ALA Conference in Denver

The last two days I’ve been attending the American Library Association Conference in Denver. I’ve been helping out in the Bouchercon booth, promoting the Bouchercon Conference that will be held in Indianapolis in October. Yesterday, four authors conducted a panel titled Women of Mystery. Erica Spindler who writes suspense/thriller/psychological thrillers described how she combines romance and mystery. Francine Mathews who writes both suspense and historical fiction under different names made the comment that when she’s not writing, she’s not as sane a person. I can identify with that. I’ve had all these ideas swirling around in my head for years. It’s great therapy to get them down on paper. Mary Jane Clark turned journalism into writing mysteries set in the broadcast news world. She mentioned how getting it onto the page is work and then she has a fallow time after a book is completed. She loves having written. I can also identify with that statement. There is a feeling of accomplishment when a novel is completed. Nancy Atherton who writes the Aunt Dimity series told how she is an organic writer, going with no outline and letting the book evolve from her characters. This approach keeps her energy and excitement up during the writing process. As you would expect with four writers, they all have different approaches and experiences but all have produced excellent mystery series.