M
artha Merrell’s Books & Cuddles to Host Midwest Mystery Showcase
Raymond Benson, author, composer, computer game designer, stage director, film historian, and James Bond/Ian Fleming authority will be the keynote speaker for the Midwest Mystery Showcase to be held downtown Waukesha, Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27.
This event, coordinated by Martha Merrell’s Books & Cuddles, is the prequel to the 2013 Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books which will be held in September on the UW-Waukesha campus.
As the fourth official author of the James Bond novels, Benson will kick off the two-day mystery event with a presentation Friday at 8 p.m. at the Waukesha Civic Theatre. He will talk about, “Bond 007.” There is a $5 general admission charge for this event and tickets are available at Martha Merrell’s.
On Saturday, the Showcase continues with panels of authors discussing e-books, cozies, and criminals. Michael Giorgio will conduct a Mystery Writing Workshop on “How to Solve the Mystery” at the AllWriters’ Workplace and Workshop at 10 a.m. Reservations can be made by calling (262) 446-0284.
The panel discussions on Saturday are free:
10 a.m. – “Getting Cozy with Readers or You Don’t Need a License to be an Amateur Sleuth”
-
Panelists: Deb Baker, Helen Osterman, Lydia Ponczak, Michael Hinden and Betsy Draine
11 a.m. – “It’s An E-book World or, Hey, We Really Love Our E-readers”
- Panelists: D.L. Marriott, Sean Patrick Little, and Helen Osterman
Noon –Participants can have lunch with an author at participating restaurants in downtown Waukesha. Participants will need to pick up their own tab. The scheduled authors and topics:
- “With Cozy Sisters” with Deb Baker & Lydia Ponczak
- “With an International Flair” with Michael Hinden & Betsy Draine
- “With Bond” with Raymond Benson
- “Behind the Crime Scene Tape” with Michael Black & David Walker
- “With the Voice of Old Time Radio Mysteries” with Norman Gilliland
1 p.m. – “The Criminal’s Handbook or Great Bad Guys and Gals and How/Why They do What They Do”
- Panelists: Raymond Benson, J. Michael Major, Michael Bowen, and Norman Gilliland
2 p.m. -“Writing Short or Short Mysteries Still Live”
- Panelists: Michael Black, Ted Hertel, Robert Mendenhall, and Douglas Armstrong
3 p.m. – “The Hero’s Journey or You Gotta Change, Man”
- Panelists: Sam Reaves, David Walker, John Desjarlais, and Jerry Peterson
Martha Merrell‘s Books & Cuddles is located at 231 W. Main Street in Waukesha. For additional information, call (262) 547-1060. The Waukesha Civic Theatre is located at 264 W. Main Street in Waukesha.