A Forensic Science Panel & a Book Fair-- Stop by and say hello!

I've got two public appearances coming up soon -- more to come in October and November!

Tuesday, September 29, 11:45 AM-2:30 PM
California Forensic Science Institute Forum
"Challenges Facing Forensic Science"
Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Los Angeles Regional Crime Laboratory
William T Fujikoka Room
1800 Paseo Rancho Castilla
Los Angeles CA 90032

Call CFSI for more information at (323) 343-4877

Sunday, October 4

West Hollywood Book Fair

West Hollywood Park

647 N. San Vicente Blvd

West Hollywood [click here for a map and link to parking info]

Noon - Crossover/Supernatural/Mystery Panel (which probably has a better name by now, but this is the only one I've been given) in the Fiction Pavilion

2:30 PM Sisters in Crime: How Far Have We Come?

in the Mystery & Suspense Pavilion

There will be signings after each panel, and at 4 PM I'll also be signing at the Sisters in Crime booth.

Coming soon: appearances in Orange County, CA; Nashville, Tennessee; San Jose, CA; Muskego, Wisconsin; and Fallbrook, CA. See my Web site's Schedule page for more info!

Brief notes

I hope you are planning to attend Left Coast Crime 2010 in Los Angeles next March! I'm the Guest of Honor -- along with some guy named Lee Child. You may have heard of him? Yeah, I think he's great, too. Anyway, we'll be there along with Bill Fitzhugh and lots of others, so please register now. And don't forget to sign up for the Forensic Science Day -- it's going to be so cool!

The Crime Lab Project blog is running a Death Quiz -- find out how much you really know about death investigation in the U.S. -- and then tell your friends to take the quiz. Ignoring the dead can cost us our lives.

My Web Master is as overwhelmed with work as I am, so it may be a little while before my schedule on the site shows this, but -- I'm going to have some new additions to my October schedule, including the Southern Festival of Books, October 9-11 in Nashville, Tennessee. Stay tuned for details.

Speaking of Web sites, don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but one of my nieces, Heather Cvar, is a makeup artist, and her recently updated site has some cool photos on it. You can see them at HeatherCvar.com

Artistic ability runs in the family -- her mom, my sister Sandy Cvar, will be one of the print-makers featured at the International Printing Museum's Los Angeles Printers Fair on August 29. And if you go to the Orange County Fair, look for one of Sandy's prints in the Fine Arts Professional Graphics exhibit!

That's it for now. I have a ton of stuff to post here, but it will have to wait while I work on my next book.

An Overdue Update

I'm excited to say that The Messenger, my next book, is a step closer to actually being a book.  The revisions are in, cover art is nearly ready (I'll put it up here and on my Web site as soon as possible), and it looks as if the publication date will be set for January, 2009.

As some of you already know, this book has a supernatural element.  It has thriller elements as well, and I think those who read the Irene Kelly series will enjoy meeting Tyler Hawthorne and friends.

Especially those of you who love dogs.  Wait until you meet Shade!  I'll talk more about him, and the plot of The Messenger, very soon.

I'm also working on a new Irene Kelly book.  That one will possibly be out in the fall of 2009.  The main reason you haven't seen much of me here is that I'm trying to get two manuscripts finished this year -- hoping to make it up to all of you for not getting a book out this year.

I'll soon have a story coming out in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, too.  I'll give details about that and tell you how you can make sure you get a copy of it in my next post!

It was great seeing those of you who came to Mayhem in the Midlands.  That's one of my favorite conventions, and next year I'll have the pleasure of serving as its toastmaster.  The guest of honor is my good friend Dana Stabenow, so we'll have fun.  When the 2009 registration links are available, I'll let you know.

Mayhem is held in Omaha.   A lot of my extended family can be found in the midwest, so I arrived a little early, and drove through four states during my visit there.   I saw cousins, aunts, uncles, and nieces and nephews.  One day I joined cousin Martha Burke and one of her friends, artist Paula Fagan, for lunch in Kansas City, Missouri.  We had lunch in the city's art district, at a fabulous place called Pizza Bella.  Just down the street on Baltimore Ave is the historic TWA Building, recently restored, Moonliner II and all.  You can see a better photo of it than the one above on this Wikipedia link, but this is one I snapped with my iPhone.  If you have a chance to visit this part of the city, go!

