News

Mercury's Rise Virtual Tour: Comment and Win a Prize!

2011-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

I hit the virtual road on Halloween with a tour through the blog-o-sphere. Comment on the post-of-the-day and you'll be eligible to win a prize!

Monday, October 31, 2011

PatriciaStoltey http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/

(Host: Patricia Stoltey)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 ~~Release Day!!~~

The Silver RushMysteries http://silverrushmysteries.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 2,2011

The Victorian West http://www.thevictorianwest.com/

(Host: Michelle West)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The LadyKillers http://theladykillers.typepad.com/

Friday, November 4, 2011

My Word, My World, My Work http://andidowning.wordpress.com/

(Host: Andi Downing)

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Blood Red Pencil http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/

(Host: Dani Greer)

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Type M for Murder http://typem4murder.blogspot.com/

(Host: Donis Casey)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Writers of the West http://writersofthewest.blogspot.com/

(Host: Jean Henry Mead)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Diana Orgain http://dianaorgain.com/blog/

(Host: Diana Orgain)

Wednesday, November 9,2011

Writing Strong Women http://writingstrongwomen.com/

(Host: Sylvia Dickey Smith)

Thursday, November 10,2011

Roux Morgue http://clairemjohnson.blogspot.com/

(Host: Claire Johnson)

Friday, November 11, 2011

Pens Fatales http://www.pensfatales.com/

(Host: Sophie Littlefield)

Saturday, November 12 –Sunday, November 13, 2011

Poe’s Deadly Daughters http://poesdeadlydaughters.blogspot.com/

(Host: Sandra Parshall)

Tuesday, November 15

Poisoned Pen Press http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/category/blog/

(Host: The PPP Posse)

Life in the Past Lane: Mini Blog Book Tour for Silver Rush Series Begins Monday

2011-09-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Silver Rush mini blog book tour begins Monday, September 26!

Drop in at any (or all!) of the blogsites below the day of my posts and leave a comment. A name will be drawn for each day of the tour, and the winners can choose which of the three Silver Rush books they would like a signed copy of.

Come join us as I explore "Life in the Past Lane," Monday, September 26, through Saturday, October 1!

Monday, September 26, 2011
Blog Talk Radio (Host: Sylvia Dickey Smith)
Writing Strong Women (Host: Sylvia Dickey Smith)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Murder Must Advertise (Host: Jeffrey Marks)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sites and Stories (Host: Kathleen Ernst)

Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Real Me (Host: Camille Minichino)

Friday, September 30, 2011
Cindy Sample (Host: Cindy Sample)

Saturday, October 1, 2011
Colorado Reflections (Host: Gayle Gresham)

On Blog Talk Radio Sept. 26: Writing Strong Women

2011-09-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Drop on by Blog Talk Radio where I'll be interviewed by Sylvia Dickey Smith about "Writing Strong Women" ... Of course, I'll be talking about Inez. :-)
The time: Monday, September 26, 1 p.m. Central
The address: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writingstrongwome
Listeners are also welcome to call 1.347.843.4128 and join in the conversation with questions or comments.

Hope you can join us!

MERCURY'S RISE: Lovely Cover

2011-07-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

The lovely cover of Mercury's Rise is beginning to appear here and there throughout the internet.

The cover image is from a photo from Denver Public Library Western History/Genealogy Department. The description for the photo runs thusly: Well dressed men, women, and children pose in and near a pavilion over the spring at Ute Iron Spring in Manitou (El Paso County), Colorado. The wooden, open air pavilion has decorative wood brackets and sitting benches. Men pose on or beside high-wheel bicycles. An iron fence surrounds the spring, within the pavilion.

The timeframe given in the description is circa 1880 to 1890. Definitely not summer of 1880--the timeframe for Mercury's Rise. This photo shows Manitou as it "would become," the vision that many folks, real and fiction, had for this spa town in my story.

Historical Novel Society Conference June 17-19

2011-06-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to hearing about historical fiction of all kinds at the Historical Novel Society's conference this weekend! I'm in a book-buying mood, so watch out, credit card...
I will be part of the KEEPING A SERIES FRESH panel on Saturday, June 18th, 8:30 a.m.
Don't sleep in, or you could miss all the fun!

Blog Talk Radio with Red River Writers

2011-05-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

I will be on BlogTalk Radio's Red River Writers Live with Peggy and Jon on Monday, May 11, 10 a.m. Pacific and noon Central time. Drop on by the chatroom or dial in and ask questions... you can even listen later, since the shows are recorded, by checking out http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio. Find the listing and the audio will begin.
After I'm done, Peggy Greene and Jon Magee will be interviewing author Nancy E. Turner, so you get two writers of the "Victorian American West" in a single hour!

