Instead of ranking issues, people, places, or things, I’d like to introduce five authors who I will meet for the first time this month. All are new to me, and maybe to you.
As a writer of political, military thrillers and historical adventure, most of my professional life consists of research and discussions with readers and authors who write in these genres. Thrillerfest, held each July in New York, has been my conference of choice. It brings together authors, readers, agents and industry professionals with a passion for thrillers. The trip is long, expensive and worth every dime. However, one cost I find especially difficult is its timing. The first couple of weeks in July are premium days of our very short Alaskan summers.
So this year, I switched conferences. I’ll be at Bouchercon, in Nashville in August. As the odd man out at the World Mystery Convention, instead of sitting on a panel I am looking forward to moderating an amazing discussion of mystery around academia. Here are the panelists.
Frankie Bailey
Frankie is a “crime professor” in the School of Criminal Justice University at Albany, New York. What a background for someone who writes criminal mysteries. Her Mantra, “dig deeper” would work for a political thriller/historical adventure author, and based on her success, for her as well. Like me, her purpose for writing is to entertain and to act as a catalyst for social issues. Frankie personally recommended I read her book, A Dead Man’s Honor. I’m on it!
Nova Jacobs
Based in Los Angeles, Nova’s MFA is from the USC School of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her passion is crime fiction, with a focus on science. Her debut novel, The Last Equation Of Isaac Severy, a story set among a family of mathematicians was highly rewarded. Her second book was just released. I’m looking forward to reading her first one.
Lauren Nossett
A former professor who parlayed her academic credentials into a career as a novelist, Lauren lives in Nashville. Like myself, she has a stack of unpublished novels, all part of learning this business. She describes herself as a storyteller, and I love that. She recommended that I start reading her work with the book, The Resemblance, and I just did.
Julia Dahl
This former freelance reporter’s credits include the New York Post, and crime and justice reporting for CBSNews.com. She currently teaches journalism and advises students at NYU, teaches online courses for fiction writers and does freelance manuscript editing. Her fifth novel, I Dreamed Of Falling is due for release September 2024. I look forward to her recommended reading.
Christopher Swann
As Georgia’s author of the year and with a Ph.D. in creative writing, Swann teaches in Atlanta. His setting of choice is academia which, with his day job makes him a perfect panelist for a panel on mystery in academia. His work is highly recognized, and he is deeply entrenched among southern authors. At his recommendation, I just started reading Shadow Of The Lions.