Lori Rader-Day Books

Note: I had the time wrong. Anyone want to talk about up-and-coming country music star Dahlia Devine tonight? She’s fiction. I love her. If you like The Highwomen and wish you were at The Gorge this week and also like a little murder mystery action, come hang out to chat with us tonight at Great Midwest Book Group about my USA Today bestselling novel Wreck Your Heart. You can email labird (a) att.net to get the link. We rock’n’roll at 8pm Eastern time. Until then… how about this Rolling Stone story about The Highwomen? I’m in love with it and I for real need a Nudie suit.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/highwomen-brandi-carlile-maren-morris-interview-new-album-1235571161/

The Highwomen on How They Changed Country Music: 'Everyone's a Little Gayer' The Highwomen of Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, and Amanda Shires, talk about new album, returning to stage, and changing country music.

Shane P. Mullen and I are going to have a good conversation about why bookstore events work (or may not) and how to make the most of them. Sign up today! Free for SinC members!

*** Register Today! ***

What: Bookstore Events for Fun, Profit, and Total World Domination
with Shane Mullen and Lori Rader-Day
When: Wednesday, May 27th at 8pm EDT/ 5pm PDT/ 1am +1 BST
Register today at: https://www.sistersincrime.org/admin/events/list_registrations.asp?id=2049394

Event Description:
Bookstore events and promotions are an important piece of an author’s marketing plan—but how do you get that valuable real estate on their shelves and event calendars? What makes a successful event that benefits the store, author, and reader? How can you better work with bookstores—for in-person events and beyond—to sell more copies of your masterpiece? Hear how a veteran bookseller/event coordinator worked with an author to help take them all the way to the bestseller list!

Speaker Bios:
SHANE MULLEN is the event coordinator for Left Bank Books in St. Louis. He has been with Left Bank Books for 15 years in a variety of roles eventually settling into the events team to help produce hundreds of author events each year. He was given the moniker "Book Whisperer" by a beloved customer and that is now the title on his business card. He is also a board member of the Midwest Bookseller Association. When not slinging books, Shane can be found aggressively throwing bowling balls, creating new fun cocktails, exploring by foot, crying during a good show, or with a good book.

LORI RADER-DAY is the USA Today bestselling author of eight novels including Wreck Your Heart, The Death of Us, and Under a Dark Sky. She has been nominated for crime fiction’s highest award, the Edgar Award, and has won the Mary Higgins Clark Award, the Agatha Award, three Anthony Awards, and an Indiana Author Award. Lori is a former national president of Sisters in Crime and a former national board member of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Chicago, where she co-chairs the crime fiction readers’ event Midwest Mystery Conference and teaches creative writing at Northwestern University. Visit her at www.LoriRaderDay.com.

Lori Rader-Day Books

A few weeks ago I got to hear Dan Chaon talk to students (and guests!) at Roosevelt University. Someone asked a question about writing rules, basically how important is it to teach mechanics to writers in an MFA program. Dan said, "The writer makes up their own rules, and teaches those rules to the reader.” I love that. Writing “rules” make me twitch. Learn ‘em, sure. Then see how far they bend.

Dan and I took our traditional (my traditional) fan-girl photo together. We are both aging in the direction of CUTE and DO NOT GIVE A &* #!, I believe. Great to see Dan again.

This? Not an actual book club, but a group of readers who all bid at their kids’ school’s charity auction for a copy of Wreck Your Heart from New Book Joy and a book club-like event with me. They were so lovely, and this was technically my first Wreck Your Heart book club! Everyone’s a winner, including the school. Thanks to the smart gals at New Book Joy for arranging it!

It’s Dark Sky Week. What does that mean? Take a look at your outside lighting. Can it be turned downward, instead of spilling up and blocking the night sky for you and all the birds and bugs that need darkness to thrive? Can it be replaced, so that it’s turned downward—or OFF?—when you’re not using it? Learn more at DarkSky International!

You can also learn about dark sky spaces a little bit sideways by reading my Edgar Award-nominated mystery novel Under a Dark Sky. Sure, I put a murder mystery in a dark park. Dark doesn’t actually mean danger, did you know? Because the villains need the light to see, too. But the birds and bugs? They need the dark.

Well, with all the NASA excitement and Project Hail Mary amaze amaze amazing everyone, hey why not check out another space-y book? The thrills occur on Earth, but you’ll like the views. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/under-a-dark-sky-lori-rader-day?variant=32206758707234

I’ll be the Founders’ Day speaker for the Jefferson County Public Library - Madison and Hanover in Madison on Thursday, April 30, talking about my life in crime (fiction), writing, publishing, librarying… and my latest book, Wreck Your Heart. This is a program funded in part by the Indiana Humanities Indiana Author Awards program. Indiana libraries made me, so you know I’m pleased to be speaking at one. Join me? https://www.mjcpl.org/events to register!

Events Calendar — Jefferson County Public Library

Next week! I’m looking forward to hugging as many Minnesotans as I can get my hands on. https://www.mnmysterynight.com/home

This week I’ll be in Louisville, Kentucky, and Columbus, Indiana—are you local to either spot? Come out to say hi and get signed copies of Wreck Your Heart!

Bryon Quertermous asked me ONE MILLION QUESTIONS about writing, publishing, and Wreck Your Heart—okay, not *quite* that many. But they were good questions and I got to talk about my influences, my thoughts on genre, and my new theory about the plotting/writing by the seat of your pants spectrum we end up talking about so much. Hint: it’s a CIRCLE.

Check it out! Thanks, Bryon! Muppet for decoration and your Muppet enjoyment. https://bryonquertermous.substack.com/p/bq-and-a-interview-w-lori-rader-day