This is a beautiful time of year to be driving past farmland,  and some of the most lovely and serene vistas can be found in the Flint Hills of Kansas.  I spent a lot of hours in the rental car this trip, and I think that part of the drive remains my favorite.

My next public appearance will be June 13-14, at the Hardboiled Heroes and Cozy Cats Writers Conference, which is sponsored by the Southwest Chapter of MWA.  If you live anywhere near Dallas, Texas, and are working on a manuscript, I hope I'll be see you at that event.

Now I'm going back to work on a manuscript of my own....

Malice Domestic

I hope to see some of you next week at Malice Domestic!

This convention is always fun and friendly, and of course, I love having a chance to visit the Washington D.C. area. This year's worthy honorees include Charlaine Harris, Lindsey Davis, Daniel Stashower, Peter Lovesey, and Elizabeth Foxwell. For a list of attending authors, visit this page of the Malice Website.

See you there!

Home again

At the end of March, Tim and I traveled to Buffalo, New York, to visit family there, and were saddened to learn that one of his aunts, the truly fabulous Jean Fancourt, was in the hospital. She died the day after we arrived. We loved her dearly, and our time with our Burke cousins was a celebration of her well-lived life.

After a few more days in Buffalo, where there was April snowfall, Tim went home and I went on to Manhattan. I made a visit to MWA headquarters, where Margery Flax is busy with both Edgar preparations and packing up the office to move to its new digs.

The next day I spent time with my editor, and with the publisher and the editor of my paperbacks. All kinds of news.

I'm happy to say that Pocket Books will be reissuing Bones.

I also learned that my next book will be out in early 2009. More details will be posted here re pub date, title, and about the book itself the next few weeks. For now, I'll tell you that this book is not part of the Irene Kelly series -- in fact, it's not crime fiction. Something new and different, but I hope you'll become as attached to these new characters as I have. Did I mention the dog? Okay -- more about all of that later.

I went from Manhattan to Pittsburgh. You've heard about some of that part of the trip in earlier posts. The Wecht Institute event was great, but I had to leave early, because one of my favorite librarians, Joyce Hensley, had asked me to be part of Literary Orange in California. So I spoke with my suitcase next to the dais, took a few questions, and hurried off to the airport. (Later I learned that Laura Lippman and I were probably wandering through the Pittsburgh Airport at about the same time. Although I missed seeing her there, fortunately Laura and I had a great afternoon together in So Cal, when she was here to sign her new book, Another Thing to Fall, at Book Carnival.)

Weather in Houston (where my flight connected) meant a delayed flight, so I didn't get into LAX until after 1 AM. But I was able to get home and to the event the next day, where I saw Patty Smiley, Naomi Hirahara, and other friends, including Joyce.

One other note about 2009 -- I'm hoping to get a new Irene Kelly novel out later that year. Working on it now. That probably means I won't be posting here on the blog quite as often as I'd like, but I hope you'll all be understanding about that.

As for future travel -- DC, Omaha, and Dallas are in the works. I'll be at Malice Domestic in April, Mayhem in the Midlands in May, and at Hardboiled Heroes & Cozy Cats 2008 in June. So if you are going to be at any of those events, please say hello!

Cyril Wecht Institute at Dusquene University

I've had a couple of radio interviews here today, including a lovely hour spent talking to lively Lynn Cullen, talk radio host on WPTT.   I was also able to talk briefly to PJ Maloney on KQV.

This is all in preparation for the 8th Annual Forensic Science and Law Conference, presented by the Cyril Wecht Institute at Duquesne University.  The theme this year is "Where Fact Meets Fiction."

If you are anywhere near Pittsburgh between now and Saturday, come to this conference!   The faculty includes writers, hosts, and producers of CSI, Criminal Minds, Monk, Forensic Files, Autopsy, 48 Hours Mysteries, Trace Evidence, Diagnosis Murder, and other television shows.  I'll be joined by writers including Robert Tannebaum, Ann Rule, Lee Goldberg, Jon Jefferson, and D.P. Lyle.  Leading forensic scientists and law enforcement experts, including Henry Lee, forensic pathologists Michael Baden and Cyril Wecht, former FBI agent and criminal profiler Mark Sarafik, law professor James Starrs, forensic psychologist Michael Welner, Judge Donald Shelton (who has studied the "CSI Effect") and many more.  There are still a few places left, so please call 412-396-1330 or register online here.  The cost is very reasonable, $35-75 depending on how many events you want to attend.

