The Author Who Came in From the Cold

Sorry that I haven't been blogging here as much as I used to. Frankly my Facebook page has taken over my day to day musings. Do come on over to Facebook and LIKE RhysBowenAuthor if you want to stay current.

I spent most of last week in Colorado where I realize why I live in California and Arizona. It snowed. And it snowed. And it was 24 degrees with a wind chill making it 6! Thank heavens I took my fake fur coat (that everyone thinks is real).

First I attended Twist Phelan's wedding to the adorable Jack Chapple. What a fun wedding with the holy book being The Velveteen Rabbit and Twists vows written in Doctor Seuss. Then on to Left Coast Crime convention in Colorado Springs. Fabulous mountain resort and I looked forward to some hikes... until it started to snow. And snow. And we heard about the interstates around us being closed.

So I worried a little about getting home but luckily the sun shone on Sunday morning and we made a dash for it between storms and managed to get on an earlier flight. Pfew. But the convention was great fun. I was part of a concealed weapons fashion show (wearing genuine 1930s outfit) and I moderated the celebrity Truth or Dare panel which everyone loved. My panelists were such good sports. I had them do things like be blindfolded and then identify a famous mystery author entirely by feel!

We had a terrific banquet with actor Lou Diamond Phillips who stars in Craig Johnson's Longmire series. Lou was so funny, so over-the-top energetic that everyone loved him.
And then we had the scary drive back to Denver, noticing the accidents along the way and praying we'd get out before it snowed again.

We did AND I got home to find that my Amazon Rank was #27. Not #27 in mystery but overall. Up there with James Patterson and Stephanie Meyer etc. All because of wonderful Audible! They have put my Royal Spyness series on sale until tonight and thus bumped me to the top of the tree. Jump in and get them while they are hot!

Looking Back on Left Coast Crime

What will I remember about this year's Left Coast Crime in Sacramento, I wonder? Chicken garlic soup. Cheerleaders. Special moments with Jackie Winspear. The Armani Jacket disaster.
Oh, and it was a great convention, extremely well run by Cindy Sample and Robin Burcell. Everyone loved the panels and the hotel with its big bar area. They thought the food in the restaurant was good. I wouldn't know. There was an hour's wait any time I wanted to eat.
I arrived in Sacramento with a nasty cold--the type in which my head and chest felt stuffed and heavy. Then I discovered the Hungarian/Romanian/Greek restaurant across the street and a bowl of their chicken garlic soup opened all those blocked sinuses and led the way to feeling better.
On Saturday I had to interview Guest of Honor Jacqueline Winspear. The interesting thing for the audience was how much we have in common: lived in the same county in England, studied in London, came to America, married a man called John and now live FIVE MILES APART. We also write about strong young women in the 1930s. We've won the same awards. Our work habits and approach to writing is identical and we even look quite similar. One woman said we sound so alike that if she closed her eyes she couldn't tell who was speaking. (I'm thinking clone)
Jackie was an absolute trooper at the interview and the whole convention as her father in UK has major health problems and she was worried about him.

There was a cheerleader competition going on across the street. Little girls with HUGE bows in their hair and too sexy outfits were looking really stressed.  Their mothers were fussing around looking way too involved. Can somebody tell me why little girls have to look provocate and sexy in order to compete? Surely cheerleading is all about the athletiticism?

Oh, and the story of the Armani jacket. I found a fabulous Armani jacket in a designer resale store. Pale blue. Gorgeous. And being the creator of Lady Georgie (just a little clumsy by nature), I managed to drop a piece of salmon in a gooey sauce down my front. On my way to the dry-cleaner.

Now it's back to work trying to finish my new Molly book to deadline.