Kindling

As you can tell from my updated blog design, the original Jimmy O'Brien books are now available to read on your Kindle. You can download them by clicking on the images on the right. Guilty or Else is priced at a tantalizing 99 cents, so it's a good way to sample Jimmy O'Brien's beginnings if you're hesitant about e-reading in general. Nook readers won't have to wait long; the books will be available for Barnes & Noble e-reading pretty soon as well. If you take a look at my publisher's blog, you can read blurbs for each book before the download. I'm looking forward to reviews from new readers, so please share your thoughts when you're done. There's nothing more satisfying than hearing from my readers!

For the Love of Libraries

This coming weekend, I'll be signing over at the Barnes & Noble in Torrance again. It's one of my favorite stores, as it brings in such a wide variety of readers every day. But more than this, I'm looking forward to the weekend after, when I'll be joining my publisher, Molly Lewis, to discuss women in the book industry - especially in the writing of crime fiction. As a past board member of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles - an organization dedicated to equality among mystery authors - I've been paying attention to the status of women in the writing community for several years. Many of you have heard me on numerous Sisters in Crime panels, discussing everything from the development of my own series to the state of the industry as a whole.

The event on March 5th is hosted by the Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario, CA. I'm looking forward to it for a number of reasons - because book sales from the event will benefit the library itself, and because the author discussions every Saturday during the month of March will highlight women writers from all parts of the industry. Please feel free to join me and my publisher in just over a week, but also mark your calendars for the other events that month, from debut novelist Jenny Bellington to seasoned mystery and literary fiction writer, Michele Scott, as well as my good friend Teresa Burrell. Their books will be on sale at every event, which should give everyone plenty of opportunities to support the library with the profits on every sale.

Events like this are also exciting because they give book clubs, reading groups, and writers' organizations a chance to take a fresh look at literature in a focused setting. So spread the word, and I'll see you there!

The Southern California Writers' Conference

Every year, the conference comes again. In Los Angeles and San Diego, and upon occasion in Palm Springs as well, aspiring and accomplished writers come together to share their work, their experiences and their burgeoning projects, in a three-day weekend of panels, workshops, read-and-critique sessions, and presentations. This weekend, another Writers Conference is scheduled to open its doors to the San Diego community.

I'll be there, as I usually am, along with my editor, Mike Sirota, who will be a guest speaker at the event. Mike is a constant figure at writing conferences from San Diego all the way to Alaska, and this weekend will mark the first event he has scheduled since his book launch last week for his most recent novel, Fire Dance. I'm personally looking forward to his presentation on Saturday morning, as well as the panel on the current and future state of the publishing industry from my own publishers at ZOVA Books.

The conference is a must-attend for any writers within driving distance - if not for the extensive critical help it gives one's own writing, then simply for the sense of community it provides. Writing can seem like a lonely business, and the Southern California Writers' Conferences prove that it simply doesn't have to be that way. I look forward to seeing you there!

Film Noir Foundation's Blogathon, Feb. 14-21

This week, the Film Noir Foundation is hosting a blogathon to raise awareness - and money - to support its mission of preserving classic film for future generations. The trailer below was created to help promote the fundraiser. It a stunning montage of film noir staples to revisit and remember.



You can read more about the Blogathon over at Ferdy on Films (and take a look at her take on Detour from several years ago), or over at the Self-Styled Siren. Both blogs are excellent archives for film noir fans, but I expect we'll be finding several more go-to sites as the blogathon continues.

Whether you've been drawn to film noir for years or are only just recently discovering it, the Film Noir Foundation is a wonderful resource. I'm looking forward to the attention the blogathon will bring to the genre, the Foundation, and the incredible blogging community that supports it with wit, intelligence, and commitment.