…And a Year Later: Edgar!
Part of February’s month-long celebration of A Grave Talent, my Edgar-winning first novel.
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A year after A Grave Talent was published, my first venture into publishing took me to the annual Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards banquet, when it was nominated in the Best First Novel category. I went with my daughter (then 14) and my agent, Linda (whom I talked about here in a recent post)
I was somewhat stunned to be in the same room as so many REAL writers. I sat at my publisher’s table along with another nominee, this one for Best Novel, Minette Walters.
Reader, I won. (So did Minette. It was a good night for St Martins Press.) I think I only put the statue down when we were back in the hotel room and I had to phone my family in California.
And when I got home, I found that my local bookshop was happy too.
Since then, I’ve been nominated a number of times, and won other awards. I’ve been on several Edgar committees, too, which is great fun–working with writers you respect, knowing that at the end of the process will be a grin like the above.
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Read about A Grave Talent (with order links), see the other Martinellis,
or order a signed copy.
I am dying to find out when your next new Mary Russell book will be published. Please, please, please do keep writing Mary Russell novels!!! I have 1 or 2 copies of each of her books. I reread my favorites each month. I haven’t read Mary Russell’s War yet, though, because I have a superstitious fear that it may be the last one. Please keep Russell & Holmes alive and investigating for us! I apologize if you have already given your fans that information somewhere. I don’t grasp new technology very well. I do very much appreciate your work.
The next one will be Feb 2024. I gave the title in last month’s Buzz newsletter–it’s going to be The Lantern’s Dance. Set mostly in and around Paris. Hope you enjoy it!
Laurie