A Brush with Greatness by Jenn McKinlay

Firstly, Happy Veterans Day! To all those who've served, we thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

JENN McKINLAY: The only Malice Domestic conference I've ever been to was in 2012. It's very difficult to get to Bethesda from Phoenix - two flights and a train - but on that particular year, Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Mertz, was going to be there and I knew if I was ever going to meet my childhood idol, this was it. 

Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Mertz

There were several events, all of which were standing room only crowds. Ms. Mertz was everything I thought she'd be and more - smart, funny, kind, and with a wicked twinkle in her eye. I was thrilled just to be in the same room with her. When she left, being assisted by an escort, she walked right by my table. 
This was my moment! I sprang out of my seat and accosted her -- as one does -- and she didn't rear back in horror but instead smiled at me as I stood there incapable of saying a word. Me. Without speech. Inconceivable! 

Finally, I choked out a "thank you" and she looked at me, opened her arms for a hug and said, "No, thank you."
At which I cried all over her, like a big dope. So that was my moment with the author without whose work I likely  
never would have become a writer.

So, how about you, Reds? What was your brush with author greatness?

RHYS BOWEN: I’m always rather embarrassed when a fan comes up to me and does the whole fangirl thing. I’ve had one woman rush away and burst into tears (am I that scary?).  But then one day at a conference I found myself sitting at the signing table next to Tony Hillerman. And I’m screaming to myself “I’m sitting next to Tony Hillerman!” And I turn to him and gush “I love your books!”  I wish I could have told him that I only started writing mysteries because of him, but I could hardly get out those four words. So we all have our fangirl moments.

HALLIE EPHRON: The most ‘in awe’ I’ve ever been was when I ended up seated beside Jane Smiley at an event in Steinbeck country in California. I’d just read MOO and A THOUSAND ACRES and been blown away. All I remember is she was very nice and SERIOUSLY tall. Also at the table was Karen Joy Fowler, assuming I'm not mixing up my events. I’d read her amazing mystery novel, Wit’s End. I wanted to slow down time.

Jane Smiley

JENN: Tall girls rule, just sayin'

Lucy with Ann Cleeves 

LUCY BURDETTE: I have fawned over too many people to mention, I am definitely fan girl material. Maybe the first time was Diane Mott Davidson and was she at Malice? I remember that she signed the book I bought to both my sister and to me. The first Bouchercon I ever attended, where I knew absolutely no one and was totally petrified and deeply unpublished, I had a lovely chat with Stephen White. Do you remember his series about a psychologist detective in Boulder Colorado? Love that character! And Michael Connelly more than once... You know what also was very cool was having Margaret Maron moderate the best first novel panel at malice domestic. Remember that Julia?? She was wonderful.  

JENN: I just got this pic of Lucy with Ann Cleeves from the new England Crime Bake this weekend. She really is a fangirl!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Lucy, meeting Margaret Maron at the Malice Domestic where you and I were Best First nominees was my fangirl moment. She was one of my writing idols, and one of two authors whose work seriously influenced my own when I was starting out (the other being Archer Mayor.) It was SUCH a thrill having her moderate the panel we were on, but I'm not sure I even spoke to her privately, then. I didn't want to pester the great woman.

Then, that evening, I was sitting in the bar (as one does) and she came by, squeezed my shoulder, and said, "I really loved your book." I can't recall what I said - probably something like "A buh bub a bubba uh." When we went up to our hotel room that evening, I told Ross, "Don't touch that shoulder. That's Margaret Maron's shoulder." 

Photo from stacybuckeye.com

I got a chance to make it up in a more eloquent way, however, in 2012, when I was invited to contribute to Books To Die For – The World’s Greatest Mystery Writers on the World’s Greatest Mystery Novels. I wrote an appreciation of Bootlegger's Daughter. I still haven't nerved myself to ask her to sign it, though.