Mercury's Rise, fourth in the Silver Rush series, up for pre-order

2011-04-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

The title says it all: Mercury's Rise, fourth in the Silver Rush historical mystery series, is now available for pre-order in hard cover, tradepaper, and large print. I found it at the following places online:

Amazon: hard cover ... tradepaper ... large print
Chapters/Indigo: hard cover ... tradepaper ... large print

... And, of course, you can always put in a pre-order at your favorite local bookstore! :-)

Release date: November 1 (or so), 2011When Mercury's Rise opens, Inez is on a stagecoach from Leadville to Manitou Springs, where she will see her sister and rejoin her young son at last. But the stagecoach ride turns out to be much more than she bargains for....

Friday, October 29: Halloween in Castro Valley! Start your holiday shopping early!

2010-10-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

If you're in the Bay Area, come start your Halloween celebration early on Friday, October 29, with mystery authors Ann Parker and Camille Minichino at the Swiss Delices Bakery in Castro Valley.

The games will begin at 7 PM. There will be prizes and, of course, books for sale. (What better gifts for the coming holidays than books personally signed by the authors??) Hope to see you there!

Ann and Camille at the recent Bouchercon, caught on camera plotting their next joint appearance...

Leaden Skies of Silver

2010-07-04T16:07:00.001-07:00

Leaden Skies "stays silver" as a Colorado Book Award finalist in the Genre Fiction - Mystery/Science Fiction subcategory. Winner in this subcategory is The Radio Magician and Other Stories by James Van Pelt, Fairwood Press. Congratulations, James! (View the complete list of winners here.)
I have some lovely silver CBA stickers, enough to paper my office. Anyone who would like an award sticker for their copy of Leaden Skies (the shiny silver complements the purple of the cover!), contact me at annparker(at)annparker.net, and I will snail-mail one to you.

Heading up to Oregon

2010-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I'm off on my version of "the Oregon Trail," talking and signing books all the way.
Starting at Redding (in California) on Thursday, June 17, then into Oregon proper with stops in Klamath Falls, Ashland, Gold Beach, Eugene, Roseburg, then back down into California to Mt Shasta. Check my Appearances for dates, times, and venues.

Lurking with Mysterious Writers

2010-06-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Jean Henry Mead's Mysterious Writers: The Many Facets of Mystery Writing appeared as a Kindle edition with B&N Reader and Sony ebooks to follow. Aimed at aspiring mystery/crime writers, it's a collection of interviews with such luminaries as Carolyn Hart, Elmore Leonard, Louise Penny, Jeffrey Deaver, Nancy Pickard, John Gilstrap, Jeff Marks, and about 70 others, including Poisoned Pen Press authors Beverle Graves Myers, Mary Reed, Eric Mayer, Betty Webb, Tim Maleeny, Charlotte Hinger, Vicki Delany, Larry Karp -- and moi. Fire up those Kindles and hie thee to amazon for more info.

Appearing at Book Fair in Denver, May 14

2010-05-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

YES!! I will be in Denver, signing books with the other 2010 Colorado Book Award finalists on Friday, May 14, from 2 to 5 p.m.
The Book Fair, hosted by Colorado Humanities, will be at Barnes & Noble at 500 16th Street (The Pavilions), Denver, Colorado. This is all to benefit the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program, which sends professional, published writers to K-12 classrooms to hold writing workshops with students. For more information check out the Colorado Humanities website here.

Leaden Skies a finalist for the 2010 Colorado Book Award

2010-04-13T00:48:00.001-07:00

Leaden Skies is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in the Genre Fiction, Mystery/Thriller & Science Fiction/Fantasy category! Winners will be announced at the 19th annual Colorado Book Awards in June. All finalists for the various categories appear here.

Iron Ties on Kindle

2009-12-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

... For those of you who got a Kindle under the tree for Christmas (this year, last year): Iron Ties is now available on Kindle! You can check it out here.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Towne Center Books on Sunday, December 20, 2009

2009-12-18T23:43:00.000-08:00

Come join me in a cup of cheer and do a little Christmas shopping at local Towne Center Books in Pleasanton on Sunday, December 20, noon to 2 p.m.
I'll be handing out bookmarks and chocolate, and my good friend mystery author Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace will also be there!

Silver Rush books available as Sony eBooks

2009-12-15T21:09:00.001-08:00

Good news! All of the Silver Rush mystery books—Silver Lies, Iron Ties, and Leaden Skies—are now available as Sony eBooks. Nice ePresents for the e-reading folks on your list!

