Lady Rosamund and the Poison Pen: A Rosie and McBrae Mystery Historical Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher: Level Best Books (April 21, 2020) Paperback: 244 pages Syno…

Have you ever had an hour or two when you could swear everyone was conspiring against you? Well, I had one of those the afternoon I was trying to get ready to head to The Poisoned Pen to see one of my all-time favorite authors, Ann Cleeves. Monday is always a laundry day for me, and I wound up being a bit behind when it came time to get gussied up for The Pen. Just as I started putting mascara on my eyelashes, the phone-- which seldom rings-- chose that moment to do so. Not only did I jump about a foot off my chair, I jabbed myself in the eye with the mascara wand. It concerned the biopsy I need, so I answered it. Just about had the thing scheduled when the person at the other end learned that my insurance doesn't like them performing biopsies. Okay. Hang up the phone, start working on the eyes again. Just enough time elapsed for me to get good and focused on the task at hand. The phone at my elbow rings again. Son of Jump, and my other eye gets it with the mascara wand. *sigh* I was very happy to make it to my favorite bookstore in one piece (and not looking like a red-eyed raccoon)! L to R: Ann Cleeves, Barbara Peters Just before Cleeves made her entrance, host Barbara Peters told us the good news that there would be fourth seasons of both Shetland and Outlander. (I'd seen Diana Gabaldon earlier, so I was aware of Barbara's source.) Shetland is the BBC series based on Cleeves' Shetland Island mysteries. It's excellent, with absolutely wonderful Shetland scenery, so if you get a chance to watch, I highly recommend it. Barbara had just introduced her as this year's Diamond Dagger winner (the highest honor that can be given in the UK to a mystery writer), and Ann had just taken her seat when she was asked if this was her first visit to The Poisoned Pen. "It's my first time as a writer. I've been here several times as a reader. I've come to your part of the world several times with my husband on birding trips." (I've told you folks that people come from all over the world to watch birds here!) Watching a scene from Shetland. Although there were a few technical difficulties, they were soon sorted out, and we were treated to a short scene from an episode of Shetland. Many in the audience were familiar with this series, but many more were fans of the series Vera based on Cleeves' mystery series featuring police detective Vera Stanhope. The popularity of this series starring Brenda Blethyn and how it came to be is nothing short of miraculous. The publishers absolutely loved the first book in the Vera Stanhope series, The Crow Trap, but by mistake it was left out of their catalog. With no real publicity, The Crow Trap made scarcely a ripple in the publishing world before sinking its way down to secondhand bookshops and charity shops like Oxfam-- which is where ITV Studios exec Elaine Collins found a copy that she decided to buy and read on her vacation. She loved it, campaigned for it, and Vera became a hit TV series. When asked if she knew Academy Award-nominated actress Brenda Blethyn, Ann Cleeves said that she did, "but I work most with the writers who create the screenplays. I'm happy to say that one of their screenplays for an episode of Vera is nominated for an Edgar Award this year! Ann Cleeves "The writers tour Northumberland [where the series is set], and when they come back from their travels, my husband cooks his famous curry for them. Actually, Brenda always comes for a curry when she's in the area." When people learned that Cleeves lives in Northumberland, they wanted to know where, and Ann said, "I live in a seaside town called Whitley Bay." One of the reasons why Cleeves believes Northumberland is a wonderful setting for her books and the television series is that it's wild and beautiful and sparsely populated, with lots of history and hidden nooks and crannies. "It also has a strong history of mining," the author said, "and when all the pits [mines] were closed, the economy became quite depressed with many communities hanging on desperately for their very lives. "I'm happy to say that these communities are making a comeback. They're not trying to regenerate through building more shops and trying to grab people's money that way; they're regenerating through culture. South Shields is a very depressed area of Tyneside. What they've done is to build a library everyone calls The Word. It's the National Centre for the Written Word, and thousands of people flock to the library. There's also a new music center that's another huge draw. Building shops isn't going to improve the economy. People shop online now. It's the creative industries that are really beginning to make their mark-- to the tune of eight million pounds per hour." Barbara took this moment to mention something that she loved about the UK: that country's public lending rights. Ann agreed. "These public lending rights may only mean a couple of pennies each time a book is checked out of the library, but it really encourages new writers." And Ann's favorite Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain award? "The Dagger in the Library because it's given to the writers who are popular with people who check books out of their libraries." Available Now! Barbara wanted Ann to mention an extra little tidbit about Elaine Collins, the woman who found The Crow Trap at an Oxfam shop. Ann smiled and said, "Yes! Elaine is married to actor Peter Capaldi so I can say quite honestly that Doctor Who has cooked my tea." This tidbit was a hit with the Doctor Who fans in the audience, let me tell you! Ann then told us that the actor who portrays Jimmy Perez in the television series Shetland, Douglas Henshall, does attend book festivals with her, but "he can get very grumpy because so many people tell him 'You don't look like Jimmy Perez!'" Those of us who have seen the series agreed with Cleeves that, although Henshall may not look like the character in the book, he's perfect in the role. The first time that