Ghosts and Books!

If you've been reading along you know I am into both books and ghosts. 

One of the paranormal shows on Syfy that I enjoy is Haunted Collector, which revolves around John Zaffis and his team of paranormal investigators, two of whom are his son and daughter. I had the pleasure of listening to John speak in the past. He was interesting, articulate, well-informed, and pretty darn cool. I learned later that he is nephew of Ed and Lorraine Warren, noted paranormal investigators (Amityville Horror).

Mr. Zaffis opened a paranormal museum to house the 'affected' objects he has collected over the years. It is currently closed due to the shooting schedule for Haunted Collector. I was considering visiting it at some point in time but maybe not. A mutual friend recently told me a story about the process of moving the objects from John's house to the museum. Objects are 'cleansed' via a binding ritual performed by members of the clergy, although this ritual does not always remove whatever is attached to the object. Apparently things got very interesting when the objects were temporarily displaced and the binding rituals had to be repeated. So maybe I'll give that visit careful consideration. You never know. 

I caught an episode of one of the many (too many for my husband's taste but not too many for mine) paranormal shows airing these days, and it contained a segment about some folks' experiences at Browse Awhile Books in Tipp City, Ohio. (Facebook, couldn't find a website for the bookstore) So I was intrigued when a recent episode of Haunted Collector featured this very same bookstore. Even cooler that it made the Huffington Post news.

Claims made include the presence of a child spirit, and toys are left out for the child to play with. The team caught a small ball move quickly sideways as if it had been pushed. The team also caught a book falling off the shelf, a book that was spine out, in between other like-shelved books. The book was an Anne Perry book, one of my favorite authors.

So it appears that I have something in common with a ghost!

 

(Just a Reminder that) Crime Fiction Rocks!

Are you a mystery fan?

If so, considering heading to Cleveland this October 4 - 7 for some up-close and personal mystery fun. The fun is not a mystery, it's a given. You'll be spending four days with fellow fans, mystery (and other genre) authors, booksellers, and industry professionals who share your love of reading.

Bouchercon 2012 is getting close! 

And it's not just for mystery fans, you'll find all sorts of authors there.

This year's Bouchercon is being held in Cleveland, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which itself is home to the opening ceremonies.

(Shameless plug: Bouchercon 2013 will be held in my neck of the woods, Albany, New York.)

This year's special guests are Elizabeth George (American Guest of Honor), Robin Cook (Distinguished Contribution to the Genre), Mary Higgins Clark (Lifetime Achievement Award), Les Roberts (Special Cleveland Guest), Doris Ann Norris (Fan Guest of Honor), and John Connolly (Toastmaster).

 

Hope to see you there!

Reasons Why I Love to Drive

Yesterday I was driving down a road in a line of traffic that had one lane going in each direction, 45 m.p.h. speed limit, middle lane for turning lined on each side by double yellow lines. I was minding my own business when a green pick-up truck flew out of a parking lot on the left side of the street into the center lane, but instead of staying in the middle until it was safe to merge he headed straight for me. I jerked the wheel, kicked up dust on the shoulder and laid on the horn. Because I was already there and kept going on the shoulder before getting back in the lane, when he pulled out and into me, he ended up behind me, cutting off the car behind me who also laid on their horn.

And naturally he ends up next to me at the light as I am going straight and he is turning right. And my windows were open....

He gives me the finger and starts to yell at me, telling me that I should have changed lanes for him and it was my fault. I was a good girl and rolled up my window, resisting the urge to yell back and tell him what an absolute moron he was.

It's been awhile since I took driver's ed, but I'm pretty sure the shoulder of the road is not considered a driving lane.

So to Mr. Green Truck driver, pffft. And next time, take the bus or walk. Your fellow drivers would really appreciate it.

Love is Murder

Where else can you attend a cocktail party with the theme "Love is Murder"? This was just one of the thrilling events put on by the International Thriller Writers organization at this year's ThrillerFest. Okay, cocktail parties aren't usually of the thrilling variety, but this year's TF was amazing as always. (And I did get some awesome orbs in my pictures at the party.)

"Love is Murder" is the name of the latest Thriller Anthology.  It was edited by Sandra Brown and includes stories by Heather Graham, Lee Child, Allison Brennan, Brenda Novak, Carla Neggers, Mariah Stewart, and many others.

