An Unexpected Pleasure

Zoë Sharp

This weekend I’m in Rosemont - part of the Chicago urban conurbation - for the Love Is Murder conference. So, I leave snow in the Peak District …

… for snow in Illinois instead.

No fun to land at O’Hare and then spend nearly an hour with the pilot rumbling round the airport perimeter looking for somewhere to park amid the 200 other planes that were looking either to do the same or for a cleared runway from which to take off.

And here was me thinking that places like this were always better prepared for their weather than we ever are in the UK …

I was honoured to be invited to attend Love Is Murder this year as one of their Featured Guest Authors. They’ve been working me like a dog since I arrived and I couldn’t be happier about it. Better than sitting around idly, any day.

Not only have I been teaching a master class about getting your plot started, but also giving a self-defence demonstration, and an improvisation over dinner that involved being given several scenarios decided upon by the audience, plus occupations for characters we had to weave into the story, a location and a sometimes frankly bizarre murder weapon.

I spent today in a whirl, which did not end after all my day’s panels and events were over as I discovered I had been nominated for a Love Is Murder Lovey Award for Best Series. With my record of always managing to be the bridesmaid rather than the bride I was overwhelmed to emerge as the winner. And what a splendid improvised weapon the Perspex trophy would make, too!

Yesterday (Saturday) is also National Libraries Day 2015, and I celebrated this early by doing an event at the wonderful Lisle Library on Thursday evening. It was lovely to be back at the library - they even baked me a cake!

Pic courtesy of Patrica Ruocco, Librarian Extraordinaire at Lisle Library

Libraries were a vital resource for me growing up and their place in today’s fast-paced world is just as important as ever. I’m constantly humbled by the dedication and enthusiasm of librarians like Patrica Ruocco at Lisle.

So, today I’m  taking part in a radio interview for the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. My host at the Second Sunday Crime show is fellow crime author Libby Fischer Hellmann, and tomorrow (Monday) I hope to venture into the heart of the city to take in an exhibition of photography.

l to r: John Kurtze, reviewer for Authors on the Air Global Radio Network; ZS; Pam Stack, Executive Producer for the same network; plus fellow mystery authors Raymond Benson, Tasha Alexander, Andrew Grant and Libby Fischer Hellmann. Pic courtesy of the delightful Pam Stack

This week’s Word of the Week is retronym, which means a word that has to be retro-fitted with an addition, newly because things change as time goes on. Hence we need to specify ‘desktop’ computer as opposed to ‘laptop’ computer, and ‘acoustic’ guitar to differentiate it from an ‘electric’ guitar. This word was sent to me by our very own regular follower, Everett Kaser. Thanks, EvKa!