Calamari Crime Recap, Part II

I decided not to get up early for the Sisters in Crime breakfast on Saturday morning.  I slept late, read and did some paid virtual-librarian work.

In the end, I spent the day socializing with various people I hadn't seen in a while, and didn't make it to a single panel.

I did, however, get to the Cara Black interview, which was conducted by Louise Penny.  (Deborah Crombie, who was scheduled to do the interview, was feeling unwell.)

A fuzzy iPhone photo of Louise Penny interviewing Cara Black.

I made sure to get to this one early, so I could have a good seat, and as my photo attests, I managed!

Saturday night closed with the Awards Banquet. Many of the authors hosted tables, and, having helped with the organization of the convention, I snagged a seat at Louise Penny's table.  She is tall and graceful and gracious, and made sure to chat with everyone at the table.  She even got everyone's email addresses!

Me with Louise Penny.

After dinner, the awards were presented.  Toastmaster Brad Parks was as witty as usual, and even threw in a song!

The photo I took of William Kent Krueger accepting the Squid (for the best mystery set in the U.S.) didn't turn out very well.  I was too emotional about Catriona MacPherson's touching acceptance speech for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery award to even think about taking a picture.

However, I did get Louise Penny accepting the Calamari (for the best mystery set anywhere else in the world),

and Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini accepting the Lifetime Achievement award.

After the banquet, I headed straight to bed because I had to drive  350 miles home on Sunday and I wanted to get an early start.  So, yes, I missed the Sunday morning events, which was disappointing.  But I did make it home in time for a family birthday dinner!

Calamari Crime recap

It has been a while since I posted.  Life has been what can only be described as hectic: Daughter's wedding on March 15th, then driving up to Monterey on March 19th for Left Coast Crime.  After I got home on Sunday afternoon, I've been sleeping a lot, and today I feel much more human.

I tried not to overdo things at the convention.  I attended a few panels and volunteered for  a few things, but mostly I connected with people I hadn't seen since the last LCC, as well as people I've wanted to meet for some time.

Unfortunately, I didn't take as many photos as I'd hoped, so my Wednesday night dinner at the fantastic Montrio Bistro with my pal Mary Jane Maffini and some other Candians, including Erica Chase, Cathy Ace, and Brenda Chapman 


Thursday night, after dinner with the other Crime Fiction Collective bloggers to plan Friday's panel, was an impromptu Noir at the Bar event, which I caught the first hour of before I had to call it a night.

Noir at the Bar instigator Kelli Stanley.

Gary Phillips listens intently to Travis Richardson.

Friday morning, after the annual New Authors Breakfast, I went to a panel called Murder Off Page:  Traditional Mystery with panelists Laura Bradford, Kate Carlisle, and Parnell Hall, moderated by the charming Camille Minichino.

L-R: Laura Bradford, Camille Minichino, Kate Carlisle.

Parnell was apparently frightened by something!

After lunch, I went to Haunted by Death: On the Paranormal Side, a panel featuring Juliet Blackwell, Molly MacRae and Kris Neri, with moderator Dianne Emley.  

L-R: Juliet, Dianne, Molly, Kris.

Unfortunately, I had to slip out early, because I had volunteered to help at a publisher's event, where I assisted Deborah Crombie, who was signing her latest book The Sound of Broken Glass.

Me with Deborah Crombie!

Then, I had to rush to the Crime Fiction Collective panel Lying for a Living, which I moderated.  Peg Brantley, Teresa Burrell, Gayle Carline, Andrew Kaufman, and L.J. Sellers told truths and lies, and the audience had to guess which was which.  Again, there was a suspicious lack of photographic evidence.

Another highlight that day was watching Louise Penny being interviewed by her publisher Andrew Martin, of Minotaur Books.  I was a bit late to that event, though, and was sitting too far back to get a seat suitable for taking photographs.

To be continued tomorrow!