The Love is Murder authors were signing at the party. Here is Heather Graham with a fan.

I snagged Allison Brennan in the hallway.

The ITW event includes CraftFest, two days of writing classes taught by authors and industry professionals. This year's instructors included Sophie Littlefield, Lee Child, John Sandford, Heather Graham, Lisa Gardner, David Hewson, Catherine Coulter, Steven James, and Ann Rule.

John Sandford

Catherine Coulter

Lee Child

Steven James

Needless to say, I learned a lot. Not just at CraftFest but also at ThrillerFest. Although I finally attended a TF (my sixth) with a completed manuscript, I realized that maybe my opus-in-progress was not so complete after all. Most of us aspiring authors out there, and many established authors I am sure, never think we're done even when we write 'The End'. It could always be better. This time it was different though. I didn't come to the conclusion that I was not done because of doubts, although trust me, I have huge doubts, including whether or not I have any sort of talent at this writing thing. There was something just at the edge of my thought process bugging me, and while sitting in one of the classes it hit me. And now I am fixing it, with more confidence than I had before that this will make my work in progress much better.

One of the most thought-provoking things I heard was from Lee Child, the master of thrills brought to us via Jack Reacher. He gave a class on breaking the rules. We have all heard the rules, show, don't tell, don't start with the weather, etc. I personally struggle with show don't tell. It's been drilled into my head so far in that I feel slightly guilty when I tell. When the words flow and seem to work and you go back and think that you are doing it all wrong and try to fix it and it no longer flows, well, it makes you second guess your ability to even do this writing thing. Lee Child told a packed room that it's okay to tell. The exact quote was:

"Liberate yourself from show not tell. It ties you up in little knots."

When he said that I thought, yes, I know exactly what he means. He went on to say that we are storytellers, not story showers. Now, I do know that all tell and no show makes for a lousy book, but hearing a master storyteller say it's okay to break that rule (with exceptions of course) made me feel better.

Another interesting thing I heard was from Ann Rule. She is very entertaining in spite of the subject matter she writes about. I would expect that retaining your sense of humor when dealing with the horrible side of humanity is necessary. She told us that the people she writes about all have one thing in common. They are all ordinary people until their paths cross with another ordinary person and somehow they both become combustible. It made me wonder about the extraordinary what ifs of life. Sometimes the answer can be pretty scary.

The panel discussions were fun. Gayle Lynds interviewed Catherine Coulter. They were both surrounded by fans when the interview ended.

The big name publishers were also represented.

Every year I am also on a mission to get books signed by authors I love and authors I have just discovered. The book-signing area is so calm and peaceful (aka empty) one minute, and utterly delightful chaos the next.

One the authors signing is from my hometown area, Joseph Finder.

We even had an actor in our midst this year. Eriq La Salle was there promoting his new book.

Jeffrey Deaver stopped by for the pre-banquet cocktail party. Here are he and John Gilstrap looking dapper.

And since I am a writer of ghost stories, I have to include these orb pictures that showed up on my camera. Okay, I took them but ... 

The first one is from a panel on the existence of evil. The author whose head is being stalked by the orb is Peter James.

These orbs appeared in pictures taken at the Love is Murder cocktail party. (The pictures were taken without flash.)

The bookstore is run by Barnes & Noble under the watchful eye of Patrick. Words cannot express how awesome Patrick is. Here he is with Dennis Kennett, the TF registration guy.

Patrick makes sure the bookstore stays well-stocked.

Here are two of Patrick's lovely assistants.

I love going to ThrillerFest. I am surrounded by people who do what I aspire to do. I meet old friends and we talk until the wee hours of the morning (okay, 2 a.m. may not be wee to some people but it is to me), I see people on the debut author panel who were pitching to agents alongside me in previous years and feel hope, I meet new authors who prompt me to expand my always growing library of books. And I learn new things that are making me a better writer.




  

Coming Soon and Happy Birthday!

I just returned from my sixth CraftFest/ThrillerFest, put on by International Thrillers Writers. It was awesome as always! More to follow next time, I have to recover from the TF/CF whirlwind.. 

And a very Happy Birthday to my sister!!!!

Have a great Sunday, and if you're bored, read a new book. I can recommend some pretty awesome authors.

Overheard Department

I was in a local bakery recently. As I was paying for my goodies, a man next in line was ready to order. It went something like this:

Young lady clerk: "Hi, are you ready to order?"