Cleeves went to Shetland and saw the house that became Jimmy's house in the TV series, she knew it was his. The owner of the property lets them film exterior shots of his house, but he won't let them inside. With the way fans can be, I totally understand. He might even regret allowing the exterior shots by now. (As for interior shots, those are filmed in Glasgow.) Ann received plenty of hate mail when Cassie's mother died, and she also receives mail about Jimmy's daughter, Cassie, being older in the TV series than she is in the books. This is because the producers wanted her older for dramatic effect: an emotional teenager with two dads is much more interesting than a very young girl. Ann Cleeves There's one character in the TV series that isn't in the books, and that's the young female police officer called Tosh. I recently watched the episodes in which Tosh is attacked, and you can believe Cleeves kept a close eye on how the episodes were written. "I don't like to write or read about women being chased, raped, or tortured," Ann said. "We asked the Rape Crisis Center for advice in the writing and filming of these episodes, and the one thing they couldn't stress enough was 'Do Not Show the Attack!'" The attack is not shown, and I think it's even more emotionally gut-wrenching as a result. There's some absolutely marvelous writing and acting in those particular episodes. "There's only going to be one more Shetland Island book after Cold Earth," Cleeves said to groans from the audience, and then she went into a bit of the reasoning behind her choice of title. "When I think of earth, I think of digging, of things being buried, of things being uncovered." When asked about her writing process, Cleeves admitted that "I like to start off not knowing. I write like a reader, with no outline." The audience was eager to ask questions, and one of the first was about Shetland itself and the Shetland Bus-- the small boats going to and from Norway with resistance fighters and supplies during World War II. When oil was discovered offshore, the people in government in Shetland were very canny, insisting on amenity, sports, arts, education, and welfare trusts to be set up before allowing any drilling. This means that the Shetlands are better off financially than almost any other place in the UK. Ann Cleeves Another person wanted to know if Aberdeen was the closest mainland city to the Shetlands, and the answer is yes. Most maps are distorted and don't show exactly where the islands are. And many people don't know that they were owned by Norway until the fifteenth century. Like the third season, the fourth season of Shetland will be an original story written this time by Gaby Chiappe, who wrote the screenplay for the movie Their Finest. Filming has also begun on season eight of Vera. A disappointed fan wanted to see if Ann would change her mind and continue the Shetland Island series of books. She shook her head. "Eight is enough for a small community of 23,000," she said. "I feel as though I've run out of subjects to explore." She's finishing up the last Shetland book, then she'll be working on the next Vera book... and then she has an idea for something new. I can't wait! More tidbits from fan questions: Ann doesn't sleep well when she's on tour, but she's found that this helps her with any problems she's having in her writing. Ann Cleeves When asked how she comes up with her plots and the specialized knowledge that she needs, Ann replied, "I make it up-- I am writing fiction!" When the laughter died down, she went on to explain that one of her previous jobs was as a probation officer, and she does have a good friend/expert whom she can call with any questions she may have. She recently celebrated her fortieth wedding anniversary. She met her husband on Fair Isle (one of the Shetlands) while birdwatching. Ann Cleeves had written twenty books before the first Shetland Island book, Raven Black, won her the Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year in 2006. "So yes, I was an overnight success after twenty years," the author laughed. "I basically survived through the library system buying my books because they were only released in hardcover for quite awhile." (See how important those public lending rights can be?) Barbara Peters asked her if she thought it was better to win awards after having written several books, and Ann said yes. "I've known authors who've won awards for their first books, and it seems to have frozen them," Peters said. Ann Cleeves Ann Cleeves believes herself to be a very fortunate woman. Going to the Shetland Islands with her husband and getting the idea for a book that turned into a series. Elaine Collins finding a copy of The Crow Trap in an Oxfam shop. "This is such a precarious business," the author said. "So much can hinge on luck. There's one lesson that I believe in very strongly: Be kind to everyone on your way up because you will meet them on your way down!" What books would Cleeves recommend? She's a tremendous Sara Paretsky fan and would definitely recommend Fallout. She greatly enjoys crime fiction written around the world and told us that reading Georges Simenon started the whole thing. Another favorite author? Andrea Camilleri. The all-too-brief evening ended with Cleeves mentioning that one of the producers of Midsomer Murders moved from that television series to Vera. Barbara commented, "I loved the original Caroline Graham books; I thought them quite subversive." Ann agreed, adding, "I find the TV series quite silly." (So do I, although I do enjoy the cinematography!) Ann Cleeves is one of those authors whom I will go to see whenever she's within reach. She's fascinating to listen to, and she's passionate about topics like libraries, books, wildlife, and bringing life back to economically depressed areas. She is so small and soft-spoken and polite that you could be forgiven for thinking she'd be easily overlooked. Now that I've met her twice, I just know there's steel in that spine of hers. I can see Ann Cleeves skillfully commanding troops with very little fuss. It's a mistake to overlook either her or her books.

