Jenn McKinlay and Beth Kendrick at The Poisoned Pen!

With the shifts that Denis works, he can't come with me to any Saturday events at our favorite bookstore. In fact, when I jumped in the Jeep and headed to The Poisoned Pen, he was still sleeping peacefully. At least I knew he'd be awake when I got home. I always like giving him a send-off when he leaves for work, and this one would be special because author Jenn McKinlay graciously allowed me to bring along a doggie bag so I could snag one of her cupcakes for him. (Ain't she sweet-- and those cupcakes from Gigi's are scrumptious!)

Arriving at my destination was a bit interesting due to road closures for the Parada del Sol parade route, but I would not be denied. When I walked into the bookstore, it was humming with activity. Thousands of people come to the Valley of the Sun every year for baseball's spring training, and it seemed that many of them were in The Poisoned Pen looking for something to read. 

The latest book haul...

I quickly reserved my seat, reserved a copy of Andrea Chapin's The Tutor, and made my purchase. What I did next surprised The Poisoned Pen staff members: I asked them to sign the dedication page of Jenn's latest Hat Shop mystery, At the Drop of a Hat. Jenn has a wonderful dedication to Barbara Peters and the bookstore staff in this book, so my copy is filled with autographs!

I then sat down in the back to read a few pages of my advance reading copy of Vasudev Murthy's Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years: Japan, a book from Poisoned Pen Press that will be released next month. I didn't get all that much read though because I was having too much fun people watching. Customers were browsing the shelves and eyeing the little Valentines and Hershey's Kisses that were placed on each of the event chairs. I was really looking forward to this event because Beth Kendrick was appearing with Jenn McKinlay. I've met this author at CozyCon, and I know she's a lot of fun. 

Let the fun commence!

L to R: Barbara Peters, Beth Kendrick, Jenn McKinlay

The event began with Jenn reading her dedication to Barbara Peters and the staff of The Poisoned Pen. "Everyone needs a safe place. This is my safe place," Jenn told us, "and I'm not saying this because I'm sucking up!"

Barbara then told us that she'd been trying to get Beth here for a long time, but one life event after another kept striking Beth, and she wasn't able to come. "This year is okay-- so far!" Beth laughed.

I don't remember exactly how talk then moved to the world of public relations (hereafter referred to as PR), but it did. Beth knew someone who had been the PR for the K******ians and let us know that it was a nightmare job. "Which rock group was it that always wanted a big bowl of brown M&Ms in their room?" Jenn asked. Someone replied that it was Van Halen. "My husband is a musician; you'd think I'd know that already!" Jenn shrugged. "Anyway, someone told me that if Van Halen walked into their hotel room and saw that bowl of M&Ms, they could tell that the PR person knew how to follow instructions and that it should be a good show."

"That makes sense," said Barbara.

"Yes, it does," said Beth, "but that wasn't the case with the K******ians!"

Barbara had had her own run-in with PR work. "That one little taste told me that if that was my life, I'd be suicidal!" I think most of the people in the bookstore agreed with her assessment. (In other words, let 'em get their own darned M&Ms!)

Plotter or Pantser?

Beth Kendrick

Beth then began to tell us a bit about her latest book, New Uses for Old Boyfriends, which isn't a series book even though it returns to Black Dog Bay, a setting that features in another of her novels. We all laughed at her insistence; however, in her defense, the setting may be the same, but the story concerns different characters. When complimented on the title, Beth thanked us and said that she has a good friend who is her "title genie."

"There are no ugly, boring people in Black Dog Bay," Barbara observed. 

"There are. She just doesn't write about them," Jenn quipped.

Beth turned to Jenn and asked, "Are you a plotter or a pantser?" Need a translation? Beth wanted to know if Jenn works with an outline-- or plot-- of her book as she writes, or if she writes by the seat of her pants-- no outline whatsoever. Jenn is a plotter, which she'd have to be with all the series she writes.

"I tried plotting with one of my books," Beth said. "Two-thirds of the way through writing the book I knew I'd chosen the wrong hero. I had to rewrite 400 pages!" Turning to Jenn, she asked, "This doesn't happen to you?"

"No-- I'd kill myself!" Jenn exclaimed. "I need a map before I begin writing."

Both Jenn and Beth agreed that the middle part of the book was the most difficult to write, with Beth calling it "the doldrums." 

Barbara Peters

"Someone once said that way too many books have way too much middle and I agree," Barbara said. "I go through hundreds of books a month, and if they start bogging down in the middle, I start flipping pages. I just find it funny that the part you two struggle with is the part I skip!" Spoken like a true Editor-in-Chief!

