I am a vinyl lover.   I don’t claim to be a collector, just an accumulator.  I like the size, the look, the feel and the sound of vinyl records. And I love classic rock, though it pains me that it’s now called that.  It seems like only yesterday I was waiting breathlessly for the next CCR album to come out.  It was all happenin’ stuff.

I wrote a story about a young woman named Session Seabolt who shares my appreciation of vinyl.  So much so that she gives up her career as a CPA to open a vinyl collectibles shop.  But Session is never left to enjoy her records in peace.  There’s always a complication that lands her in the middle of a mystery.   My first story featuring Session is now available on audio at http://www.sniplits.com/  ”Jangle” by Brynn Bonner.

Edgar award-winner Steve Hamilton was at Quail Ridge Books on Tuesday evening reading from his latest Alex McKnight mystery, Misery Bay, set in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan (the U-P to natives).  He also gave us a little info on the book that just earned him his second Edgar, The Lock Artist, a coming-of-age story about a mute boy with a special talent for lock picking.   Margaret Maron, always eager to extend southern hospitality, arranged a dinner for a few of us before the reading.  Also, Margaret brought ARCs of her latest Three Day Town, due for release in November.  Can’t wait to read it in the final version.  She dedicated this one to the “Weymouth 7″.   No we’re not on trial for anything nefarious.  Just a group of writer-friends who cook up ficitonal crimes and unravel plot points together (or sometimes ravel them!).

Left to right:  That’s Steve Shaber, the husband of mystery writer Sarah Shaber, whose new series set in WWII Washington will launch in August with Louise’s War, Sarah’s next, then me, Margaret Maron, Steve Hamilton, J. D. “Dusty” Rhoades, who is also working on a brand new project (I’ll let him tell), Katy Munger, author of the Dead Detective series, and Katy’s daughter, the charming Zuzu.  Photo by my personal photographer, husband Bob.

In front that’s Margaret Maron, whose latest in the Judge Deborah Knott series will be Three Day Town, out in November http://www.margaretmaron.com/  NancyOlsen, owner of the best independent book store around, Quail Ridge Books http://www.quailridgebooks.com/ Sarah Shaber whose new series set in WWII Washington, Louise’s War, will officially launch in August (but you can get your copy now) http://www.sarahrshaber.com/  .   In back that’s me and Kathy (aka Mary Kay). Two of the hubbies joined us this evening.   Brave men.

We sorely missed Diane Chamberlain (whose most recent book, The Midwife’s Confession came out last month) http://dianechamberlain.com/, Katy Munger (whose Dead Detective series is about to get a book 3) http://www.katymunger.com/, and Alex Sokoloff, http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/ who is working on a dozen things at once it would seem.

LtoR: Jo Ann Hoffman, Margaret Maron, Diane Chamberlain, John Pagliuca, Brenda Witchger aka Brynn Bonner, Sarah Shaber, Steve Shaber. Photo by Bob Witchger

Writer-friend Diane Chamberlain has just released her twentieth novel.  Quite a milestone.  A bunch of us celebrated with her as she launched The Midwife’s Confession at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh this past week.   The book is getting wonderful reviews in both the print sector and in the blogosphere.   I know a bit about it since this group regularly brainstorms plots and concepts and picks through tricky questions of character and motivation during our occasional lunches and writers’ retreat, but I can’t wait to read the finished work.   Diane worked for years as a therapist before she began her writing career, so she knows whereof  she writes about complicated human relationships.  I can only say that she’s as good a writer as she is a friend, and that’s meant as a high compliment indeed!

Sarah and I always have fun together and I expect we’ll have a good time and talk a lot about writing and about the mystery genre. I know the O’cockers (natives) will be kind and welcoming to us even if we are dingbatters (people from off-island). The NCCAT has taken over and renovated the old Coast Guard station there so they’ve now become a part of island life. Sarah tells me it’s a lovely facility. Can’t wait to see it for myself.