A marriage proposal because of vengeance or love? A near–fatal car crash makes Beau Garrett decide on a more peaceful existence. But the seemingly idyllic village of Aberton proves to be a hotbed of scandal and gossip. His 'crime' is to employ female gardener Jaz Logan. It's not long before Beau acts on his attraction to Jaz and that's when the poison pen letters start arriving. Beau's solution is to propose that Jaz becomes his fiancee. But Jaz always planned on marrying for love

As we were driving to the event at my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, I said something to Denis that undoubtedly made him think I was a bubble off plumb. What did I say? Well.... I mentioned that one of the main reasons why I'd been looking forward so much to seeing Denise Mina wasn't just because she's one of my favorite authors, it was because I wanted to hear her speak. "Homesick" was the best word I could find to describe how I feel when I don't hear Scots or English accents around me. (Watching British films and television doesn't always cut the mustard.) Now y'all are convinced that I'm certifiable, too-- aren't you? How can I be homesick for Scots and English accents when I'm an American who's lived in the United States my entire life? Don't worry. I think I'm a bubble off plumb, too-- and I have a spirit level to prove it. "If the story's interesting, you don't need..." L to R: Denise Mina and Patrick Milliken There was an extra buzz of anticipation in the bookstore as bookstore owner Barbara Peters stepped out to say a few words. It was good to see that happy wanderer Barbara is still sticking to her resolution not to travel during The Poisoned Pen's twenty-fifth anniversary. Leaving us with, "I really wish I could wear my hair like Denise does, but with my limp locks I could use an entire container of mousse or gel, and it still wouldn't cooperate!" Barbara turned the evening over to Denise Mina and Patrick Milliken. From hair to dress to shoes to jewelry, it was obvious that Denise is a person who follows her own drummer, and the second she opened her mouth, I was in heaven. Seriously... I could've kidnapped her just to have her read me all her books! Fortunately I'm not the kidnapping kind (and I didn't want to put her behind on the books she's writing). Milliken began by congratulating her on her Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for The End of the Wasp Season, and then talk moved to her last book, Gods and Beasts. "The book is based on a big sex scandal in Scotland," Mina told us. The scandal involved an extremely popular "man of the people" who was allegedly taking part in orgies in sex clubs. He sued the newspapers for libel and won. He was then charged with perjury and sent to prison. Two days before Gods and Beasts came out, the man was released from prison and proceeded to sue everyone for libel again. Denise had to rewrite her entire book to ensure that she would not be among those who were sued. First published in 1998, Denise Mina won an award for that very first book, Garnethill, and the next two books in the trilogy put her on the map. Her next trilogy centered on Paddy Meehan, a young female crime reporter in Glasgow. That trilogy is the basis for a BBC television series called "Field of Blood," and the young actress portraying Paddy won a BAFTA Award for her performance. (I've watched it, and it's excellent.) Alex Morrow & The Red Road Denise Mina In talking about her series featuring Glasgow police detective Alex Morrow, Mina agreed when Patrick observed that Alex is more of a supporting or recurring character than she is a protagonist. "Yes, you could almost consider these books a series of short stories that interweave," Denise said. "If the story's interesting, you don't need someone having a breakdown in each book. It only took me seven books to realize that!" The Red Road takes place around the night that Princess Diana died, a night that Mina calls the UK's "JFK moment." "Regardless who you are or where you were, it seems that everyone wants to share what they were doing when they heard the news about Diana," Denise said. "There wasn't the same hysteria about her death in Scotland as there was in England, although we were sad that a young woman had died, leaving two wee boys without their mother." Like Gods and Beasts, The Red Road is also based on a real criminal case, this one involving a police woman testifying that a thumb print admitted as evidence was not from the actual crime scene. The police woman was fired, but she could prove that she was right. She sued and won substantial damages. Milliken mentioned something that I love about Mina's writing: "the amount of compassion that you show for the damaged characters." Denise thanked him and said, "I've found that fascinating ancillary characters give a fresh perspective to the story." "I KNOW YOUR FATHER!" Barbara Peters with 2 books by Pat McIntosh Mina talked a bit about her home city of Glasgow. "Glasgow is a very mixed city. There are no gated communities, and only three suburbs where it's possible for you to live 'separately'. You meet people from all walks of life in Glasgow, and your circle of acquaintance can be a very wide one. I actually know of someone who was being chased by several thugs and managed to get away by screaming, 'I KNOW YOUR FATHER!' at them." She continued to speak of her city: "Glasgow was a heavily industrial city, but after a forty-year recession, it became a very poor city and a center of radical politics. At one time, The Gorbals was considered one of the worst slums in the world... until someone got the bright idea of moving the poor out of the city center to the outskirts and separating them from the rest of the city by ring roads. "Glasgow was the first city to be regenerated by the arts. The major part of it was thrown up during the Industrial Revolution, and no one thought to tear down the medieval parts of the city, which is wonderful for us now and for our history." It was at this particular moment that Barbara Peters apologized for breaking in and walked up front holding two books-- two of the excellent historical mysteries written by Pat McIntosh that take place in medieval Glasgow. Since I'd been sitting there thinking about McIntosh, it seems Barbara and I were on the same wavelength. "A book's a book. A film's a film." Milliken steered the interview back toward film. Mina is very pleased with the film adaptation of "Field of Blood" and considers actress Jayd Johnson as Paddy to be perfect. The first two books of the Paddy Meehan trilogy have been televised now-- Field of Blood and The Dead Hour-- and they're now beginning work on the third. Denise said, "When a television series or a film is made, it's good for your books. It's flattering, but a book's a book and a film's a film. There's something so very intimate about reading a book." Denise Mina In the next moment, Patrick Milliken-- as well as the rest of us-- found out that Denise Mina