Today, April 30th, is observed nationwide as Independent Bookstore Day. If you’re here on the blog, we hope you consider The Poisoned Pen to be YOUR independent bookstore.
Just a little information, from the store’s “About Us” page.
“The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, founded in 1989 by Barbara G. Peters, is an independent bookstore specializing in fiction. Discover with us current and classic works of mystery, thrillers, historical and literary fiction, and literature of the American Southwest, much of it offered in autographed first editions and imports. Our book clubs bring exciting new work right to your door.
Located in Old Town Scottsdale’s Art District, The Pen is celebrated for its schedule of author and literary events and its global outreach through webcasts and worldwide shipping. In 1997 Peters and her husband Robert Rosenwald founded Poisoned Pen Press, a separate corporation dedicated to publishing excellence in mystery. The Poisoned Pen hosted the Left Coast Crime Conference in 1995. and most years hosts a themed mystery conference of its own in Scottsdale.
Please sign up for our Enews, read our Booknews, attend our events ““ generally programs of an hour or more with Q&A and book signing ““ at the bookstore or at the Arizona Biltmore Resort or other nearby locations.”
There are so many ways The Poisoned Pen Bookstore serves the needs of readers worldwide. Today, we are giving away items in the store for those shoppers close enough to stop in for Independent Bookstore Day.
But, you help us celebrate every day by buying books, attending events, watching them via Livestream.
Please think of The Poisoned Pen when you think of Independent Bookstore Day, and, if you’re so inclined, purchase a book or two for your own private celebration.
It’s not too early for a heads-up about our Thursday, May 5 evening event at The Poisoned Pen. Diana Gabaldon will host KC Dyer, author of Finding Fraser, a novel inspired by Gabaldon’s Outlanderseries.
Both authors will sign copies of Finding Fraser. All the details of the 7 PM event on Thursday, May 5 are linked. https://bit.ly/26txNUx
Just a note, though. No outside books will be signed at the event. Only books purchased that day or pre-ordered through the Poisoned Pen will be signed at the event. Thank you for your cooperation. Here’s where you can order your signed copy. https://bit.ly/1VVoWXX
This title’s going to be hot (in more ways than one).
Are you a fan of the mystery awards? The Edgar Awards were announced tonight at the Mystery Writers of America’s annual banquet. The 2016 winners are below. Remember, if you want any of these, we hope you consider ordering them through The Poisoned Pen’s store.
Here’s an event you’ll want to see and hear live. John Sandford, on his book tour for Extreme Prey, the latest Lucas Davenport novel, was joined by Douglas Preston at The Poisoned Pen. Store owner Barbara Peters led the discussion of the election year thriller. It was a packed house, and through Livestream, you can almost feel as if you were there.
So, join the event. And, afterwards, you might want to buy your signed copy of Extreme Prey. It comes with an exclusive, specially signed campaign button, “Lucas Davenport for President”, perfect for this election year thriller.
As you can see, it was a packed house when John Sandford was joined by Douglas Preston at The Poisoned Pen.
Sandford is on his book tour for Extreme Prey, the latest Lucas Davenport novel.
Left to right – Barbara Peters, Douglas Preston, John Sandford
Sandford’s book is timely, dealing with a Presidential campaign.
Does it surprise anyone that Peters, Preston and Sandford had a good time talking about Davenport, who has now left the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension? Of course, since he’s dealing with a political campaign, Davenport finds himself dealing with some pretty crazy people.
Sandford signs Extreme Prey while Preston waits with his copy of the book.
This audience was lucky to be able to hear and meet both authors, John Sandford and Douglas Preston. If you would like to hear the conversation, I’ll have the Livestream linked here tomorrow, and you can come back and see and hear it.
Our copies come with an exclusive, specially designed campaign button, “Lucas Davenport for President”, perfect for an election year Davenport thriller.
It’s not too early to discuss Cozy Con. Saturday, May 7, from 1-5 PM, John Charles will host Cozy Con for The Poisoned Pen, a celebration of cozy mysteries. This year’s guest authors include Jenn McKinlay, Paige Shelton, Hannah Dennison, C.S. Harris, Cameron Harvey, Tammy Kaehler, Annette Mahon, and Paul Charles.
To stir up your interest in the event, I’ve asked a few of the authors to write guest posts for the blog. Tammy Kaehler is the author of the Kate Reilly mystery series, published by Poisoned Pen Press. Tammy has an interesting take on cozy mysteries.
*****
The Darker Side of Cozy
I go back and forth on the question of whether or not my books are cozies. Yes, she’s an amateur sleuth.Yes, she’s female. And yes, any sex and violence happens off-screen. But my mysteries are borderline on the other classic criteria—a small-town setting and language—and they don’t have what I think of as the classic calm cozy environment.
You see, I write a series about a female racecar driver and set each book at a different race, track, and city. It’s true that the setting (the racing world) is its own mobile small-town, but rarely are the victims, suspects, or mystery confined to that world. In fact, my latest, Red Flags, is set in Southern California, and my protagonist, Kate Reilly, chases all over Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills after clues.
Tammy Kaehler. (Photo credit: PB Shoots)
I’ll also cop to some bad language on occasion, all coming out of Kate’s mouth—though I’m conscious of keeping it limited. But realistically, if Kate’s doing 150 m.p.h. and wrecking her racecar, I figure she’s allowed some strong language!
There’s also a lot more action, tension, and drama to be found on the racetrack than in your average small-town bakery or craft store—and note that I don’t confuse “action” with drama or emotion, because even the most sedate settings can be fast-paced and can seethe with violence and passion. But the day-to-day action of a race—not to mention glimpses of Kate’s work behind the wheel—is a much different vibe from the classic cozy. I’ve got no little old ladies, no cats, and no tea or recipes in my books.
Still, I think of what I’m writing as cozy’s harder edge. Its darker side. Because I’m still giving readers what I love about cozy mysteries: a puzzle solved by someone who doesn’t have all the tools or answers; a sometimes-bumbling, sometimes-successful, and ultimately relatable female character; and a look at a world I know nothing about. I wrote the book I wanted to read, and I’m a huge fan of cozies and traditional mysteries—of Dick Francis, in particular.
So from now on, I’m expanding my definition of cozy mysteries to include more flavors—because who says a cozy can’t feature a psychologist, a student of the occult, or a racecar driver? Plus, I’ll also enjoy the idea that I write the dark side of anything.
Tell me, what are your favorite types of cozies? What’s your definition of a cozy mystery? And do racecars have a place?
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Tammy Kaehler is the author of the Kate Reilly Mystery Series, published by Poisoned Pen Press. She’ll take part in Cozy Con at The Poisoned Pen on May 7. She’ll be signing Red Flags.
I recently mentioned how jealous I am that I can’t attend the author events at The Poisoned Pen. Actually, we do have the opportunity to feel as if we are there. Have you ever watched one of the Livestream events? It’s almost like being there, hearing the conversations and the laughter.
The Pen does plan Livestream events ahead of time. At the moment, there are upcoming appearances by John Sandford, Diana Gabaldon with KC Dyer, Nevada Barr, and Craig Johnson, among others.
Although you can see the list, you can also find the archives of events from the past.
Paula Hawkins’ book, The Girl on the Train, was a blockbuster. Emily Blunt will be starring in the movie, scheduled for release in October. Have you seen the trailer yet?
Does it surprise anyone that Peters, Preston and Sandford had a good time talking about Davenport, who has now left the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension? Of course, since he’s dealing with a political campaign, Davenport finds himself dealing with some pretty crazy people.
