Light Relief

Tomorrow I fly down to Southern California where I'm speaking at the Orange County day of women authors at the Irvine Marriott. I love these big events because for once I'm speaking to women who are not necessarily mystery fans.

The other speakers are usually frightfully literary, or deeply intense. Last year I was speaking after Jodie Picault. So I always get the feeling that I've been invited to provide some light relief from the intensity. Which is strange when you consider that I'm the only speaker who actually kills people for a living.

But I guess I'm the token representative of "genre fiction" which everyone knows isn't as serious as "real fiction." So events like this hopefully give me a chance to open readers' eyes to the fact that some mysteries being written today are among the best literature being created. ,I suppose mystery novels do come with the reputation of pulp fiction--the lurid covers of the past, the only females either dead or in bed.  But the genre has expanded so wonderfully in all directions: historical,  interesting occupations, tense pyschological dramas, great character studies. So I'll do my best to enlighten my audience tomorrow.
And just pray that I don't find myself following someone  who was abandoned by her parents to be reared by wolves!