Authors & their Cats: Lilian Jackson Braun

Happy Caturday! What better author to highlight today on my Writers & their Cats series than Lilian Jackson Braun, author of the Cat Who series. 

Authors & Their Cats: Lilian Jackson Braun

Happy Caturday! What better author to highlight today on my Authors & their Cats series than Lilian Jackson Braun, author of the Cat Who series. Be sure to scroll down and see both photos.

AUTHORS FOR LA

From Daniel Palmer: 

Ok, Authors...the time has come. It has been quite an undertaking to put together a live charity auction in such a short period, but with the help of many, we've got all the pieces in place. The American Red Cross has signed on as our charity because they LOVE authors, and together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who have lost so much. Here's how to start helping. 

1. PLEASE VISIT the Authors for LA Facebook Page, and our ONLINE DONATION form and register for a donation: 

https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfBZGokGVsE1O.../viewform 

2. Please share the donation form link with ANY author you think will want to help, and like and share the Authors4LA FB page. Tag authors...HELP US SPREAD THE WORD. 

We will host a live simulcast with our celebrity authors and other special guests on Wednesday, January 22, from 6PM-10PM EST. Stay tuned for the schedule of appearances. 

Any questions please email: admin@authorsforLA.com 

IF YOU TRULY WANT TO HELP...PLEASE FILL OUT THE DONATION FORM, GIVE GENEROUSLY so people will want to bid and bid high for your great work, AND SHARE, SHARE, SHARE to show that you CARE! 🙂 

Thanks for your amazing support! Let's do this! #bettertogether 

https://authorsforla.com/

THE BACK ROOM: Cocktails and Conversation with Your Favorite Authors

The Back Room has a truly unique format. Each event is online and features four terrific authors. Attendees in groups of 15 or so get to spend time with each author, interacting, asking questions, and so much more. I love the intimate nature of The Back Room.  These events are hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne. And all the events are FREE!!!! 

Here's the Spring Line-Up. 

March 3, 2023 at 7 PM ET | Super Suspense!

Heather Gudenkauf • Gregg Hurwitz • Tracy Sierra • Nalini Singh

March 17 at 7 PM ET | Historical Fiction

James R. Benn • Avery Cunningham • Robin Oliveira • Heather Webb

April 7, 2024 at 7 PM ET | Riveting Stories!

Erin E. Adams • Lisa Gardner • Karen E. Olson • Carter Wilson

April 21 at 7 PM ET | Best Spring Fiction, Part One

Rene Denfeld • Paul Doiron • Nick Medina • Robin Peguero

May 5 at 7 PM ET | Twisty Suspense!

Ashley Elston • Michael Koryta • K.T. Nguyen • Kaira Rouda

May 26 at 7 PM ET | Best Spring Fiction, Part Two

Janie Chang • Sally Hepworth • Vanessa Miller • Sara Paretsky

As always, events are free but space is limited, so register early! For more information, go HERE.

THE BACK ROOM'S 2023 SPRING SEASON

The Back Room's 2023 Spring Season! 

I love the Back Room. Karen Dionne and Hank Phillippi Ryan developed this unique programming during lockdown, and it continues to be one of my favorite author events! 

This Spring they're presenting another stellar array of bestselling and debut authors in their innovative and interactive format. Chat up close and Zoom-personal with your favorite authors--or maybe meet a new favorite! The Back Room is an amazing place to stay connected with the writing community--not only with authors, but with fellow readers. Discover some wonderful new books! 

If you've been to a Back Room event in the past, you know how amazing it is. If you haven't--take a look at the fabulous panels coming up. Sign up now. FREE!!!!

THE BACK ROOM: Guest post by Hank Phillippi Ryan & Karen Dionne

Remember book launches? How much fun those used to be? An author’s book would publish, there would be a big festive party with refreshments and hugs and applause, and everyone would celebrate. For authors, it meant that their precious book, the one so close to their heart, was finally in the world.And book tours! Meeting readers face-to-face. Answering their questions, chatting with them in the signing line, and snapping selfies. Seeing old friends and making new ones while sharing our love of reading and a real sense of community. 

And then the pandemic hit. Bookstores nimbly shifted to hosting online events. Zoom interviews and Facebook Lives became the new normal. But while authors are deeply grateful that we can still speak to readers this way, online platforms have one critical (and frustrating) limitation: the author can’t see the audience. And as a result, that dynamic, energizing, and totally wonderful real-world connection between authors and readers is missing. 

