Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

For many people, modern technology (especially communication platforms like Zoom) have made the pandemic at least a little more bearable. Even in complete lockdown, we’ve been able to stay in contact with family, friends, and colleagues, and many people have been able to keep their jobs in some form or another.

Technology such as Zoom has also made it possible to have events like conferences and panels, even though they take a different form. And, in a way, it’s been a real benefit for those who might not be able to afford a lot of travel; with technology, one can attend virtually and interact with the people involved. It’s not the same as being there in person, but much better than abandoning conferences, panels, and the like.

Let me, if I may, give a personal example. Last March (2020), my most recent novel, A Matter of Motive, was published. I’d excitedly planned a launch party/signing, and I was looking forward to the event. Then came Covid-19.  Needless to say, the big event was cancelled, although I did do a virtual announcement. I know I’m by no means the only author caught in the Covid-19 crossfire; I personally know a few fellow authors whose events were suddenly cancelled with no new date set.

The thing about a book launch is that it’s time dependent. It’s often most successful if a launch happens as close as possible to the book’s release date. That couldn’t happen with A Matter of Motive, but I am very fortunate. Anne Saller, who owns Book Carnival (Orange, California), very kindly invited me to join a panel of authors who’ll be meeting via Zoom on Saturday, 25 September, at 2 PM Pacific time. Here’s the lineup:

Ellen Byron is the author of several cosy mystery series, including the Cajun Country Mystery series. Those novels feature her sleuth, Maggie Crozat, who owns the Crozat Plantation B&B in Pelican, Louisiana. Ellen will be serving up a terrific helping of information about her newest release, Cajun Kiss of Death (Book 7 in the series), among other things. I’m really looking forward to learning more about what it takes to keep multiple series going.

Tori Eldridge writes in a variety of genres. She’s perhaps best known for her series featuring Lily Wong, a Chinese-Norwegian protagonist with strong ninja skills and a complicated family situation. Lily’s dedicated to helping vulnerable women and children, and sometimes finds herself up against very nasty opponents. The newest in the series, The Ninja Betrayed, is out today (14 September), and that’s what Tori will be discussing. Tori has a martial arts background, and I’m really interested in learning more about that.

Dennis Palumbo is the author of the Daniel Rinaldi series. Rinaldi is a Pittsburgh-based psychologist and police consultant whose specialty is working with those who’ve survived violent crime. The newest Rinaldi thriller, Panic Attack, will be released on 21 September, and that’s the novel Dennis will be discussing during the panel. The university I attended for undergraduate school isn’t far from Pittsburgh, and I still have friends who live there, so I definitely feel a connection with this series, and I’ll be interested in learning more about how other authors handle police characters and characters who work with the police.

I’ll be there, too, with a few things to say about A Matter of Motive, and I’m really excited about it. If you want to be a part of it, here’s the Zoom information:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88965419473?pwd=MGtXR25hWWdWVWlmT0YyRVc2NXpHQT09

Meeting ID: 889 6541 9473
Passcode: 637696
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Thanks very much to Anne and the staff of Book Carnival for making this event possible. I’m very much looking forward to it.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Kenny Loggins’ This is It.