If you missed the Poisoned Pen event the other night, Barbara Peters’ discussion with authors Philip Kerr and John A. Connell, you can now catch it via Livestream. Check it out!
https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/5085828/videos/117591012
Fiction Review
Steve Berry at The Poisoned Pen
Steve Berry will be at The Poisoned Pen on Monday, April 11 at 7 PM. He’ll be discussing and signing The 14th Colony, the eleventh book in his best-selling Cotton Malone series.
To get you in the mood, we have a link to R.G. Belsky’s recent interview with Berry. It was published in The Big Thrill, the online publication of the International Thriller Writers.
Post-WWII Crime, Kerr & Connell
Books about World War II and its aftermath are always popular, and the same is true about the authors who write about it. The Poisoned Pen recently hosted two authors who cover that territory, Philip Kerr, author of the Bernie Gunther books, and John A. Connell, who writes about Mason Collins. Here are just a few photos from the recent event.
(Left, Philip Kerr. Right, John A. Connell)
Here’s Kerr speaking about his book, The Other Side of Silence, as Connell, bookstore owner, Barbara Peters, and the audience listen.
Below is Peter Kerr, Barbara Peters, and John A. Connell.
If you backtrack on the blog a week or so, you’ll find an interview with John A. Connell, author of Spoils of Victory. The first part of the interview is dated March 23, followed the next day by the conclusion.
https://poisonedpen.com/2016/03/23/john-a-connell-in-the-hot-seat/
You can still get an autographed copy of Philip Kerr’s The Other Side of Silence from The Poisoned Pen. https://bit.ly/1qlp6uC
Best of all, if you’re like me, jealous that you can’t be at The Poisoned Pen to see and hear the authors, you can get comfortable at home and watch the event via Lifestream.
A Victorian Tea Party & Fashion Show
To celebrate Laurie R. King’s appearance at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, April 9 at 1 PM, we have a treat. We don’t want everyone to mourn before they’ve read the book, knowing the title of King’s new mystery is The Murder of Mary Russell.
So, the bookstore is hosting a Victorian Tea Party with a fashion show where models will display some Victorian and 1920s clothing. Here’s a sample.
And, here’s Barbara Peters, Poisoned Pen Bookstore owner, in her hat for the Tea Party.
Do you have a gorgeous hat to wear on Saturday? Even if you don’t, it’s sure to be a fun event, so join us on Saturday, April 9th at 1 PM!
Anne Perry, In the Hot Seat
Anne Perry is on her book tour for the thirty-first book in the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series, so it’s the perfect time to put her in the hot seat and ask some questions. Treachery at Lancaster Gate is the new book.
Treachery at Lancaster Gate is the latest Thomas & Charlotte Pitt mystery. How have the two characters changed over the course of the series?
It is about 19 years in their lives. Pitt has gone from being a police officer to being in Special Branch (which is not police) then to being head of Special Branch. He has more confidence socially, but now has to make much more profound decisions, moral and political, and exercise a great deal of power, alone. He cannot share them with Charlotte, many of them are state secrets. Very difficult, grey decisions, and that is not his nature. Charlotte has to live with this, and yet still support him emotionally. And she has much of the responsibility of parenthood. She is also facing, for a woman, what is regarded as middle age, or at the very least, maturity.
We’re just about at the turn of the century in the books. What is Thomas facing as a police officer?
He is actually not a police officer. Special Branch is part of the secret service, a type of anti-terrorist squad. But I described some of the changes he faces above.
What are your favorite research tools dealing with Victorian England?
I love the actual political history, but for fun, little bits of info like how to care for kid gloves, how to store pearls, little odd bits like that. Laundry secrets.
Your website says you began writing mysteries about Victorian England based on a suggestion as to who Jack the Ripper might have been. Do you have a favorite suspect?
I still like the idea of the Queen’s surgeon and the secret marriage of Prince Eddie ( son of the Prince of Wales) which would rule him out of the succession, since she was Catholic. Long history, going back to the Reformation, and burning of Protestants by Queen Mary, etc). Sovereign’s first loyalty must be to England NOT to Rome, and so on; a lot of details hang together.
