New Mexico et al!
Okay, first things first - before I get into my photo essay and trip report of sorts on the Kiss of Death Chapter Retreat in Albuquerque, I want to make the following IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: it's Halloween week over at The Knight Agency blog. Check it out to enter to win fabulous prizes. Fantastic fantacist (alliteration is our friend) David B. Coe is today's guest blogger.
On Sunday, The Chicago Sun-Times printed this great article about Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires. I want to point out that Chicago has also been used as a backdrop for P.N. Elrod's long-running noir Vampire Files series, the latest of which, DARK ROAD RISING, was just released.
Speaking of noir, the KoD is the Romance Writers of America chapter dedicated to mystery and romantic suspense. They put on a very nice, intimate conference with a fantastic line-up of speakers, many of which I was fortunate enough to hear. At so many writers conferences I'm scheduled up against the other pros and so never get to listen in our their presentations. They had fellow agent
-Kelly Mortimer (who has her own agency on the west coast) doing some extreme editing, Patience Smith of Silhouette Romantic Suspense (but agent to acquire for other Harlequin and Silhouette lines as well) talking about how to stay on track and capture an editor's attention, former homicide detective Danny Agan discussing the tools of criminals and those who catch them, Mary O'Gara talking about Psychics and Cops: The Good, The Bad and The Creepy, and suspense author CJ Lyons workshopping how to break free from the slush pile. We had some free time to explore old town Albuquerque, which involved shopping, prickly pears and margaritas. It was a very nice time, and the retreat format gave us a chance to get to know each other pretty well. It also gave me the chance to see two of my local authors, Doranna Durgin and Susan Krinard, to talk shop and then leave shop talk behind for subjects ranging from food to Firefly.
1- Patience Smith, Kelly Mortimer and me
2- Doranna Durgin, author of numerous Nocturne's and the forthcoming Reckoners series from Tor Romance
3- Susan Krinard, writer and artist extraordinaire
4- Kelly Mortimer and Lt. Danny Agan
5- Medical suspense author CJ Lyons
6- Prickly pear and other vegetation
7- Church in old town
On Sunday, The Chicago Sun-Times printed this great article about Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires. I want to point out that Chicago has also been used as a backdrop for P.N. Elrod's long-running noir Vampire Files series, the latest of which, DARK ROAD RISING, was just released.
Speaking of noir, the KoD is the Romance Writers of America chapter dedicated to mystery and romantic suspense. They put on a very nice, intimate conference with a fantastic line-up of speakers, many of which I was fortunate enough to hear. At so many writers conferences I'm scheduled up against the other pros and so never get to listen in our their presentations. They had fellow agent
-Kelly Mortimer (who has her own agency on the west coast) doing some extreme editing, Patience Smith of Silhouette Romantic Suspense (but agent to acquire for other Harlequin and Silhouette lines as well) talking about how to stay on track and capture an editor's attention, former homicide detective Danny Agan discussing the tools of criminals and those who catch them, Mary O'Gara talking about Psychics and Cops: The Good, The Bad and The Creepy, and suspense author CJ Lyons workshopping how to break free from the slush pile. We had some free time to explore old town Albuquerque, which involved shopping, prickly pears and margaritas. It was a very nice time, and the retreat format gave us a chance to get to know each other pretty well. It also gave me the chance to see two of my local authors, Doranna Durgin and Susan Krinard, to talk shop and then leave shop talk behind for subjects ranging from food to Firefly.
1- Patience Smith, Kelly Mortimer and me
2- Doranna Durgin, author of numerous Nocturne's and the forthcoming Reckoners series from Tor Romance
3- Susan Krinard, writer and artist extraordinaire
4- Kelly Mortimer and Lt. Danny Agan
5- Medical suspense author CJ Lyons
6- Prickly pear and other vegetation
7- Church in old town