Hi All,
Brian said:
>
> Megan Abbott, Con Lehane, Edward Wright, and
Cornelia Read. If these
> folks are a cross-section of the faces of
hard-boiled/noir writing
> today, the genre and its legacy are in good
hands.
Oh, how very well said. I discovered Con Lehane's books a few
years ago and have loved them ever since. I recently read
Megan Abbott's first, DIE A LITTLE, and it blew me away. I
bought the second one at LCC and if it's anywhere near as
good as the first, she will become one of my top 10 authors.
I really loved DIE A LITTLE and haven't stopped raving about
it since. Cornelia Read and Edward Wright impressed me on the
panel so I went and bought their books. For me, the four
authors made that panel.
And I agree there were some excellent, straightforward
questions from the audience which the 4 answered
entertainingly and with aplomb.
> Not least of these was a reference that I can only
assume was
> intended to be a joking one by Mr. Wohlforth to Ken
Bruen, a writer
> referenced frequently (and positively) on this list.
... I wasn't the
> only one in the audience who took it that
way.
>
I also felt the same. I presume it was meant to be a joke,
but it didn't come across that way, and I felt it was
insulting to Ken - who not only happens to be a wonderful
writer who deserves all the accoldes he gets and more, but
who is also a charming, funny, and generous man who is a good
friend. I'm sure he would not have been upset if he were
there, but I was upset on his behalf. If it WAS a joke, then
it wasn't a very funny one.
> Unfortunately, that is not the role of the
moderator, at least not as
> I understand it. In fact, he's supposed to be there
to keep that sort
> of thing from getting out of hand.
The panels which work best are those where the moderator can
fade into the background and have the focus be on the
panelists. It's nice at conventions if everyone who is a
moderator also gets a chance to actually be on a panel.
That's when they should talk about themselves. I love a good
moderator who can bring out all the panelists, who has read
some of the work of each of them, can make the questions
relevant and give those panelists a chance to shine.
Donna
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