Capital Mayhem

I'm heading downtown to the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library this morning to sit in on the Peter Robinson interview as part of Capital Mayhem, a joint venture by Capital Crime Writers and the OPL. I'll be on a 1:15 pm panel with fellow authors Jeff Ross and Vicki Delany with C.B. Forrest fielding the questions. Our topic is suspense in mystery novels. You are also welcome to come by for all or part of the day, all free although you had to preregister for the lunch. Check out the agenda - all day, Ottawa's top mystery authors will be available for meeting and schmoozing with and books will be available. Some local media personalities are also taking part.

And to help get you in the mood, an article in the Ottawa Citizen with writing advice from Ottawa's mystery authors!

I had a lovely afternoon last Saturday at Perfect Books on Elgin at Somerset. The owner Jim Sherman is a former English teacher and most knowledgeable about all the books he carries, which includes a solid mystery selection. The store is warm and welcoming and a great place to browse - in fact, Perfect Books was recently nominated in March for a Libris Award for Bookseller of the year! I'm going to be returning for a lunch hour signing on June 19 so a great chance for you to come by.

My daughter Lisa came by for a chat and took the picture below.

Yesterday, my Dundurn editor Jennifer McNight sent me Butterfly Kills with her track changes. I have until May 20 to review and accept or disagree. Then comes her second go round. Guess how I'll be spending my May long weekend?

And on I write. Walking to the bus the other morning, I was thinking over my recent manuscript when it struck me . . . I have my characters go apple-picking at the beginning of the story, but the story takes place in April. Since apple orchards are busy in the fall and not the spring, this became problematic. How to fix this glaring plot error? April is even too early for strawberry-picking, which Lisa and I do annually on the July 1st long weekend.. After some deliberation and rewriting, my characters are now on their way to a plant nursery to buy pansies . . . yes, this is the kind of detail that I can struggle with for over a week.

Time to get myself together and head downtown. Parking is free on Saturdays, by the way. I checked the parking meter this week to make sure. So, head down to the Library on Laurier - grab a coffee in the lobby as you head into the auditorium and prepare to be entertained. A day of mystery and book chat - what better way to spend a Saturday?