Hank with Sue Grafton

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yikes, I just got back from Bouchercon, when I interviewed James Patterson. And I have to say, he was adorable. Charming, funny, brash, and generous--and a real troublemaker---in a good way. Everyone adored him. I've interviewed Dan Brown, also terrific, engaging and quite brilliant. But in my writer/reader heart? Once I was signing next to Jane Langton. I almost could not breathe, she made such a difference in my life with her A Diamond in the Window. But the best of the best may have been at Crimebake in..2009? When I felt a tap on my shoulder, turned around, and there was SUE GRAFTON holding Prime Time--and asking for MY autograph! Can you even imagine? I was so lucky that someone got a photo of that moment--and here it is. It still makes me smile.  

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  At what I think must have been my very first Malice, my then-editor introduced me to Reginald Hill (She edited the US versions of his books.) All I could manage to squeak out was, "I love your books, Mr. Hill," and I'm sure I must have sounded like a complete dope. But he is still one of the writers I most admire, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him.

And then there was P.D. James, who I had the honor to share a program with at St. Hilda's mystery conference in Oxford. I acquitted myself a bit better, but she was so sharp and witty and I was undoubtedly the gauche American.  She was also, however, unfailingly gracious and didn't make me feel too big an idiot. What an icon she was.

(Jenn, I was also a huge fan of Barbara Mertz in all her guises, and I LOVE that photo of her.)

JENN: Hank I was a huge fan of Jane Langton as a kid and A Diamond in the Window was FANTASTIC!

So, what about you, Readers, what are your crazy fan moments?

The Writers Who Made Us

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I was very saddened last week to read of the death of British crime writer Reginald Hill. Many of you may have known Hill from the television adaptation of his Dalziel and Pascoe novels. But while the adaptations were entertaining (loved Warren Clark and Colin Buchanan as Dalziel and Pascoe), those who haven't actually read Hill's novels have missed out on one of the great literary lights of our generation. (I chose this older photo as I thought the sly twinkle was so expressive of Hill's writing.)

Hill's novels are literate, witty, and complex. His prose could make me catch my breath in delight--and envy. And even after twenty years of writing detective fiction, he could twist me around his little finger with a plot. There are not many writers who are such masters of misdirection that they could leave me smacking my forehead at the reveal and saying, "Of course that's what happened! It was there all along and I just didn't see it." And I, slow-poke that I am, cannot help but be awed by a man who wrote more than fifty novels in his career, starting with the Dalziel and Pascoe novel A Clubbable Woman in 1970.

When I'm asked what writers influenced me, Hill has always been, along with PD James, at the top of the list. (Not that I think I've ever come close to writing as well as either of them, but they inspired me to try.)

Contemplating this, I began to think about my fellow Reds, and to wonder what writers made you sit up and say, "Oh, I want to do that. I MUST do that, no matter what it takes!"

We all write crime, but our books are so very different, so I'm guessing that our literary heroes and heroines are different, too.

Hallie, Jan, Rosemary, Hank, Rhys, Julia, Lucy--who inspired you to pick up your pen, glue yourself to your keyboard, stay up until the wee hours (or get up in them) to fan that spark that would one day become a novel?

And here's a dare--keep it to two, if you can!

RHYS BOWEN: Oh Deb--Reginald Hill was one of my idols too. His novel On Beulah Height was one of the best mysteries I have ever read. I hold it up as the standard to which I aspire. Apart from the ladies of the golden age the person who most inspired me to write mystery was Tony Hillerman. When I discovered his books I was blown away. I was used to polite English drawing rooms as the background for mystery. Here were books that took me to a strange and exotic place, that gave me insights into a new culture and were terrific stories too. I wanted to write books with that incredible sense of place.

Oh, and I have to add that I had published a couple of mysteries when I read a book called Dreaming of the Bones, by a certain Deborah Crombie, and that blew me away too. So Deb, you have been a role model as well!

