Latest / Reality Writes / Ashland Mystery Fest 2025 Preview—with Author Emmeline Duncan

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Ashland Mystery Fest 2025 Preview—with Author Emmeline Duncan · Reality Writes

0:05
SPEAKER_01: Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Reality Rights.
0:09
SPEAKER_01: I am author Ellie Alexander and I'm here with the Dug Guy.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: Hello, hello.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: How's it going today?
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Ah, I beat you.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: I beat no.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: I I was the first one.
0:21
SPEAKER_01: Good.
0:21
SPEAKER_01: I just got blocked from the pool.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: No, it's gonna be a it's gonna be a hot one today.
0:26
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be a scorcher.
0:28
SPEAKER_01: And last night, we had the biggest drone show in all of MLS.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: And I know that my guest today is gonna want to talk soccer a little bit.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was disappointing.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Disappointing day yesterday, though, from a soccer perspective.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: The drone show was amazing.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: The drone show was okay.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Okay, it was like wait.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, from a from a tech guy perspective, the drone show that was incredible.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Like, I that was the first time I'd actually seen one in person.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: I've seen videos of them, uh obviously my feed on social media is full of stuff like that, but that was the first one I'd seen in person.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: And it the there were over a thousand drones, like it was incredible.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, the designs, like you know, uh they came out first and they were kind of sparkly and everything, and they kind of formed the uh San Jose Earthquake's logo, and it was like, Yeah, I can if I squint and look at it right, I can see the Quake's logo, and then suddenly it was just like boosh, and it was like looking at a like a computer monitor in like you know, 150 feet tall in the sky, and we were just like, Whoa, it was super clear, lots of color.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: It was so fun, but uh it was awesome.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the soccer match itself sucked, and then like before we even went to that, the timbers got crushed.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: It was just it was not a great, uh, not a great soccer day.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, but uh um at least the quakes tied.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we got a point out of it, yeah.
1:49
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, and the biggest drone show in MLS history.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: Come on.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: I know that part was cool, like I said, that that was really cool.
1:56
SPEAKER_01: So um, well, today we have a special episode of Reality Rights because we have a guest joining us.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I get the day off, kind of.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: You're out, you're out.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: Go work on your drones in the backyard.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: All right.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, are you gonna move right to the guest?
2:12
SPEAKER_01: I will uh Is there anything else you need to share with the darlings out there?
2:16
SPEAKER_00: I don't think so.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: Not today.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's gonna be hot.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: I gotta I gotta get out there.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: I gotta fix the sprinkler system, the drip sprinkler system.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: Um so hopefully it's not gonna be too bad.
2:27
SPEAKER_01: That's not exciting.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: I know.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: Well, on that note, see you later.
2:33
SPEAKER_01: And let me welcome to Reality Rights, the podcast, my friend, fellow mystery author, and third year in a row returning author to Ashland Mystery Fest, Emmeline Duncan.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Hello.
2:48
SPEAKER_01: Hi everyone, thanks for having me on the podcast.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad you're here.
2:52
SPEAKER_01: Uh, before we dive into all things, why don't you just give uh darlings, that's what we call our listeners, darlings, a little uh intro into what you write, a little bit about both your series.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: Well, um, as Ellie said, I'm Emmeline Duncan.
3:07
SPEAKER_02: I am the author of the Ground Rules mystery series, which starts out with Fresh Food Murder.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: It is all based around a coffee cart and roastery in Portland, Oregon.
3:16
SPEAKER_02: Uh, the most recent book in that series, Fatal Bruha.
3:20
SPEAKER_02: Need to figure out how to get this to go into the middle of the movie.
3:22
SPEAKER_02: You know, right?
3:22
SPEAKER_02: It's a little awkward.
3:24
SPEAKER_02: Um, it came out just at the end of April, and that's I said that's the fifth book in the Ground Rules series.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: And then I also write the Halloween bookshop mystery series, which is based in a fictionalized version of St.
3:34
SPEAKER_02: Helens, Oregon, which was the filming sign of the Halloween Town movies.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: My uh fictional town was also the filming sign of an iconic Halloween movie.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: They have a huge Halloween festival that runs every year, and my my lead my character um has taken over her family bookshop.
3:50
SPEAKER_02: And in the first book, Chaos of Blaze Bones Bookstore, sorry, Chaos Lazy Bones Bookshop, I just sent the wrong title.
3:55
SPEAKER_02: Um she started the first spooky season on the festival, and that's actually and then well, I'll come back to that.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: And then the second book, Mayhem at a Halloween wedding, comes out at the end of July, and it's book two.
4:08
SPEAKER_02: And the funny thing about um Chaos Laze Bones Bookshop is I had a fictional festival.
4:13
SPEAKER_02: I wrote that before the Ashland Mystery Festival came to be.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: And it was really funny, but I was kind of creating like what would be my dream festival to hold.
4:22
SPEAKER_02: And then it was funny, and then I got invited to Ellie invited me for the Ashlewn Mystery Festival, and some of our ideas like dovetailed as far as like what would be like just an amazing festival to hold.
4:32
SPEAKER_01: I love it so much.
4:33
SPEAKER_01: So we first met, I was thinking about it while I was in the pool this morning.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, we first met over 10 years ago.