After we did an online event together with Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor (and commiserated later about the format’s challenges), we realized we needed a way for readers and authors to connect online and keep that fabulous face-to-face. 

Six weeks later, our new author series, The Back Room, had its premiere. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: That Literati event was such a catalyst, wasn’t it? As we talked on the phone afterward and compared notes, we realized we both felt nostalgic for being in the same room with people. There’s a wonderful call and response element to a book talk—the author is telling stories and answering questions, and that’s great—but the special part is the audience reacting. With laughter, or agreeing nods, or even applause. That’s incredible fuel for the speaker and builds such a bond between author and audience. I felt as if I made new friends at every appearance. 

KAREN DIONNE: So true! My first experience with the limitations of online events came when I taught a writing class to a private Facebook group using Facebook Live. It was so bizarre to speak to students I couldn’t see. I had no idea how many were in attendance, if my students were connecting with what I was saying or if it was going over their heads or if they were bored out of their minds. It took a lot of energy to keep smiling and talking for an hour without audience feedback. 

And while a typical online book event is much better because you’re in conversation with an interviewer, there’s still that issue of not being able to draw energy from the audience. Friends have told me after the fact that they came to one of my online book events, and I didn’t even know they were there! 

HANK: Oh, so agree! My Zoom launch for THE FIRST TO LIE—in the midst of the pandemic, a tropical storm, and multiple power outages—still had a gloriously crazy number of people. But I never saw one of them! It was incredibly exciting, but nevertheless strange and disconcerting. It’s always a memorable moment, that first time you try out your new book speech. You’re gauging whether people are interested, and you can tell whether they think the book sounds good. But instead of talking to friends and family and readers, I was just… talking to a screen. 

And so many authors shared the same pandemic dilemma—trying to get the word out in a completely unfamiliar situation where every single system they’d relied on in the past simply did not exist. No matter if they were veteran authors who knew the ropes or debut authors who had looked forward to their pub day for years, it was a daunting challenge. 

So, you and I both realized, as we chatted in that initial phone conversation, that we needed a new idea. 

KAREN: That was such a great moment! And I love how as soon as we realized that Zoom breakout rooms could be a game-changer, we couldn’t wait to give it a try. 

The Back Room format is very simple: after a short, introductory session with a panel of four authors, attendees are divided into four Zoom breakout rooms, with one author assigned to each room. Attendees stay in their breakout room for the rest of the program, while the authors rotate through each room in turn. Everyone’s video is turned on and their mics are open. It’s all very relaxed and casual and fun—like a virtual cocktail party! 

Wendy Walker and Tori Eldridge joined us for our first author panel with Robin Agnew as our guest host, and the breakout rooms worked even better than we’d hoped! Everyone was so excited to be able to enjoy actual conversations. Since then, hundreds of people have attended Back Room events—many of them more than once—and more than 50 fabulous authors have signed on. 

And we were so honored when BOLO BOOKS’ Kristopher Zgorski wrote on Facebook, “I just have to give a shout out to Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne. They have really hit on something very special with this Back Room idea. This concept is brilliant and so much fun. I can’t think of an event that was this much fun since the pandemic began. It’s so well-run and just a total blast.” 

HANK: A blast is right! It’s so much fun to see who attends—not just avid readers, looking for some real book talk and conversation, but reviewers, authors looking to network, industry professionals, and writers working on their manuscripts. It’s a terrific way to make connections. And each breakout room develops a personality, where people can really get to know each other. As for the panels, we focused from the beginning on making sure they were inclusive in every way. And it’s so exciting, isn’t it? To see that evolve with the top-notch veteran and debut authors who create such wonderful energy, and the excitement around that. 

And even when the pandemic is over (soon soon soon) we’ll keep this going. Don’t you think? 

KAREN: Oh, absolutely! The Back Room may have come about because of the limitations imposed by the pandemic, but it’s quickly become an important element of our community. Even after we’re able to meet again in person, The Back Room will continue. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy face-to-face conversations with award-winning, bestselling authors from all over the world in the comfort of their living room? 

Meanwhile, our winter schedule has just been posted and it’s incredibly exciting, with mystery and thriller authors, historical fiction authors, cozy mystery authors, and more. But space is limited, because keeping the breakout rooms to a manageable size is what makes Back Room events so much fun. Check out the schedule at www.the-back-room.org, and we’ll see you in The Back Room.

