Literary Paris

by Kimberley Cameron

Kimberley Cameron & Associates

The photo you see to your left is one I took today with my iPhone through a window of one of the many Anciennes Livres (bookstores) that line the streets of Paris. It's refreshing to see the reverence one finds for the written word - viewing this antique printing press is one of the many pleasures from which I profit, living in this stimulating and delightful city. People are reading everywhere. The buses are full and no one is idle - they are reading newspapers, books, journals, or writing on their laptops and notebooks. Haven't spotted a Kindle yet. The covers of the books are subtle - just the title of the book, usually in black and white, that entice one to pay attention to the content. No ostentatious book covers in these windows. Book signings abound, and I've been to several in the month that I've been here. Venues such as The American Library, The Village Voice, Shakespeare & CO, and yes, even The San Francisco Book Company are but a few that host and promote authors and support the expat literary community. There are also numerous writing groups in Paris. It is an ideal city in which to write, as the atmosphere is thick with the ghosts of ancient scribes. I'm having lunch on Sunday at La Closerie des Lilas, opened in 1847. The voices of Rimbaud, Jean-Paul Sartre. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, etc. are but a few the authors that echo within. Paris is a city of dreams... And, oui, I'm reading manuscripts like crazy while I'm here, looking for that new voice.

Kimberley in Paris, 30 Octobre, 2009

From Bouchercon with Love (with guest blogger Rebecca Cantrell)

I (Elizabeth) often tell writers and agent friends that the mystery community is one of the most fun, supportive groups around.  It's one of the reasons I choose to rep the genre.  To say it's a lively bunch is a serious understatement.  Past experiences at the Book Passage Mystery Conference in Corte Madera, CA and Thrillerfest in NYC have taught me to expect some wild nights and pack my Advil for the next morning.  This is an incredibly welcoming group, with legendary, award-winning writers embracing newcomers, everyone offering advice and enthusiasm.  I enjoy their company immensely.   

The Bouchercon World Mystery Convention took place in Indianapolis earlier this month and I asked my mystery client Rebecca Cantrell (author of the A Trace of Smoke and other forthcoming titles in the Hannah Vogel series) to report from the front lines.

 

Books!

I love readers. I grew up in a family of readers, but once I entered school I discovered that most of my classmates did not yearn to sneak away and read during recess. They wanted to play soccer or Frisbee or jump rope. I was aghast, but muddled through, convinced that I was the last reader left in the world.

Then I grew up, wrote books, and discovered conferences, most recently Bouchercon. Unlike my elementary school, Bouchercon is full of people who love to read. Everyone read under their covers at night, everyone knows fictional characters that are more influential than real ones, and everyone wants to talk about their favorite books.

Where else can you have a passionate discussion about the merits of cover art before you even order lunch? (Sorry about that, Dan) Or last thing before you stumble off to bed? (You know who you are, David Liss and Reece Hirsch) Books matter and their covers matter too. And not just to me.

Where else can you have a serious discussion on the effects of war on characters in crime fiction to a standing room only crowd when the lunch hour is barely over? (Thanks, Suzanne Arruda, Charles Todd, James Benn, and Martin Limon, fellow panelmates).

Where else could I meet my delightful editor, Kristin Sevick, and fellow Tor authors, including the charming Loren Estelmann, Tony-the-man-who-knows-literally-everyone-Hays (I should have introduced him to Kelli-the-woman-who-knows-everyone-Stanley) and have a fascinating conversation with Mitchell Graham about fencing and the silver medalist at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (Helene Mayer, also the only Jewish athlete competing for Germany, someone whom Mitchell had actually met in person).

I signed countless books (OK, it was 88), and talked to writers and readers until the wee hours. All of this helped get me through the six hour time difference. Getting up at 2:30 in the morning my time to get over to the book bazaar required iron discipline and old-fashioned caffeine. It was worth it when I got there to see folks lined up, anxious for a chance to get free books. Books, books, books!

It was like coming home.

 

Aloha,

Rebecca Cantrell - www.rebeccacantrell.com

"A Trace of Smoke"

Forge Books May 2009

 

Change is in the Air...

It’s officially fall now and change is in the air. As you may have noticed, we at Reece Halsey have been brewing up some changes of our own that we’re excited to share with you...

We’re pleased to announce that Reece Halsey North, Reece Halsey New York, and Reece Halsey Paris have become one entity, under the new name of Kimberley Cameron & Associates. Though we’ve all been proud to carry on the legacy of Reece and Dorris Halsey and the legendary authors they represented under the Reece Halsey moniker, we feel our current team is poised for a new identity.

To go along with this transition, we are happy to welcome you to our new e-home at www.kimberleycameron.com. We are all very excited to show a fresh face to the industry, and we look forward to working with you under our new banner.

To quote the late John F. Kennedy: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”