4:39
SPEAKER_01: I think it was when I had.
4:40
SPEAKER_01: We both you were having, you were working on your YA.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: I don't think your YA was out yet, though, right?
4:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:47
SPEAKER_02: No, um, yeah, because we met at Love Coast Crime, and at that point, I got a young adult book on submission, I believe.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: And it was right about it right when I sort of writing my first book for adults.
5:00
SPEAKER_02: I mean, bulletining it for mysteries, not like adult adult, like no cheesy background music.
5:06
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, and I know because I think the second book of of your outdoorsy series was coming out.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
5:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that seems right.
5:14
SPEAKER_01: So maybe like 2015 something.
5:20
unknown: Yeah.
5:21
SPEAKER_01: That's bonkers.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: Where does the time go?
5:23
SPEAKER_01: It seems like so long, and then not at all.
5:27
SPEAKER_01: Um so we both were in Portland at the time.
5:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, and your series are all centered in Oregon too.
5:33
SPEAKER_01: And I think you do such a good job of capturing the essence, the quirkiness, the weirdness, the coffee culture.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: I mean, all of the Halloween town movies were and still are staples in our house.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: Like we watch them every Halloween.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: And again, like it is that concept where once you spark an idea, you just fully dive deep into it.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: And um, what I love is you also use real places as your inspiration at least.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: But like, how much do you feel like you dive into tweaking things versus just keeping them as they are?
6:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, so specifically for like St.
6:14
SPEAKER_02: Helens, I created a fictional town because I wanted to I wanted to use the idea, but I wanted to be able to really build something because even like geographically, like I base my town off St.
6:24
SPEAKER_02: Helens, but there's a bigger downtown.
6:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, there's a bigger, I mean, well, they have a phenomenal Halloween festival, but mine as part of town is Halloween year-round.
6:33
SPEAKER_02: Although the amusing thing is, I have since learned that the committee that decided to do the Halloween festival, part of them wanted to turn a few blocks of downtown of St.
6:41
SPEAKER_02: Helens and Halloween year round.
6:43
SPEAKER_02: And they didn't do it.
6:44
SPEAKER_02: They moved to just the festival because someone who's on that committee read chaos and was like, this is what we've wanted.
6:50
SPEAKER_02: So that was funny.
6:51
SPEAKER_02: But I do I love mixing um bits of history.
6:54
SPEAKER_02: So in the second book, just it's just a mention, but that there's two hist there's two dueling historical societies in town, and that's actually based on something that used to exist in St.
7:03
SPEAKER_02: Helens.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: But I my fiction, my fictional ones, and this is completely fictional.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: One of them basically does like the um um Lewis and Clark expedition, and then it stops in like the early 20th century.
7:14
SPEAKER_02: And I basically borrowed Yamatola Oregon's real, I don't I can't remember if they call it the petticoat revolution, but there was like this real incident that happened where at that point in time you didn't have to register to run as a candidate.
7:26
SPEAKER_02: You could people could just vote for you.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: And there was this like slate of women that got themselves elected to like basically all of town council, including like I think, I think the woman that was elected mayor might have been the wife of the previous mayor.
7:37
SPEAKER_02: And so they basically had this like governmental overthrow and kind of took it over as a protest.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: And so I use that, you know, as like a reference.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: Like my fictional town did the same thing, and the local One Historical Society stopped covering the town like the year before that happened.
7:52
SPEAKER_02: And then the other one is like embraces the movies and a much more broader view of history of history, but it's fun because that's like real stuff that happened, you know, and then I play with.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: I know.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: I I didn't realize that that's what it was based on, but that's fantastic.
8:08
SPEAKER_02: That's that's also mentioned in the second book.
8:10
SPEAKER_02: It's not a huge component, but it's something I will play with in future books.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: I love that so much.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
8:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, well, yeah, so let's talk a little bit about Ashland Mystery Fest.
8:19
SPEAKER_01: So this is the third year, and um, I will just say that um for any darlings out there who aren't familiar with the festival or maybe you're coming for the first time this year, um the way that it came to be was because I over the years have gotten so many emails from readers who are like, Hey, I'm coming to Ashland.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: This is gonna, I'm sure, be a thing with now St.
8:41
SPEAKER_01: Helens for you.
8:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to go to St.
8:43
SPEAKER_01: Helens to see the Halloween and all of its glory, right?
8:48
SPEAKER_01: Um and so I would get readers asking if I could give them a little like tour of like all the spots where they should visit if they're coming to Ashland for the first time.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: And then of course you have to be like, okay, well, you realize that it's fictionalized, right?
9:02
SPEAKER_01: Same thing.
9:03
SPEAKER_01: Or you're like, okay, you're taking parts of St.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: Helens, but then you're making a bigger downtown, or you know, like, I'm taking the plaza in Ashland and I'm throwing other things in.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: But um Paddington Station um set up a meeting with Travel Ashland and was like, hey, I think this would be a really cool idea if we had Ellie actually like put on a little mystery fest.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: And this was right after COVID.
9:25
SPEAKER_01: And so things had really slowed down because OSF, as you well know, is such a key part of the town and the economy.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: And they had really taken a hit after COVID.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: And so um, Travel Ashland and the town were looking at ways that they could bring in a new kind of tourist.