***

Karen Dionne is the USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the award-winning psychological suspense novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in the US and in 26 other countries. Her follow up novel, The Wicked Sister (August 2020, G.P. Putnam’s Sons), is also an international bestseller and was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2020.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 12 thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, four Anthonys, the Daphne, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs. THE MURDER LIST ( Forge 2019) won the Anthony Award for Best Novel, and is an Agatha, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee. Hank’s newest novel is THE FIRST TO LIE. The Publishers Weekly starred review says "Stellar… Ryan could win a sixth Agatha for this one.”

CHRISTMAS CRIME FICTION: Authors A-E

Crime for the Holidays. Christmas time is a major time for murder! Every year I post a mystery list that's set during the Christmas holidays. It's such an extensive list, that I divide it into multiple parts. Here's the first installment, Authors A-E, of what will be a huge Christmas Crime Fiction list. I'll be posting the rest of the list over the next week or so. 

Although the list is updated every year, I'm sure I've still managed to miss a few authors and titles. Let me know, and I'd be glad to add them. 

And this year, I'll be adding a separate section on Short Story Anthologies and Novellas. More to come! Be sure and check back.

Christmas Crime Fiction: 
Authors A-E

Abbot, Anthony: About the Murder of a Startled Lady; About the Murder of Geraldine Foster.
Abbott, Allyson: Shots in the Dark
Abresch, Peter: The Faltese Malcom.
Adams, Deborah: All the Crazy Winters.
Adamson, Lydia: A Cat in the Manger; A Cat in the Wings; A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock; A Cat Under the Mistletoe.
Alan, Isabella: Murder, Served Simply.
Albert, Susan Wittig: Mistletoe Man; Rueful Death; Holly Blues: The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsetta Puzzle.
Alexander, David: Shoot a Sitting Duck.
Alexander, Hannah & Jill Elizabeth Nelson: Season of Danger; Silent Night; Deadly Night/Mistletoe Mayhem.
Alexander, Maria: Snowed.
Alexander, Victoria: What Happens at Christmas.
Allan, Barbara: Antiques Flee Market.
Allen, E.A.: The Fifth Christmas; The Dandridge Charter.
Allen, Michael: Spence and the Holiday Murders.
Ambrose, Terry: The Killer Christmas Sweater Club.
Amo, Gary: Silent Night.
Amsden, Pat: A Christmas to Die For.
Andre, Joel: A Death at the North Pole.
Andrews, Donna: How the Finch Stole Christmas; Six Geese A-Slaying; Duck the Halls; The Nightingale Before Christmas; Lark! The Herald Angels Sing.
Andrews, Mary Kay (Kathy Hogan Trocheck): Fatal Fruitcake; Blue Christmas; Christmas Bliss; Midnight Clear.
Angela, Mary. A Very Merry Murder.
Appignanesi, Lisa: The Dead of Winter.
Armstrong, Vivien: Fly in Amber.
Arnold, Carolyn. Christmas is Murder.
Arsenault, Emily: The Broken Teaglass.
Arts, David Jay: Quiet Desperation.
Ash, Maureen: Murder for Christ's Mass.
Atherton, Nancy: Aunt Dimity's Christmas.
Atkins, Ace: Leavin' Trunk Blues.
Aubert, Rosemary: The Feast of Stephen.

