Hilary Davidson's Blog, page 13

Noir at the Bar Special Edition

When you hit Noir at the Bar, you know what you’re getting into: one hell of a fun night with some gritty crime fiction mixed in. But this Sunday’s Noir at the Bar NYC is going to be a little different. The authors — Todd Robinson, Alex Segura, Rob Hart, Thomas Pluck, Jen Conley, Richie Narvaez, and me — will be reading each other’s work. (Sadly, Terrence McCauley has dropped out of the lineup.) I’ve heard rumors that certain authors (ahem, Mr. Hart) are taking advantage of this fact to put together some especially hair-raising stories. Like the poster says, it’s gonna be a bloodbath. Come join the fun: Sunday, September 6th, from 6pm to 9pm, at Shade (241 Sullivan Street, NYC). All are welcome!

 

This Weekend in Scottsdale…

My love of crime-fiction conferences is no secret, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I’m honored to be one of the featured authors at the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths’ annual WriteNow! conference at the gorgeous Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. The lineup will be incredible: Sara Paretsky will deliver the keynote, and the list of speakers includes Simon Wood, Michael Koryta, Jenny Milchman, Midnight Ink’s Terri Bischoff, Christina Cox, and Deborah Ledford.

I’ll be teaching a seminar on plotting your novel at 11am on Saturday, and I’ll be on panel with Michael, Jenny, Christina, and Deborah at 3pm. Did I mention the action kicks off with a cocktail party on Friday night? I can’t wait.

 

A Third French Edition of THE DAMAGE DONE

My debut novel has had a charmed existence in France. Editions Télémaque purchased THE DAMAGE DONE — or LE MAL QUE TU M’AS FAIT, as it’s called in French — and hired an exceptional translator, Véronique Dumont, to create their version. Almost a year before the book’s official release date, the wonderful (and massive) France Loisirs book club picked it up and created a special edition for their members:

Then the official Editions Télémaque edition came out in a trade paperback, with a very different, yet stunning, cover:

Now, Editions Télémaque has released LE MAL QUE TU M’AS FAIT as a mass-market paperback — a format near and dear to my heart, because it’s what I grew up reading. The book has its own original, gorgeous cover:

I owe Editions Télémaque and Véronique Dumont tremendous thanks for their work on the book. I’m also grateful to the many francophone reviewers, booksellers, and bloggers who have encouraged people to read it! It’s amazing to see my first book find such a warm reception in its new home.

Where to Find Me at ThrillerFest

Summer in New York isn’t my favorite season… but one thing I do love about it is Thrillerfest, which starts tonight at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. If you’re attending the conference, I hope you’ll hunt me down to say hello. Here’s where I’ll be:

Friday, July 10, 2015, 9am-9:50am: I’ll be on the panel “Grim, Menacing, or Flirty? The Thriller Tone” with Jenny Milchman (panel master), Cara Brookins, Julia Heaberlin, Shane Kuhn, Brenda Novak, and Thomas Waite. In the Carnegie/Alvin room.

Friday, July 10, 2015, 11:50am-12:15pm: I’ll be signing books at the ThrillerFest bookstore on the third floor of the Grand Hyatt. (Note to friends not registered for ThrillerFest: the temporary bookstore set up by Barnes & Noble is open to the public, so please feel free to drop in!)

Saturday, July 11, 2015, 7pm: I’ll be presenting the ITW award for Best Short Story at the Thriller Awards Banquet.

Sunday, July 12, Staten Island, 5:30pm: Noir at the Bar Staten Island at Flagship Brewery, 40 Minthorne St., Staten Island. To quote from the event flyer: “There will be beer. And books. And some dark and dangerous stories. This is not your knitting club’s literary event. Safety is not guaranteed. Leave the kids and pets at home for this one. Featuring stories by Rob Hart, Josh Bazell, Hilary Davidson, Todd Robinson, Eddie Joyce, and Terrence McCauley.” Free event, open to all. More details here.

