but Rachel was a late edition and didn't have time to prepare anythig so Eric suggested we throw it out to the audience and have them shout out a page number and we read that page and then give the context and explain more about the work. Rebecca and I were nervous to do it but it worked out extremely well. I lucked out ended up with a page of action and a big fight. We got some good questions including one from Stephen Jay Schwartz whose novel Boulevard made my to be read list this weekend. 


The Awards banquet and auction was fun mostly because I got to sit with Rebecca Cantrell and Kelli Stanley along with Ken Isaacson and Keith Raffel. Our table was thrilled when Rebecca won the Bruce Alexander Memorial Award for best historical novel for A Trace of Smoke. After hanging out with her all weekend I can truly say it coudn't have gone to a nicer person and one hell of a novelist. The Hannah Vogel series is sure to be a hit for a long time. 


The auction was fun as people bid for signed copies and many chances to have a character named after you in a story. The big ticket item was four signed Mickey Spillane paperbacks which went for $5000 to Lee Child. 


There are a few more morning activities today and then it's Santa Fe next year. I'll be there for sure.