QUICKIE UPDATES AS SPACE PERMITS--Five Star First Edition Mysteries unleashes WHERE THE LIES  BEGIN in mid-May, and we start a heavy round of in-store and library readings and appearances shortly thereafter, beginning with what’s become our traditional kick-off at Dutton’s Bookstore in Brentwood, CA, on Wednesday evening, May 31…A June 17 appearance date at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA, will be paired with a pizza fest a half-mile down Burbank Blvd. at Dino’s, voted the valley’s #1 pizza restaurant by the Los Angeles Times and others (and owned-operated by our kid, David, and his  missus)…

 

The visits to Village Books in Pacific Palisades (June 8) and Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego (June 10) will  incorporate a modest  "workshop" presentation we're calling "The Long and the Short of It." I'll explore the difference between writing a novel and writing a short story, sharing my thoughts on what works in one form but not the other—and why—and illustrating key points with excerpts from WHERE THE LIES BEGIN and short stories from Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and "Year's Best" anthologies in which I appear…The idea was inspired by the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award voted me a third consecutive year, (my delight about that honor tempered by disappointment at not being able to get to New York for the EQMM reception and presentation on April 27)…

     

Another special event, "Mysteries and Thrillers: The Write Stuff" is set for June 15 at Vroman's in Pasadena, where I'll be moderating a panel featuring Gar Anthony Haywood (aka "Ray Shannon"), Dick Lochte, and Gayle Lynds…

 

Meanwhile, currently keeping me preoccupied: pre-production on the first International Thriller Writers “ThrillerFest” awards show, set for July 1 in Phoenix, when I’m hoping to pull off one or two crowd-pleasing  surprises…

 

Take care and be well...