Living the Dream: New York, Kensington, and BEA

Just back from a trip to New York City. I met with my agent, my editor, and attended Kensington’s BEA party, which was fabulous.  These moments are fleeting for us writers, we who sit in front of the computer day after day in isolation. But it inspired me so much so meet the wonderful folks at Kensington who work hard to make the magic happen. And they were all so incredibly enthusiastic about my books! Amazing! (I kept pinching myself–really!) I won’t mention them all by name in this post for fear of forgetting someone, but let’s just say that Kensington rocks, most especially my editor, Martin Biro.

I also met with my agent, Sharon Bowers on Thursday and we discussed how things are going and what is next on the horizon. I picked up an advanced copy of Dawn Eastman’s “Pall in the Family,” which I can hardly wait to read. I met Dawn at Malice Domestic and am so excited about her debut mystery.

On Friday, I attended Book Expo America and wandered around looking for books and stories. I found the Mystery Writer’s of America’s booth and caught up with some friends there. Maybe next year, I will sign books with my friends at BEA. For those of you who don’t know what BEA is— it stands for Book Expo America and it’s the largest book industry gathering in the U. S. and I do mean large, as in OVERWHELMING. Because it’s industry-related, there are countless free books and advance books, with the idea, of course, of creating some buzz among readers, editors, the press, and so on. I picked up a few books—not as many as I could have. But I was careful because books are heavy. I could not take all the books I wanted. I just could not.

I checked out Soho Press’s books—a publisher I admire for many reasons. And I picked up a book that I think both my daughters and myself will like:  “Dancer Daughter Traitor Spy,” by Elizabeth Kiem. Like many young adult books, I think adults might like this one, too.

I also found a British publisher—Accent Press— churning out cozies that look very good, though I’ve not had a chance to read them yet. I picked up “Something in the Blood: A Honey Driver Mystery,” by Jean G. Goodhind and the first book in a highly successful series. I also picked up “Murder by Magic,” by Lesley Cookman, who is lauded as the “Queen” of British “cosies.”

I also grabbed “Forever Chic, Frenchwomen’s Secrets for Timeless Beauty, Style, and Substance” by Tish Jett, published by Rizzoli Ex Libris.

Also, I had a lovely conversation with Brad Brown, author of “Term Limits, an Evolutionary Fix for Marriage.” This books sounds fascinating and Brad is all too happy to chat about it. Once again, keep your eyes open. He may be visiting the blog soon.. All is all the trip was fruitful in terms of mining a few potential stories and making some great connections. But it took on a dreamlike feel when I was spending time with my agent and all of the Kensington folks who are so enthusiastic about my books. Sigh. Now, back to work!