Bouchercon Bound

2009-10-09T22:55:00.001-07:00

Looking forward to Bouchercon, THE big annual mystery con, this coming week. Will be bearing bookmarks and chocolate, and appearing on the following panels:

Thursday, October 15, 9 a.m. MEN, WOMEN AND MURDER THROUGH THE AGES (Concept Room)
Friday, October 16, 4 p.m. THE ART OF THE WESTERN MYSTERY (The Eiteljorg Museum: off-site)

Other than that, I'll be at the Librarians' Tea, the SinC breakfast, and just wandering around in general—taking in the panels and events, meeting old friends, and (hopefully) making some new...

Salida's Book Haven Aug. 5; then to Leadville

2009-08-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

... Am typing away up here in Salida's very cool Carnegie library. My whereabouts the next few days:

The Book Haven August 5 (today), 5 - 7 p.m., to sign books and chat with whoever drops in. Hope to see lots of friendly faces!
August 6, I'll be up in Leadville (at last!) at The Book Mine from 4 p.m. until whenever.
August 7, noon to 2 p.m. in Leadville, at the Healy House/Dexter Cabin gift shop.... and then...
August 7, 3 - 5 p.m., at the Lake County Public Library.
August 8, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. (or so) at The Book Mine once more.

After that, it's time for me to say "good-bye" to Colorado (for now) and head on home briefly before tackling Arizona.

At Black Cat Books on August 1

2009-07-31T19:59:00.001-07:00

Appearing at Black Cat Books in Manitou, Colorado, on Saturday, August 1, from 1 - 4 p.m.

I will be handing out chocolate in addition to the ubiquitous bookmarks and copies of the mysteriously missing Author's Note to Leaden Skies.

Win a signed copy of Silver Lies or Leaden Skies

2009-07-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Library Director/Book Reviewer Lesa Holstine is holding a drawing for a signed copy of Silver Lies (the first of the Silver Rush series) and a signed copy of Leaden Skies (the latest in the series) on her Lesa's Book Critiques blog. To participate, follow her instructions at the "Winners and Leadville Contest" post. The contest ends this Thursday, July 23.

Reviews, posts, and such

2009-07-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

A great review of Leaden Skies showed up on Library Manager/Book Reviewer Lesa Holstine's "Lesa's Book Critiques" blog right here.
I have a writer's tip up on Dana Mentink's "Lift Me Up" blog right here.
Interview, Q&A style, on Novel Journey right here.
The "One Book, One Community" program at Leadville has started! First up, an exhibit of Bob Calder's artwork. Wonderful paintings ... I have a couple of his notecards I picked up a while back.

And ... a reminder: The Mysteriously Missing Author's Note for Leaden Skies is available for download from my site, right here. Look under the Leaden Skies cover and click on the Author's Note link for a pdf.

I'll be bringing chapbooks of the Author's Note to all my signings for anyone who wants one.

First event for Leaden Skies at M is for Mystery, Tuesday

2009-07-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

My first event for Leaden Skies will be at M is for Mystery this Tuesday, July 7, 7 p.m. I'll be there with authors Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind) and Rhys Bowen .... and hopefully all of you!

I'll bring plenty of copies of the Author's Note for Leaden Skies to tuck in the back of the books I sign ...

Silver Rush mystery series is Leadville's "One Book, One Community" pick

2009-06-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

Leadville, Colorado, has announced that their "One Book, One Community" program this summer will feature the Silver Rush historical mystery series. (Not one book, not two, but all three.)

In Lake County Public Library's press release, Head Librarian Nancy McCain says: "We picked the Silver Rush mystery series because we know everyone who reads Leaden Skies will want to read all the Inez Stannert books. Our history is part of the magic of this place and we can really sense these stories because we live here. Ann Parker blends impeccable research with imagination and rich detail that’s close to home. So let’s read for the fun of it!”

The program runs from July 5 through August 15.

More details will be forthcoming... stay tuned...

Mayhem in the Midlands, this week!

2009-05-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

I'm very much looking forward to Mayhem in the Midlands, later this week. It has to be one of the friendliest small conferences I've ever attended, and I'm excited to be going back!

I'll be on three panels on Friday—

Time in a Novel: Historical Mysteries (9 a.m.) with Suzanne Arruda, Sharan Newman, and Sally Fellows (moderator).
Putting the Ms. in Mysteries: Tough Female Protagonists (10:30 a.m.) with Kate Flora, Dana Stabenow, and Evelyn Whitehill (moderator).
Location! Location! Location!: Creating Believable Fictional Settings (3 p.m.) with Carl Brookins, William Kent Krueger, and Clare Langley-Hawthorne (moderator).