Can you give us a hint as to the books you’re working on now?
Am now working on the Monk after next. Hope to finish the first draft by the end of the month, or come very close. Planning a new series set in the 1930’s. Very excited about that. And of course another Christmas novella.
If friends come to visit, where’s your favorite place to take them?
Haven’t had any friends to visit from very far away. And I don’t have a car here! But I have a favourite place to eat locally, in walking distance. WeHo Bistro, parking space (for them). Good food and excellent service, eat inside or out.
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited?
Ever? I thought that is impossible to say, but it isn’t, out of the hundreds that are all unique and exquisite, the island of Capri, when the jasmine is in bloom. Or the Amalfi Coast. But dozens and dozens of places. An English Bluebell wood in bloom when the flowers are so thick it looks as if the sky has touched the ground. Thousands of places!
If you weren’t writing about Victorian England, what place and period of time would you like to write about?
I plan to write in the 1930s. Europe and U.S. I have already written five books on World War One, mostly in Flanders. And on the French Revolution, in Paris, and on Byzantium, in Constantinople, Jerusalem, Venice, Rome and Florence. But I also would like to write about Spain, specifically Zaragoza in 1485.
What were the last books you recommended?
The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman and The Dark Valley by Piers Brendan, Alpha Beta by John Man.
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Interested in a signed copy of Treachery at Lancaster Gate now that you’ve read the interview? Check out The Poisoned Pen’s website.
“The Marriage of Mary Russell”
Here’s a teaser before Laurie R. King appears at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, April 9. Have you seen her website with the link to an exclusive ebook short story? She takes readers back in the story, “The Marriage of Mary Russell”. You can find out more here.
https://www.laurierking.com/marriage-of-mary-russell-2016.html#more-12685
And, come back tomorrow when there’s news of The Poisoned Pen’s event as we host Laurie R. King for discussion and signing of her latest book, The Murder of Mary Russell. There’s more!
Jacqueline Winspear at The Poisoned Pen
The Poisoned Pen recently hosted Jacqueline Winspear for her book tour for the 12th Maisie Dobbs book, Journey to Munich. And, Winspear was kind enough to allow us to share a story with you, the story behind the book. She had shared it previously in her newsletter, but you might have missed it. So, we’ll clue you into the story.
https://www.jacquelinewinspear.com/newsletters/newsletter-12-15.html
While she was here, of course, Jacqueline signed copies of Journey to Munich. You might have seen a picture or two of her getting ready to sign in the back room, and on the floor.
If you’re interested in putting your hands on one of those signed copies, there are still books available. https://bit.ly/1SpIaOU
And, best of all, if you would like to see the event from that evening, as Jacqueline Winspear talks with Barbara Peters and the audience, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore brings the event to you through Livestream.
https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/5085820
So, settle back. Take some quiet time to listen as Jacqueline Winspear tells us about Maisie Dobbs’ latest adventure in Journey to Munich.
In Front & Behind The Scenes
What really goes on at The Poisoned Pen? You’d be surprised when the authors come to visit.
Here’s Randy Wayne White with Barbara Peters, the store owner.
He was in town to discuss and sign the 23rd Doc Ford book, Deep Blue.
Author Matthew Betley was here promoting his new book, Overwatch.
We previewed Lyndsay Faye’s Jane Steele, “A reimagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer. She joined us to talk about her book.
And, here’s what happens when you ask an author to come to the backroom to sign their books. Jacqueline Winspear was pleased to see all the copies of her latest Maisie Dobbs book. Journey to Munich is the 12th in the series.
But, authors are readers, just like the rest of us. Jacqueline soon found a few enticing books in the backroom.
Whether you come to visit The Poisoned Pen, or visit us online, we hope you, too, will be enticed by some of the books.
