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Issue:  March, 2009
Sorry that I am late in getting this out! It's been a busy month here at Poisoned Pen Press.  I know, I know.  I say that every month.  But it's true. 

On average we bring you 3 new hardcovers, 3 new large prints, and 3 new trade paperbacks a month.  And we do it all with a staff of 8. I think it's safe to say, we are always a little busy.  As always, we're working hard to bring you excellence in mystery!



What's New...
For some strange reason, Arizona is a bit behind the times when it comes to book festivals.  We don't really have one.  Or at least we didn't.  That's why I'm thrilled to announce that  March 14-15, 2009, on the University of Arizona campus, Tucson is hosting the first annual (at least we hope) Festival of the Book.

The Tucson Festival of Book is sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star and hosted and organized by the University of Arizona. Net proceeds will promote literacy in Southern Arizona through the Tucson Festival of Books Foundation, a 501c (3) nonprofit organization.

While Poisoned Pen Press will not be displaying at the festival this year, I will be there manning the Arizona Book Publishing Association table. So come by, say hi, and see what the book industry in Arizona has to offer.  Check out their website for a list of some of the great authors who will be appearing there.
 
Deep WatersDeep Waters by Kate Charles

In a culture obsessed with celebrity, baby Muffin's death is big news. Crib death? Or something more sinister? Everyone wants to know, including the police.

Whatever the truth, the bereaved parents--celebrity couple Jodee and Chazz--live in curate Callie Anson's London parish, and Callie becomes involved with funeral arrangements, despite the disapproval of her vicar and his wife.

Detective Inspector Neville Stewart is recalled from his honeymoon to investigate the case--with disastrous personal results. And journalist Lilith Noone's professional future is on the line, as she is sucked more and more deeply into her own flirtation with celebrity culture.

Meanwhile, for police family liaison officer Mark Lombardi, the death of baby Muffin is eclipsed by another death, much closer to home, and he finds himself in an impossible position, torn between his loyalty to his family and his growing love for Callie.

This is the third of Charles' books to feature Callie Anson. Publisher's Weekly contends that Deep Waters"Charles combines credible characters and a puzzling mystery with a tantalizing look at the world of reality TV." (Hardcover, $24.95)
 

Hollywood BuzzHollywood Buzz by Margit Liesche.
 
Not the usual assignment. Ferrying fighter planes, undercover work...that's more like it. But it's the dark hours of WWII. Hollywood's biggest stars, studio moguls, and Washington bureaucrats are working hand-in-glove to merge entertainment and propaganda. Pucci Lewis has been dispatched to the First Motion Picture Unit at Fort Roach where a make-or-break documentary on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) is underway.

Pucci is stepping in for a sister-WASP, hospitalized in critical condition as a result of a suspicious plane crash. But who's the saboteur? Why the cover-up? As Pucci seeks answers, she is drawn into a high-profile homicide. A big-name director has been murdered, possibly by Nazi operatives. Military intelligence wants Pucci to learn what she can from her inside position.

Bela Lugosi is a frequent visitor to the Beverly Hills mansion where Pucci is temporarily billeted. His "niece," a rising starlet and also the housekeeper, has a history with the Hungarian resistance. But is she to be trusted?

Can Pucci steadfastly maneuver through movie land and its narcissistic denizens, finally unraveling the web of uncertainties to prove she has the right stuff?

Hollywood Buzz is the sequel to Lipstick and Lies. According to author Laurie King, there's plenty there to like: "Women in fast planes, Nazi spies (or are they?), Hollywood stars, Amelia Earhart's saddle shoes and Bela Lugosi's assistance--wow. Hollywood Buzz is a perfect blend of fantasy (hey, it's Hollywood!) and closely researched realism, and I look forward to more of Pucci's aerial adventures."      ($24.95 Hardcover)
 

Murder in the DarkMurder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood.

It's Christmas, and Phryne has an invitation to the Last Best party of 1928, a four-day extravaganza being held at Werribee Manor house and grounds by the Golden Twins, Isabella and Gerald Templar. She knew them in Paris, where they caused a sensation.

Phryne is of two minds about going. But when threats begin arriving in the mail, she promptly decides to accept the invitation. No one tells Phryne Fisher what to do.

At the Manor House, she is accommodated in the Iris room, and at the party dallies with two polo-playing women, a Goat lady (and goat), a large number of glamorous young men, and a very rude child called Tarquin.

The acolytes of the golden twins are smoking hashish and dreaming. The jazz is as hot as the drinks are cold. Heaven. It all seems like good clean fun until three people are kidnapped, one of them the abominable child, and Phryne must puzzle her way through the cryptic clues of the scavenger hunt to retrieve the hostages and save the party from further disaster.

This is the 15th book is the always exciting and always daring Phryne Fisher series.
($24.95 Hardcover)

And don't forget, our new paperback selections now available

Lipstick and LiesLipstick and Lies by Margit Liesche

Pucci Lewis needs to go to jail to unmask the imprisoned countess-counteragent Grace Buchanan-Dineen. After all, how else can she gain access to the countess, who-because of her complicity with the FBI-had been jailed for her own protection?

