Recent events

Last week was pretty hectic, what with carpenters loose in the house and two events in the local mystery community.  Best not to talk about the work being done on the house.  Far more interesting to talk about the mystery events.

The first was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Kate’s Mystery Books, in Cambridge, MA, owned by Kate Mattes.  Many of the New England crowd turned out (Linda Barnes is talking with Kate, below, right).  Those of us readers and writers in the Boston area—make that the Northeast—have all benefited one way or another from knowing Kate over the years.  Actually, make that the country:  Kate and her bookstore were recently honored with the prestigious Mystery Writers of America’s Raven Award (left), for service to the mystery community.  I could tell you how I found Kate’s as a reader, and then how, when my first book came out, she was the first to offer me an event, how she introduced me to folks I needed to know, and pointed me toward books I needed to read.  This would be the story that most any writer who came to the store could tell you.  Kate will be moving the store’s location and we’re all looking forward to the next anniversary in the new digs.  (Toni Kelner wrote a nice description on May 16, of Kate, her store, and the party here.)

And then on Thursday, I participated in a Sisters in Crime event at Leominster Library (in case you didn’t know, Kate Mattes was one of the founders of Sisters in Crime).  There was a really nice crowd for our discussion of “The Modern Heroine,” and with me on the panel was Kate Flora, (seated right) past New England chapter President and SinC “Goddess,” and Hank Phillippi Ryan, who just won the Agatha for best first novel (middle).  The program was organized by NE SinC chapter president Ruth McCarty.  What I most enjoyed about the talk was that we covered everything from guns to research to our characters’ relationships to editorial issues.