Baantjer, Albert: Murder in Amsterdam.
Babson, Marian: Twelve Deaths of Christmas; Line Up for Murder; Murder on a Mystery Tour.
Bain, Donald (as Jessica Fletcher): A Little Yuletide Murder; Manhattans and Murder.
Baker, Deb: Murder Trims the Tree.
Baker, North: Dead to the World.
Baldacci, David: The Christmas Train.
Ball, Donna: Silent Night.
Ballard, Mignon F.: Deadly Promise; Hark! The Herald Angel Screamed.
Banks, Carolyn: Horse to Die For.
Barnard, Robert: Death in a Cold Climate; The Habit of Widowhood.
Barnett, T.L.: Murder for the New Year.
Barre, Richard: Bethany.
Barrett, Kathleen: Homicide for the Holidays.
Barritt, Christy. High-Stakes Holiday Reunion; It Came Upon a Midnight Crime.
Barron, Stephanie: Jane and the Wandering Eye; Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Bartlett, Lorraine & Gayle Leeson: Yule Be Dead.
Battison, Brian: The Christmas Bow Murder.
Baxt, George: Scheme and Variations; A Christmas Story.
Bayard, Louis: Mr Timothy.
Beaton, M.C.: Death of A Snob; A Highland Christmas; Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye; Death of a Prankster; Christmas Crumble; Busy Body.
Beaumont, Cyril: The Mysterious Toyshop.
Beechy, Alan: Murdering Ministers.
Bell, Cindy: Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder; Christmas Chocolates and Crime.
Belle, Josie: Buried in Bargains.
Bennett, Jenna: A Done Deal.
Benrey , Ron & Janet: Season of Glory.
Bentley, Jennie: Home for The Homicide.
Berenson, Laurien: Jingle Bell Bark; Once Bitten; Wagging through the Snow.
Bernhardt, Susan: Murder Under the Tree.
Bernhardt, William: The Midnight Before Christmas.
Berry, Carole: This Year Will Be Different; The Year of the Monkey.
Bingham, John: Crime at Lark Cottage.
Bishop, Claudia: A Carol for a Corpse.
Black, Gavin: Dragon for Christmas.
Black, Sarah & John Lanyon: I'll be Dead for Christmas.
Blackburn, Cindy: Three Odd Balls.
Blackstock, Charity: The Foggy, Foggy Dew.
Blake, Bethany. Paw Prints and Predicaments; A Midwinter's Tale.
Blake, Nicholas: The Corpse in the Snowman; The Smiler With the Knife; Thou Shell of Death.
Blanc, Nero: A Crossworder's Delight; A Crossworder's Gift; A Crossworder's Holiday; Wrapped Up in Crosswords.
Boatwright, Alice K.: What Child is This?.
Bodelson, Anders: Think of a Number.
Bohart, Lynn: Inn Keeping with Murder.
Bolen, Cheryl. The Theft before Christmas.
Borger, Gale: Totally Decked.
Borthwick, J. S.: Dude on Arrival; The Student Body.
Boucher, Anthony: The Night Before Christmas.
Bowen, Rhys: The Twelve Clues at Christmas; Away in a Manger; The Ghost of Christmas Past.
Boylan, Eleanor: Pushing Murder.
Boyle, Thomas: Post-Mortem Effects.
Bradley, Alan: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches; I Am Half Sick of Shadows; As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust.
Brady, James: Hampton's Christmas.
Bramble, Forbes: Dead of Winter.
Bran, Helen. Silent Night.
Braun, Lilian Jackson: The Cat Who Turned On and Off; The Cat Who Went into the Closet.
Bredes, Don: Cold Comfort.
Breen, Jon: Probable Claus.
Brett, Simon: The Christmas Crimes at Puzzle Manor; The Shooting in the Shop; The Cinderella Killer.
Brightwell, Emily: Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen; Mrs. Jeffries & the Yuletide Weddings; Mrs. Jeffries & the Mistletoe Mix Up; Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight; Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women.
Brockman, Suzanne: All Through the Night.
Brook, Allison. Read and Gone.
Brown, Carter: A Corpse for Christmas.
Brown, Frederic: Murder Can be Fun.
Brown, Rita Mae: Rest in Pieces; Santa Clawed; Homeward Hound.
Bruce, Leo: Such is Death.
Brunette, Lisa: Framed and Burning.
Bryan, Mollie Cox: A Crafty Christmas.
Buchanan, Edna: The Ice Maiden.
Buckley, Julia: Cheddar Off Dead.
Budewitz, Leslie: As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles. 
Burdette, Lucy: Death with all the Trimmings.
Burke, Anna Celeste: A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery.
Burke, Declan: Eightball Boogie.
Burke, James: A Present for Santa.
Burley, W. J.: Death in Willow Pattern; Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin.
Byerrum, Ellen: Grave Apparel.
Byron, Ellen: A Cajun Christmas Killing.