9:41
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, hey, you know, book people love to travel.
9:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, and my vision was that because when we first met, we both went to Left Coast Crime, and I think it would be interesting for you to talk a little bit in a minute about how some of these conventions are very different.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, and not that that's a bad thing, it's just it's a different kind of an experience.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: But my vision for it was I want readers who come to feel like you are stepping into the pages of a cozy mystery.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh it's small, it's intimate.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: There are 14 of us in terms of authors plus a few debut authors.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, but the whole idea is that you are immersing yourself into Ashland and hopefully into a cozy mystery.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: And originally they were like thinking it was just gonna be me.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, oh, I don't want it to just be me.
10:29
SPEAKER_01: Can I invite some writer friends?
10:30
SPEAKER_01: And they were like, oh, sure.
10:31
SPEAKER_01: Do you think anyone would come?
10:32
SPEAKER_01: I was like, maybe.
10:33
SPEAKER_01: And you were the one of the very first people that I emailed, and I was like, okay, we've got one.
10:38
SPEAKER_01: Like, let's just bring them all in.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: Um, so anyway, what what's your take on how it's different than like a traditional convention or conference?
10:47
SPEAKER_01: Because you've gone to so many.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: Um, so the biggest mystery conventions, we'll start with that, are um BoucherCon, which is kind of like all styles of mystery and crime fiction.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: And that moves around, it's basically in the US and Canada.
10:59
SPEAKER_02: And there's Left Coast Crime, which is always on the west side of the Mississippi, and that also it moves, the location moves around.
11:05
SPEAKER_02: And that's also like kind of like all styles of mystery.
11:08
SPEAKER_02: And then there's Malice Domestic, which is um always near Washington, DC, each year in Maryland.
11:14
SPEAKER_02: And that, I mean, that's open to everyone, but it tends to be very cozy mystery-centric, although they I think they really want to broaden their outreach.
11:21
SPEAKER_02: But all of those are in a hotel.
11:23
SPEAKER_02: And once you're at the convention, it's really easy to not leave.
11:26
SPEAKER_02: And so you could be in, you know, you could be in Seattle.
11:29
SPEAKER_02: I was in was in Bellevue, you could be in, you know, Denver, you could be somewhere in California, and but you could be anywhere in the world because you're just seeing hotel rooms, I mean, and conference rooms.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: And some of the hotels are beautiful, don't get me wrong.
11:42
SPEAKER_02: But is but you go and there's a there's it's all panels, and you know, so there'll be four to six authors on a stage talking for 50 minutes, and the moderators do generally do a great job, but it can be very heat or miss.
11:55
SPEAKER_02: Some moderators are fantastic, and some are maybe they're new or should reconsider how they moderate.
12:02
SPEAKER_02: Um I like that's don't get a drama just because they're the ones that are not good stand out.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: But so many are fantastic, so please don't take that as being too critical.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: Um you know, and some of them, like like Left Coast Crime, they do try to do like author-writer meetups where I mean maybe an author takes you off for ice cream or for coffee, but when it's not the people don't necessarily know that town they're in, it can be hard to create something, you know.
12:25
SPEAKER_02: But but authors try very hard.
12:27
SPEAKER_02: And but it's a very different feeling because you are just like very much in a hotel room sitting, listening to panels.
12:32
SPEAKER_02: There's not that interactive.
12:33
SPEAKER_02: And the really fun thing about Ashland is there's so much more.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, there are some panels.
12:37
SPEAKER_02: We try to make them a little bit more audience interactive or very more and we keep it very interesting.
12:43
SPEAKER_02: But then there's so much, you know, like like you can do crafting with authors, and there's you can get IT, and it's just a lot more, and you move around a lot more because it's kind of spread out more through town.
12:53
SPEAKER_02: It's very refreshing.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's great.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: And so one of the key things the first year was this idea of like, okay, if readers are coming, we want them to solve a mystery in town, um, which is going to also take them through the plaza in particular, because that's one of the things we want anyone who's coming to really, like you're saying, get to experience Ashland.
13:13
SPEAKER_01: And um, as we're in the third year of the festival and it's growing, it's been great to collaborate more.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: And you so kindly and graciously are taking that on this year.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: So can you give us a little bit of a teaser about what you're working on?
13:26
SPEAKER_01: Because I think it's so brilliant and so clever.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: Well, um, I did a good job with the mystery the first couple of years, but I was kind of wondering like, how could we mix it up and make it sort of really fun for the attendees?
13:38
SPEAKER_02: And so this year we have um the armory as at home base.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: And so I asked, like, could we take an arm uh corner of the armory and turn it into a crime scene?
13:47
SPEAKER_02: And so attendees can come and look at the crime scene, and that's their starting off point to solve the mystery.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be so great.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: It will be kid.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's still gonna be a cozy crime scene though, right?
14:01
SPEAKER_01: We're not talking like, oh right.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: No, I don't, I'm not gonna have like lots of like blood and stuff like that.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be um it's gonna be a I mean, it'll still be cozy and fun and hopefully a little bit funny.
14:12
SPEAKER_02: Not that murder is not that actual death is funny, but that, you know, cozy crime scenes can be hopefully entertaining.