HALLIE EPHRON: Well, I have to add Reginald Hill to my TBR list. My lodestars are two, and they're not mystery writers: Lucy Maud Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott. Authors, of course, of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, respectively, and creators of two great female character who were smart, mouthy, not so beautiful, and wanted to write, Anne Shirley and Jo March.

Cheating now - the first mystery I love Love LOVED was P. D. James's An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. Cordelia Gray is the character I'm always striving to write. And the first mystery with a plot I couldn't stop raveling and unraveling was Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent.

JAN BROGAN: Well, Presumed Innocent was definitely the mystery that most inspired me and I'll read anything Scott Turow writes. The two books that influenced me most as a child, though, were Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow, like Hallie, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Those were the books that made me want to be a writer.

LUCY BURDETTE: Keeping it to two writers is really, really, really hard. I had no awareness as a kid that I would become a writer, but I was a huge reader. One of my favorite authors was Carol Ryrie Brink, who wrote CADDIE WOODLAWN and the most fabulous and probably underrated THE PINK MOTEL. Do you remember that one? A mysterious and run down pink motel in Florida is left to a father, who brings his family to the motel to get it ready for sale. Instead, the kids get drawn into the whimsical characters who come stay in the little cottages and in the end, manage to persuade their parents to hold onto the place. Charming and mysterious with great characters.

I would have to say EB White for my second pick. His characters are wonderful too--funny and endearing and each one different from the other. Listening to CHARLOTTE'S WEB and THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN kept my family from coming to fisticuffs on long car rides. If I could only be one third the writer that he was! And if I could cheat and add more, I would (Kenneth Grahame, Nancy Drew mysteries...you get the picture!)

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN : Oh, kind of difficult! But really thinking about this...TH White's ONCE AND FUTURE KING was life-changing for me. I bet I still think about that book once a week.. For how a story can mean more than just the story, you know?

Also, okay pushing now, but they're similar I can't choose..Edward Eager and Jane Langton's magical adventure stories.. As for mysteries..Josephine Tey's DAUGHTER OF TIME.

ROSEMARY HARRIS: I never had that one, galvanizing moment that made me go Yowza! That's what I want to do! And I rarely read a book and think I want to try to do that. I was a big fan of the Alfred Hitchcock movies - for plot and mysterious doings - and the PBS Mystery series, mostly the Peter Wimsey series. And my books couldn't be further away from them in style and tone!

If there's someone I wish I could write like - present company excluded - it would be Carl Hiassen. He can tell a story with humor, smarts, and a bit of a social conscience.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As some of you may remember, once I conceived of the notion of being a writer, I tried my hand at science fiction. My greatest inspiration (and still one of my favorite writers) was Lois McMaster Bujold. She blithely tosses together every genre imaginable in her books: high fantasy, theology and philosophy, mystery, romance, comedy of manners, hard science fiction, American and European history - and she makes it work, in what appears to be an effortless style.

Once I decided to attempt crime fiction, my two role models became Margaret Maron and Archer Mayor. Both of them write regional mysteries with authenticity and perfect attention to detail. Margaret's books leave me feeling as if I've taken a trip to North Carolina beside a clear-eyed but sympathetic native. And after reading one of Archer's books, I always feel as if I could drive blindfolded through the part of Vermont in which he sets his story. In addition, they have three-dimensional, fully human characters that I care deeply about.

Okay, I may as well go whole hog and add one more: I wish I wrote prose like Steve Hamilton: spare, literate, poetical. I'm never going to get there, but it's a good goal to keep in front of my eyes.

DEBS: How fascinating! Turns out I was at least partly wrong about our influences being different because we write such different sorts of books.

Rhys, On Beulah Height is my favorite Hill novel, too! (And thanks for the mention of Dreaming of the Bones. I'm more than flattered to be thought of in such company...)

Hallie, I loved Little Women but liked Little Men better, when Jo was grown up and in charge of her own life. I didn't read Anne of Green Gables until I was in my twenties, and I adored the books.

