Date: December 31st, 2011

Dear Readers,

Looking back over the year...

Just in case you hadn't heard me yodeling from the mountaintops, I had a wonderful Bouchercon. It was a very busy weekend, but megatons of fun. On top of having a terrific time on my panels and getting to hang out with friends, “Swing Shift” won both the Macavity and the Anthony! I'm still a little stunned; the nominees for both awards are all fantastic writers and I was delighted to be considered along with them. My thanks to the organizers and attendees who made St. Louis such a good time! B'con is going to be in Cleveland next year, and you can find all the information here.

I've mentioned that I'll be Toast Master for Malice Domestic 24, and I cannot wait! The Guest of Honor will be Jan Burke and the Lifetime Achievement Honoree will be Simon Brett. I hope to see you there!

Before Malice, I'll be attending Sleuthfest and Boskone. Charlaine Harris, Jeffery Deaver, and Chris Grabenstein will be the Guests of Honor at Sleuthfest and John Scalzi will be the GoH at Boskone. I had a wonderful time at both events last year. At Boskone, I'm hoping to get The Wild Side signed by Daniel dos Santos, who did the hot, hot, hot! artwork for the cover (this is the volume with my Fangborn short story, “Love Knot”).

Speaking of short stories, I have several in the pipeline, and two forthcoming in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. “One Soul at a Time” will be in the June 2012 issue and features a new character, Jayne, a retired covert operative who can't quite seem to stop righting the wrongs she sees around her. Also forthcoming is “Mischief in Mesopotamia,” an Emma Fielding short story. It's been a while since I've spent time with Emma, but a story set on a tour of archaeological sites in Turkey was definitely her cup of tea.

I wish you health, wealth, and happiness--and lots of good reading!--in 2012!

All the best,

Dana

P.S. Don't forget to check in with me via Facebook and Twitter , and at the Femmes Fatales blog.