Besides all that, I'll be wandering around, chocolate and new bookmarks in hand!

Castro Valley Library on Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 p.m.

2009-05-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

If you are in the East Bay and close to Castro Valley, come on around for the Mystery Authors Night hosted by Friends of the Castro Valley Public Library. I will be part of the panel appearing with

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino)
Dana Fredsti
Mark Coggins

Hope to see you there!

Appearing in Pleasanton on April 4

2009-04-02T22:54:00.001-07:00

... If you happen to be in Pleasanton for the Pleasanton Poetry, Prose & Arts Festival this weekend (April 4 - 5), drop on by Literary Row on Saturday, April 4, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. I'll have chocolate, bookmarks, and magnets to hand out and copies of Silver Lies and Iron Ties for sale. (Leaden Skies isn't available until July ... )

2009 is the year for Leaden Skies

2009-01-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

Just a little bit of good news to share before it's no longer news. . .

The next in my Silver Rush series, Leaden Skies, will be out July 2009 from Poisoned Pen Press. Hurray! (she says as she collapses in relief. . .)

For more on the title and "why Leaden Skies," see my blog entry "What's in a name?" on the Silver Rush Mysteries blog site.

Good News (Kindle)/Bad News (LCC)

2008-02-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a double-barreled news post with a good news/bad news format.

First, the good news:
Starting March 5, Poisoned Pen Press is releasing a number of older titles on the Kindle, amongst them...
Silver Lies!
Of course, Silver Lies will also continue to be available in trade paperback.

Now, the bad news:
Due to several family emergencies (yes, that's plural... when it rains, oh boy, it pours ...), I've had to cancel my attendance at Left Coast Crime. Which is in Denver. I haven't missed an LCC in years, and yes, the irony has not escaped me.
Wishing all who attend a great conference and please give the Rockies (the mountains, that is) a wave for me.

Iron Ties in February's Roundup Magazine

2008-02-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Roundup Magazine is published by the Western Writers of America, and I'm honored that they gave Iron Ties a "thumbs up," as follows:

"... Based on two actual historical events, Ann Parker has woven a delightful tale of murder, mayhem, and survival all tied up with a ribbon of romance."

Now that's a hand I'm willing to play! Thank you, WWA!

In L.A. on Sunday ... A Rodeo of Writers

2007-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 9, I'll be at the Gene Autry National Center as part of their Rodeo of Writers event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Consider it a little cross-genre experiment ... and I'm really not too far afield here. After all, Silver Lies was a finalist for the Spur Award, way back when, and it also won a Willa Literary Award in 2004 from Women Writing the West. Plus, Wes Lukowsky of Booklist called Iron Ties "a well-crafted novel that will appeal to readers of mysteries, historical fiction, and genre westerns." So yee-haw, heigh-ho Silver, and away to L.A. I go.

I'll be sitting at a table with my friend Laurie Powers, who wrote/edited a heckuva nonfiction/memoir-style book--Pulp Writer: Twenty Years on Grub Street. The book concerns her search for information about her grandfather Paul S. Powers, a Western pulp fiction writer during the 1930s and 1940s. A goodly chunk of the book includes her grandfather's never-published-until-now memoir. Pulp Writer got a STARRED REVIEW from Booklist, and excellent reviews from L.A. Times and elsewhere. She's put up a great website ... right here. Check it out.

Reverse Engines! Blogging on Mondays...

2007-11-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

I'm no longer "Tuesday's Child" on the Lady Killers blog, but "Monday's Child." So look for me next Monday, I'll be there! ... I think ...

Ladykillers blog

2007-11-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

I've joined the Lady Killers blog. Other bloggers include Rhys Bowen, Jane Finnis, Carola Dunn, Mary Anna Evans, Cara Black, and Sharan Newman. Tuesday's my day ... hope you'll drop by and take a look.

IRON TIES wins a Colorado Book Award

2007-11-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yes indeedy, it did. And I've got the gold stickers and a wonderful plaque to prove it wasn't a dream.

Awards in ten categories were announced and presented last Wednesday evening, October 17. You can find all the winners listed here.

It was an amazing evening, and I'm just glad that I had the presence of mind to thank my family, the folks of Leadville, and my publisher Poisoned Pen Press. I had a goodly contingent of my Colorado extended family there as well, which made it even more special.