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?
Matthew Quirk, author of Cold Barrel Zero, recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen. He and Barbara Peters are not really watching TV in the picture below.
Michael Robotham SKYPEd in for the event.
Here’s Matthew Quirk at The Poisoned Pen.
We have signed copies of Cold Barrel Zero available, if you would like one.
Are you as jealous as I am when I can’t be at a Poisoned Pen event? We do try to share some of the events through Livestream, and most of them with photos.
Here’s Grant Blackwood and James Rollins, authors of War Hawk, with Barbara Peters.
With the audience for the recent event, as they listen to Peters.
And, the authors in the back room.
Rollins and Blackwood
(Wouldn’t you like to see that back room sometime?)
If you couldn’t be there for the event, don’t forget you can watch it via Livestream.
There was a lot of laughter during the discussion of War Hawk by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. With Livestream, you get the chance to feel as if you were there. Here’s the link so you can join the audience. – https://livestream.com/poisonedpen/events/5127411
And, there’s a lot of conversation about dogs because Kane is a working dog.
If you would like to order a signed copy of War Hawk, with a collectible dog tag while they’re still available, you can do that through The Poisoned Pen. https://bit.ly/1SXFDMc
James Rollins and Grant Blackwood were just at The Pen to discuss and sign the second Tucker Wayne novel, War Hawk.
Actually, the books feature Former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his war dog, Kane, so, with the purchase of a book, we’re including the special collectible dog tag created for the book.
And, we have a note from James Rollins to share here.
Sigma is again going to the dogs—or at least to one dog in particular.
WAR HAWK heralds the return of Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane. I first encountered such a unique pair while on a USO tour to Iraq and Kuwait. Out in that sandbox, I got a chance to observe these fighting teams in action. I heard one phrase over and over again—it runs down the lead—describing how over time a dog and handler learn to read each other’s body language, to understand each other beyond mere gesture or spoken command. It was such a unique bond that I wanted to honor it in print. This led to the creation of Tucker and Kane.
Over the years, I’ve grown to love this pair (and I hope you do, too). In this latest story, I got the opportunity to explore Tucker and Kane’s bond in more depth, thrusting them into a global adventure that will test their skills to an extreme. I also wanted to explore their past in this book, a past that will crash land on their doorstep and expose them to a threat tied to the upper echelons of the U.S. government. Hunted and betrayed at every turn, Tucker and Kane must race against time to stop a threat—one ripped from today’s headlines—that could change the face of warfare for all time.
I hope you enjoy the wild ride—and the shocking truth at the core of this story!
I love the lists from crime novel nominations. I may not have read them, but it gives me a chance to see what I might have missed. Today’s list comes from The Guardian. It’s the longlist of crime novels up for this year’s Theakston’s Old Peculiar crime novel of the year. I’m sure you’ll recognize names such as Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid, Stuart MacBride. Then, there’s that one named Robert Galbraith, the focus of the article. The winner won’t be announced until July 21, so you have time to pick up books from the list. Check it out!
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.
