L.A. TIMES Festival of Books Highlights, Part 1

This past weekend was the annual L.A. Times Festival of Books held on the UCLA campus. As usual, the Mystery Bookstore kicked off the festivities with their party Friday night, where authors and fans can schmooze and booze. Normally, I’d rather be thrown out of a speeding car than be subjected to large crowds, but I had a fantastic time because I got to meet some incredible people.

From L.: me, Christine, Jen. Photo by Brett Battles

I have to mention two in particular:  Jen Forbus and Christine, who regularly liven up this site with their insightful, witty comments and have become my cyber pals. They flew in from Ohio and Tennessee, respectively, and are even more spectacular in person. We officially met at the party but I felt like I’d known them for years. They’re the kind of people who make me want to be better.

It would take me 27 days to recap all the fun I had so I’ll just share a few things I found out this weekend (Jen has a more detailed report on the party here). I also put together a slide show here and for even more party photos, click on le0pard13’s post here.

Some tidbits I learned from the party and book festival:

• Michael Connelly‘s next book, The Reversal, has defense attorney Mickey Haller in a prosecutorial role (Harry Bosch is also in it; the novel comes out this October).
• Sophie Littlefield is 8′ 5″ in heels and owns it. You also have to stand in line to talk to her at parties because she’s so popular and has every reason to be.
• Like me, Brett Battles hates it when characters repeatedly address each other by name in conversation.
• T. Jefferson Parker’s fourth Charlie Hood novel, The Border Lords, is slated for release January 2011.
• Juliet Blackwell speaks Vietnamese.
• Reed Farrel Coleman says he writes good sex scenes.
• Lisa Lutz‘s next book, a standalone, sounds really cool; the writing process she used is interesting (don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it yet). Putnam’s releasing it next year.
• According to Connelly, Robert Crais is only on his first station of manhood.
• Dipping cheese cubes into dip is too much.
• le0pard13‘s son, little le0pard, is going to be as awesome a man as his dad.
• Gregg Hurwitz has an impressive eye for fashion accessories.
• After The Sentry, another Joe Pike adventure (available early next year), Crais will write an Elvis Cole novel.

OK, my bed just called and my exhausted self said, “Coming!” Check out the slide show, featuring photographic evidence of rampant misbehavior, only some of which was mine.