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The 4th Annual Ashland Mystery Festival—Author Lineup Revealed · Reality Writes

0:05
Ellie Alexander: Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Reality Writes.
0:10
Ellie Alexander: I am author Ellie Alexander.
0:12
Ellie Alexander: This is the podcast where we talk about all things bookish, writer-ish, and whatever else is on our mind.
0:18
Ellie Alexander: And I'm here with The Tech Guy.
0:21
Tech Guy: Uh and hey, today we are going to be talking about something super exciting.
0:28
Tech Guy: Um, in fact, there's probably gonna be a little bit of an announcement about it later today on your socials, right?
0:35
Tech Guy: Um yeah.
0:37
Tech Guy: So, but before we get started, um be sure to give us a like.
0:42
Tech Guy: Uh, follow us on your favorite podcasting platform, really does help.
0:46
Tech Guy: Uh, we want to spread the word about all things bookish, reader-ish, writer-ish, um, and techish sometimes, you know.
0:53
Tech Guy: So we gotta get to get that in there.
0:55
Tech Guy: Um and for the patrons out there, be sure to head over to Patreon for the after party where we'll be divulging even more cool secrets about today's topic.
1:08
Tech Guy: Um so yeah, I don't know.
1:11
Tech Guy: Maybe.
1:12
Ellie Alexander: Maybe we don't know.
1:14
Tech Guy: We do.
1:14
Tech Guy: But but let's let's dive in.
1:17
Tech Guy: Uh, there you're gonna have some news today.
1:21
Ellie Alexander: Yeah, I need a drum roll for this.
1:24
Ellie Alexander: Do we have a drum roll?
1:25
Tech Guy: Oh boy.
1:26
Tech Guy: You you gotta you gotta give me like a more than a heads up on that.
1:31
Tech Guy: Here we go.
1:35
Ellie Alexander: Oh, love it.
1:36
Ellie Alexander: All right, we are announcing the 2026 Ashland Mystery Fest Author lineup.
1:45
Ellie Alexander: I'm so excited.
1:46
Ellie Alexander: That's right.
1:50
Ellie Alexander: That's right.
1:51
Tech Guy: All right, fourth annual.
1:53
Tech Guy: Woo.
1:54
Ellie Alexander: Fourth annual.
1:54
Ellie Alexander: Can you believe it?
1:56
Tech Guy: No, I can't.
1:57
Tech Guy: I mean, honestly, like, and this I I just want to take a pause to talk about it for a second.
2:02
Tech Guy: Like, for anyone who's ever put on an event, you know what we're talking about here.
2:07
Tech Guy: Um, you know the work, the number of people and the amount of work that it takes to put on any event of any size, but especially something that is citywide, even in a small town um that includes multiple venues, uh, people coming in from all over the world.
2:29
Tech Guy: Yeah.
2:29
Tech Guy: What do we have last last year?
2:31
Tech Guy: The third annual was like 29 cities, like yeah.
2:35
Tech Guy: How many countries?
2:36
Tech Guy: I I don't know.
2:38
Ellie Alexander: 59 cities and yeah, 29 states and five countries.
2:42
Ellie Alexander: Yeah, pretty awesome.
2:43
Tech Guy: Yeah, I mean, it's a lot.
2:44
Tech Guy: It it it it is a tremendous amount of work.
2:48
Tech Guy: Um, we are absolutely exhausted right before it starts.
2:53
Ellie Alexander: Yep.
2:54
Tech Guy: Then we have like four of the best days of our lives.
2:58
Ellie Alexander: Yep.
2:59
Tech Guy: Then we're exhausted again.
3:00
Tech Guy: That's right.
3:01
Tech Guy: And then the work starts all over again for the next year.
3:05
Tech Guy: But all of that said, we feel Ellie and I both feel incredibly lucky and and really are really, really grateful for not only the people who help make Ashland Mystery Festival a possibility, but all of the people who come and and experience the fun.
3:26
Tech Guy: Just wonderful.
3:27
Tech Guy: It's just been so wonderful.
3:29
Ellie Alexander: No, I mean, it's literally a dream.