Jenn mentioned her contract, thinking that it said her books should each be 65,000 to 75,000 words. "I don't read that stuff. They're just guidelines anyway," she said with a smile. I sat there wondering how she knew I'd watched Pirates of the Caribbean that week and she'd immediately made me think of the pirate code of parley.

"My contract says 80,000," Beth remarked.

"Oh, you read yours!" Jenn said.

"I have too many lawyers in my family," Beth replied. "Besides, I'm a Type A, I need a goal!"

Jenn stared at Beth in disbelief. "But you're a pantser! This makes no sense!"

Do you feel a draft?

This comedy duo had all of us in the palms of their hands, and they next led us into the world of the draft.

Jenn McKinlay

Beth asked Jenn, "How many drafts do you write? I write three."

Jenn looked at her and held up her pointer finger. "One. I write one." Beth stared at her in disbelief.

"How many of you were here last week for Kristin Hannah?" Barbara Peters asked. "This woman writes beautifully, and she's been doing it for over twenty-five years. When she is writing a book, she writes thirty drafts!" We all sat there in stunned silence. "The only reason I brought this up is to show you that a book is a living, changing entity. You only see the finished product. You have no idea how many lives a book touches on the way to its publication."

"I've written eight books in my Cupcake Bakery series now," Jenn said. "A lot of the backstory has already been done. I know these people. I know their mannerisms, their quirks. But when I wrote my first book, I think I went through five drafts."

Hats, Hot Guys, and The Next Big Thing

Available Now!

In referring to her latest book, Beth told us, "I had the idea of bringing this character-- a flight attendant who's used to traveling, to always being on the move-- to this small town, and she's stuck there."

Jenn smiled. "Add a dead body, and you'd have a cozy!" which led her to talk a bit about her latest hat Shop mystery, At the Drop of a Hat (once we'd stopped laughing).

Jenn is contracted to write five books in the Hat Shop series, but she's hit a snag. After too many bad choices in men her main character, Scarlett Parker, has taken a vow of celibacy. "She won't be 'there' at book five, and I can't just leave her hangin' there not gettin' any," which brought many sympathetic laughs from the audience. (That, and we were all glad there'd be at least one extra book in the series.)

Available Now!

When At the Drop of a Hat debuted at #15 on the New York Times Bestseller List, her agent told her, "We might be going past six!" If you thought we let that news go past without clapping and cheering, you'd be sadly mistaken.

Jenn avidly watched all the coverage of the royal wedding of William and Kate, and when she saw Princess Beatrice's hat, her first thought was, "I'd kill the guy who made that hat!"-- and a mystery series was born.

Also author of the Cupcake Bakery cozy series, Jenn said, "Who knew cupcakes would still be going strong?"

Barbara replied, "I think I know what the next big thing will be: making your own chocolate, which is evidently a very involved process. I watched Chef on Netflix about a chef who sets up a food truck. I really enjoyed it." Looking at Beth, she continued, "I can see it now. There's going to be a food truck roll into this little town of yours...."

"Black Dog Bay!" Beth exclaimed. "It's the best place in America to bounce back from a break-up. That's why there are all those hot guys in town!"

And you thought you'd never learn why there were no ugly, boring people in Black Dog Bay. Just remember-- if you read Beth's next book and there's a food truck in Black Dog Bay, you heard it here first!

Second Verse As Good As the First: CozyCon 2013

After having such a fabulous time at the very first CozyCon last year, I was one of the first to sign up to attend this year at the Burton Barr main branch of the Phoenix Public Library. I drove all the way from my house to the library stopping only once at a light, and I took that as a sign of good things to come. Then I walked into the conference room and sighed. I'd forgotten how rotten the lighting is in this room. Oh well. I may not take many decent photos, but as long as my ears work and I don't forget how to write, I'm still in good shape!

I found a prime spot, set down my stuff, and introduced myself to the other folks at the table before heading back to sign in. Back at the table, I chatted with the others while I indulged in my favorite past time: people watching. I really went into high gear when the authors headed on up to the stage. The authors attending this year (in alphabetical order):

• Juliet Blackwell, author of the Witchcraft and Haunted Home Renovation series set in California.
• Deborah Coonts, author of the Lucky O'Toole series set in Las Vegas.
• Ashley Gardner, author of the Captain Lacey series set in Regency England.
• Carolyn Haines, author of the Southern Belle series featuring Sarah Booth Delaney and set in Mississippi.
• Beth Kendrick, author of The Week Before the Wedding and The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service.
• Victoria Laurie, author of the Abby Cooper Psychic Eye series as well as the Ghost Hunter mysteries.
• Jenn McKinlay, author of these series: Cupcake Bakery, Library Lovers, Hat Shop, Decoupage Murder, and the Good Buy Girls. (How does she find time to work at the library?!?)
• Jenny Milchman, author of Cover of Snow.
• Michael Robertson, author of the Baker Street Brothers mysteries.