A “March Madness” Teaser for “Game of Thrones”
A “March Madness” teaser for the sixth season of Game of Thrones “includes new footage and dire warnings,” the Hollywood Reporter wrote, noting that the clip “catches up with Daenerys, who is being led into Vaes Dothrak, and includes a brief glimpse of Ramsey Bolton before showing Sansa on the run with Theon Greyjoy after their daring escape. Turning its attention to King’s Landing, the rest of the Lannisters are seen while the High Sparrow narrates: ‘We are sinful creatures. We deserve death. We all do.’ Jaqen H’ghar ends the teaser with an ominous note to Arya: ‘One way or another, the gift will be given. One way or another, a face will be added to the hole.’ ”
Entertainment Weekly unveiled a gallery of Game of Thrones season six photos. The series returns to HBO April 24
Tessa Arlen, Back in the Hot Seat
Since Tessa Arlen will be at The Poisoned Pen for an Afternoon Tea on Wednesday, April 6 at 2 PM, we thought it would be fun to ask her about Edwardian life. Her mysteries, Death Sits Down to Dinner, and Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman, are set in Edwardian England. Yesterday, I posed five questions to Tessa. Today, we have the second five.
- Tell us about a couple of your favorite Edwardians.
I am going to quote from the third book in the Lady Montfort series, as Mrs. Jackson ponders on the eccentricities of the aristocracy and two of my favorite Edwardian women:
“At least Lady Montfort did not involve herself in the outrageous antics of the suffragette movement like the untoward Lady Constance Lytton, the middle-aged, unmarried daughter of the Earl of Lytton. Lady Constance had spent the last five years escalating her fight for the franchise from setting light to the occasional post-box to instigating a one hundred woman strong hunger strike in Liverpool Prison; bringing untold humiliation to her family, and if this wasn’t enough had proudly published a book about her experiences in His Majesty’s more unattractive prisons.
And neither did Lady Montfort design highly unsuitable underclothing like that embarrassing Lady Duff-Gordon with her fancy London salon, Madam Lucile, in Hanover Square. Everyone knew it was improper for the wife of an aristocrat to earn her own living ““a fact made quite clear by the Court of St. James when Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon was informed that he may not present his new entrepreneurial wife at court.”
Both Lady Lytton and Lady Duff-Gordon are great examples of independent women who lived rather unconventional lives in England at this time; one as a deeply committed and extremely aggressive leader for the women’s franchise and the other as a very successful entrepreneur who not only survived the sinking of the Titanic, but had fashion houses in London, Paris and New York. Nothing about them sounded particularly likeable ““but they were very interesting!
- Can you describe yourself in 5 words or phrases as Lady Montfort might see you?
“Perhaps after luncheon I will invite Mrs. Arlen to walk around the rose garden with me and pick her brain about Damask and Noisette roses ““she is such a keen gardener and so willing to instruct.”
- Now, describe yourself as Edith Jackson might.
“Mrs. Arlen? Yes, she is a nice enough little woman, somewhat outspoken and informal in her manner, but then no one is perfect.”
- You live in Washington. What or where is your favorite place to take a visitor?
To Bloedel Reserve ““Bainbridge Island’s stately home. A lovely house built by a lumber baron in the 1950s with the most wonderful gardens and views of the Puget Sound. Luckily now open to the public and so beautifully maintained. https://www.bloedelreserve.org/
- Can you tell us what we can expect from the English Tea at the Poisoned Pen?
Afternoon tea is such a civilized affair. And once we have all said hullo and eaten a cucumber sandwich or two then I would be quite happy to join in a conversation aboutthe fascinating early decades of the 20th century and about Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson in their latest adventure.
I hope you can join Tessa Arlen on Wednesday, April 6 at 2 PM at The Poisoned Pen. And, while we spent the last two days discussing her latest book, Death Sits Down to Dinner, congratulations are in order dealing with the first book in the Lady Montfort series. Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is a nominee for this year’s Agatha Award in the category Best First Novel. One more reason to attend the tea, so you can ask Tessa about her first book and the nomination.