Man: "Sure, I'll take a dozen random donuts."

Young lady clerk thinking for a moment: "Um, I don't think we have that kind."

Man: "Ah, well, just give me a variety."

Young lady clerk with a bright smile: "Okay!"

I barely made it to my car before I lost it.

Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas 2012 - Part 2

This was the EDC's second time in Vegas. It was three nights of dancing and fun at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, from 7 at night until 5:30 in the morning. Not so unusual for Vegas, especially in the hot weather. The music was provided by a full line up of DJs and electronic music acts from the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Iran, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Austria, Colombia, New Zealand, Russia, Indonesia, Egypt, Spain, and Slovenia. I have to admit that I have not heard of any of the acts that performed, but rest assured I will be checking them out. I'm always game to check out music that moves.  

The event was covered by Rolling Stone, L.A. Times, Billboard, and the Las Vegas Sun, among others. You can even see the L.A. Weekly's Top Ten Awkward Electric Daisy Carnival Dance Move GIFs.

From what I was told by EDC-goers there were about 110,000 to 115,000 people in attendance each night. Everyone I spoke with raved (no pun intended) about what a great time they had and that I should go as well. I was intrigued but I hadn't packed the proper clothing, which included neon leggings, tutus, rainbow-colored furry boots, nothing but a pair of sparkly shorts if you were so inclined, or even strategically placed body paint, among other things. And that was just for the girls.

The seven stages were brightly lit. There were colorful carnival rides, glowing neon dinosaurs and other creatures, a white living room, laser light shows, and fireworks.

And lots of happy and really nice people.

Like Aurora and Thug Nasty:

And this group of kids who happily posed for me:

And I only ran into two "unpleasant" EDC-goers the entire time:

 

He was pretty rude and she was a little 'cheeky'. I hope they lost their bad attitudes and had fun at EDC.

So the moral of the story is, if you're young or even young at heart, like music, bright neon colors, dancing, and having fun, check out EDC. It may show up at a town near you some day.

Or you can just go to Vegas next June. 

Happy Fourth of July 2012!

Today we celebrate the 236th birthday of the U.S.A.  

I am spending my holiday with family and friends in beautiful Bolton Landing on the Queen of American Lakes, Lake George. All my life I've been lucky enough to live an hour away from this gem nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. In future posts I'll share more about all this area has to offer and its rich history, including the role it played in the War of Independence. 

For now, enjoy a couple of views of the lake from the back of a boat. I'll update later with more, including fireworks if my camera does them justice.

 
 Have a safe and happy holiday!!!
  

Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas 2012 - Part 1

This year's trip to Vegas came complete with something new and not so completely different. On the surface it may seem completely different, and maybe to those in attendance, but it's really just the younger generation's spin on Woodstock and other music festivals that have made their mark on our cultural history. 

And this isn't a bad thing. Music, dancing, coming together to share an awesome experience, it's all good. Yes, there are negatives, no matter how good the intentions there are some in attendance who either spoil it for others or themselves. But judging from the majority of people I met on the streets of Vegas and in our hotel, there were a lot of good people at Electric Daisy Carnival (aka EDC) Las Vegas 2012.

We got our first inkling of something going on when the hotel did not have a standard room for us and had to put us up in a suite for the night. (Yes, I know you're feeling really sorry for us right now but we got in around midnight and had to move to another room the next morning so with the time difference it was just another bed.) The lady at the desk said that things were pretty busy because there was a rave in town. Raves have been around since the 1950s and depending on the generation the specifics vary. The core, however, was always the same. Music, dancing, socializing, lights. Kids having fun. But I had never heard of a rave that was so large that hotel rooms in Las Vegas would be at a premium. There are over 62,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas. (There was also a boxing match at MGM, Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley.)

Our second inkling came when we started walking around. There were crowds of colorfully dressed young people everywhere, signs welcoming EDC, and special bus stops. 

Hayley and Marley

There were also cars adorned with festive EDC proclamations.

EDC has been around since 1997. The first event was held in LA at the Shrine Expo Hall. Check out this link for more about the various locations and venues. They even have a Facebook page. (I know, well duh!) 

More on EDC Las Vegas next Sunday. Until then meet Morgan, a charming young lady I met in the parking lot of our hotel.