This year, I had the pleasure of attending the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottsville, Virginia. This week long celebration of books, reading, literacy and literary culture is one of the largest book festivals in the region and it is definitely worth attending. The festival is sponsored by the Virginia Humanities Council and this year marked the 25th year anniversary of the festival. Offered each year in March, this year’s festival ran from March 20 – March 24th. The festival features books and authors from a wide range of subjects including nonfiction and fiction. However, mystery lovers will find the Crime Wave weekend of particular interest.
Crime Wave brings crime readers and authors together in a day of events. This year, the event kicked off with a brunch featuring NY Times Bestselling author, Don Winslow, author of the Cartel Trilogy along with a host of other bestselling mysteries. Introducing Don Winslow was another bestselling author, John Grisham. Don kept the crowd captivated with a witty discussion of the role of mystery through the ages in all works of great literature.
After a delicious lunch, a series of panel discussions and book signings followed. I was honored to be on a panel, SO MANY WAYS TO DIE, along with Wendy Tyson, Mary Burton and Ed Lin. The panel was moderated by Evette Lamka, and was a load of fun.
