PLA and SC (and Elvis!)

I promised an update on some of my recent travels and adventures and here it is. It takes me longer to do these because I'm still getting the hang of wrangling the photos (knocking rocks together, no problem; HTML, blogs, etc.? Not so quick.). The latest event was helping out at the MWA (Mystery Writers of America) and SinC (Sisters in Crime) booth at PLA (the Public Library Association), which was in Boston this year. There were 11,000 librarians at the Hynes Auditorium, and not a "shhh" among them. They were a raucous crowd! I started off with the SinC panel and breakfast at the BPL (Boston Public Library--gotta love those TLAs (three letter acronyms)), where SinC New England president Roberta Isleib (shown above, standing on left) moderated a panel with fellow SinCers Kate Flora, Linda Barnes, me (sitting, R-L), and Hallie Ephron (standing, right). Doris Ann Norris (standing center), the Two Thousand-Year-Old Librarian, said a few words of introduction. She did a boffo job of organizing the MWA/SinC booth, where we had signings with Donna Andrews (shown in action), Susan Conant, Hallie Ephron, Kate Flora, Lynne Heitman, Margaret Maron, Susan Oleksiw, Leslie Wheeler, and others. Lots of folks, including Toni and Steve Kelner, and Dan Hale, helped promote both organizations, and it was gratifying to hear how many of librarians knew about us and made our booth one of their first destinations. Doris Ann, Donna, and Toni are there with the SinC and MWA banners, on the right.

One unexpected event was a meeting with the King. Yes, Elvis was in the building, shown here with M. E. Kemp, me, and Alex Sokoloff. Of all the people I'd thought I might run into...well, he just wasn't on that list.

Last month was the trip to the South Carolina Book Festival. That was a real treat, as I'd never been to Columbia or South Carolina before. It was a wonderful affair, beautifully run. I was on a panel about community, careers, and crime, with Laura Durham, Cathy Pickens, and Susan McBride (shown right), organized and moderated by Paula Benson. Paula did a great job of moderating and she also took us on a tour of the state house, which was full of history. I'm sorry not to have a picture of Paula here--she looked after us in what can only be described as a royal fashion--but I'll be sure to include one of her when I see her at Malice Domestic.

I love book festivals because I get to meet readers and other authors. The SC Festival was no exception; I saw Nicholas Basbanes and Jennifer Crusie (though not at the same time). I also got to meet readers Delores, DiAnna, and Lil, who were a lot of fun (and are shown at the left).

Everyone at PLA and the SC Book Festival loved books. Was crazy and knowledgable about them, wanted to talk about them, couldn't get enough of them. This shouldn't be a surprise, but there are times--not often--when I'm chatting with someone who will say "I never read. I don't like books." Sometimes--not often--this will even happen in a *bookstore*. Maybe they're at the bookstore to get something for a friend, maybe they're looking for a bathroom, but to say I find this confusing would be an understatement. So events like PLA and SCBF--and the folks that make them happen--are a balm.