3:31
Ellie Alexander: And, you know, I've we we did um an episode a month or so ago about conferences, conventions, and festivals.
3:39
Ellie Alexander: And and for me, oh my this really is the festival of like my bookish dreams.
3:47
Ellie Alexander: Like if this had existed when I was younger, I just I can't even imagine.
3:51
Ellie Alexander: I would have been mind blown because this is ultimately a festival for readers.
3:57
Ellie Alexander: And the goal is from the minute you arrive in Ashland, we want you to feel like you are stepping into the pages of a cozy mystery and spending the weekend just fully immersed in all of those vibes.
4:12
Ellie Alexander: And to your point, everyone who's come, everyone who's been part of it, like they have brought that energy, that level of connection, the joy, the, you know, like cheesiness of like sleuthing something out in the streets.
4:26
Ellie Alexander: And the goal is every year we want to keep improving and finding ways to keep it fresh and new and exciting.
4:34
Ellie Alexander: And um, yeah, it's just it's definitely a labor of love, but it's it's incredible.
4:40
Tech Guy: Yeah, it I mean, it and for those darlings out there who don't know, like this was literally all born out of one day.
4:48
Tech Guy: It was like, I want to make a festival for readers.
4:51
Ellie Alexander: Here's what I should do.
4:54
Tech Guy: And like with almost everything else in her life, she made it happen.
4:58
Tech Guy: So, um, and and like I said, it's taken a lot of people, and it's still it does take a lot of people who put this on, and we could not do this without the help of everyone involved, uh, you know, from all the folks at Travel Ashland and all the volunteers and our friends and family and and everybody.
5:14
Tech Guy: Um, but it is going to be even better this year for the fourth annual Ashland Mystery Festival.
5:25
Ellie Alexander: That's right.
5:25
Ellie Alexander: Okay, so darlings, before I announce the author list, get your phone app, get your calendar app up, get a pen, get a paper, like whatever it is, and mark your calendars for October 8th through October 11th.
5:43
Ellie Alexander: Those are this year's dates.
5:44
Ellie Alexander: Everything kicks off on Thursday.
5:46
Ellie Alexander: Although we learned last year so many of you came early on like Tuesday and Wednesday and got to experience Ashland and the Rogue Valley, which I highly recommend.
5:54
Ellie Alexander: Um if you're coming, like come experience it.
5:58
Tech Guy: Yeah, yeah.
5:59
Tech Guy: I I second that wholeheartedly.
6:01
Tech Guy: And and especially since like it's not exactly easy to get to Ashland from across the country or another country.
6:09
Tech Guy: It does there's not a major airport nearby.
6:12
Tech Guy: Uh the Medford Airport is nice, but it's very tiny.
6:15
Tech Guy: And um, and it takes a while to get to Ashland.
6:18
Tech Guy: Uh, once you're there, though, you're gonna want to spend some time exploring.
6:22
Tech Guy: And and there's just there's so much beauty and nature and community and I mean and beer.
6:31
Tech Guy: Have we talked about the beer in the Rogue Valley?
6:33
Tech Guy: Um I just want to oh, and there's wine too.
6:37
Tech Guy: There's there's also wine, yeah.
6:38
Tech Guy: And cider.
6:40
Tech Guy: Um, yeah, we got we all the bases are covered.
6:42
Tech Guy: Coffee.
6:42
Tech Guy: Yeah, coffee.
6:44
Tech Guy: Oh, yeah.
6:45
Tech Guy: No, it's it's amazing.
6:46
Tech Guy: Um, so yeah, so if you do, if you've never been to the Ashland Mystery Festival and you are coming this year, you're planning on coming for the fourth annual, um, there is a lot more to do than just the Ashland Mystery Festival.
6:59
Tech Guy: So if you can, and I this is not a requirement, uh obviously, um, but if you can and you have the time, um try to spend a couple extra days.
7:09
Tech Guy: Uh, give yourself some time to explore around the area outside of just the festival itself.
7:16
Ellie Alexander: Yeah, absolutely.
7:17
Ellie Alexander: And uh the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, OSF, will be in season still.