Authors C-E

Cahoon, Lynn: If the Shoe Fits.
Caine, Leslie: Holly and Homicide.
Cairns, Alison: New Year Resolution.
Callaghan, Hope. Reindeer & Robberies; Merry Masquerade in Savannah.
Carl, Joanna: The Chocolate Bear Burglary; The Chocolate Snowman Murders.
Carlisle, Kate. Deck the Hallways.
Carmack, Amanda. Murder at Whitehall. 
Carr, Carol K.: India Black and the Widow of Windsor.
Carrier, Warren: Justice at Christmas.
Carrington, Tori: Queen's Ransom.
Carter, John Franklin: The Corpse on the White House Lawn.
Carter, Nick: The Christmas Kill.
Casey, Elizabeth Lynn: Let It Sew.
Caunitz, William J.: Exceptional Clearance.
Challinor, C. S.: Christmas is Murder.
Chan, Cassandra: Spider on the Stairs.
Chapman, Brenda: Cold Mourning.
Chaput, W. J.: The Man on the Train.
Chase, Erika: Read and Buried.
Chastain, Thomas: 911 (aka The Christmas Bomber).
Chaze, Elliott: Goodbye Goliath.
Cheever, Sam: Christmas Grift.
Chesbro, George C.: Second Horseman Out of Eden; Colde Smell of Sacred Stone.
Childs, Laura: The Teaberry Strangler; Eggs on Ice.
Christie, Agatha: Hercule Poirot's Christmas (aka Murder for Christmas, aka Holiday for Murder); The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (novella); The Sittaford Mystery.
Christmas, Joyce: Dying Well; Fete Worse than Death.
Churchill, Jill: Farewell to Yarns; The Merchant of Menace; From Here to Paternity.
Clad, Noel: Savage.
Claire, Edie: Never Mess with Mistletoe.
Clark, Carol Higgins: Iced.
Clark, Mary Higgins: All Through the Night; Silent Night; My Gal Sunday; Silent Night.
Clark, Mary Higgins and Carol Higgins Clark: Deck the Halls; The Christmas Thief; He Sees You When You're Sleeping; Dashing Through the Snow; Santa Cruise.
Cleland, Jane: Ornaments of Death.
Coco, Nancy: All I Want for Christmas is Fudge.
Coggin, Joan: Who Killed the Curate; Dancing with Death.
Cohen, Charles: Silver Linings.
Cohen, Tammy: Dying for Christmas.
Collier, Christine: Christmas at Cliffhanger Inn; A Holiday Sampler.
Collings, Rex: Clerical Crimes for Christmas.
Collins, Kate: Missing Under the Mistletoe.
Collins, Max Allen: Blue Christmas and Other Holiday Homicides (collection); No Cure for Death; Spree.
Colt, Jennifer: The Con Artist of Catalina Island.
Conant, Susan: Gone to the Dogs.
Connolly, Sheila. Gone to the Dogs.
Constantine, K.C.: Upon Some Midnights Clear.
Cooper, Natasha: Evil is Done.
Cornish, Constance: Dead of Winter.
Cornwell, Patricia: Scarpetta's Winter Table.
Cortez, Donn: Miami--Harm for the Holidays.
Cousins, Caroline: Fiddle Dee Death.
Coyle, Cleo: Holiday Grind; Holiday Buzz; Latte Trouble.
Craft, Michael: Body Language.
Craig, Alisa: Murder Goes Mumming.
Craig, Philip R.: A Deadly Vineyard Holiday; Off Season.
Crane, Hamilton: Starring Miss Seeton.
Crawford, Isis: A Catered Christmas; A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange.
Creasey, John: Death of a Postman.
Crespi, Trella: Trouble with Thin Ice.
Crider, Bill: Cursed to Death.
Crighton, Michael: Coma.
Crockett, Jessie: Live Free or Die.
Crombie, Deborah: Water Like a Stone; And Justice There is None.
Cross, Amanda: No Word from Winifred.
D'Amato, Barbara: Hard Christmas.
Daheim, Mary: The Alpine Christmas; Nutty as a Fruitcake; The Alpine Winter.
Daley, Kathi: Christmas Cozy; The Cat of Christmas Past; Alaskan Alliance.
Dams, Jeanne M.: The Body in the Transept; Indigo Christmas; Winter of Discontent.
Dane, Joel: The Christmas Tree Murders.
Danielewski, Cynthia: Night Fire.
Darrell, Elizabeth: Czech Mate.
Davenport, Chari: The Christmas Party.
Davidson, Diane Mott: Sweet Revenge.
Davidson, Mary Janice: Undead and Unreturnable.
Davis, Frederick: Drag the Dark.
Davis, Krista: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme; The Diva Cooks a Goose; Not a Creature was Purring; The Diva Wraps It Up.
Davis, Mildred B.: Tell Them What's Her Name Called; Three Minutes to Midnight.
Dawson, Janet: Nobody's Child.
Day, Marlis: Curriculum Murders.
De Castrique, Mark: Grave Undertaking.
Dean, Spencer: Credit for a Murder.
DeAndrea, William L.: Killed on the Ice.
Dee, Ed: Little Boy Blue.
Deeb, Mary Jane: Christmas Mystery in Provence.
Delany, Kathleen: Murder Half-Baked; Purebred Dead.
Delany, Vicki: Winter of Secrets; Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen; We Wish You a Murderous Christmas.
Demaree, Steve. A Body under the Christmas Tree.
Dengler, Sandy: Murder on the Mount.
Dentinger, Jane: The Queen is Dead.
Deverell, Diana: Twelve Drummers Drumming.
Dexter, Colin: The Secret of Annexe 3; Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories (collection).
Dickson, Carter: The White Priority Murders.
Dobson, Joanne: Quieter Than Sleep.
Donnelly, Deborah: Died to Match; May the Best Man Die.
Dorsey, Tim: When the Elves Attack.
Douglas, Carole Nelson: Cat in a Golden Garland.
Douglas, Charlotte: Holidays are Murder.
Downing, Todd: The Last Trumpet.
Driscoll, Patricia: Shedding Light on Murder.
Drummond, John Keith: Tis the Season to be Dying.
Dubois, Brendan: The Gift of King Herod.
Duffy, James: The Christmas Gang.
Dunbar, Sophie: Shiveree.
Duncan, Elizabeth: A Killer's Christmas in Wales.
Duncan, Francis: Murder for Christmas.
Dunn, Carola: Mistletoe and Murder; Death at Wentwater Court.
Dunnett, Kaitlyn (Kathy Lynn Emerson): A Wee Christmas Homicide; Ho-Ho-Homicide.
Durham, Laura: Marry and Bright.
Durham, Mary: Keeps Death His Court.
Early, Barbara: Murder on the Toy Town Express; Death of a Russian Doll.
Eason, Lynette: Holiday Hideout.
Eberhart, Mignon G.: Postmark Murder.
Eddenden, A. E.: A Good Year for Murder.
Egan, Lesley: Crime for Christmas.
Eickhoff, Randy Lee: Then Came Christmas.
Ekwensi, Cyprian: Restless City; Christmas Gold.
Emerson, Kathy Lynn (as Kaitlyn Dunnett): A Wee Christmas Homicide; Ho-Ho-Homicide.
Emrick, K.J.: Murder, Wrapped Up; Christmas Spirit; The Naughty List.
Englehart, Steve: Christmas Countdown.
Erickson, Alex: Death by Eggnog.
Erskine, Margaret: A Graveyard Plot.
Estleman, Loren D.: The Glass Highway.
Evanovich, Janet: Visions of Sugar Plums.