Author Frederick Ramsay, who's written two mysteries set in Botswana as well as the Ike Schwartz and Jerusalem mystery series, was scheduled to attend but couldn't make it because he was in the hospital. (Hope he's okay!)

L to R: Deborah Coonts, Juliet Blackwell, Victoria Laurie, Beth Kendrick, Jenn McKinlay

CozyCon started out with each author spending about five minutes introducing themselves and telling us a bit about their books. Jenn McKinlay (who works at the Burton Barr Library) was most excited about her new Hat Shop series which is set in London-- especially since she'll be visiting there in June. This lady comes up with some of the best titles in the business; the first two books in her new series are Cloche and Dagger (due in August) and Death of a Mad Hatter. She called the series an "I Love Lucy - Agatha Christie mash-up."

Beth Kendrick, who teaches adults at Phoenix College, told us that she thinks research is the best part of writing and called her book The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service "Sweet Home Alabama and Dirty Dancing with a dog."

When Barbara Peters asked Victoria Laurie if this was her first time at CozyCon, Laurie replied with a twinkle in her eye, "Yes. I was a virgin before." Laurie then told us about being in Lexington, Massachusetts, where the Revolutionary War began, when she kept hearing musket fire that no one else could hear. This incident gave her the idea for her Ghost Hunter series.

Juliet Blackwell told us of fans coming up to her at signings and asking specific questions about one of her books. Since she writes more than one series and she's already writing another book, the details can become fuzzy about the previous ones. "Now I try to read my own book before I go on a tour." The Haunted Home Renovation series is dear to her heart because "Mel's dad is my dad." (And is it any wonder that this particular series is Juliet's father's favorite?)

Deborah Coonts

Deborah Coonts (whom Barbara Peters described as "kickass") told us, "I love writing in Las Vegas because if you can't find a story in Vegas, then you're asleep under a bridge." Coonts had us all laughing when she told us about the snob she met who condescendingly told her that he only read literary fiction and then asked who she was. "I'm a shallow commercial fiction hack," she replied. Nonplussed, the snob asked her what she'd written. "Wanna Get Lucky?" was her answer. The snob began to resemble a deer caught in the headlights as she told him the titles of the other books she's written: "Lucky Stiff... So Damn Lucky... and my latest book is Lucky Bastard." The snob looked at her for a couple of seconds and said, "You do know there is some innuendo in those titles?" As Deborah said-- Ya think?

Jenny Milchman kept telling us that she has no sense of humor, but she kept making us laugh. None of us believed her. Cover of Snow is her debut novel, but it's actually the eighth book she's written. When she submitted a 180,000-word manuscript to one agent, he told her that "I did not want to spend that much time in your neurotic protagonist's head." Once Jenny had calmed down, she cut 60,000 words out of the manuscript... and got a publisher. Milchman told us of all the rejections she'd received, and that "if you start getting rejected by famous people, you think 'I'm close!'" We were especially touched when Jenny told us about the help and support she's been given by fellow author Nancy Pickard.

When author Carolyn Haines was growing up in a small Mississippi town, she wanted to be Nancy Drew... and she wanted to be a cowgirl. Now she writes mysteries and runs a non profit animal rescue organization. "It's taken me thirteen years to get to Phoenix because I'm the sole animal caregiver," Haines told us. She not only writes and takes care of animals, she also teaches at the University of South Alabama. Her latest book, The Darkling, is a departure from her Sarah Booth Delaney series, and... "I hope it scares you!"

In 1981, Michael Robertson first wrote The Baker Street Letters as a screenplay, but he was told "I don't think you have a film here, I think you have a series of novels." This is something Robertson didn't want to hear because "it wouldn't fit my dream of having a Hollywood lifestyle." When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, the two hundred block of Baker Street did not exist. In the 1930s, Baker Street was extended, and the business that occupied the new block-- Abbey House-- started receiving mail addressed to the famous detective. This fact fired Robertson's imagination, and now there are three books in the series.