7:21
Ellie Alexander: So you can get tickets to a couple shows.
7:24
Ellie Alexander: The Oregon Cabaret has shows there.
7:26
Ellie Alexander: I mean, there's just like a plethora to do.
7:28
Ellie Alexander: So for sure.
7:30
Ellie Alexander: But mark your dates, October 8th through October 11th.
7:35
Ellie Alexander: Come to Ashland with us.
7:36
Ellie Alexander: It will be stunning.
7:37
Ellie Alexander: It will be fall.
7:39
Ellie Alexander: And um, you're gonna want to meet and hang out with all of the authors that I'm going to share with you right now.
7:47
Ellie Alexander: Um, because again, this I feel like I'm not intentionally dragging this out, but I have so much to say on it.
7:52
Ellie Alexander: But I feel like it's like one of those teaser ads.
7:55
Ellie Alexander: And then, and wait, there's more.
7:57
Ellie Alexander: Um Totally.
7:58
Tech Guy: This episode is gonna be about 30 minutes long, and we're gonna get to the list about 29 minutes and 30 seconds into it.
8:05
Ellie Alexander: No, I'm gonna get to it in just one second.
8:07
Ellie Alexander: But I do want to say, going back to the idea that this is a festival with readers, with you darlings in mind.
8:14
Ellie Alexander: The idea is that you're hanging out for four days with all of us as authors.
8:20
Ellie Alexander: There's not just like uh the authors are gonna be over here in their own private quarters, and you will see them for one signing and no other time.
8:27
Ellie Alexander: Like it is fully immersive for all of us.
8:30
Ellie Alexander: And the authors who come every year say the same thing.
8:33
Ellie Alexander: Like it's such a great experience for us.
8:35
Ellie Alexander: We learned, I mean, first of all, it's just amazing to be in space together with people who love cozies.
8:40
Ellie Alexander: Like, that's first and foremost.
8:42
Ellie Alexander: But secondly, like, I think I've learned so many new things that I want to like weave into books, and there are so many points of connection that happen.
8:50
Ellie Alexander: So yeah.
8:51
Ellie Alexander: Okay.
8:52
Ellie Alexander: Without further ado, I will let you know who's coming.
8:56
Ellie Alexander: All right.
8:57
Ellie Alexander: So we have Hannah Dennison, who's joining us from the UK again.
9:03
Ellie Alexander: Esme Addison, who's coming from the south.
9:07
Ellie Alexander: We have the one and only Ellen Byron.
9:09
Ellie Alexander: And the funny story that I have to share right here about Ellen Byron and the Medford Airport is when Ellen's flight landed last year, she got off at the Medford Airport.
9:19
Ellie Alexander: And as you're exiting, and we've talked before about how tiny the airport is, there was a whole spread of like free wine tasting and cheese and like pears and all the things from the Rogue Valley.
9:30
Ellie Alexander: And she was like, This is for us.
9:32
Ellie Alexander: So I said to the team at Travel Ashland, like, did you all do that?
9:36
Ellie Alexander: And they were like, No, I think that was just something that was happening.
9:39
Ellie Alexander: But from here on out, we need to be like, Yes, that is for Mystery Fest.
9:43
Ellie Alexander: I wouldn't be surprised.
9:46
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
9:47
Ellie Alexander: Uh we have Lee Hollis coming back, Aaron Scott, Mia Mononzala, and Gretchen Rue.
9:55
Ellie Alexander: This year, we also have Jen McKinley, whose book is now gonna be made into a Hallmark movie.
10:06
Ellie Alexander: Oh my gosh.
10:06
Ellie Alexander: Oh wow, yes, that was news breaking just a week or so ago.
10:11
Ellie Alexander: Michelle Schuinard, Catherine Bruns, Matthew Green, and Kim Griswell.
10:20
Ellie Alexander: And as a bonus, one thing that I've been brainstorming with the team at Travel Ashland is that every year, now that we kind of have established the festival and kind of rotating through authors, we all we always want to have a mix of authors who have been part of the festival in a year or two prior, as well as new authors coming in and some debuts.
