I was once the executive producer and co-host of a radio magazine program. The program ended about ten years ago (after a run of about ten years) and was a combination of music, news, public interest, interviews and other short pieces. I interviewed a lot of people over the years, from Ann Rice to Hilary Clinton to people you've never heard of.
One week I had the pleasure of interviewing two mystery writers that had come into town for a book signing, one a seasoned pro and the other a relative newcomer. The interview with the pro was fine, but the newcomer and I clicked. She did good radio. We stayed in touch over the years, and her career blossomed. She's received at least ten awards and published twenty-six mystery novels. I'm really proud of her and I really like her novels.
She was in town recently for Bouchercon, the world’s largest mystery and crime-fiction convention (that I'd somehow never heard of), and was part of an authors panel at Left Bank Books so I decided to go. I went to have the opportunity to say hello again in person to a long-time acquaintance. If she hadn't been there, I probably would not have gone. Even though I enjoy mystery novels, I didn't know any of the other authors on the bill. I did, however, relish the thought of being able to see her in person again after all these years. And while keeping in touch via social networking is great, nothing beats having someone be right next to you when you're talking. I thought it would be an interesting couple of hours.
It was nice to hear the authors speak about their work. They were: Neil Plakcy, Greg Herren, J.M. Redmann, Jeri Westerson, Ellen Hart, Jeffrey Ricker, Rob Byrnes, Michael Dymmoch, and Val McDermid. Hearing them talk about their work made me want to finish the mystery stories I've started and abandoned over the years, so that turned out to be a bonus for attending.
I recognized Ricker, the local boy, as the friend of a friend we'd had dinner with once, not as the soon-to-be-published novelist that he is. I'd had no idea he was a mystery writer. His friends were there, so I didn't have a chance to say hello but I was able to at least wave at his partner before the event started. I didn't know any of the other authors except Ellen.
During the Q and A I asked the final question of the evening and then everyone broke up to chat, peruse books for sale, and obtain autographs from their favorites. After it seemed that most of the books had been signed, we chatted for a few minutes. She got me caught up on the seasoned pro I'd interviewed years ago (Sandra Scoppettone now retired, but her books are apparently coming to eBook soon, which is nice to hear) and told me that she was absolutely crazy about Val McDermid's wife. Ellen was happy to hear that I was writing and encouraged me to keep it up.
When Ellen introduced me to Val, I had a feeling I'd like her. She's originally from Scotland but lives on the northeast coast of England now. My Dad always said that our family was from Scotland even though I've seen no proof, but maybe there's some truth to it. Val had a look about her that reminded me of my great-grandmother (years ago, when my great-grandmother was about my age!). It turned out that Val loves doing radio and does pieces for the BBC. I would have loved to chat longer with her about radio but I had to leave to meet my partner.
A few days later I caught a piece that Val did on the Chalet School novels, and guess what? She does good radio.
I knew I'd like her.
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