Ashley Gardner

Ashley Gardner is also known as bestselling romance writer Jennifer Ashley. Her Regency mystery series features Captain Gabriel Lacey, a hero who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and clinical depression. "I was younger than Lacey when I started writing this series, and now I'm older than he is. Somehow I don't think that's fair," Jennifer told us.

She's written 50 books under three different names and has turned to self-publishing her work, which has turned out to be very successful.


Author Jenn McKinlay had put together several dozen swag bags for us, so when we broke for lunch, I headed back to get a swag bag and a bottle of water. When I returned to  my table, McKinlay came over and sat with me. She'd been following my updates on Facebook the entire time Denis and I were in the UK, so we sat and chatted away about England.

Before the first panel began, Barbara Peters took the time to fill us in on some of the things that have been happening in the publishing industry. Publishers were geared up for all the big box stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. Railroad cars filled with James Patterson novels (for example) began the journey to Barnes and Noble, never even stopped at one of the stores, and headed straight to the recyclers. Then the eBook craze began. Where there were 89 large publishing houses in the US, now there are only 5... and all but one of them are foreign-owned. "What does this mean?" Barbara asked us. "Now there is room for small publishers." We just need to see what format the books will be published in.

Ashley Gardner then told us about her experience with digital publishing. She got the rights to all her Captain Lacey books before her editor left. At the time chick-lit mysteries were the only books selling, and another editor suggested that she kill Captain Lacey and focus on a female character in subsequent books. She disagreed. She rewrote all the books and spent $100 to have them digitally published, and through hard work and a good head for business, she's never looked back.

Peters told us that Dana Stabenow had her first nine out of print books published digitally, and sales allowed the author to pay off her mortgage. Furthermore, according to Barbara, historical novels have the best sales in digital format. Who knew?

L to R: Barbara Peters, Deborah Coonts, Jenny Milchman, Beth Kendrick, Jenn McKinlay

On the Nothing Like a Dame panel (photo above), the authors piqued our interest by telling us bits and pieces about some of the fan mail they've received. Jenn McKinlay said, "Cozy readers tend not to like any kerfluffle in their characters' relationships, so I've been getting a lot of hate mail this year." Deborah Coonts had a fan write to tell her that "Lucky would never wear turquoise." They all knew of authors who'd received letters saying that the writer would commit suicide if their favorite characters didn't get together and stay together. (Seems to me that's taking your reading just a mite too seriously....)

L to R: Peters, Robertson, Gardner

One of the interesting facts brought up during the Historical Mystery panel with Barbara Peters, Michael Robertson and Ashley Gardner was how all sorts of typical crime fiction scenes have changed in the past decade with the onslaught of TSA airport regulations, cell phones, and tweeting, among other things.

Both authors then stressed the importance of getting both the physical and historical landscapes correct in their books.

L to R: Peters, Haines, Laurie, Blackwell

The Paranormal and Psychic panel was manned by Barbara Peters, Carolyn Haines, Victoria Laurie, and Juliet Blackwell.

Carolyn Haines, who grew up in a creepy old house and had a family who liked to scare each other to death, told us, "What you believe is your reality." The author once bought a pickup truck at auction, not realizing until afterwards that the truck came complete with a ghost that Haines could see. The ghost kept trying to talk to her, and she just couldn't face the thoughts of getting in that truck.

Victoria Laurie

Victoria Laurie is an actual psychic, and she told us a bit about growing up with this ability. As a teenager, she would blurt things out and then think that what she said was causing things to happen. As a result she became introverted and happier with books than with people. It wasn't until a woman recognized the fact that Victoria was psychic that things began to slowly straighten themselves out. Victoria told us, "Psychic ability is nothing but listening to your intuition and putting it into words." Friend and fellow author Juliet Blackwell told us that she can attest to Laurie's "uncanny abilities. It makes her hard to hang out with at times."



Time flew by at this year's CozyCon, and I couldn't believe it when we were told that time was up. If there's a CozyCon III, I'm in. I'll even try to be the first to sign up instead of number 8. I wouldn't miss the chance to meet and talk with so many authors whose books I've had the pleasure of reading. Had I read books by all the authors at this year's CozyCon? No... but I now have additions to my to-be-read shelves so that I can rectify that!

If you ever get the chance to attend something similar, by all means take it. It's so much fun to meet other people who share your passions, and it's a blast to Writer Watch... to see how authors interact with each other and with their fans. To see which authors pay close attention to the fans seated at the tables, or which ones seem camera shy, or nervous, or the ones who are outspoken or have the best sense of humor. Writer Watching (and listening) is a wonderful thing to do. Almost as wonderful as reading their books.