10:43
Ellie Alexander: We want to add in a cozy adjacent element every year, if that makes sense.
10:50
Ellie Alexander: So our cozy adjacent element this year is going to be two cozy audiobook narrators who are gonna peel back the curtain and talk all about the process of how a book goes from pages like that to being narrated in audio.
11:08
Ellie Alexander: And we have all kinds of fun ideas that we're brewing up to get to introduce you to that side.
11:14
Ellie Alexander: And if you're somebody, maybe, you know, we do have new writers and writers who are working on a fruit first project who come to the festival.
11:22
Ellie Alexander: Maybe there are some aspiring audiobook narrators out there.
11:27
Ellie Alexander: And if that's you, darling, this might be your sign to come and attend AMF this year.
11:32
Ellie Alexander: So Megan Kelly and her partner um in crime, Shannon, who do very different styles of audio, are both coming together.
11:41
Ellie Alexander: Um and we're gonna be putting their audio to the test live.
11:45
Ellie Alexander: That's that's as much as I can tell you now.
11:47
Ellie Alexander: But it's gonna be, again, interactive and immersive for sure.
11:53
Tech Guy: Oh, that's gonna be fun.
11:54
Tech Guy: Yeah.
11:54
Tech Guy: I've always wondered about uh, I mean, just seeing behind the scenes, because it like obviously getting behind the scenes of writing a mystery, um, you know, with you is one thing.
12:06
Tech Guy: But like the the whole audiobook thing, just because I know how I read it would take me so long to record an audiobook.
12:15
Tech Guy: If I I mean I can't even can't even imagine the editing that would have to go into that.
12:20
Tech Guy: It just it's it blows my mind.
12:22
Ellie Alexander: Um the editing and even just this when we do the podcast, you know, it's always fun.
12:27
Ellie Alexander: We're excited to do it.
12:28
Ellie Alexander: And then I don't want to talk for an hour or two, and these are like 40 minutes long, all told.
12:33
Ellie Alexander: And you're talking about narrating, you know, hours and hours of an audiobook.
12:37
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
12:37
Ellie Alexander: So I'm super excited to have um that element this year.
12:42
Ellie Alexander: And um, I'm already thinking ahead for future years on what those cozy adjacent elements might look like every year to really bring in some people who don't always necessarily have representation at like the mystery conventions either.
12:56
Tech Guy: Yeah.
12:56
Tech Guy: Uh well, and that actually brings up a good point.
12:59
Tech Guy: We can crowdsource this a little bit for all the darlings of listeners out there.
13:03
Tech Guy: Please, like, if you've got a cozy adjacent topic or something you'd like to see at Ashland Mystery Fest, like drop it in the comments.
13:09
Tech Guy: Let us know.
13:10
Tech Guy: Um, we'll see if we can make it happen.
13:13
Ellie Alexander: Totally.
13:14
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
13:15
Ellie Alexander: So um the overview will be very similar.
13:18
Ellie Alexander: We'll do a kickoff party on Thursday night at the historic armory.
13:23
Ellie Alexander: We have the armory for the whole weekend, which is so nice because it's it's a touch point for readers.
13:29
Ellie Alexander: It's like, we know that we're gonna have the kickoff party there, all of the key panels will be there, and then we'll have the closing reception on Sunday morning.
13:38
Ellie Alexander: I'm also excited to tell you for those darlings who attended last year and you may have met Allison Wolf, she's gonna be back as our official MC for the weekend.
13:48
Tech Guy: I love Allison.
13:49
Tech Guy: Yeah, she's got great energy.
13:52
Ellie Alexander: Awesome energy.
13:52
Ellie Alexander: Yeah, and it's just so great at bringing you in and making you feel like you're part of it, especially if you're someone who's coming solo.
13:59
Ellie Alexander: Like this is definitely the kind of festival to come solo to because there are so many opportunities to connect with other readers and make lifelong book friends too, which has been one of the coolest things to see happen now that we're four years into it.
14:15
Tech Guy: Yeah.
14:15
Tech Guy: And having Allison as an MC, like uh, you can get into a little bit of the lore behind how that came to be, which I think is a fascinating story.
