Saturday, May 17, 2014

Your CrimeFest Report from Bristol, UK.


I really should be off helping my best buddy get elected Mayor of Mykonos in tomorrow’s Greek municipal elections (see tee-shirt above), but instead here I am at CrimeFest 2014 in Bristol enjoying the camaraderie of terrific mystery fans and writers, and—together with Stan—toasting the celebrity of our very own Yrsa who is this year’s Featured Guest Author, along with Mark Billingham.  Congratulations to Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Queen of Icelandic Mystery.

All of which is my way of saying, here are photos of Bristol, Yrsa and her entourage (including Stan and moi), our hard work on panels, and my trusty guide showing me all around Bristol.

Around the old town:  








Hard at work:


Hard at Play:

Susan Moody, Quentin Bates
Bill Gottfried


Okay, so life is not all that tough. But it’s off to Gatwick at 01:30 Sunday to catch a flight back to Mykonos in time to join the citizens of Mykonos in celebrating their decision to bring their island the new day it deserves.



Jeff—Saturday

14 comments:

  1. Sounds like you all had a great time in Bristol! A little too much to drink though, as I assume that last picture is of you slinking back to the hotel after a night in the pub. I'm just not sure of the breed of your pet. But obviously the two of you have a very close relationship...

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    1. Some might find your comments gulling, Everett, but not I. They're what inspire me to search out the arcane, deviant, and cynical. Or to put differently, to find stuff just like us. :)

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  2. I love how you find yourself in lovely places. I'm sure you had lots of fun, and I would have loved to admire you all.
    Good luck with your election in Mykonos.

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    1. It's always great fun when there with great people. But if you came, Lil, it would be a time describable in a single word: supercalifragilisticexpialadoscious.(sp).

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    2. :) I would probably be way too star struck, and I'm sure you keep me laughing!

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  3. Oooh, that looks like so much fun! One of these years I'll get there!

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  4. And I was actually in England on Wednesday! Well, in London...well at Heathrow. So near and yet so far!

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  5. Yeah, Michael. Stan, Yrsa, and I were kind of wondering why you bailed out on us. :)

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  6. Looks like you had a great time, Jeff. Sorry we couldn't share it with you. Hope your trip home was pleasant and the mayoral results were good for your buddy. Back to work now.

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    1. Hey, Dave, you're starting to sound like my publisher with this "back to work" shtick!:) Yes, CrimeFest was great fun--we missed you but will see you at Bouchercon, Mr. Chairman--and I'm writing about the overall experience on my monthly Poisoned Pen Press blog post tomorrow...by which time we should know if my buddy won the election or must do it again in a run-off election next Sunday.

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  7. I will tune in to the Poison Pen blog hoping your buddy did indeed win the election. I would also be curious about how your electioneering for him was taken. We have a house in Massachusetts which is not, however, our primary and hence legal residence. But we pay taxes and are invited to town hall meetings. Since we don't go I am not sure whether we have a vote. But I have always sensed that the permanent residents wish we part-timers would stay out of their politics--even if we agree with the positions of those who know us.

    Barbara Leavy

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    1. Thanks, Barbara, but my PPP blog for Monday is titled, "Friendship," and is all about the camaraderie that develops among those attending events like CrimeFest.

      I agree with locals not liking "part-timers" intruding into their elections, but my involvement as such doesn't rise to the level of "meddling" as it's seen more on the order of supporting a friend, even by his opponents. As for election results, Greece--as you will likely find from the news this week--is in turmoil elections-wise, and Mykonos is no exception, torn between sticking with practices rooted in old ways or catching up with the present. There will be a mayoral runoff election next week in Mykonos between my buddy and the other highest vote gatherer corresponding with EU Parliamentary elections. We shall see.

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