Fall for the Book

I'm not sure I'm ready for fall, but there is one good thing to look forward to, and that's all the autumnal literary conferences. One coming up next is Fall for the Book, a week-long, multiple-venue festival in Northern Virginia that runs September 11-18. From the official press release we learn that:

"The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Mystery Writers of America is sponsoring one of the major events at this year’s Fall for the Book festival: One of only two U.S. appearances by internationally bestselling thriller writer Sophie Hannah, author of the The Monogram Murders—the first new Hercule Poirot novel in nearly 40 years and the first time ever that Agatha Christie’s estate has allowed another writer to use one of Christie’s characters for an original novel.  Hannah will talk about the book and her path to writing it on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Harris Theatre, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA. A booksigning follows, and to celebrate Christie’s 124th birthday—the day before—we’ll also have a birthday cake!"

But wait, there's more:

"A mystery panel featuring members of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of MWA: E.A. Aymar, Mason alumnus and author of I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead; Barb Goffman, Macavity Award-winning short story writer with her debut collection Don’t Get Mad, Get Even; Mary Miley, historian and author of the Roaring Twenties mystery series, including The Impersonator, winner of the 2012 Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel award, and the soon-to-be-released Silent Murders; and Kathryn O’Sullivan, a playwright and professor at Northern Virginia Community College, whose mystery debut Foal Play won the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition. Moderated by Donna Andrews, Agatha, Anthony, Barry, and Lefty Award-winning author of the Meg Langslow series, most recently including The Good, The Bad, and the Emus.

Throughout the week, Fall for the Book also hosts a wide range of mystery and suspense writers—from children’s book author Chris Grabenstein to nonfiction writer (and novelist!) Kate Flora to an array of noir-themed writers at Fall for the Book’s first “Nightfall” event. Stories span from the Middle Ages right up to the present moment, including the debut novel from Washington Post journalist Neely Tucker, inspired by D.C.’s last serial killer. And events take place across the region—at George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, at libraries throughout Northern Virginia, at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA, and at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD."

Most of these events are free and open to the public, so if you happen to be in the area, check out the schedule and set a course for some "mysterious" book discovery.