Noir at the Bar Staten Island This Sunday

Roll out those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer,

Those days of villains, noir fiction and beer…

Okay, maybe those aren’t exactly the lyrics Nat King Cole sang, but if he’d known about Noir at the Bar Staten Island, they would have been. This Sunday, July 12th, at Flagship Brewery, will mark Staten Island’s first-ever Noir at the Bar. The readers will be:

Rob Hart, New Yorked
Josh Bazell, Beat the Reaper
Todd Robinson, The Hard Bounce
Eddie Joyce, Small Mercies
Terrence McCauley, Sympathy for the Devil
And me!

There will be books for sale by Barnes & Noble, and the event is co-hosted by Polis Books.

Flagship Brewery is located at 40 Minthorne St., a short walk (or one train stop) from the Staten Island Ferry. How cool is this place? Read about it in the New York Times.

Festivities start at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome, so please join us. To steal from another Nat King Cole song, this one’s going to be unforgettable!

KGB Bar Reading This Thursday

If you know me, you know I love reading with other authors. This Thursday, June 18th, I’ll be at KGB Bar with a great group from the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. Come hear Jillian Abbott, Annamaria Alfieri, Tim Hall, C.E. Lawrence, Tim O’Mara, Michael Ransom, Suzanne Solomon, and me telling tales of madness and depravity (you can count on that from me, anyway). MWA-NY chapter president Richie Narvaez will host. KGB Bar is at 85 East Fourth Street, and we’ll be in the Red Room (two flights upstairs). The fun starts at 6:30pm, ends at 8pm, and all are welcome!

Book Expo America 2015

I might make fun of the Jacob K. Javits Center the rest of the year (its unofficial motto, according to New York Magazine, is “It ain’t easy being ugly”), but this week I’ll be trudging over there with thousands of other book lovers for Book Expo America. You’ll find me at the Mystery Writers of America booth — #2657 — on Thursday afternoon from 1:45 to 2:15, where I’ll be giving away books with Kathy Reichs. Come meet us! And check out MWA’s full schedule here — the signing roster is filled with terrific authors.

 

The Edgar Awards, Now on Video

The Mystery Writers of America always puts on a fantastic Edgar Awards gala, but this year’s banquet was exceptional. I’ve already written about what an incredible night it was, but now I’ve got video evidence. Maybe I’m biased, since I had the privilege of giving Lois Duncan her Grand Master Award. But now you can see for yourself. Check out the speeches by Stephen King, Charles Ardai, James Ellroy, Jon and Ruth Jordan, and other luminaries!

A Night at the Edgars

Last night was a big night in crime fiction: it was the Edgar Awards gala, hosted by the Mystery Writers of America. Call me biased (I’m on MWA’s Board of Directors), but I think it was the best Edgars yet. My amazing friends Jon and Ruth Jordan were there to receive their long-overdue Raven Award. Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime, received his Ellery Queen Award with accolades from Stephen King. I presented the incomparable Lois Duncan with her Grand Master Award, which allowed me to tell the crowd precisely why I’ve loved her work since I was in elementary school. Definitely a night to remember!

With two of my favorite writers, Catriona McPherson (center) and Meg Gardiner.

With Sarah Weinman (left) and Ruth Jordan. (I stole this photo from Sarah!)

With Erica Ruth Neubauer (left) and Ruth Jordan.

Jon and Ruth Jordan, on stage accepting their Raven Award, with MWA President Sara Paretsky looking on.

Making my Grand Master Award presentation. I had a lot to say about Lois Duncan!

Meeting Lois Duncan for the first time. She hugged me!

Grand Master Lois Duncan gets a standing ovation.

Chatting with Lois Duncan after the ceremony. She is as charming as she is talented.

With my amazing friend Kim Fay.

With Jon and Ruth Jordan after the awards. I love them!

The Damage Done Hits Germany

When my debut novel, THE DAMAGE DONE, was re-released in paperback, I described it as looking like my Fringe alt-universe book cover. (If you’ve never watched the televsion show and have no idea what I’m talking about, imagine a version of modern-day America in which JFK was never assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. became president, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are still standing, and airships are still in use and docking at the Empire State Building. Now go watch Fringe on Netflix.)

Seeing the foreign editions of my books has a similar effect. Here’s the cover of the German edition of THE DAMAGE DONE, which came out a few weeks ago from Egmont Lyx. My one year of high school German isn’t helping me translate the title, IM NAMEN DER SCHULD, but the cover art takes my breath away.