An Evening With Kathy Reichs
OK, technically I spent the evening with Annette and Joanne. But, we went to a Meet & Greet and Author Talk and Book Signing with Kathy Reichs. She writes the Temperance Brennan series that the TV show Bones is based on.
Reichs is promoting the 12th Brennan book, Spider Bones, which just came out. She's also going to publish a Young Adult book in November that she co-wrote with her son so we got to hear a little about that as well.
Before I get into the evening, let me provide a little background. I've read the first six Brennan books and have watched every episode of Bones. I also follow Reichs on Twitter where she's not a frequent poster but I did enjoy her Comic-Con tweets.
The evening started at Arcadia Farms in downtown Scottsdale. The Scottsdale Civic Center for the Arts was hosting a Meet & Greet. What a huge bargain for $10! Generous on the wine, yummy quiche, mini-sandwiches, cheese and fruit and an opportunity to chat one on one with Reichs. I would love to go back there and try something off their menu as everything was tasty and the place was quite cute.
That's where Joanne, Annette and I first talked to Reichs. We got her pretty much as she came in the door then talked to her again right before we left. She was gracious enough to pose with us for some pictures as well. Annette's bitter about Bones and Booth not getting together on the TV show and Reichs said, "We did get Angela and Hodgins married!" We chatted about how getting the characters together can kill a show. Damn Moonlighting. It's ruined TV for all of us romantics.
Kathy Reichs and a Surprisingly Surprised Looking Me
Reichs is promoting the 12th Brennan book, Spider Bones, which just came out. She's also going to publish a Young Adult book in November that she co-wrote with her son so we got to hear a little about that as well.
Before I get into the evening, let me provide a little background. I've read the first six Brennan books and have watched every episode of Bones. I also follow Reichs on Twitter where she's not a frequent poster but I did enjoy her Comic-Con tweets.
The evening started at Arcadia Farms in downtown Scottsdale. The Scottsdale Civic Center for the Arts was hosting a Meet & Greet. What a huge bargain for $10! Generous on the wine, yummy quiche, mini-sandwiches, cheese and fruit and an opportunity to chat one on one with Reichs. I would love to go back there and try something off their menu as everything was tasty and the place was quite cute.
That's where Joanne, Annette and I first talked to Reichs. We got her pretty much as she came in the door then talked to her again right before we left. She was gracious enough to pose with us for some pictures as well. Annette's bitter about Bones and Booth not getting together on the TV show and Reichs said, "We did get Angela and Hodgins married!" We chatted about how getting the characters together can kill a show. Damn Moonlighting. It's ruined TV for all of us romantics.
Kathy Reichs and a Surprisingly Surprised Looking Me
Our next stop was the official Author Talk and Book Signing at The Poisoned Pen. The Pen is a world wide known local landmark that specializes in selling mysteries. Barbara Peters is the owner/face of the store and she's quite remarkable in her own right.
Peters did an opening spiel then introduced Reichs. She (Peters) did a great job of showing her own personality without overshadowing the author. It was a very polished presentation and a good model for anyone looking to moderate a conversation or panel.
Reichs was also polished. I guess after promoting twelve books, that's to be expected but it's not always the case with authors. She talked about working on the TV show, what part of her experience and life are written into Brennan's characters in the book and how co-writing with her son worked.
She also talked about her next Brennan book which is going to take place in her hometown of Charlotte, NC and will involve NASCAR. As part of her research, she got to interview some drivers and mentioned one specifically that she got to spend time with. Wait for it....yes, it was Jimmie Johnson!
When the talk was over, we lined up to get our books signed. I had her inscribe AZ8FAN on mine since that's my Twitter handle and Jimmie's number. I explained why and we talked about how gracious he is and how handsome and what a great driver he is then she mentioned that he also has a very beautiful wife. Sigh. I acknowledge that but prefer to file it in the "pay no mind" part of my brain.
The only negative of the evening was the party sitting right behind us during the talk. We had two older ladies jibber-jabbering the whole time. However, that didn't take away too much from a very enjoyable experience.
Peters did an opening spiel then introduced Reichs. She (Peters) did a great job of showing her own personality without overshadowing the author. It was a very polished presentation and a good model for anyone looking to moderate a conversation or panel.
Reichs was also polished. I guess after promoting twelve books, that's to be expected but it's not always the case with authors. She talked about working on the TV show, what part of her experience and life are written into Brennan's characters in the book and how co-writing with her son worked.
She also talked about her next Brennan book which is going to take place in her hometown of Charlotte, NC and will involve NASCAR. As part of her research, she got to interview some drivers and mentioned one specifically that she got to spend time with. Wait for it....yes, it was Jimmie Johnson!
When the talk was over, we lined up to get our books signed. I had her inscribe AZ8FAN on mine since that's my Twitter handle and Jimmie's number. I explained why and we talked about how gracious he is and how handsome and what a great driver he is then she mentioned that he also has a very beautiful wife. Sigh. I acknowledge that but prefer to file it in the "pay no mind" part of my brain.
The only negative of the evening was the party sitting right behind us during the talk. We had two older ladies jibber-jabbering the whole time. However, that didn't take away too much from a very enjoyable experience.
