Come by tonight! Cozy at the Cafe

Come get cozy! Tonight at 7 p.m., the second Cozy at the Café will host a fun roundtable of reading, prizes, and giveaways. We'll be at Porter Square Books. Come to hear samples of new and in-the-works books, chat, win a freebie, and more! Free of course (and there's plenty of parking).

Oh, THANK YOU!! Bristol Public Library Book Blog weighs in on "Into the Grey"

"For me, a new Dulcie is like coming home and slipping into a pair of old jeans and a comfy t-shirt. It’s time to relax and enjoy a visit," writes the BookBlog of the Bristol Public Library.

So why do I like this series? First off, I like Dulcie Schwartz, our heroine. I like character-driven stories in general, and Simon has done a wonderful job ..." (Read the rest here.)

THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! THANK YOU! (And here is Tessa, as Esme)

Come get Cozy at the Café!

Come get cozy! This Wednesday, the second Cozy at the Café will host a fun roundtable of reading, prizes, and giveaways. We'll be at Porter Square Books on Wed., Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. Come to hear samples of new and in-the-works books, chat, win a freebie, and more! Free of course (and there's plenty of parking).

Bouchercon! A recap

Wow, what a party! Just back from Bouchercon, the big mystery fan convention, which this year was held in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. Got in on Thursday, in time for the big Severn House authors' signing (thanks to Mystery Mike for providing the books!) From then on, it was a nonstop whirl - got to chat "hardboiled vs. cozy" with Linda Rodriguez, Chris Knopf, David Putnam, and Linda Joffe Hull. Thomas Pluck moderated – calling this "gritty vs. kitty" – and the fur flew! Then I volunteered at registration and got to chat with the wonderful B'con organizer Monette Draper (aka Monette Michaels). Then it was my turn to moderate - a panel on amateur sleuths with Tim O'Mara, Marcia Talley, Con Lehane, Susan Oleksiw,and Suzanne Trauth. And more book signings and music and meals and drinks with friends old and new (shout out to Jon and Ruth Jordan! Karen E. Olsen! Sheila Connolly! Edith Maxwell! Sarah Smith!). Even chatted with a librarian and a mystery fan in the pool! I'm even more exhausted than I look in this picture - from one corner of the Severn signing:

Toronto, anyone?

Presenting AS DARK AS MY FUR

The second Blackie & Care mystery, coming next spring from Severn House:


CLEA SIMON
AS DARK AS MY FUR

A seemingly routine case becomes something darker and deeper for novice private investigator Care and her feline companion, Blackie.

Blackie does not trust Care’s new client, factory owner Mr Gravitz, who has hired the young PI to shadow one of his workers, a man he suspects is stealing from him. With his feline sixth sense, Blackie knows the client is not telling the truth – but how can he protect and warn his companion, Care, when he is only a cat?

When Blackie and Care come across a decomposing body, the case takes a disturbing twist – and leads the pair deep into the dangerous underworld that underpins the city.

Combining elements of feline fantasy and traditional whodunit, As Dark As My Fur continues the adventures of this original and unusual detective duo: two small creatures in a nightmarish urban landscape, fighting for their lives and for the memories of their loved ones.

Cozies vs. Hard-Boiled!

Who will win? You know we're tougher than you think...

That's the fanciful topic of my panel this morning at Bouchercon, the crime fiction/mystery conference going on now in New Orleans. (After all, this year's theme is "Blood on the Bayou.")

Officially, our panel is called "Leather & Lace," the Cozy vs. Hardboiled panel and it happens today, Fri., 16, 11-11:50. We'll be signing books in the book room immediately after. Come on by and say hi!

Severn House authors sign and greet: Come say hi!

Are you in NOLA? Are you at Bouchercon? (It's only the biggest mystery/crime fiction convention IN THE WORLD.)

I'll be at the Severn House meet the author/booksigning at Mystery Mike's booth in the book room today, 12:30-1:10, along with a bunch of my fellow Severn authors!

(or else, just find me in the bar! Please, feel free to stop me if you see me passing by, too. I'd love to meet you!)

Thank you, Conscious Cat!

"One of the things I love most about this series is the development of Dulcie’s character over the years. Clea Simon has a way to make you love her protagonist despite, or maybe because of, her weaknesses. I found this book hard to put down, and breathed a sigh of relief when I had reached the final pages. I won’t give away the ending, but the final paragraph of this book is so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes..." says the Conscious Cat, noting "this series just keeps getting better and better." Wow, thank you so much! (Read more here. Order the book here.)

Walking to New Orleans...

Well, not really, because then I wouldn't make it to Bouchercon "Blood on the Bayou" by the time it opens next Wednesday. But I will be there (as will literally hundreds of your favorite mystery authors). Will you?

I hope to clone myself by then and be everywhere at once. But I know for sure that I'll be at:
Mystery Mike's in the Book Room, Thurs., Sept. 15, 12:30-1:10, for the Severn House meet the author/booksigning
"Leather & Lace," the Cozy vs. Hardboiled panel, Fri., 16, 11-11:50,
and I'll also be moderating
"Common People," amateur sleuths, Fri., 3:30-4:20. (Book signings immediately after the panels!)

Or just come look for me at the bar....

Getting cozy ... Cozy at the Café!

Back to school? How about back to cool! With autumn coming in, don't you want to cozy up to a good mystery? You'll find at least six at the second Cozy at the Café - a fun roundtable of reading, prizes, and giveaways. This time, we're popping up at Porter Square Books on Wed., Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. Come to hear samples of new and in-the-works books, chat, win a freebie, and more! Free of course (and there's plenty of parking).

Presenting "INTO THE GREY"

Dulcie Schwartz, Mr. Grey, and Esme the (no longer) kitten return today in "INTO THE GREY," the 10th feline-filled Dulcie Schwartz academic mystery, which Publishers Weekly calls "well-plotted."

Read more or click here to order now!

Grad student and cat lover Dulcie Schwartz must fight to clear her name when she discovers Professor Fenderby dead in his office.

“I could kill Roland Fenderby”. Dulcie Schwartz has reason to regret those words when she discovers Professor Fenderby’s battered body in his office – and finds herself the prime suspect in the ensuing murder investigation. Although she had good reason to dislike the late professor, who had been calling her scholarship into question, Dulcie would never go so far as to murder him. But someone seems to be deliberately putting her in the frame for his death. Who – and why?

Her academic career in jeopardy, Dulcie must find out the truth – and fast. But when she turns to Mr Grey for advice, he seems strangely silent. Could the spirit of her wise grey cat really be fading from her life for good?