has her feet firmly planted on the ground, as she told us about Charles R. Jackson and his novel, The Lost Weekend. It was an acclaimed book, but once it was made into a movie, no one would buy Jackson's books, and he wound up being forced to stop writing to get a job that would pay. For Mina, writing is the thing, not films. Denise intends to write two more Paddy Meehan books, simply because of the recent uproar when newspaper staff members were found to be hacking into people's cell phones to find dirt for their stories. "Things like this have been happening for years and years," Mina told us, "they'd just never been held accountable before!" When Patrick asked her, "Do you consider your books to be political?" Mina responded, "All books are political." She went on to tell us, "As a wee child, I rewrote the first page of Gone With the Wind, but I changed all the names. I come from a big, big family of storytellers. Being a good storyteller in Glasgow is a big social status thing." (Later on I discovered that Denis and I both thought of another Glaswegian storyteller, Billy Connolly, at this moment.) Low Art? High Art? By this time, Denise Mina had us all in the palm of her hand. "I think crime fiction comes from an oral storytelling tradition... campfire stories... knowing just when to end a chapter. "Crime fiction is so accessible. I want people to read my books as though each one is a warm hand to the elbow. I had a fan tell me, 'My mother was dying, and I read all your books as I was nursing her.' That is absolutely the highest praise I could ever receive. I don't want people to read me just to say that I've been read." Patrick and Denise then began to talk about the shift that has occurred with comic books (AKA graphic novels) within the past four years. Graphic novels were once thought to be very low art, but now many consider them high art. It's the type of shift that's been occurring for centuries. In diarist Samuel Pepys' day, the theatre was considered low art, and he would vow again and again to stop going. "Now we force young children to go to the theatre because it's high art," Mina observed. The estate of Stieg Larsson approached Mina to rewrite his books as a series of graphic novels, and that's what she's been doing lately. When she began working on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Denise found out that "the structure of the books is bonkers!" And in case you're wondering, Denise is writing the script not doing the artwork. The creation of each book is a partnership between writer and artist. Available Now! When asked what effect these comics have had on her writing, Mina replied, "Comics have really affected my writing because I've realized how much can be left out, and how much I can trust my readers. The more readers fill in, the more invested they are in the story." Another fan asked her how much writing was involved with these graphic novels. "Each one is about 80,000 words, which is the size of a novel," Mina said. In the final wrap-up, Denise told us that she's almost finished with the next Alex Morrow book, which is set in Helensburgh, Scotland, and based on another actual case. She also needs to finish the Millennium trilogy... and then she intends to take a year off! Denis and I both got the chance to speak to Denise Mina afterwards, and the Jeep was filled with talk about books, Scotland, and one very talented Glaswegian writer. I can still hear her voice in my head. It was an evening of Bliss. On all counts.

The very next night after seeing Nevada Barr and Keith McCafferty, Denis and I jumped back in the Jeep and headed to The Poisoned Pen. This time we were going to see Anne Perry, author of the Christmas mysteries as well as series featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, William Monk, and Matthew Reavley. It's hard for me to believe that I've been reading her books since 1979! One thing to be said for Denis, he doesn't particularly care if he's heard of the author or not, he likes to attend these events with me and often comes home to order audiobooks from that evening's author. It's a good thing we tend to arrive early because it was a capacity crowd. Little did we know that we were both in for surprises when Barbara Peters arrived. Put Your Heart on the Page L to R: Barbara Peters and Anne Perry Denis was in shock when The Poisoned Pen's owner Barbara Peters winked at him as she got things ready for the interview. Since she had a few minutes before the official start of the event, she began to fill us in on things to look forward to in coming weeks. She'd just finalized Michael Connelly's next appearance at the Arizona Biltmore. (Mark your calendars for Monday, November 3.) Remarking that it was rather odd for the release date to be a Monday (crime fiction publishers tend to prefer Tuesdays for some reason), she shrugged and then went on to tell us that there would be a twenty-fifth birthday party for the bookstore out in the parking lot, more details to follow at a later date. Then she looked over at me and said, "Are you writing all this down so you can put it on your blog?" Stunned, I did manage to nod my head in a timely manner (although I forgot what I was scribbling down and had to regroup)! Then it was time to introduce Anne Perry. Since she's going to be living in Los Angeles part of the year, Barbara was happy to say that we should be seeing her more often, and rest assured that brought on a round of applause. There was a quick segue into pets in books which led Perry to say that she was once told, "You can't kill the dog; you won't sell your next book!" Barbara holding Perry's DVD The very next topic was Anne's DVD entitled "Put Your Heart on the Page: An Introduction to Writing" which is aimed at the aspiring writer. The DVD is currently available in the UK through her website, and will also be available in the US and Canada later this year through Dreamscape. "It's about one hour long, and it's good because it's not just me in front of the camera," Perry said. Peters commended her for fostering beginning writers and mentioned that the Phoenix area now has three local writers who are published by the major houses. "I would love to foster some sort of workshops for writers," Barbara said. "...always make your main character uncomfortable." Anne Perry "I was once given the advice that I should always make my main character uncomfortable," Perry told us. "Having Thomas Pitt working Special Branch and making decisions of life and death make him very uncomfortable. Also, when he's dealing with things like treason, he cannot discuss any of it with his wife, Charlotte." "It certainly brings a new dynamic to the relationships between Thomas, Charlotte, Charlotte's sister Emily, and Aunt Vespasia," Peters agreed. Perry then made us all laugh by inadvertently letting slip a character's marriage in a future book. I'm going to be mean and not divulge anything! Barbara told us that she loves Aunt Vespasia, and many heads