The 10-month secret project...

The Mystery Writers of America annually give out the Edgar Allan Poe Awards—aka, the Edgars—which honor excellence in the “mystery, crime, suspense, and intrigue fields.” Last year, I was one of the team reading ALL OF THE BOOKS in the Paperback Original and E-book category. Sworn to secrecy until the list of finalists came out, I can now share my role in the project. While I consider myself a widely read mystery fan, I was introduced to dozens of authors. That said, it was a LOT of reading. But 275 books later, our work reading that category is done and the winners in ALL

categories will be announced May 1st. You can find the list of finalists here: Edgar Award Finalists

In late March, we had the wonderful experience of seeing the Taiko Project perform. Wow! The staging was widely different than other taiko groups we’ve seen in the past and it was amazing. If you haven’t had the chance to see and hear a taiko group, here’s the group’s promo video to give you a taste…

I had the lovely experience of hearing Susan Hoffman talk about the second Molly Madison Dog Wrangler mystery, PLAYING DEAD, on Dave Congalton’s Hometown Radio Show (KVEC). I called in—then hung up because I was nervous (so typical!). After stiffening my spine, I called in again. All that drama led to a lovely conversation with Dave and Susan.

We also went to the opening night of VERSIFIED—The Human Equation at the Two Roads Theater in Studio City. A terrific night of poetry and performance directed by Sonny Lira, poems by Bob Gossom, and performed by a wonderful ensemble of actors. If you live in L.A., there’s still time to see it. (The run ends April 27th.)

Congratulations to mw*****y@gmail.com for winning last month’s book drawing!

Hoping everyone is enjoying this wonderful Spring!