When Pucci lands her B-24 bomber at the Willow Run aircraft factory, she doesn't expect to stumble across a corpse, especially a corpse belonging to a German spy with links to Buchanan-Dineen. Can Pucci infiltrate both a prison and Detroit's high society to expose this dangerous spy ring before it causes grave damage?
($14.95 Tpbk)
 
Queen of the FlowersQueen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood

What better place for the maven of fashion and elegance than the flower festival of St. Kilda's? All Phryne Fisher needs to do is buy dresses, drink cocktails, and dine lavishly. Or so she thinks....

When one of Phryne's flower maidens vanishes, Phryne must put aside her flower crown to investigate. However, the case doesn't become serious until Phryne's darling adopted daughter Ruth goes missing. Phryne must confront elephants, brothel-life, and an old lover in an effort to save Ruth and her flower maiden before it is too late.


Where Are Our Authors...
We're working with a new way to compile these author events.  Let me know what you think...

Deborah Turrell Atkinson

  • March 12, 2009, Best Sellers Bookstore, Booksigning at Best Seller's Downtown, BestSellers, March 12, noon, 1003 Bishop Street, #138, Honolulu, Hawaii96813Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany sign and discuss their latest suspense novels. 
  • March 12, 2009, BookEnds, Kailua, Wine and Cheese Party, Honolulu and Kailua, , Book Ends in Kailua, phone 261-1996, 600 Kailua Road, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, Wine and cheese, Debby Atkinson and Vicki Delany sign and discuss their new suspense/crime fiction novels.  Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m
  • March 13, 2009, Barnes & Noble, Kahala, Friday the 13th workshop on Villainy in Crime Fiction.
  • March 14, 2009, Barnes & Noble, Kahala, Booksigning at Barnes & Noble, Kahala, 100,
  • March 15, 2009, Tucson Festival of Books, Presentation and Signing.
  • March 15, 2009, How to Commit Murder Mystery Writing Workshop, Mystery Writing Workshop in conjunction with the Tucson Festival of Books. The Workshop will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the PachecoIntegratedLearningCenter, 1500 E. University Blvd.  on the University of Arizona Campus, Tucson, AZ.
  • March 16, 2009, Public Library, Scottsdale, AZ, Library appearance.
  • March 16, 2009, B & N, 10500 N 90th St, Scottsdale , Booksigning at Barnes and Noble.
  • March 17, 2009, Clues Unlimited Bookstore, Tuscon, Booksigning at Clues Unlimited.
  • March 17, 2009, Tempe Public Library, Appearance at Tempe Public Library.
  • March 17, 2009, Poisoned Pen, Booksigning at the Poisoned Pen.
  • March 17, 2009, Clues Unlimited Bookstore, Tucson, AZ, Booksigning at Clues Unlimited, brown bag lunch, 11:30, Bring a lunch and listen to Hot and Cold, as Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in their latest crime fiction novels.  Signings of Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 18, 2009, Mesquite Library, Phoenix, Appearance at Mesquite Library
  • March 18, 2009, Velma Teague Library, Appearance at VT Library.
  • March 18, 2009, Well Red Coyote, Booksigning at Well Red Coyote.
  • March 18, 2009, Velma Teague Library, discussion of suspense novel, signing, Velma Teague Library, 7010 N. 58th Ave, Glendale, AZ.  2 p.m.  Hot and Cold, Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in their latest crime fiction novels.  Signings of Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost,
  • March 16, 2009, Scottsdale Public Library, discussion of suspense novel, signing, 10:30 a.m, Hot and Cold, Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in their latest crime fiction novels.  Signings of Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 16, 2009, Barnes & Noble #2680, Scottsdale, workshop on crafting crime fiction with Debby Atkinson and Vicki Delany, Barnes & Noble, 10500 N. 90th St.  Scottsdale, AZ.  Hot and Cold, Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in their latest crime fiction novels.  Signings of Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost,
  • March 18, 2009, Well Red Coyote, 3190 @. Hwy 89A, Suite 400, Sedona, AZ, 7 p.m.  Booksigning and fiction workshop, 7 p.m.  Join Debby Atkinson and Vicki Delany for a fiction writing workshop.  Atkinson will discuss Plot and Story and Developing the arc of the Novel, and Delany will advise you how to Prepare your Manuscript to be seen.
  • March 20, 2009, Mysteries to Die For Bookstore, 1 p.m.  Booksigning at Mysteries to Die For , Hot and Cold, Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost. 
  • March 20, 2009, Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, 7 p.m.  Booksigning at Mysterious Galaxy, Mysterious Galaxy, Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 3-2, San Diego, CA 92111Hot and Cold:Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost. 
  • March 21, 2009, The Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA90024, 11 a.m.  Booksigning at The Mystery Bookstore, Hot and Cold: Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 21, 2009, Book 'Em Bookstore, 1118 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA  91030, Booksigning and discussion at Book 'Em Bookstore, Hot and Cold: Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost. 
  • March 21, 2009, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101, Booksigning and crime fiction workshop, Suspense authors Vicki Delany and Debby Atkinson get to the nuts and bolts of writing crime fiction.  Delany will show you how to ensure that your mystery or thriller captures the reader's attention from page one, and Atkinson will cover the three part structure, or three arcs in shaping the genre novel. 
  • March 22, 2009, M is for Mystery, 74 East Third Ave, San Mateo, CA94401, Booksigning and discussion, Hot and Cold: Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 23, 2009, Orinda Books, 276 Village Square, Orinda, CA94563, Booksigning and discussion, Hot and Cold: Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 23, 2009, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, CA 94925, Booksigning and discussion at Book Passage, national newsletter, , Hot and Cold: Hawaii author Debby Atkinson and Canadian author Vicki Delany discuss sense of place in suspense stories and sign their latest novels, Pleasing the Dead and Valley of the Lost.
  • March 27, 2009, MYSTERY LOVERS' BOOKSHOP, Booksigning at MYSTERY LOVERS' BOOKSHOP, 514 Allegheny River Boulevard, Oakmont (Pittsburgh), PA 15139.   
Aileen Baron
  • March 18, 2009, Thelma Parker Memorial Library, Library talk and booksigning. 
  • March 19, 2009, Mysterious Galexy, Booksigning at Mysterious Galaxy. 
  • March 7, 2012, Left Coast Crime, Panels, booksignings
 