in the audience nodded in agreement. "Aunt Vespasia knows everyone, talks to everyone, and goes everywhere. It can be much easier for her than it can be for Charlotte." She then looked at Anne and asked, "Since Pitt can't share his work with Charlotte as he used to, does this mean that Charlotte and Emily will be doing other things? Emily's husband Jack is now a member of the House of Lords...." "That's a possibility," Perry said with an enigmatic smile and then immediately clued us in on a bit of typical British political shenanigans. Many politicians who are caught behaving badly have been given a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords. Soon after, many of the aforementioned simply disappear from the public eye, and most people don't mind a bit. With a perfectly raised eyebrow, Perry looked out at us and said, "Remember, just because you got caught behaving badly doesn't mean you're bad. It just means you got caught!" "We can't have that!" Anne Perry Another laugh came when Perry admitted that she was running out of streets, avenues, roads, etc. to name her books. Many of Anne Perry's fans probably already know that her book titles aren't always the same on both sides of the Atlantic. Sometimes her UK publisher... or her US publisher... wants to change the title. During one of the more recent times when Perry was contacted about a title change, she told her UK publisher, "Do what you want and let the Americans do what they want because that's what I want them to do!" Yes indeed, those book titles can be a problem. Her next Christmas mystery is a case in point. Her UK publishers have refused her choice-- A Christmas Voyage-- and are leaning toward calling the book A Christmas Wedding. Perry has turned that down for a very simple reason: "There's no wedding in it!" There's a slight chance that the book will be called A New York Christmas, but don't bet the farm on it! There was a similar problem for one of Perry's William Monk mysteries. In the US, the book is titled Slaves of Obsession, but her UK publishers were horrified: "There's a line of erotica with that name. We can't have that!" Therefore, in the UK, the book is titled Slaves and Obsessions-- and now you know the reason why. Talk turned to the latest Pitt book, Death on Blackheath, which takes place in 1898. Barbara Peters told Perry, "I couldn't figure out how you were going to resolve it," to which Perry replied, "Good! If I can fool you, I can fool anyone!" Peters said, "It's a bit of a case of is there a crime or isn't there." Thomas Pitt has been called in to investigate the case of a maid who's disappeared because the missing woman works for a marine engineer who's very much involved with the building of an early submarine. "We're beginning to hear a bit of the guns of August starting to rumble," Barbara remarked. "You're writing towards your World War I novels." Perry agreed. "We seem to get wound up when the spring's about to go at the end of each century. For example, in 1492 there was the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and in the 1790s there was the French Revolution." Corridors of the Night Barbara Peters then mentioned that moving another character, William Monk, to the Thames River Police was perfect. "It reminds me of the Lacey Flint series that S.J. Bolton writes because the Thames figures so strongly in those books, too. Are any of you familiar with them?" At least one head nodded in response to that question-- mine. Anne looked at us all and asked, "Is there anything more sinister than rotting wood and dripping water?" The next William Monk book will be released at the beginning of September and is titled Blood on the Water. Perry's current work-in-progress is called Corridors of the Night. Available Now! One of the fans in the audience asked Perry if she'd ever had any adverse reactions to the characters in her books. She had, mentioning a fan who'd accused her of being anti-Semitic. "If she'd been paying attention," Anne said, "she would have noticed that it was a particular character who was anti-Semitic, and he came to a very bad end as a result!" Another person asked if William Monk and Thomas Pitt were ever going to meet. "It would be terribly difficult," Perry said, "since there is a span of thirty years between the series." Barbara Peters added, "It would be fun, though, to have a young Vespasia meet Monk!" Perry considered it for a moment and said, "That would be a possibility!" Anne then divulged that she's currently working on something about the 1930s that may have to be two or three books. They will take place during the years Hitler came to power (and when Vesuvius erupted in 1933) through to Kristallnacht in 1935. "When you're writing about Victorian England, you read and look at pictures and photographs to do your research. When you're writing something that takes place on the coast of Almalfi, you go there. Often." When the laughter died down, another fan asked Perry about Hester Latterly, who's William Monk's mainstay in that series. As it turns out, Anne Perry is a Hester Latterly wannabe. "Monk needs a woman who can stand up to him. I wish I could be as strong and as brave as she. Hester says things that I would love to say." "Your characters tend to get married," Peters observed. Perry smiled and said, "I'm a bit of a softie. I like romance." The next several months are going to be very busy for Anne Perry. "In the next ten months, I have three books to complete, and within the next year, I have to plan three more books. I have rough outlines for the three I'm planning, but I don't even really have ideas yet!" "You will have," Barbara assured her. L to R: Barbara Peters, Anne Perry Another fan question concerned the number of employees Perry has. "I have a part-time secretary who does the typing. I have a part-time researcher. I have an agent who's not really my employee but worth every cent. I also have a publicist in the US, but I don't need one in the UK." Another fan loves Perry's book covers. "Most of the covers are existing paintings that need releases before they can be used as covers," Anne said. "The first story I ever sold..." An extremely enjoyable evening ended with Perry telling us about the first story she ever sold. "I was five years old, I think, wearing a pink dress that my mother had done smocking on and in my Mary Jane shoes. I'd been given sixpence, and I was walking down to the shops to buy candy. All of a sudden, a big bully with a stick planted himself in front of me and demanded, 'Gimme yer sixpence!' I spun him such a tale of how poor my family was and how we didn't have any food and that I needed that sixpence because of my sick baby brother. That bully wound up giving me a half crown!" I think it's safe to say that that incident proved she was an internationally bestselling author in the making. I know I wasn't the only person that evening who was glad Anne Perry will be coming to The Poisoned Pen more often. She's a delight!