Cartoon of the Day: Author Photos

HT: BV Lawson

Mystery Writers and their Typewriters: World Typewriter Day

World Typewriter Day: Writers and their Typewriters

Patricia Highsmith: Olympia SM3

Alfred Hitchcock: Underwood Champion portable

Gypsy Rose Lee: Royal portable

Elmore Leonard: IBM Wheelwriter

Mickey Spillaine: L.C. Smith Standard Super Speed

Donald Westlake: Smith-Corona Silent-Supers

To see more writers and their typewriters, go to the Classic Typewriter Page

Famous Authors and their Typewriters

Following up on the typewriter theme: Flavorwire, another of my favorite sites, had a wonderful retrospective on Authors and their Typewriters. Enjoy! See the rest of the fabulous photos HERE.

Agatha Christie, 1946

Alfred Hitchcock, 1939

William Faulkner, 1943

Mystery Authors in Berkeley

At Homes. Mystery Readers International often hosts literary salons for visiting and local mystery authors. February looks to be a busy month. At Homes are open to fans, readers and authors. They are held at my home in the Berkeley/Oakland (CA) hills. Space is limited, so please RSVP. I will send you confirmation and directions.

Here's the line-up for some sensational At Homes!

February 11: Lisa Lutz, Gillian Roberts (Judy Greber), and Ona Russell. 7 p.m.
February 18: Leighton Gage 7 p.m
February 26: Peter Robinson 3 p.m. (not the earlier time)*