Sunday and Labor Day Monday were the days Denis and I drove over to the swanky Arizona Biltmore for The Poisoned Pen Conference and Rebusfest. Here's a photo I took of one of the first day's panels--
L to R: Barbara Peters, Mark de Castrique, Francine Mathews (AKA Stephanie Barron), Warren Easley, Reavis Wortham, and Tim Hallinan |
It was a fabulous two days (and yes, Denis did enjoy himself). I took a lot of photos and recorded all the panels, so you'll be seeing more about those two days than you probably want to in the weeks ahead. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)
It's always a thrill for me to be in a room with so many authors whom I admire, and I love to see them interact with each other. As a matter of fact, some of that interaction on the panels led to authors scribbling notes because someone said something that gave them an idea. You never know when inspiration will strike...
Books may have been important during the conference, but it was really all about people. I had the great good fortune of sitting next to Lesa Holstine, one of my favorite bloggers and an all-around wonderful gal, and I also met the woman sitting on the other side of Lesa-- Jean. What a pleasure to talk books and authors with these two! But when I was sitting at the table during an intermission and Tim Hallinan sat down next to me and talked with me for a while, or Reavis Wortham stopped by, or... well... now you know why this is the fangirl installment of the weekly link round-up!
Speaking of round-ups, I'd better get myself in gear and get out to the corral. Head 'em up! Mooooooooove 'em out!
►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
- Why doctors should read fiction.
- The dos and don'ts of supporting your local library.
- How publishing's floral-print trend came to rule the world's bookshelves.
- The art of the back cover murder mystery.
- A crime author has been sentenced for the murders that inspired his novels.
- Why literature loves a long, hot summer.
- An interview with Robert Rosenwald and Barbara Peters on the history of Poisoned Pen Press.
- We need more of this: The amazing way five strangers saved a woman who was being followed.
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
- Some of our ancestors did know better: a macaw breeding center supplied prehistoric Americans with prized plumage.
- A mysterious sphinx has been discovered during roadwork in the Egyptian city of Luxor.
- A grandson discovered a long-lost Lamborghini in his grandmother's garage.
- Archaeologists are using ancient dirty dishes to reconstruct climate shifts.
- View the Uffizi's ancient treasures from afar, in 3D.
- A rare nickel up for auction in Philadelphia was purchased for $4.56 million.
- How a heat wave revealed the outlines of a hidden garden and ghost village.
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
- Koalas use ancient viral DNA to neutralize new invaders.
- Climate change is taking down birds in the Mojave Desert.
- Zebra finches dream a little dream of melody.
- Captured elephants die up to seven years sooner than those bred in captivity.
- The National Zoo's beloved, aging emu has died.
- Newfoundland's volunteer puffin patrol helps save hundreds of baby seabirds confused by light pollution.
►The Happy Wanderer◄
- Making sense of modern Hungary through crime fiction.
- Naomi Hirahara's Los Angeles.
- Death Valley scorches its own record for the hottest month in history.
- The magic of Wyoming's Longmire Days.
- Collectors Treasury, the biggest, most chaotic used bookstore in the Southern Hemisphere. Road trip!
►I ♥ Lists◄
- Six examples of Emily Brontë's lasting influence on pop culture.
- Seven novels featuring swapped, substituted, and stolen identities.
- Ten new crime books from France, Iceland, Japan, and more.
- Read eleven book reviews from prisoners in Sing Sing in 1911.
- Five times mystery writers got mixed up in real-life crimes.
- Inside the weddings of ten famous writers.
- Top ten novels about riots.
- Seven books about best friends falling in love that will give you serious feel-good vibes.
That's it for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.
Have a great weekend, and read something fabulous!
Oh, it sounds like a wonderful time, Cathy! So glad you enjoyed yourselves. And now, Uffizi awaits me.... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI thought it might. ;-)
DeleteI cannot wait to hear about that conference. I'm still bummed that I couldn't figure out a way to work it in. Sigh. Maybe if they do it again. We'll see. Definitely will not get tired of whatever you want to share about it. And I also completely understand about the whole 'wow, they are talking to me and sitting by me' thing. How nice that you got to see Lesa as well!
ReplyDeleteYou would've been a wonderful addition to our table, Kay.
DeleteI, for one, can't wait for your updates! Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteNow if I could only summon up the energy to start getting them written up! LOL
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