DARK VOYAGE

My love of crime-fiction conferences is no secret, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I’m honored to be one of the featured authors at the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths’ annual WriteNow! conference at the gorgeous Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. The lineup will be incredible: Sara Paretsky will deliver the keynote, and the list of speakers includes Simon Wood, Michael Koryta, Jenny Milchman, Midnight Ink’s Terri Bischoff, Christina Cox, and Deborah Ledford.

I’ll be teaching a seminar on plotting your novel at 11am on Saturday, and I’ll be on panel with Michael, Jenny, Christina, and Deborah at 3pm. Did I mention the action kicks off with a cocktail party on Friday night? I can’t wait.

My debut novel has had a charmed existence in France. Editions Télémaque purchased THE DAMAGE DONE — or LE MAL QUE TU M’AS FAIT, as it’s called in French — and hired an exceptional translator, Véronique Dumont, to create their version. Almost a year before the book’s official release date, the wonderful (and massive) France Loisirs book club picked it up and created a special edition for their members:

Then the official Editions Télémaque edition came out in a trade paperback, with a very different, yet stunning, cover:

Now, Editions Télémaque has released LE MAL QUE TU M’AS FAIT as a mass-market paperback — a format near and dear to my heart, because it’s what I grew up reading. The book has its own original, gorgeous cover:

I owe Editions Télémaque and Véronique Dumont tremendous thanks for their work on the book. I’m also grateful to the many francophone reviewers, booksellers, and bloggers who have encouraged people to read it! It’s amazing to see my first book find such a warm reception in its new home.