Denis knows how to make me laugh. We were well on the way to our favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, when he asked-- completely out of the blue-- "So... who is this Isabella Maldonado?" (He's learned that coming with me to see authors he's never heard of always means new books for him to read.) I filled him in on a few facts: retired police officer, local author, her books are set here in Phoenix, and her second mystery featuring a Latina police officer, Phoenix Burning, was launching that night so there might be cake. I may be mistaken, but I think he drove a little faster the rest of the way to our destination. Denis and I reserved our seats, then sat in the back to relax, read, and chat. A cake and goodies table was set up, and a man was busily going through a couple of boxes of what I thought of as props. I could see this was going to be an interesting evening-- especially when many people showed up who were ready to celebrate. L to R: Isabella Maldonado & Patrick Millikin "It's great to see more Arizona and Phoenix talent and novelists start to come in and fill the void. For a long time, there weren't too many people writing about Phoenix, so it's great to see someone with an extensive police and law enforcement background really doing it right-- and not just North Scottsdale but the entire Phoenix area," host Patrick Millikin said. After discovering that almost everyone (with the exception of Denis) had read the first book in the series, Blood's Echo, Patrick asked Isabella to tell us a bit about her new book, Phoenix Burning. "As we know at the end of book one, Veranda makes an oath to herself that she will take her secret to the grave. No one will ever know her deep dark secret," Isabella said. "Well, that doesn't play out very well. It's hard to keep secrets like that. Unfortunately, in book two everything blows up in her face and she's scrambling to deal with her department, her own loud, interfering, loving, Latino family, and of course, the Villalobos crime family." Isabella Maldonado "We do have to be careful of giving away spoilers because there are some big ones to give away," Millikin said. "But it's safe to talk about this one because it happens at the beginning of the book. It's when a certain person is killed on a street corner. Can you kind of set up the basic plot for us?" "One of the things I wanted to do was use my own experience in law enforcement when I was involved in a huge, multi-jurisdictional task force where we were trying to track down some really, really bad folks. I wanted to draw from that experience and have a situation in Phoenix where things went so horribly awry that it would necessitate a multi-jurisdictional task force. "So I asked myself and I asked my friends on the Phoenix police force what could happen, what would be so bad that it would make national headlines? So the book opens with that premise. There's a high-speed pursuit and a shootout, and it goes all the way through Phoenix. I have to warn locals," Maldonado continued, "that I did make up roads. I did that on purpose so I wouldn't cast aspersions on any particular parts of the city. At the end of the pursuit, the gunman runs into a shopping mall that I made up called the Arcadia Shopping Mall. You can tell by the name that it's a high-end, posh place. A cross between Biltmore Fashion Park and Scottsdale Fashion Square. The shootout continues right into the mall with guns blazing and people running and screaming. And yes, it does make national headlines. And then the task force comes in." Available Now! "Talk a little about the Villalobos cartel. Is there a particular model for that group?" Patrick asked. "The cartel I've created is more sophisticated than your average cartel. I describe it as the largest cartel in the world. You can think of it as any large family business dynasty, but their business is crime," Maldonado replied. "The father, Hector Villalobos, has come up with his own retirement plan, which is to divide up his cartel between his four adult children. Bartolo was given the drugs sector. Adolfo is the oldest son and was pushed out of the way by Bartolo, but Bartolo gets his in book one. Now it's Adolfo's turn to be in charge. He's the CFO. He does money laundering, gambling, racketeering, and everything else that goes on. The third son, Carlos, is in charge of human trafficking and sex trafficking. Daria is the only female. She's in charge of explosives, of gun running and that sort of thing. "That's how Hector has set it up where everyone has a part in the division of labor. You'd think it would work, but none of them get along in this family because their father has raised them to be hyper-competitive." "For those in the audience who aren't acquainted with you, could you talk a little bit about your law enforcement background?" Millikin asked. Bella and her nightstick "I got into law enforcement in the 1980s," Bella told us. "Some of you may remember the 80s. It was a time of big hair and shoulder pads and a lot of lip gloss... and those were just the men. But that's when I got into law enforcement. Back East. In the Fairfax County Police Department. It's a suburb of Washington, DC. The county is similar in size to Phoenix and has 1.2 million people, so it has a large population and a good-sized police department. "Back then I was one of the few women in the department, so that was quite interesting," Maldonado continued. "I slowly climbed my way through the ranks and over the course of twenty-two years, I eventually became a captain. As captain, I held the title of Gang Council Coordinator; I was a precinct commander; I was the spokesperson for the department at one point; and then when I retired, I was the commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. I had the chance to do a lot of different things in the department. I was a hostage negotiator; I would also do interpreting for some of the detectives. I was exposed to a lot of different things, and I had a very interesting and fun career. "That's one of the things I wanted to write about. I thought you know what? I want to write about these stories and have them end the way they should end, instead of the way they do end." Bella's husband Mike who's head of the Phoenix Crime Lab "What brought you out to Phoenix?" Patrick asked. "Is he standing over there?" Bella laughed. "Yeah, that guy standing over there wearing the Phoenix Burning t-shirt. He's modeling for me tonight." "You say 'retired,' so you put in your twenty..." Maldonado nodded, "and did you always have the desire to write and make that a second