Boston Noir at Noir Bar

Here, at long last, some pics from the event at Noir Bar in the Charles Hotel. The setting was ideal: outside was a gawdawful rain storm, inside was dimly lit, muffled conversation, the clink of glassware.

Suddenly, a woman screamed...


Okay, not a woman, it was feedback from the mic as we got set up. It really was fun; I've mentioned the signature cocktails based on each of our stories, and can attest that the "Femme Sole" was elegant, tasty, and packed an unexpected wallop.



Here, I'm trying to "smolder." I'm not sure it's working, but I do enjoy a challenge.

Another element, one that made me feel almost like a performance artist, was the projection of old black and white noir films on the screens behind us.

L-R: me, Brendan DuBois (who did a cracker-jack job of introducing the book and the event), Lynne Heitman, and Russ Aborn.

We sold a bunch of books and the audience was super. Not a bad crowd, for a rainy Monday night. Thanks to the folks at Noir Bar for making a fun event!

An Edgar nomination for "Femme Sole!"

I'm stunned and delighted to let you know my short story, "Femme Sole," has been nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Short Story. "The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theatre published or produced in the previous year."

Here are the nominees for Best Short Story:

"Last Fair Deal Gone Down" – Crossroad Blues by Ace Atkins (Busted Flush Press)
"Femme Sole" – Boston Noir by Dana Cameron (Akashic Books)
"Digby, Attorney at Law" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by Jim Fusilli (Dell Magazines)
"Animal Rescue" – Boston Noir by Dennis Lehane (Akashic Books
"Amapola" – Phoenix Noir by Luis Alberto Urrea (Akashic Books)

(You can find the nominees in all the categories here.)

Holy mackerel! The past year has been so very good to me, I never, ever imagined I'd have this honor. I'm thrilled to death. Thank you, MWA judges--in all the categories. I know what work goes into this process.

And thanks to Toni Kelner who called this morning to congratulate me, not knowing I didn't have a clue!

Noir Bar, Boston Noir, Pinot Noir

If there's one convention that can be found in noir writing of any period, it's booze. So it's only natural that the next two Boston Noir events I do will be in a bar and a wine store.

I'll be doing a reading and signing with Lynne Heitman, Brendan DuBois, and Russ Aborn at Noir Bar at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA, Monday night, January 25 from 7 to 9 pm. Come join us and sip signature cocktails!

And a solo event at my favorite local (Beverly, MA) wine store: Henry's Wine Cellar. I'll be signing copies of Boston Noir during a wine tasting featuring Pinot Noirs (also one of my favorite wines) on February 11, from 4 to 7 pm.