14:18
SPEAKER_01: Yes, totally.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, what have been some of the highlights the past couple years for you as an um as an author and even like then kind of taking that lens of like what it's like just to to be in Ashland as somebody who's bookish and loves to read too?
14:35
SPEAKER_02: Well, it's just it's really fun that's because so many very enthusiastic readers come.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: And and one thing that's really amazing is they're really enthusiastic, they're really friendly, and they're also very respectful.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: Right?
14:44
SPEAKER_02: What if I ran into someone on the street?
14:46
SPEAKER_02: They were like, Oh, is it okay to talk?
14:48
SPEAKER_02: They weren't like, I'm just gonna demand your attention.
14:50
SPEAKER_02: Like, it's really amazing.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: Or cause like a group of us went to um the cabaret last year, and some people, you know, at a very appropriate time stopped by the table.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: And it was nice.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: They said hi, but they were like respectful, like, oh, you guys are probably done through the day.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: So I don't want to make you feel like you have to be on.
15:05
SPEAKER_02: And it was just really nice, right?
15:07
SPEAKER_02: Because that that respect of like, of them wanting to be like, oh, we enjoy your books, but we want to, you know, also give you space and time.
15:14
SPEAKER_02: And one thing that was really fun last year is uh there was actually a meetup um that was the tech guy and Waylon, my dog.
15:21
SPEAKER_02: And I actually had a lot of jokes that we didn't do, like it's okay to pet Weyland, please ask the tech guy for permission first, or stuff like that.
15:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, but but in events like that are really fun because we were hanging out at a tap room and people were friendly.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: And obviously, I had my dog with me, who's also a very social boy.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: But you know, people it was just it's just so much fun to talk with readers in like a very low-key way, you know.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: And so we had great conversations, you know, and then it's fun doing the panels because they're a little bit different.
15:48
SPEAKER_02: Um, it's not just the same panels that you I get on a lot of like Pacific Northwest panels at events, which is fun, but it it's just nice that they're fresh and they're different.
15:58
SPEAKER_02: And this year they'll even be a little more interactive, which I think is always way more fun for everyone that's in the audience.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: I think so too.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: So um you came up with the idea for a panel that we did together at Powell's um last fall, and we're gonna recreate that for Ashland Mystery Fest.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: And you've done it twice now.
16:14
SPEAKER_01: So talk a little bit about the concept.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: Again, this is not a spoiler if you're coming, because you just will want to be part of this panel because it will be fresh while you're there.
16:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, and if you anyone that went to the Powell's one last year, it'll be a different mystery.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: So that is good to know.
16:30
SPEAKER_02: Um, so I came up with this idea that as I said, I really like interactive events.
16:35
SPEAKER_02: And so we created, I wrote like a little mystery, and we gave everyone that came um to the event got an envelope.
16:41
SPEAKER_02: And there was uh the murder victim was in there and three suspects, and then everyone had a role.
16:46
SPEAKER_02: So a lot of people were peanut gallery.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: So, like some people, if they heard like the words carrot cake, they were supposed to say, not the carrot cake, and some you're different things like that.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: A little bit like um, I just forgot the name of the the movie with Tim Curry, um Rocky Picture Show.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, Rocker.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like a little bit, like not quite as intense as like that.
17:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, and one thing that was fun is that um so Tina Connolly was kind of our MC of the night, and she interviewed um Ellie and I, her 10-year-old to the victim card, which in a way you're like, oh no, it's a 10-year-old.
17:18
SPEAKER_02: But man, her 10-year-old died repeatedly with glare anytime she could.
17:24
SPEAKER_02: I know.
17:25
SPEAKER_02: And it was amazing.
17:26
SPEAKER_01: Give that girl an Oscar now.
17:28
SPEAKER_01: She needs to be on stage.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: In fact, we need to ask Tina if she could just bring her for just for that panel alone, right?
17:34
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
17:35
SPEAKER_02: But that's the drama.
17:37
SPEAKER_02: And you know, and so there were there were clues, and then the 10, and then we had a murder board.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: So we would as we unveiled kind of the clues, we would um unveil the big irrelevant sheet.
17:46
SPEAKER_02: And then the the audience got to guess that well, they had to figure out who did it.
17:51
SPEAKER_02: And so the person that figured it out first won a small prize.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: And it was around Halloween time, so we brought candy um and we quickly learned that I have terrible aim.
18:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I would just pelt it out of the audience and hit people in the head.
18:05
SPEAKER_01: And you are a former ball player, so you you're gonna be able to bring it for Ashland Mystery Fest.
18:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it's funny, it was very pureful because I can throw relatively pretty hard.
18:14
SPEAKER_02: And then I forgot, and like I launched it because there was um there was a couple and they were off to the side standing in one of the stacks, but they were like listening like and they were very involved the whole time, but they never sat down.
18:24
SPEAKER_02: And they were and so I kind of purposely threw them some candy and I got it there.
18:27
SPEAKER_02: And then I forgot, and the next one I threw was like really hard, and the poor woman ducked, and I felt so bad because you know, and I'm like, oh sorry, and then I remembered to throw softly from then on out.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
18:39
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it's kind of fitting.
18:40
SPEAKER_01: We are plotting a murder there, so you might as well like go off.
18:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean I want to like hit someone in the eye with like a little mini candy bar and be like, I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding now.
18:54
SPEAKER_01: Um what are you most excited about for this year?
18:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm definitely looking forward.
19:00
SPEAKER_02: Well, and then murder scene, like I'm really looking forward to making the crime scene, and I want to see what people think of it, and that I think is gonna be really fun.
19:06
SPEAKER_02: Um, definitely the solve your the solve the murder panel, I think is gonna be a blast.
19:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, and then it's um it's also just fun being in Ashland.
19:15
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the opening and closing receptions are fun.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: The, the, the banquet dinner is always like it's interesting, it's a great way to meet people, and I'm coming with ideas for my table to make it hopefully a fun experience for everyone that's there.
19:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, let's talk about that so much.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, let's talk about that a little bit.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: So for the um for the sleuth dinner on Saturday night last year, we did an Agatha Christie theme, and we're trying to keep it fresh every year.
19:37
SPEAKER_01: Um, but the idea is that you get to have dinner with an author, and so we as the authors are setting tables and kind of it's pretty open-ended in terms of what you do with that theme as the author.
19:51
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then this year's theme for costumes, because it is Halloween adjacent, is come as your own sleuth.
19:58
SPEAKER_01: And I will tell you, my wig came in the mail yesterday, and I'm very excited about it.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I've still I'm I have a couple ideas for my costume that I've been debating, and same thing with a couple really fun ideas for the table.
20:12
SPEAKER_02: Like last year, because I was I kind of for I was really kind of talking about Chaos with Lace Bones bookshop, I just made a very Halloween-centric display in the middle, including this.
20:21
SPEAKER_02: Um, it was even um, it was almost like it looked like a chemistry set, and when you clicked a button, it would like bubble and release like like steam into the air.
20:30
SPEAKER_02: It was really fun.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: And I also gave, because it was the the 1920s, I brought um tiaras for everyone at the table, but I wasn't thinking about the fact that it's not an exclusively women event.
20:41
SPEAKER_02: And so the bulb guy at my table is like, yeah, not really for me, but he took it home to his 20-something-year-old daughter who said was gonna love it.
20:49
SPEAKER_02: And I brought like fans for everyone that were like gold, you know, and like paper and and it was fun and like a glittery pen and then some like swag and stuff.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: Yes, so good.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: I know.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: Well, I was so impressed last year.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, because that was the first time we did that version of a dinner where authors, you know, like host, and that's that's something that we've seen at almost all of the conferences that we've gone to.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: Um because the year before we had done something slightly different that didn't hit as well.
21:18
SPEAKER_01: So I think this will always probably be our theme moving forward.
21:21
SPEAKER_02: Maybe shake up like the costume part, but yeah, I think the first year, because it was the mystery dinner, the food was really good.
21:28
SPEAKER_02: It's just wasn't necessarily what people were expecting when they heard like mystery dinner.
21:32
SPEAKER_02: They weren't thinking like having to guess what they were eating and what was unique about it.
21:37
SPEAKER_02: But I mean, the fe and the staff of the hotel was so great and they were working so hard and and they hadn't really planned for anyone that was like gluten free or vegan or anything.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: And a couple of the author at the table had some food issues, and they were just like they were on it, and they made someone that was gluten for me this like absolutely amazing meal.
21:54
SPEAKER_02: Like they were, I was super impressed with them, but I think moving to the banquet definitely makes more sense as far as.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: Helping meet reader expectations.
22:02
SPEAKER_02: And then it's fun because the first year the authors were at their own table and we like read segments of each other's books.
22:08
SPEAKER_02: And but now I'm spread out throughout the room, which I think it's more rewarding for the readers.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: I think so too.
22:13
SPEAKER_01: And it was so fun because my table last year was a mix of attendees for Mystery Fest, but then tickets get opened up to the general public too.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, so there were quite a few um table mates who came from Medford and they were just like, oh, we we it's an Agatha Christie dinner and we wanted to dress up.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: So um it was really fun because then readers from other parts of the country got to meet locals and everything.
22:36
SPEAKER_02: And it was impressive.
22:37
SPEAKER_02: So many people just like ran with that 1920s theme and they were dressed in amazing costumes.
22:43
SPEAKER_02: Like I was super impressed.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: And it was also fun because every author decorated tables you each table had its own flair.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: You know, like there was like someone had brought like some eye of the Christie like cards and they played like a game during it, you know.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: And and then on the one side, there's like an author who's not really um crafty, but he like brought a book for everyone.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: And and he had another author decorated a table to look like the cover of his book.
23:05
SPEAKER_02: And he came as a newsie and it was phenomenal.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: Like everyone, it was so much fun.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was a blast.
23:11
SPEAKER_01: I can't wait.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: I gotta bring, I gotta level up my game this year because last year, like all the other authors were bringing it.
23:18
SPEAKER_01: So I was impressed.
23:20
SPEAKER_02: Well and it's fun.
23:21
SPEAKER_02: One of the authors this year is coming in from um England, right?
23:24
SPEAKER_02: Flying all the way from overseas.
