Iceland Noir, Here We Come Again

 

Jeff––Saturday

 

Today we’re off to our fifth appearance at Iceland Noir, the shining frosty star at the very top of a glorious tree of writers get-togethers. That’s my way of saying this post shall be brief.

 

I LOVE ICELAND NOIR.  It’s unique in the world of book festivals because there is only one track of panels (allowing all to see every panel), AND not a book for sale in sight! Iceland Noir is not about selling books, it’s about hanging out with your mates in a family reunion sort of affair hosted by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Oskar Gudmundsson, Ragnar Jonasson, and Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir.  

 

The town of Reykjavik, the people, the ambiance, the nightlife, all create a sense of what legendary Berlin or Paris must have been like in their heydays, seasoned with a bit of old Amsterdam. Whatever it is, this place has all the right vibes, and it’s a joy to be back.

 

Plus, the island nation’s non-urban landscape is pure magic and other worldly.  It’s hard not to be inspired by a visit to Iceland.

 

Below is a hodgepodge of photos taken at last year’s festival and on a post-festival a trip into the countryside by some of us. I’ll leave it up to you to identify the folk…as there should be a bit of mystery to this post rather than just my rambling on as if a commercial for the Iceland National Tourist Board. 

 

For more details on who’ll be participating in this year’s festival, click on this link.

 

 

 

––Jeff

 

 

Thank You Once Again, Reader's Digest Select Editions

 

Jeff–Saturday

 

A little over a year ago I had the distinct honor of announcing that my eleventh Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel—A Deadly Twist—had been selected by Reader’s Digest to be one of four novels included in its January 2022 bi-monthly volume of Select Elections (#383)—published from 1950 until 1997 under the name “Condensed Books.”

 

As I wrote back then, that might not seem a big deal to many, but to this kid who grew up in working class Pittsburgh, where there was always a Reader’s Digest magazine to be found lying somewhere around the house, and most assuredly in every doctor’s and dentist’s office, that was a bigtime bucket-list achievement moment.

 

The big kahuna for Reader’s Digest fans was the hardcover “Reader’s Digest Condensed Books,” and whenever I saw one of those, the authors whose names appeared on the binding appeared like gods to me. To learn that my name would be on the cover of a Select Edition had me feeling as if my game jersey was about to hang in the rafters alongside some of my writing idols.

 

At that moment I felt as if I’d won an Oscar.

 

I later learned that Reader’s Digest would also publish A Deadly Twist in Australia/New Zealand and in Finland!  Both major pinch myself moments.

 

But wait, there’s more.  

 

My publisher has informed me that my latest book in the series, One Last Chance (#12), will also be published by Reader’s Digest Select Editions!

 

I’m beyond excited, and well into the realm of tingling all over.

 

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press, Sourcebooks, and RDSE, for making childhood dreams come true.

 

Καλο Μινα, y’all.

 

–Jeff

 

Jeff’s upcoming events

 

Friday, November 18, 2002 @11am

ICELAND NOIR

Reykjavik, Iceland

Where is My Mind? Madness and Obsession
AUTHORS:  Louise Mangos, Paul Cleave, Jeff Siger, Thomas Fecchio
MODERATOR: Ewa Sherman