14:24
Tech Guy: And I know you've talked about it before, but uh everybody it'd be good for people to hear.
14:28
Tech Guy: But it that's just having an MC is just an example of, or a host, uh, whatever you want to call her.
14:35
Tech Guy: Um it's just an example of how Ashland Mystery Fest has been like leveling up every year, you know.
14:41
Tech Guy: Um, that that has been um so fun to see because you know, we we learn as we go, venue changes, like format changes, author changes, like all of the things.
14:53
Tech Guy: And yeah, it's been it's been so fun to see it grow and and and really just kind of um you know mature into this this like really, really awesome uh uh gathering of like-minded mystery fans.
15:10
Ellie Alexander: So yes, absolutely.
15:12
Ellie Alexander: Allison won.
15:13
Ellie Alexander: Now I'm not gonna, I always say it wrong.
15:15
Ellie Alexander: Is it worst cooks of America or America's worst cooks?
15:20
Tech Guy: Someone I think it's I think it's a second.
15:23
Tech Guy: Uh I'll look it up while you're talking about it okay.
15:25
Ellie Alexander: You look it up.
15:26
Ellie Alexander: I feel like I want it to be the first, but it's actually the second.
15:29
Ellie Alexander: It's a reality TV show.
15:31
Ellie Alexander: And Allison slid into my DMs and was like, hey, I want to come to Mystery Fest, but I I I have this background, if I can help at all.
15:39
Ellie Alexander: And I literally just threw her to the wolf last year and and she took over.
15:44
Ellie Alexander: In fact, at the Saturday night dinner, we had a sleuth-themed dinner where you came as your favorite sleuth.
15:50
Ellie Alexander: And the Saturday night dinner is always kind of the flagship event for the weekend.
15:54
Ellie Alexander: It takes place at Ashland Springs Hotel.
15:56
Ellie Alexander: It's so fun.
15:57
Ellie Alexander: Every author hosts a table.
15:59
Ellie Alexander: So you get to have dinner with one of the authors, and we try to we try to bring it.
16:04
Ellie Alexander: Like not only do we bring it in terms of costumes, but you you get treated at dinner.
16:10
Ellie Alexander: You the the tables are themed over books or like whatever the costume is, all of that.
16:15
Ellie Alexander: Well, the key piece of entertainment is that every year we've done a panel where we build a mystery live with readers, and then the authors who are on that panel read it live at the dinner.
16:28
Ellie Alexander: So that's always been like the key piece of entertainment.
16:32
Ellie Alexander: Otherwise, you're just having not just, but it's about having dinner with an author, right?
16:36
Ellie Alexander: But all of the authors were in costume and the costumes were so fantastic last year.
16:42
Ellie Alexander: And Allison happened to be seated at our at our table, and I was like, hey, no notes.
16:47
Ellie Alexander: Like I hadn't given her any warning about this.
16:49
Ellie Alexander: I'm like, can you take the mic and go table by table and like talk to each of the authors and let us see their costume and why they chose it?
16:56
Ellie Alexander: Oh yeah, no problem.
16:57
Ellie Alexander: She's just like so easygoing.
16:59
Ellie Alexander: So um, yeah, I'm really thrilled to have her back and have her be a bigger part of this.
17:04
Tech Guy: Yeah.
17:04
Tech Guy: Um, worst cooks in America.
17:07
Ellie Alexander: Worst cooks in America.
17:08
Ellie Alexander: Okay.
17:09
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
17:09
Ellie Alexander: Do you want it?
17:10
Tech Guy: Yeah.
17:11
Tech Guy: Um, can I give uh attendees, potential attendees, a pro tip for the costume party at the uh at the dinner?
17:19
Tech Guy: Uh try your costume on before you show up.
17:23
Tech Guy: I know from experience, and I shared this on the after party after last year's event, but I'm gonna share it publicly now.
17:32
Ellie Alexander: Okay, okay.
17:32
Tech Guy: I I did not.
17:33
Tech Guy: We we dressed we dressed up as as uh Monk and Sharona um for our costume, and I thought they were really good.