23:25
SPEAKER_02: And so I offered if she wants to ship me the stuff, I'll bring it for her so she doesn't have to like put it in her luggage.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: And so it was fun.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: So I sent her some pictures of the tables last year, and she's like, oh, this is helpful as she figures out like what to do.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
23:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, let's talk about authors for a minute because I always try to um, you know, like crack this myth that um authors are really like contentious with each other, or you know, like, I know, right?
23:56
SPEAKER_01: But like why is that so pervasive?
23:57
SPEAKER_01: I still feel like that's a question I get often.
24:00
SPEAKER_01: And um, I had a reader email me just last week who was like, hey, I'm coming to the mystery fest, but I'm just curious, like, um wanna I want to get my book signed by a few of the authors, but like I don't want to make anyone feel bad.
24:14
SPEAKER_01: I was like, no, like no, that's that's literally why we're having the festival.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: But it does, it's surprising to me, I guess.
24:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I think most authors I know get along really well with each other.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I mean, like anyone, like if you get a group of a hundred people together, like not everyone is gonna be BFFs immediately.
24:33
SPEAKER_02: You know, but we're all professional, right?
24:35
SPEAKER_02: And I think, I mean, and everyone, I mean, all the authors are great.
24:38
SPEAKER_02: We all get along really well.
24:39
SPEAKER_02: I think part of that assumption of like I think, I think because like reading, it's I mean, people that love to read, it's not like they read one book that year and they're like, I don't read anything else, especially cozy mystery readers who read so many, you know, where they're excited when they like well, like I remember doing like an event with Ellie um a couple of years ago was virtual.
24:57
SPEAKER_02: And I went to an event in Houston, and one of the readers who had um come to that virtual event came to me in person and like brought me a coffee cup, and she was like, Oh, I saw you speak with Ellie and I was so excited.
25:08
SPEAKER_02: It was a way to find a new a new author.
25:10
SPEAKER_02: And you know, and they brought me like a Houston coffee cup as a thank you for going all the way, and it's so nice, right?
25:15
SPEAKER_02: And nor do don't ever feel like you have to bring a gift, but it was just really sweet.
25:19
SPEAKER_02: But do bring gifts all the time, no, is really what you're saying.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: No, I'm just kidding.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: I'm saying like never feel obligated.
25:25
SPEAKER_02: It was super nice, but it that's not uh by any means an expectation.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, but you know, but I kind of wonder part of it because like TV, whenever you watch, whenever I see authors on like TV or movies, it's always so wrong.
25:37
SPEAKER_02: It's not ever how publishing ever works.
25:40
SPEAKER_02: And I wonder if that's part of it, because especially like if it's a mystery show with authors, of course, not each other's throats, they need conflict, you know, and really like they would be their own best friends and they would have their own cocktail hour where they can talk about issues related to being an author that you don't always want to talk about super publicly, but it could be helpful, like, oh, my agent didn't like my book, what do I do?
26:02
SPEAKER_02: Or oh, this manuscript didn't sell, and you talk with people that have been there, and it's super useful.
26:06
SPEAKER_02: The networking or the sort of um the real talk that also happens, like one-on-one or small groups.
26:12
SPEAKER_02: But no, it's funny, like, and even you know, you go to an event like like VoucherCon where there's a bunch of different authors, once in a while they'll be they're not, I mean, they tend to this is a this is a stereotype, but like they maybe write noir and it could be actually men or women, and they like look down on like cozy mysteries.
26:30
SPEAKER_02: But then there's always some guys that step in and like, what are you talking about?
26:33
SPEAKER_02: They're like, I write noir, but I read cozy's occasionally because they're plotted so well and they have such good character development.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, you read them because how would you write that tight of a plot in like 70,000 words?
26:45
SPEAKER_02: And like, what can you learn?
26:46
SPEAKER_02: And the same thing with cozy authors.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: Like, we read tend to read very widely as well.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: We don't necessarily write dark, but it's funny.
26:52
SPEAKER_02: There is the stereotype of the like, no, I write, I my stuff is more important and I don't like cozy mysteries, but then there's a bunch of people who write the same things that then get in the middle, they're like, no, stop it.
27:04
SPEAKER_01: Right.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: No, it's so it's fascinating, isn't it?
27:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:07
SPEAKER_01: I know, but I I just love that this reader was like worried that she might offend an author if she also was getting her book signed by another author.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, no, like one of the things we changed last year, and that we're gonna do even more of this year, is make sure to have books at the armory.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: So, like after a panel or you know, the opening reception, you can go and get your book signed by all 14 authors if you're so inclined.
27:30
SPEAKER_02: I know if you're ever worried, the key thing is just, I mean, it's a general life rule is like treat people as you want to be treated and like don't be purposely rude.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: Like if there's two authors and you get one signed, they're book signed, you know, if only like one, you know, just be like, oh, I enjoyed you on the panel.
27:46
SPEAKER_02: Don't be like, oh, your book sounded terrible.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: I don't want to buy it.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: Like, you don't need to say that, right?
27:50
SPEAKER_02: But just be like, oh, you did a good job, or like, oh, it'd be so nervous talking front, like, you know, you but you don't just just be always be kind.
27:58
SPEAKER_02: But you know, like I don't if I do an event with someone, I don't expect everyone to buy both of our books.
28:03
SPEAKER_02: Although, how can you not?
28:04
SPEAKER_01: Right.
