This morning at The Big Chile

My Friday morning began relatively early, though not as early as it should have. The New Authors breakfast was scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., I scurried in at around 8:00. The first "new author", Avery Aames, was just ending her 2-minute spiel.

I found a spot at one of the few tables that wasn't completely full, joining some friends from last year's organizing committee. There no author's name on the centre placard, but as I learned a few minutes lager, there was an author at the table.

He was the last author to introduce himself, and as he stood, I saw from his name tag that he was Canadian. "I'm Wayne Arthurson" he said, "and I'm from Edmonton, Alberta. And so are you!" pointing at me. Completely flustered, I said "Yes, I am, how did you know?" He responded that he recalled my name from the program book, where my bio began with that information. (I was quite impressed by this feat of memory!)

After a quick stop in my room to brush my teeth, I attended the Crafts, Hobbies, and Murders , with moderator Christine Goff and panelists Avery Ames, Camille Minichino, and Maggie Sefton. The craft mystery is one of y favorite sub-genres to review, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Then I rushed into the book room to buy The Long Quiche Goodbye and Fall From Grace, into the signing room to have Avery sign her book for me and then to The Many Faces of Violence panel.

The moderator of that panel was Charlie Newton, and the panelists were Wayne Arthurson, Mark Coggins, David Corbett, J.T. Ellison, and Martin Cruz Smith(!), winner of this year's lifetime achievement award. Another great panel; although I don't read as many thrillers as cozier, I do enjoy them.

I had to rush off right after that panel to meet my L.J. Sellers for an early lunch. We were joined by Jodie Renner, a freelance editor, and authors Peg Brantley, Judy Yates, and Andrew Kaufman. It's so wonderful to be with people who believe that a blogger/reviewer is a writer!

Unfortunately, there aren't really any panels I'm dying to attend is afternoon, as most of the ones I wanted to attend happened concurrently this morning.
Or perhaps that's fortunate, because I now have a chance to. Write and post this blog.

I want to attend most of tomorrow's panels, which is a problem as I can only get to four out of twelve. Sigh.



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