A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in MURDER IN THE MAGIC CITY in Birmingham, Alabama and MURDER ON THE MENU in Wetumpka, Alabama. Never heard of Wetumpka? I hadn’t heard of it either until I received the invitation, but it is a quaint southern town with loads of charm.
MURDER IN THE MAGIC CITY is an annual conference for mystery fans. The event is sponsored by Southern Sisters, Sisters in Crime Birmingham, Sisters in Crime and the Homewood Public Library. It features mystery authors from all genres and provides an opportunity for fans to meet and interact with some of their favorite mystery authors. It also allows mystery lovers to get acquainted with new authors. The event was held at the Homewood Public Library.
The all day event started at 9:00 and ended around 4:30 and included a bag of books and lunch. There were close to twenty guest authors who participated in the event. The panel discussions with the authors was a lot of fun. I participated on the cozy panel. However, the highlight of the day was listening to the guest of honors, Lee Goldberg and Sue Ann Jaffarian. Lee Goldberg is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author & TV Producer whose production credits include: Nero Wolfe, Monk, Diagnosis Murder, Baywatch and a host of other shows. Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of the Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apples series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. Both Lee and Sue Ann were great speakers who provided a great deal of humor to their talks and listening to their tales was well worth the cost of admission.
The second day we traveled down the road to Wetumpka, Alabama, which is about an hour south of Birmingham for MURDER ON THE MENU. This was another great event where the authors mingled and interacted with mystery fans to raise money for the Wetumpka Library. We were pleased to have been welcomed by the Mayor of Wetumpka and the gracious patrons. Panels, book signings and lots of laughter were on the menu and this event surpassed my expectations in every respect.
Both events were a lot of fun. If you’re near the Birmingham area and love mysteries, I highly recommend both of them. Tickets were $40 each. However, the experience of talking to other mystery lovers and getting up close and personal with mystery authors was priceless.