Photo Shoot for Ottawa At Home Magazine

The upcoming Winter Edition of Ottawa At Home magazine will be featuring Ottawa-area individuals who are reaching out for national and international success, and I'm pleased to be included in the feature by editor-in-chief Mary Taggart. As a result, I was at the Ottawa Convention Centre yesterday morning for the photo shoot for the issue.

It was a great deal of fun, and photographer Mark Holleron did an outstanding job setting a relaxed and informal tone so that my butterflies quickly went away as he and Mary put me through my paces.

I stuck around afterward to watch the next session, pictured above, with Ottawa entrepreneurs Stephen Bleeker and Janice McDonald. It was fascinating to watch editor and photographer work together to get just the right look for what Mary had in mind.

Photo by Mary Taggart

After the shoot I was pleased to sign a copy of The Fregoli Delusion for Mark, who told me he planned to take it to the beach on his upcoming vacation along with the latest John Grisham. Great company to keep!

So how did my shots turn out? Mark gave me a peek in the LCD screen, so I have an idea what they'll look like. However, you'll have to pick up the Winter issue of Ottawa At Home to find out for yourself!

Thanks very much to Mary Taggart for including me in this feature. You can find Ottawa At Home online at http://www.ottawaathome.ca/. Follow Mary on Twitter at @Ottawaathomemag.You can also find photographer Mark Holleron online at http://holleronphotography.com/.

Kicking Off the December Book-Signing Schedule

This past Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon at Britton's in the Glebe, 846 Bank St., in Ottawa, for the kick-off book-signing event for The Fregoli Delusion, the third Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel.

The event was hosted by Mr. Ted Britton, a very well-known businessman in the Glebe district, and scheduled by Linda Wiken, who is the manager of the Prime Crime Bookshelf in Britton's.

As you can see from the photo (I'm behind the camera), there's an incredible array of magazines offered in a very modest space. I've always been a magazine lover -- I love the look and feel of them -- and every time I'm in Britton's I'm mesmerized by the wide range on display. Everything from magazines specializing in whisky or tole painting or Christmas decorations to magazines on Buddhism. Magazines from around the world, and local magazines such as Ottawa at Home. While I was there, Mr. Britton fielded a call from someone in Toronto, hoping he stocked a specific magazine about wine. If I wanted to find a very esoteric publication, I'd call him, too!

As an author, I find this store to be a terrific venue for a book signing because the atmosphere is something special, and even if I didn't sell a single book I'd still consider it time very well spent. The traffic in and out the front door (which my table faced) is non-stop, with people coming in for newspapers from around the world, tobacco products, and the coffee at the front counter. Best of all, Mr. Britton seems to know everyone, and always takes the time to chat them up. Then, of course, there's the Prime Crime Bookshelf, which is tailor-made for my novels and features every other well-known local crime fiction author, including C.B. Forrest, Mary Jane Maffini, Brenda Chapman, and Erika Chase, to name a few, which draws many local crime fiction aficionados looking for their next read. For a people-watcher like me, it's enormously fun.

Thanks to Mr. Britton for his kindness and patience, to Linda Wiken for having me back to Britton's for a second time, and thanks to everyone who purchased a book or just stopped by to chat.

This coming Saturday, I'll be back in Ottawa looking for my name up in chalk once again as I sign copies of The Fregoli Delusion at Collected Works and Coffee Bar, 1242 Wellington St. West. Talk about a special atmosphere! I can't wait for this one.