Donis Casey
  • March 4, 2009, PhoenixCountryDay School, Phoenix, Arizona, Writer's Workshop, Donis will be conducting a workshop for young adults on the craft of writing a mystery, and the writer's life,
 
Vicki Delany
see Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Mary Anna Evans
  • March 4, 2009, Dunnellon Public Library, Reading at the Dunnellon Public Library. 
  • March 25, 2009, Urban Think! bookstore, Orlando, Florida, Booksigning at Urban Think!, Orlando, Florida. 
  • March 26, 2009, Santa Rosa Central Library, Workshop at library. 
  • March 26, 2009, Barnes and Noble, Booksigning at B&N, Santa Rosa. 
  • March  26, 2009, City of Tavares, Florida, Public Library, Lecture and booksigning. 
  • March  27, 2009, Leesburg, Florida, Public Library, Florida Masters of Mystery panel. 
  • March  27, 2009, W.T. Bland Public Library, Mount Dora, Florida, Reception and booksigning. 
  • March  28, 2009, Four Eyed Frog, Booksigning at Four Eyed Frog. 
  • March  28, 2009, Once Upon a Crime Bookstore, Write of Spring' multi-author event. 
  • March  28, 2009, Once Upon a Crime Books Store Minneapolis, MN, Write of Spring' multi-author event.   
 
Tim Maleeny
  • March 14, 2009, Authors On The Move, Black Tie fundraiser for Sacramento Library Foundation, 200-300, http://www.saclibraryfoundation.org/authors09.asp
  • March 20, 2009, Books Inc. bookstore, signing at San Francisco bookstore, http://www.booksinc.net/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
  • March 20, 2009, Books & Books, Booksigning at Books & Books. 
  • March 20, 2009, Books & Books, Booksigning at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL  33134.  
  • March 20, 2009, Mysteries to Die For, Booksigning at Mysteries to Die For. 
  • March 21, 2009, Mystery Bookstore, Booksigning at the Mystery bookstore. 
  • March 21, 2009, Book 'em, Booksigning at Book 'em. 
  • March 21, 2009, Vromans, Booksigning at Vromans. 
  • March 21, 2009, Julia's at The Habitat ReStore, Fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.  I'm doing a solo presentation and signing from 1pm - 3pm.  Books provided by Park Rd Books. 
  • March 22, 2009, M is For Mystery, Booksigning at M is for Mystery. 
  • March 23, 2009, Orinda Books, Booksigning at Orinda Books. 
  • March 23, 2009, Book Passage, Booksigning at Book Passage. 
  • March 7-12, 2009, Left Coast Crime, Left Coast Crime panels, moderating, Lefty Award nomination, 400-500,
 
 
Ann Parker
  • March 28, 2009, ChabotCommunity College, Literary Gathering of Readers and Writers.  Priscilla Royal
  • March 26, 2009, South Berkeley CA Public Library, panel and signing. 
  • March 27, 2009, Borders, Santa Rosa, Booksigning at Borders.  
 
Jeffrey Siger
  • March 11, 2009, AVRA Estiatorio, 141 E. 48 St.  New York, NY10017, Booksigning from 6-8 PM conducted by Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers. 
 
Betty Webb
  • March 7, 2009, Pages Book Store, book talk & signing. 
  • March  7, 2009, Thelma Parker Public library, Hawaii, Talk at public library. 
  • March  10, 2009, Phoenix Zoo, Book talk to the Arizona Zoo Keepers Association. 
  • March  14, 2009, Fountain Hills Book Fair, giving writing class/book signing.  
  • March  20, 2009, Leisue World Writers Club, book talk to writers' group.   


 
Happy Reading!
 

Jessica Tribble
Poisoned Pen Press