Sayers, PD James, and Josephine Tey, of course. But Hank, I LOVED The Once and Future King by TH White. I went through a period in my teens where I read everything Arthurian I could get my hands on, but nothing ever compared. And Julia, I love Lois McMaster Bujold, too. I even got to do a first read of one of her manuscripts once.

BUT! I cringe to say I've never read Scott Turow. Or Caddie Woodlawn. And I am entranced by the description of The Pink Motel. And I should add Carl Hiassen, and how could I not have read Archer Mayor? And I'm behind on Margaret Maron's wonderful books....

More books going on my TBR list, obviously. And so many books I'd like to reread. I think I should have "So many books, so little time," tattooed on my forehead.

But isn't it lovely that we never run out of things we want to read, or writers who make us want to be better?

JR readers, would you have matched the writer to the books? And should we give prizes to those of us who actually stuck to two?

WHAT WE'RE READING

ROBERTA: Now that the nominees for the 2010 Mystery Writers of America Edgar awards have been announced, I can stop worrying about whether I'm going to blurt out the names before I'm supposed to. (I served as the chair of the best novel committee this year.) We spent the last year sorting through almost 500 books to come up with this list, which I happen to think is wonderfully interesting and diverse:

THE MISSING Tim Gautreaux
THE ODDS Kathleen George
THE LAST CHILD John Hart
THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH Charlie Huston
NEMESIS Jo Nesbo
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE Malla Nunn

However, I could not wait to move on to reading something other than mysteries! This week I finished Mary Karr's memoir, LIT, and also Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP. Karr is a poet--an incredible writer--and the story she tells about her family, her drinking, and her recovery is devastating. I absolutely tore through The Help and can definitely see why this book is a huge hit: great characters, a fascinating story set in 1960's Mississippi, and tons of tension.

What are you folks reading?

RHYS: I'm reading Anne Hillerman's TONY HILLERMAN'S LANDSCAPE as I'm a huge fan of his books and have actually done this drive, visiting scenes of his various books. It's interesting to see it through the eyes of his daughter, however.
And in February I'm waiting for the new Connie Willis.

RO: I'm finally reading Olive Kitteridge, which I suppose every else has already read. But, it's slow going since I have no time to carve out a few hours, make a pot of tea and curl up in the big chair the way I used to, I have to grab ten minutes here and there, so the format is perfect for me...short stories that all connect with one character.

I scored some great books at ALA this weekend, but with the Australian Open and all the writing I hope to be doing, it may be a while before I actually get to read them - Precious by Sapphire, 212 by Alafair Burke, Life Sentences by Laura Lippman, So Much for That by Lionel Shriver, John Dies at the End by David Wong(isn't that a great title?) and The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern. Thanks to my pals at Harper, Workman, Random House and MacMillan.
JAN: I'm also reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett, which kept me up until 2 a.m. the other night. I just LOVE when book can take over my life that way. I don't want to do anything but read that book.

Next on the list Saturday by Ian McEwan, its supposed to be tough to get into but an awesome finish.

HANK: AH, Roberta! I know how you feel! I was a judge, too, in a different category, and we read maybe 100 books. It was really really tough. But fantastic. And now, I'm about ready to read ANYTHING else. (I can't wait for Alafair's 212 (we're now fellow board member of Mystery Writers of America, that's where I was this weekeend, but I am such a fan of hers) and for book one in Nancy Martin's new series. Plus, at ALA I got the new book by Alan "Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie" Bradley. Cannot wait! But I MUST write.

HALLIE: I read "Sweetness" and loved it. And I just read "Wicked" which I've had set aside for eons and so looked forward to, as a huge fan of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. I finally got a chunk of time to read and I have to say, it was so NOT an easy read. Beautifully written. It was fun to be at the ALA meeting and see all the new books. Distressing, though, to hear a librarian say (as I signed a freebie for her) "My library has no budget for books." She comes to ALA for books to stock their shelves. How depressing is that?