17:42
Tech Guy: I got all the pieces.
17:43
Tech Guy: I had everything.
17:44
Tech Guy: I had the houndstooth coat, I had the uh pants, I had the shoes, had the spray bottle and the rag and everything.
17:53
Tech Guy: Um I didn't open the shirt before the like dinner, I didn't open.
18:01
Tech Guy: I had the perfect like taupe button-up shirt.
18:04
Tech Guy: And I'm not a small guy, um, but I got a small shirt, literally a small.
18:13
Ellie Alexander: You didn't order a small.
18:14
Tech Guy: No, I didn't order a small, I did not order a small.
18:17
Tech Guy: Um, and but as small came, I squeezed into that shirt, and I was so uncomfortable for like a while.
18:29
Tech Guy: Yeah, it was it was it was pretty tight.
18:31
Tech Guy: It was pretty tight.
18:32
Tech Guy: Thankfully it was a little stretchy, but um yeah, wow, that was yeah.
18:37
Tech Guy: So try your costume.
18:38
Tech Guy: Why is the tech guy I'm like sweating like oh so hot, yeah, because I was wearing like the like uh yeah, that was just a small no tough, yeah.
18:52
Ellie Alexander: So try or at least maybe check the sizing before you buy it.
18:55
Ellie Alexander: Check the sizing, try it on.
18:57
Tech Guy: Yeah, yeah.
18:58
Ellie Alexander: Definitely lesson learned.
18:59
Ellie Alexander: Um, I will say that what we've done is that every year we've flipped the theme of the Saturday night dinner.
19:07
Ellie Alexander: So there will be a new theme this year, which will be announced soon.
19:13
Ellie Alexander: Um, I have not I have not officially announced it yet, but what I'm saying.
19:18
Tech Guy: I'm glad you said that.
19:19
Tech Guy: I almost blurted it out.
19:22
Ellie Alexander: What I'm saying is don't go buy a sleuth costume right now if you're listening to this, darlings, because we're going in a different direction and it's gonna be a little bit fancier this year.
19:34
Tech Guy: Oh wow.
19:34
Tech Guy: Still murder, still murder, still still murder, fancier murder.
19:39
Tech Guy: Okay.
19:41
Ellie Alexander: Um love it.
19:42
Ellie Alexander: I was having a planning meeting with the team at Travel Ashland and Allison, and we decided MC was a great term for her.
19:51
Ellie Alexander: But then as we were hanging up the Zoom, I was like, Yeah, but can we make it murder?
19:56
Ellie Alexander: So, darlings, this is my call out to you.
19:59
Ellie Alexander: Do you have something clever that we call Allison for the weekend that's a murder-themed MC?
20:07
Tech Guy: I mean, uh, she should be the chief inspector.
20:08
Tech Guy: She should be the chief inspector.
20:14
Tech Guy: Um something like that.
20:15
Tech Guy: Something like that.
20:16
Tech Guy: Yeah.
20:17
Tech Guy: Something like that.
20:18
Tech Guy: Yeah.
20:18
Tech Guy: But yeah, it would be great to hear from everyone.
20:20
Tech Guy: What do they think?
20:21
Tech Guy: I'd like to hear the suggestions.
20:23
Tech Guy: Yeah.
20:24
Ellie Alexander: Me too.
20:24
Ellie Alexander: Um, okay, so we'll have our flagship opening reception again, and then we'll have panels at the armory all day Friday, all day Saturday.
20:35
Ellie Alexander: There will be more immersive mystery dinners like we've had in years past.
20:41
Ellie Alexander: There will be mystery teas.
20:44
Ellie Alexander: Two of the authors will be planning an interactive mystery that you're gonna solve all around town again.
20:52
Ellie Alexander: And the idea that we have for this year is epic.
20:55
Ellie Alexander: Let's just say epic.
20:57
Ellie Alexander: I can't tell you anything more, but it's gonna be great.
21:01
Ellie Alexander: Uh, we'll have the flagship dinner, a closing reception.
21:05
Ellie Alexander: And then, of course, as always, all kinds of pop-ups around town.