career?" Millikin asked. "Yes, absolutely. Since I was a little kid I always knew that I would be a writer at some point. After I retired, I spent five years studying the art and craft of writing. I put a lot of work into it. I joined Sisters in Crime, and that really did a lot to help me hone my skills. I also published three short stories to try to home in on what my style was." Patrick said, "I always like to ask authors with a law enforcement background if they read police procedurals and really dial in on what they got wrong." Maldonado laughed. "Yes! I was a lot worse at it before I started writing my own stuff. Now I've learned why they have to do stuff a different way. I'll use an example from the Phoenix Police Department. They've changed their policy, and now if an officer is involved in a fatal shooting, there's nothing unusual about taking that officer off duty for thirty days while they investigate and evaluate. Well-- talk about slowing the plot down! Now I have a much better appreciation of why you have to bend things a little." "And officers are working more than one investigation at a time," Patrick commented. "Yes. Not only that, but it's not just two partners working a case. A whole squad will be working it," Maldonado said. Interesting bracelet.... Bella's series takes place all over Phoenix. Police headquarters is in the middle of downtown Phoenix. The Villalobos live in a mansion in Paradise Valley. But Veranda and her family are based in South Phoenix. The author fell in love with Phoenix when she moved here, and when she began to write, she realized that few books were set here. She also wanted to ensure that Latino food and culture and family traditions played a big part in her books. "Some people have told me that they always get hungry when they read my books," she laughed. "I know we have some aspiring writers in the audience," Millikin said. "Do you have any advice for them?" "You have to really believe in what you're doing," Maldonado said. "And you have to have nerve. A lot of nerve. I pitched directly to editors and publishers at conferences. I was offered a three-book deal right out of the chute, and I was really surprised at that. To get an agent, I went to Thrillerfest in New York City. "It's kind of like speed dating. You get three minutes-- they set a timer-- to pitch your book, and you need to convince them you're fabulous. In three minutes. And these hardened New York City publishers have heard it all! You have to push the boundaries, but I was able to get an agent." "Wait a second. Let's back up," Millikin said. "You published your first book without an agent?" "I got the three-book deal without an agent," Maldonado replied. "I had all sorts of people tell me that I wasn't going to get an agent now that I already had a contract, but I thought to myself, if these people can't see any potential in me they're not right for me to begin with. "And there were a few in that room filled with agents who said, 'What do you need me for?' and I said to myself, I don't. I don't need you. You don't have any imagination if you can't see anything going forward. But there were four or five who could see, so we'll see what happens." The author as police officer Then we had a trivia contest in order to earn some fun swag. Unfortunately, I did not know the correct terminology for a nightstick. (PR-24) Lots of fun and laughter filled the remaining part of this event-- including locals' incomprehension of tourists who think 8 oz. of water, a pair of flip-flops, and a tank top are sufficient to go hiking up Camelback Mountain. (This can lead to almost daily mountain rescues. Many people want to pass a Stupid Hiker Law to join Arizona's already existing Stupid Motorist Law.) When the event drew to a close, Denis and I were glad we'd come... and we left with a slice of tasty launch cake apiece! A delicious launch cake

Also featuring Poison-Pen Sex Maniacs On The Loose!, The Sin-Dolls Who Trapped The Reds' Ace Master Spy!, and The Madam Who Bossed The Bizarre Bordello's Vice & Crime Ring! via

St. Patrick's Day found Denis and me making sure we were wearing green before venturing out to our favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. I knew it was going to be a capacity crowd, so when we arrived, I made a dash to reserve our seats before doing a bit of browsing and making my purchase. My latest book haul...an eclectic mix! March is the month when this bookstore is really hopping, so I wasn't surprised to see lots of book buyers, many of whom were staying for the event for the creator of Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear. All sorts of books were being purchased, but when folks sat down to wait, they were opening A Dangerous Place and diving right into the story. I was torn between reading my own book and watching others read those first pages of the book. I can remember how stunned I was when I read them, and I suppose I was looking for that same look on the faces of others. Soon it became too noisy for me to concentrate, so I went over to take my seat and wound up having a lovely book chat with the woman sitting next to me. "...Institutional memory..." L to R: Barbara Peters, Jacqueline Winspear Since Winspear was still busy signing books in the mail room, host and bookstore owner Barbara Peters took a few minutes to tell us of upcoming events. One author has given Sherlock Holmes a new sidekick: Henry James. I mulled that over for a few seconds, remembering past reading experiences and thinking that I've never cared for Henry James. That's when I heard Barbara say, "I've always loathed Henry James." That makes two of us, I thought. Then Barbara said, "Robert Englund of the Arizona Republic did an interview with the author. We were talking about it afterwards when Robert said, 'I've always hated Henry James.' I replied, 'Funny you should say that!'" I wondered if poor Henry was spinning in his grave with all this outpouring of dislike. Peters then told us that she and Jacqueline Winspear had spent the day on the Verde Canyon Railroad, which I can attest to being a lot of fun. Once the Tucson Festival of Books was concluded, the two women had also been partying with C.J. Box and Rhys Bowen. Winspear owns horses and made the mistake of telling Box that she once dated a cowboy. It will be a long time before Box lets her forget what the girls who date cowboys on the rodeo circuit are called. By now, Jacqueline had made her appearance and was shaking her head in dismay over being referred to as a buckle bunny. Jacqueline Winspear's first-ever book signing was right here at The