ROBERTA: Hallie, that's awful. I hope you told her about the Sisters in Crime library raffle. And by the way, congratulations to Hallie for her Mary Higgins Clark Edgar nomination for NEVER TELL A LIE. And to Rhys for her Lefty nomination for IN A GILDED CAGE. We are so excited! Meanwhile, don't tell a lie, tell us what you're reading!

G.U.

RO: G.U. used to refer to that guy who was cute but was "geographically undesirable" because he lived too far away for a relationship to work.

I'm looking at the phrase in a whole new way. Last week I was at a bookstore event (with Jane Cleland) and a gentleman in the crowd announced that he didn't read books set in New York. Or L.A. Undoubtedly if we had gone through any of the other so-called major markets he would have felt the same way. Chicago, nope, Boston, fuggedaboudit.

Not wanting to alienate someone who was presumably a mystery fan, Jane and I chatted on about Deb Baker - who writes books set in the man's home state and William Kent Krueger, who is from the same general neck of the woods (sort of..) I told him how much I was loving Blue Heaven, a book set in Idaho, a place I've been exactly once on my way to Montana, as I recall. Nothing moved the man.

I've heard of people reading books set in various places because they love the feel and the flavor - Cara Black's Paris, Tony Hillerman's southwest, Indridasen's Iceland - but I don't think I'd ever heard of anyone avoiding a book because of its zip code.
Have I led a sheltered life? Are people now making their reading choices by looking at the author's residence?

JAN: Author's residence or protagonist's residence? I actually think setting is important to a lot of mystery fans. They hope to escape to somewhere pleasant, while the explore the evil minds behind the murder.

HANK: I would have thought it would go the other way--people seeking out books that take place in a certain area. I mean, doesn't the fabulous (and FOJRW) Janet Rudolph at Mystery Readers Journal do whole issues surrounding geography? I know she's done LA. and San Francisco, and many more. So I can't imagine her saying hey--let's do an issue about stuff peple hate to read about. (Although, okay, hey, it might be kind of interesting.)

Plus, thinking about how quickly readers (and writers) glom onto mistakes in descriptions of places, you've gotta believe geography is important.

RO: That I totally understand, I don't understand staying away from a book because of it's setting.

RHYS: I've had people tell me they won't read a book with a male protagonist or presumably with a female protagonist) or they won't read anything historical--all of which rule me out entirely--but never avoiding a setting. Maybe the man just didn't like the feel of a big city. Personally I love books with a strong sense of place and stay away from those that are set in anytown USA. Sense of place is paramount to me when I write as well.BTW I also had one woman who stopped reading my books when I killed a sheep.

HANK: Sheep? Did she read the whole thing, and then decide not to read any more of your books. Or did she stop reading, blam, right as the sheep got killed?

RO: I think the speaker was assuming author's residence and protag's were the same. I agree that a sense of place is tantamount to another character in many books, that's why I'd say getting a taste of another location, whether you've been there or not is part of any book. I guess I was just surprised that he had ruled out such a big part of the mystery world.
I've heard the male/female thing too. Never the sheep thing. She must have hated Silence of the Lambs. Just curious, did many humans die in your book, or was it just the sheep?

ROBERTA: I agree with Jan, setting is important to lots of readers. They know they'll get to see Chinatown in New York through SJ Rozan's eyes or LA with Michael Connelly or cool islands off Sarasota if they read something by Randy Wayne White. I remember when I was discussing my advice column mysteries with my agent before I'd started writing. She wanted to know if I'd come up with a sexy setting--apparently Connecticut wasn't what she had in mind.

RO: Okay, readers..love those Moroccan mysteries? Hate those Hungarian horror stories? Which books do you read for the setting and are there any that you stay away from because of where they're set?