21:10
Ellie Alexander: Shows will be going at uh the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the cabaret, like I talked about.
21:15
Ellie Alexander: The whole town is excited.
21:17
Ellie Alexander: I can't wait.
21:18
Ellie Alexander: It's gonna be magical.
21:20
Ellie Alexander: Absolutely magical.
21:23
Tech Guy: Yeah, it's fun.
21:24
Tech Guy: Um, again, just kind of reminiscing about the first three years.
21:28
Tech Guy: I I still like even going from year one to year two for the second annual.
21:34
Tech Guy: We had like every that's the year everybody got actual official badges and stuff when they were, you know, on lanyards and everything.
21:41
Tech Guy: And we were in in our hotel.
21:43
Tech Guy: Um, we could look down on the street and just we saw so many people walking around with these lanyards on, and it was just so exciting to see, like, and they're all like, oh, you know, like we're meeting each other.
21:54
Tech Guy: A lot of these, uh a lot of the attendees have met online and Ashland Mystery Festival.
21:59
Tech Guy: Was like the first time that they met in person.
22:02
Tech Guy: And that was really cool to see.
22:04
Tech Guy: Um, so fun.
22:05
Ellie Alexander: So fun.
22:06
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
22:06
Ellie Alexander: And Trouble Ashland last year did new merch.
22:10
Ellie Alexander: Um, so cool tote bags and posters and sweatshirts and t-shirts.
22:15
Ellie Alexander: And like, yeah.
22:16
Ellie Alexander: So we're just every year we're learning more and we're getting, we're getting it down to a little bit of a science.
22:23
Ellie Alexander: I feel like I should knock on wood when I say that.
22:26
Ellie Alexander: But um, the blueprint is there.
22:27
Ellie Alexander: It's like with my books.
22:28
Ellie Alexander: When you're first starting a series, you're putting a lot more work into it because you're having to build the town and the setting and the characters.
22:35
Ellie Alexander: And once a series is up and running, there's still a lot of work, but you kind of have that foundation.
22:41
Ellie Alexander: And I feel like we really have that fan foundation and incredible partners in the team at Travel Ashland who bring it all together and again are so lovely at welcoming all of you, darlings.
22:52
Ellie Alexander: Like if you come, I don't think there's going to be a moment where you're not going to feel like, oh, I'm meant to be here.
22:58
Ellie Alexander: Like everyone is so generous and kind and want you to be in Ashland.
23:03
Ellie Alexander: So I love that piece of it too.
23:06
Tech Guy: Yeah, it's, you know, for like as a bit of an outsider, insider perspective, it it has been really fun to see this festival be so much focused on the readers because um the fact that the readers get literally get to meet all these authors in person.
23:26
Tech Guy: And and not just in a in a like, oh, I'm watching them on a panel up on a stage setting, but like Ashland is a small place and you might be out to dinner and sitting next to you is you know, Jen McKinley or Ellie Alexander or you know, whoever.
23:42
Tech Guy: Um, and it's just it's so fun to get to see everybody interacting in such a cozy environment.
23:50
Ellie Alexander: Yeah, yeah, I know.
23:51
Ellie Alexander: Okay, so the dates one more time.
23:54
Ellie Alexander: October 8th through 11th.
23:57
Ellie Alexander: The list of authors is gonna be up online, and then we will probably have ticket sales going live in the next couple months, and we're gonna do the same thing every year.
24:08
Ellie Alexander: We've been tweaking what works in terms of packages and then how to offer up other panels and everything else around the community that's just free and come as you are.
24:19
Ellie Alexander: So we're working on all of those logistics, but I will be sure to share once we're ready to go live with everything.
24:26
Ellie Alexander: Um, but pencil it in now, get ready.
24:31
Tech Guy: That's good.
24:32
Tech Guy: It's gonna be here before we know it.
24:33
Tech Guy: Yeah.
24:34
Tech Guy: I know I know.
24:35
Tech Guy: Like no matter that that that is the one thing that we have not mastered yet in terms of getting ready.