Poisoned Pen. She and Barbara Peters have been friends since she was writing the very first Maisie Dobbs book. "We're a part of each other's institutional memory," Barbara said, looking over at Winspear and smiling. "That makes us sound like we were in a women's prison together," Jacqueline replied to laughter throughout the bookstore. "I don't think I could make it any more obvious!" Jacqueline Winspear Winspear began by mentioning the fact that after Leaving Everything Most Loved came out, fans were feverishly asking her if that was the last time they would see Maisie. "The last five words of the book are 'Yes, she will be back,'" Winspear said. "I don't think I could make it any more obvious that there would be more books!" Both Peters and Winspear told us that very little could be said of the plot of A Dangerous Place due to the risk of ruining the book for everyone who hadn't read it. Instead the author decided to talk a bit about the book's setting: Gibraltar. The Spanish Civil War "How many of you know where Gibraltar is?" she asked. Most of us raised our hands. (Denis and I have a niece who lives there.) "I have to ask because I learned that many people don't know. "For the last four years, Maisie Dobbs has been a wanderer, and she has experienced profound tragedy. Due to prompting by her family, Maisie is coming home, and it's really not surprising that her journey takes her to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is on the route to so many other places-- like India. It attracts so many British because the weather is so good and it feels so very British. Maisie stops at Gibraltar, gets off the ship, and winds up solving a murder." Available Now! "Rob and I will be going to Gibraltar in two and a half weeks," Barbara said, "and I will be checking to see if Jackie's research is accurate!" We laughed at her teasing. "The UK helped Franco get back to Spain," Winspear told us. "There were so many Unionists [working men in unions] going to Spain to fight for the common man. Many Germans who were seeing the rise of Fascism and Hitler went to Spain to train the civilians how to fight against Franco." She then read an excerpt from A Dangerous Place-- the actual first eyewitness account of the bombardment of Guernica as published in the London Times. It was chilling. "How difficult this must have been for Maisie to see," Barbara observed."To see the Spanish Civil War after having experienced World War I. Now having the feeling that it's going to happen all over again... and possibly even worse." "The instant messaging of the day." Ever fearful of saying too much and spoiling A Dangerous Place for those in the audience, talk moved on to Winspear's previous book, The Care and Management of Lies, a novel written to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of World War I. "I'm not through with Kezia," Winspear said. "There will be a sequel to The Care and Management of Lies. One of the things that struck me in doing research for this book was just how much emotional nostalgia there is wrapped up in food, particularly for soldiers during wartime. During World War I, the German Army came very close to mutiny over food... the lack of it and the poor quality of what little food they were getting. Food can be a real flashpoint." When Peters mentioned the importance of mail during wartime, Jacqueline said that that was one of the things that the British government got right, building large mail centers in France to ensure that the fighting men received letters and packages from home. Jacqueline Winspear "Before World War I, the UK had excellent mail service," Winspear said. "The mail was delivered to people's homes eight to ten times per day. It's not unusual to find postcards that were written and sent during this time that said 'See you at 3.' This was the instant messaging of the day." I think it took us a second or two to try to imagine what it would be like to have our mail carriers come to our doors eight times a day! Someone in the audience mentioned that she'd just learned that it's possible to FedEx a horse. Winspear, who has had horses for years, nodded, telling us that her horse has its own passport-- a requirement for being FedEx-ed and shipped out of the country. "They do the same thing for dogs," Barbara said. "The dogs also have to have their own passports." Winding down the evening, talk returned to Maisie, and what Barbara Peters called the "brisk efficiency" of the first pages of A Dangerous Place. Winspear nodded. "It was the best and only way to do it," she said. For a moment her eyes met mine, and she looked sad-- as though she knew the beginning of her latest book would probably anger many fans. When asked what the future holds for Maisie, Jacqueline said, "You're going to start seeing some of the minor characters-- like Billy Beale-- come back. I've known for a long, long time where Maisie is going. I planned her journey years ago." After a loud round of applause, the last of the cupcakes were consumed, and the long signing line formed. It's going to be very interesting to see where Maisie's journey takes her next.

I can't always get to all the author events I want to attend at The Poisoned Pen. I missed Laurie R. King recently when she came to talk about her latest standalone book, Lockdown. I don't like it when I miss her because she's so knowledgeable and entertaining, and she and host Barbara Peters have such a good rapport. Fortunately I have resources that sometimes make up for the fact that I can't be in two places at the same time. This time I thought I would share some of those resources with all of you. So here you go: photos taken at King's launch of Lockdown (which happened a day earlier than the honest-to-goodness official launch) and the Livestream event. Now you can enjoy it, too. All photos are courtesy of Miles at The Poisoned Pen. Thank you, Miles! Barbara Peters (R) introducing her friend, Laurie R. King (L) Little did Laurie know, but there was a little surprise for her.... You can't have a book launch party without cake! Laurie busily signing books and talking with fans. I did have the Livestream event embedded in this post, but I've received emails from some of my regular readers that it was not loading properly. The video could not be seen yet the audio was running non-stop and could not be muted even if they were reading a completely different post. Now... that would drive me around the bend, so I've removed it. Here's the link to the Laurie R. King Livestream event. I do apologize for driving some of you crazy, but-- as you can see-- I do respond to emails!