28:05
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
28:05
SPEAKER_01: I mean, if you're coming, you should buy everybody's book because you when are you gonna get these 14 authors?
28:10
SPEAKER_01: And Hannah's coming all the way from England, like you said.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: And one thing to note, the only thing that's gonna be fun this year is at the closing reception, they're gonna have a mailing station.
28:19
SPEAKER_02: So you can get a flat rate box and you can um get a pay for some postage right there and mail your books home to yourself.
28:27
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
28:27
SPEAKER_01: That was your idea.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: That was so great.
28:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, because otherwise you kind of have to pack a suitcase, a second suitcase, a bookcase.
28:35
unknown: Yeah.
28:35
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: And I know people that do that.
28:37
SPEAKER_02: I mean, then when they go to the big uh stuff like Doctor Com or Left Coast Crime, where they pack like a big suitcase because they're planning to pack books.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: And I learned from someone, she's like, get it all into like a carry-on size and then gate check it.
28:49
SPEAKER_02: Because they always they always want people to gate check for free.
28:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: So she sends her book of things of her suitcase of just books to be gate-checked.
28:57
SPEAKER_01: That's brilliant.
28:57
SPEAKER_01: I love that too.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: I'm with you on the be kind.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: I over the years, you know, and to your point, like 95% of the interactions that I have are always lovely.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: But there is always that 5% where you're like, you those words do not need to come out of your mouth right now.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: Just put them back in.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: Like, no.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: Not only directed to me or but also maybe to somebody that I have been sitting next to.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, where's the a reader is like, oh, your book sounds terrible.
29:24
SPEAKER_01: Like, why?
29:26
SPEAKER_01: Why?
29:26
SPEAKER_01: No, let's not.
29:28
SPEAKER_02: You know, and I think as writers, like, we wholeheartedly accept that like not every book is for every reader.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
29:34
SPEAKER_02: And that's fine.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I mean, I don't love every book that I read, and that's fine.
29:38
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I usually think about why I like a book or why I don't.
29:41
SPEAKER_02: But you know, but I always respect the craft of someone writing one.
29:44
SPEAKER_02: And I would never be like, oh, I hated that.
29:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, there's just no need because especially because that might be the person next to you's like all-time favorite book because we have different tastes, and that's good.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: It would be boring if everything was the same.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
29:57
SPEAKER_01: I know, I know.
29:58
SPEAKER_01: But why why does somebody feel the need to tell you to your face?
30:01
SPEAKER_01: I hated that.
30:03
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it might be they could just be feeling awkward, like they feel like they should say something and then they blurt out the wrong thing.
30:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:10
SPEAKER_02: Right?
30:10
SPEAKER_02: And then and some people, I mean, yeah, just operate on a different frequency.
30:14
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: Not our frequency.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: But I like it.
30:17
SPEAKER_01: Emily is here on the podcast giving you tips of what to say.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: If you uh feel uncomfortable, it could be like, I really enjoyed that panel.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for being here.
30:27
SPEAKER_02: That's an what's your favorite book you read in the last year?
30:31
SPEAKER_02: Ooh, you know, because authors read a lot.
30:34
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that is a good, like you're never sure what to say, ask what they're reading.
30:38
SPEAKER_02: Or like, oh, what are you reading now?
30:39
SPEAKER_02: Or what are you looking forward to?
30:41
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's a perfect segue because I was gonna ask you that same question to uh wrap up the podcast.
30:47
SPEAKER_01: I just finished The Excitements by CJ Ray, which came as a recommendation from John at uh Murder by the Book in Houston.
30:55
SPEAKER_01: And it's mystery adjacent, I would say.
30:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's an utter delight.
31:00
SPEAKER_01: Historical, uh, super fun, goes back in time.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: What about you?
31:06
SPEAKER_02: Uh well, two books that I finished recently are both um installments on a long-running series.
31:11
SPEAKER_02: I read um, I guess the The Close by um Jane Casey.
31:15
SPEAKER_02: She is an Irish author who lives in England.
31:17
SPEAKER_02: She writes the Mave Kerrigan series.
31:19
SPEAKER_02: I would say maybe the 13th book, and I don't want to spoil anything, but there's she's a phenomenal writer.
31:24
SPEAKER_02: She's, I mean, on like a sentence level, like she's a phenomenal writer.
31:27
SPEAKER_02: She does great plots, it's a great mystery, it's it's a great police procedural series.
31:31
SPEAKER_02: And there's a there's a character introduced in the second book that is like a very, I think it was wasn't, I believe, non-intentional, turned into this long-running, incredibly slow flame.
31:41
SPEAKER_02: And so there was events that finally happened with that in a very authentic feeling way, and it was great.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: And then I also read the most recent book, and I've just forgot the title, in the Tom Thorne series by Mike Billingham, which is something I've been reading since the early 2000s, and it's also a police procedural series set in London, and they were both like really great.
31:59
SPEAKER_02: And they both, it's hard to talk about.
32:00
SPEAKER_02: I can't talk about like in a way both of them because they're be could potentially be very spoilery, but they both had amazing things happen.
32:07
SPEAKER_02: And then also um Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray.
32:10
SPEAKER_02: It is a young adult mystery.
32:12
SPEAKER_02: It's so good.