24:42
Tech Guy: We've I feel like we've gotten better each year, but but but despite best intentions, the last week or so leading up to because we always go up probably a week early, as we're there's a lot to prep in person before Ashland Mystery Fest happens.
25:00
Tech Guy: And so we need to be there early.
25:02
Tech Guy: But the week before we the week before the week is always just like very little sleep.
25:08
Ellie Alexander: No, very little sleep, lots of late nights.
25:11
Tech Guy: Yeah.
25:11
Tech Guy: Um it's all good, it's all fun.
25:14
Tech Guy: It's just um it it is uh yeah, one of these days maybe we'll get it all done in June.
25:19
Tech Guy: And I I would love to, but somehow it's not gonna happen.
25:22
Tech Guy: It's not gonna happen.
25:24
Tech Guy: No.
25:24
Ellie Alexander: Let's be realistic.
25:25
Ellie Alexander: No.
25:25
Ellie Alexander: No.
25:26
Ellie Alexander: That's okay.
25:27
Tech Guy: No.
25:27
Tech Guy: Um, why don't you read off the list again of authors just to um yeah, just so if in case anybody missed it, then they don't have to scrub back through the episode to hear them.
25:40
Ellie Alexander: Here's who's coming.
25:41
Ellie Alexander: Ashley Mystery Fest 2026, Hannah Dennison, Esme Addison, Ellen Byron, Lee Hollis, Aaron Scott, Mia Monansala, Gretchen Rue, Jen McKinley, Michelle Schoenard, Katherine Bruns, Matthew Green, and Kim Griswell, plus two audio narrators.
26:02
Ellie Alexander: Yay!
26:04
Tech Guy: That's awesome.
26:05
Tech Guy: Yeah, that's a great lineup.
26:06
Tech Guy: And you, yeah.
26:07
Tech Guy: I guess and Ellie Alexander.
26:09
Tech Guy: Uh yeah.
26:10
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
26:10
Ellie Alexander: And a tech guy.
26:12
Tech Guy: Uh you'll be there.
26:12
Tech Guy: Oh, yeah, I'll be there.
26:13
Tech Guy: Oh, yeah.
26:14
Tech Guy: We didn't talk about the most important event, which is like usually beers with the tech guy.
26:18
Tech Guy: So that is um, that is uh we might have a venue change for that this year.
26:23
Tech Guy: I'm not sure.
26:24
Tech Guy: We'll have to see.
26:25
Ellie Alexander: Okay.
26:25
Tech Guy: I'll shake it up.
26:26
Ellie Alexander: Stay tuned.
26:27
Tech Guy: Or maybe, maybe more than one.
26:28
Tech Guy: More than one of them.
26:30
Ellie Alexander: Oh, okay.
26:31
Ellie Alexander: You heard it here first.
26:34
Tech Guy: I mean, you know, you people get tired of panels or whatever.
26:36
Tech Guy: They can't have a beer with the tech guy.
26:38
Tech Guy: Yeah.
26:39
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
26:39
Ellie Alexander: It's sunny, it's pretty outside.
26:41
Ellie Alexander: Sure.
26:42
Ellie Alexander: Yeah.
26:42
Tech Guy: Yeah.
26:43
Tech Guy: Yeah, exactly.
26:45
Tech Guy: All right.
26:46
Tech Guy: Anything else you want people to know about this early announcement of a fourth annual Ashland Mystery Festival before we wrap up?
26:55
Ellie Alexander: No, I just huge gratitude to all of you who have made it so special, the authors, the team at Travel Ashland, and most importantly, the darlings for the last three years.
27:05
Ellie Alexander: And I can't wait to see you in Ashland this fall.
27:09
Tech Guy: Yeah, I can't, I can't either.
27:10
Tech Guy: Um, and now I'm gonna go start, I'm gonna start some of the prep.
27:16
Ellie Alexander: Okay, stickers.
27:17
Ellie Alexander: Here it comes.
27:18
Tech Guy: Exactly.
27:19
Tech Guy: Yeah, gotta get it, gotta get started.
27:21
Tech Guy: All right.
27:22
Tech Guy: Till next time.
27:24
Ellie Alexander: Till next time.