Post Black Orchid Party Smatterings

Ah, what a fantastic bittersweet party it was last night at the Black Orchid bookshop, made more so when the bristol board was passed around for people to sign. While a select few authors like Bob Knightly and Carol O’Connell (who was guarding the raisinets from unwanted hands with gusto) stayed indoors, those sweltering in the humidity included Mary Reagan (videocamera in hand), Anthony Rainone, Valerie Wolzien, Lee Harris, Lee Child, Maggie Griffin, Otto Penzler & Lisa Atkinson, Karen Olson, Harlan Coben, Charles Ardai & Naomi Novik, Rachel Ekstrom, Ben Sevier, Kristen Weber, Ellen Edwards, Lauren Manzella, Sharyn Rosenblum, Reed Coleman, Jason Starr (later on, after his signing at the UES B&N finished up) Gabriel Cohen, Jason Pinter, Dave White, Laura Lippman, Phil Spitzer, Alafair Burke & Sean Simpson, Michael Connelly, Ken Isaacson, Elizabeth Zelvin, Margery Flax, Steven Torres, and a boatload of people I am forgetting about because I’ve already dropped too many damn names.

So what’s going on in the rest of the world then?

Well, Val McDermid sets the record straight on yesterday’s idiotic “controversy” to the Guardian. “We are still friends – he danced at my wedding, for Christ’s sake!”

Janet Maslin finds new thrillers by Michael Marshall and Joseph Finder to be something special.

Oline Cogdill’s Sunday column is up early and it features new books by Margaret Maron and Karin Slaughter.

Adam Woog raises a glass to the late, great Michael Dibdin.

Yeah, I don’t know why Courtney Thorne-Smith has a novel out, either.

MIRA UK has signed up two new thriller writers, Steven Hague and M.R. Seymour.

Oh holy hell this is about the worst thing that can happen to a writer while he’s in the middle of a manuscript.

Katie Roiphe: a piece of work.

And this might be the greatest story of quite some time, in terms of sheer stoopidity.