32:13
SPEAKER_02: I got a bunch of starred reviews, like 100% understand why.
32:16
SPEAKER_02: There's three kind of braided timelines.
32:19
SPEAKER_02: One, the 1940s in Germany during World War II, the 1980s, um, you know, in Germany when Berlin was still divided, East and West.
32:27
SPEAKER_02: And there's a young American girl there who gets involved with the punk scene, and then 2020 lockdowns, and two kids that um they love a mystery podcast, and then they get a real life mystery about what happened to two teenagers that disappeared in World War II that they are working to solve.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: And the timelines braid together really well.
32:47
SPEAKER_02: It's brilliantly done.
32:49
SPEAKER_02: It's a masterful book.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I've seen it.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: I haven't, I haven't picked it up yet.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: But see, now you I'm that's next on my list.
32:56
SPEAKER_01: That's how it goes.
32:57
SPEAKER_01: So if you come to National Mystery Fest and you feel awkward, not that you're gonna say that you hate anyone's books.
33:02
SPEAKER_01: We're not worried about that because the readers, the darlings who come, are the best readers on the planet, hands down.
33:07
SPEAKER_01: But if you don't know what to say to an author, there's our question.
33:11
SPEAKER_01: That's it.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: Then you'll come back with a giant reading list, too, but that's okay.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, okay, so book two for you comes out next month.
33:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh, well, like we're almost this will air in July.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: So at the end of this month when this airs.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
33:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this comes out July 29th.
33:29
SPEAKER_01: Mayhem at the Halloween wedding.
33:32
SPEAKER_01: Mayhem at a Halloween.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: A, sorry, not the at a Halloween wedding.
33:36
SPEAKER_02: You know what's funny about that is, you know, so as an author, we get um, you know, we'll get a copy of like what the cover is going to be, and we enter asked for feedback.
33:44
SPEAKER_02: And and it came actually mayhem at the Halloween wedding.
33:47
SPEAKER_02: And I emailed back, you know, my editor, and I'm like, um, I thought we said it was gonna be Mayhem at a Halloween wedding.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: And he's looked at it and he's like, You're right.
33:55
SPEAKER_02: And all of our turtle documentation says, uh, and somehow it got listed as the, but the art department fixed that like the same day.
34:03
SPEAKER_01: That's funny.
34:03
SPEAKER_01: And my I just put it in there for you again.
34:05
SPEAKER_01: So apparently the universe is like, well, maybe there's a the on there that you don't know about.
34:10
SPEAKER_01: It's a mystery the.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: Okay, but that book comes out in uh July.
34:14
SPEAKER_01: So readers can get their hands on a copy of that in October.
34:17
SPEAKER_01: Uh, anything you can tell us that you're working on next?
34:21
SPEAKER_02: Well, I am currently working on the third book in the Halloween, my Halloween bookshop series.
34:26
SPEAKER_02: There is a very high probability it will be called Hysteria at the Historical Society.
34:31
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: Love it.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: And that one will probably come out 2026.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that I'm gonna guess that'll be end of July 2026.
34:43
SPEAKER_02: Um, Halloween books come out like the end of July, early August.
34:46
SPEAKER_02: And then at Halloween, that's when Christmas books come out.
34:49
SPEAKER_01: Right.
34:50
SPEAKER_01: I know, exactly.
34:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
34:51
SPEAKER_01: I have a holiday rom com rom com coming out in October, and it's like, oh, Christmas?
34:56
SPEAKER_01: Can we just get through Halloween first?
34:58
SPEAKER_01: No.
34:59
SPEAKER_01: Not how publishing works.
35:01
SPEAKER_01: You gotta get it out early, go before the season.
35:04
SPEAKER_02: But it makes sense because that way the bookstores get their copies and they can create their displays and all of that.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: So it makes total sense.
35:10
SPEAKER_02: But it's just weird when you're like, but it's it's July, it's not Halloween yet.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
35:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, well, thanks so much for taking the time to be on the podcast.
35:20
SPEAKER_01: And um, thanks for being such an integral part of Mystery Fest.
35:24
SPEAKER_01: It's been amazing to have like a whole team now working on it together.
35:28
SPEAKER_01: And so I'm just so grateful.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, because you always have the best ideas too, and it's just fun to come up with cool panels and other fun things that we can do to just make it feel so immersive and interactive and hopefully warm and personal.
35:43
SPEAKER_01: And inviting if people want to come.
35:44
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, and it's so much fun being able to like give a bunch of ideas and be like, well, that won't work, but hey, let's do this.
35:51
SPEAKER_02: It's fun.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: We're both ideas people, so yes, we've the energy of having someone to bounce.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: Yes, but um you also are some you're great because you were an idea person, but you also are a get shit done person because some idea people are just idea people, and we are both also like, let's do this then.
36:10
SPEAKER_01: Which I appreciate.
36:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, and thank you for having me on the podcast.
36:15
SPEAKER_02: It was nice seeing all of you lovelies out there in the audience, although I don't actually see you at this moment in time.
36:20
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
36:21
SPEAKER_01: And you can see both of us in October.
36:23
SPEAKER_01: So snag your tickets to Ashland Mystery Fest now.
36:28
SPEAKER_01: And on that note, until next time.