Pittsburgh Television

I'll be on WPIX's "Night Talk" show, hosted by Mike Pintek, tonight.  The program begins at 8 PM.  Viewers can call 412-333-PCNC to tell the station what you think of the topics discussed.  

This is in connection with my appearance at the Wecht Institute Conference, "Where Fact Meets Fiction."  Hope to see some of you there!

Left Coast Crime in Denver

I hope to see you at Left Coast Crime 2008, which will be held in Denver, Colorado, March 6-9. The convention is honoring Stephen White, and Elaine Viets will be the Toastmaster. Those of you who have been to mystery conventions will realize why librarian Michael Masliah is the Fan Guest of Honor. In what I believe is a first, this convention also features a Celebrity Chef, Joanne Pence, and a Celebrity Singer, Parnell Hall.

You can learn more about the convention at its Web site, http://www.leftcoastcrime.org/2008.

If you want to learn more about where I'll be appearing in the coming months, visit the Schedule page on my Web site.

Step Out to Fight Diabetes

I'll be walking in the Step Out to Fight Diabetes event in San Diego at 9:00 AM on Sunday, October 28 at Ingram Plaza - Liberty Station, which is located at 2750 Dewey Road, San Diego, CA 92106.


View Larger Map

This event raises money to support the important work of the American Diabetes Association.

Some quick facts about diabetes:

• There is currently no cure for diabetes.
  
• 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, have diabetes.
• About 6 million of these people are unaware they have the disease.
  
• 240 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Within 20 years, this number is expected to grow to 380 million.
  
• Many doctors consider diabetes to be the #1 health crisis in the U.S..
• Diabetes disables and kills. Uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, amputation, inability to fight infection and more.
• Diabetes can strike anyone of any age, weight, or ethnicity.
• In addition to the 20.8 million with diabetes, 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes, which must be treated as soon as possible to prevent this condition from leading to diabetes. Over time, the elevated blood glucose levels of pre-diabetes can also cause damage to the body, especially to the heart and circulatory system. Almost all people who develop Type 2 diabetes first have pre-diabetes.
  

The information above is from the ADA and the International Diabetes Federation.

If you haven't had your fasting blood glucose tested within the past year, please call your doctor today to make an appointment to do so.

And please generously support the work of the ADA -- look for a Step Out event in your area.

Looking forward to

1) The Down Tight gig at The Starting Gate next weekend.*

2) Getting my copy of the final installment of Harry Potter's adventures at midnight. I will NOT spoil the book for the rest of you, so don't be afraid to read the blog after today. ;-) I can't tell you how many Web sites and television broadcasts I've been avoiding this week.

3) Going to the NIJ Annual Conference next week!

4) The appearance (on July 22) of a post I wrote at the request of Rhys Bowen for The Lady Killers blog. They've been gathering posts from friends on the theme of "wish you were here/wish I was there."

*Sorry about the mix-up -- I had the wrong date up here for a few hours!


Photo above courtesy of Scott Liddell (hotblack), from Morguefile.com

It's Not Just for St. Patrick's Day Any More

If you live in or visit the San Diego area, and want to find some great Irish food, I highly recommend Thornton's Irish Pub & Chop House in El Cajon, California. I was there a few days ago, celebrating my sister Tonya's birthday.

Any gathering of people in my family supplies fine company -- you're on your own for that, sorry I can't help you there. But if you happen to be in the area, I can recommend that you stop by Thornton's. The friendliness of the place, the attentive service, and excellent food make this one worthy of a visit.

Back home -- kind of

I'm back from the road, but tomorrow I'll be in San Clemente, California for their sold-out Friends of the San Clemente Library event. You have to love a community that shows that much support for its library!

Back again

Briefly, anyway.

Just returned from LCC 2007. Andi and all the other volunteers (I'm not forgetting you, Stu!) did a fabulous job of running this convention. As usual, I didn't get enough time with all the people I wanted to see. Seattle is a great place to hold a meeting -- lots to see and do and plenty of wonderful eateries, too. I made my usual pilgrimage to Wild Ginger.

The forensic panels went very well -- many thanks to those who came to hear those sessions. I also enjoyed doing the LCC 101 panel with Janet Rudolph of Mystery Readers International.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Internet -- I'm off to do some laundry!



Above: This lovely photo of Seattle, taken from the Bainbridge Ferry, is used courtesy of Carrie Hosfeldt, who has my thanks for making it available on morguefile.com