How to be a TERRIFIC Moderator

One of my author friends just emailed me with this compliment: "Last year I saw you moderate a panel (I think it was at Malice), and your panelists were very intelligent, famous, witty women. You did an incredible job moderating. You were articulate, funny, and you have each one of them an opportunity to shine." She went on to ask me for any advice I could give her, since she's been tapped to moderate a panel at a writers' conference.

So here's my best stuff...

               1. Drink warm or room temp water. Cold water strains your voice and makes you screech. Sounds petty, but it helps.

               2. I introduced my panelists myself--and sometimes edited the intros they gave me. Usually if you let them do their own intros, they hurry through the good parts, mumble, and/or act like a mic hog. Also, you can spice up their intros and really emphasize their accomplishments while separating out the dreck. But DO make sure you know how to pronounce their names. ALWAYS speak the intro out loud a couple of times before your panel. Mouth memory is different from sight memory.

               3. Get lucky. Good panels have fun ideas to contribute...but I suggest you prod the authors and ask them for any help/thoughts/ideas they might offer.

               4. I told the panelists, "The point of this is to entertain. It's not for me to be in charge. So if you have a question for each other, or whatever, go for it."

               5. Google them. Look at their websites. The books are only part of the story. Listen to any previous interviews.

               6. Relax. Remember, the audience sincerely WANTS you to succeed. They don't want or care if you are perfect. They just want to have fun.

               7. Find out if the panelists know each other and try to get them to tell stories on each other. Interaction among them helps.

               8. Don't be afraid to get involved. People are curious about you, too. As long as you don't hog the mic, you can add your insights. The trick is...can you amplify something the

they've said? Can you expand on it? If so, the crowd will usually be okay with your interjection.

               9. If you are worried about Q and A afterwards, write up questions on index cards and sprinkle them through the audience. People love to help.

               10. Every author has an "oh, crap" moment. A time when he/she thought, "I'm going nowhere." That usually makes for a great session commentary.

               11. Have fun. Yup. If you are having fun, everyone else will have fun, too. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? You could puke. (George Bush senior did that at dinner with the Chinese.) You could faint. (Elizabeth Lyons did that at SinC into Great Writing.) You could screw up someone's name or a book title. (An announcer at Barnes and Noble said I was there to sign copies of the "Scrap and CRAP" mystery series.) You'll live through it. Besides, you're a writer (or a fan), for goodness sake. You aren't auditioning for late night TV!

               12. Immediately before the panel, go through the audience and introduce yourself to the members. They'll love you for it. It's hard, so hand out bookmarks as a "crutch," but it pays HUGE dividends.

Did any of you see my panel at Malice? What do you think about my list?

Why I Go To Conferences and Other Events

While I was at Malice, a friend who is a New York Times bestselling author told me that her agent said, "At this point in your career, you no longer need to do personal appearances."

Wow.

I don't know what to think about that. I mean, I understand. At a certain point, your name is well-known and the bookstores are delighted to stock your books. So, I guess you don't have to do so much to promote yourself.

But...I get a lot out of conferences. Oh, sure, I'm still tired and I'm terribly behind. But, I had learned about a new sort of book on tape at the Howard County Library, I met some authors who I hope will become friends, I re-kindled my friendship with other authors, a group of us discussed promotional methods that work, I had the chance to brainstorm a plot with Casey Daniels as we drove to Festival of Mystery, I chatted with another NYT bestseller about when to switch agents and why you should ignore some advice from your author friends, I visited a college bookstore that will now carry my books, I moved a lot of books (the bookstores at Malice sold out of my books and Mystery Lovers sold a lot of copies as well), and I spent time with my fans. Whew.

So faced with the pile up on my desk, I wondered: Did I spend my time wisely?

Then I sent an email to Charlaine Harris asking for a favor. She emailed me that she'd get back to me after she returned home from her tour.

Her tour?

Gee. If Charlaine Harris thinks it's still important to "circulate," shouldn't I be out there pressing the flesh, too? I mean, you can't get any more popular than Charlaine!


Here I am with my Midnight Ink brothers and sisters at Malice before the big dinner.



That's me begging forgiveness from Meredith Cole. I left her out of the list of people who were at the Mysterious Women panel at Howard County Library. And she was sitting right next to me. How ditzy is that? Meredith wrote Posed for Murder, which is about a photographer in New York who becomes embroiled in real life murders when her fantasy pictures are recreated by a killer.



Deb Sharp is one of my favorite people. She writes the "Mama" series. The upcoming one is Mama Gets Hitched. Deb explains, "Mama likes getting married so much that she's doing it again for the fifth time!" As a former journalist, she's committed to doing her research. For one book, she rode a horse across central Florida.



Jan, one of my Pittsburgh fans, made the Stovetop Cookies from my website. Need I confess I gobbled them down on the ride back to D.C.?



I love photos of doors. This one of a church in Pittsburgh was particularly appealing.

Love Crafts and Mysteries? Malice is for YOU!

If you love mysteries and crafts, you won’t want to miss Malice Domestic, Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. Mystery authors from all over the world will gather to meet their fans and talk about their books. Plus, there’s a live auction with cool stuff. Here’s a sampling--

* A collection of Peel & Stick stamps, a certificate for a free personalized stamp, and 7 colorful ink cartridges---a $400 retail value!

* A customized, one-of-a-kind scrapbook page by Joanna Campbell Slan, author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. (Priceless. One like it sold last year for $140.)

* A basket from the Killer Hobbies blog sisters. There are 16 great books in this basket, and all sorts of crafting supplies. You’ll have tons of fun keeping busy with the KH Blog Sisters’ loot! Valued at $200.

(I'll post a photo of the customized page and the KH Blog Sisters' loot soon!)

A day pass is only $125. The Saturday pass includes the chance to bid in the live auction and the Agatha Banquet (only a few seats are left). The Sunday pass includes the Agatha Tea. Go to registrar@malicedomestic.org to sign up.

Authors attending will include Dorothy Cannell, Katherine Hall Page, JoAnna Carl, Elaine Viets, Rhys Bowen, and Mary Higgins Clark. For a full list of the authors go to http://www.malicedomestic.org/registeredauthors.html

My Malice Auction Offering

I'm not sure how well you can see this, but...this is the customized scrapbook page I created to have auctioned off at Malice this weekend. Inside the small album is room for 8 photos (4" x 6" size). The cover of the album is sewn with sequins sprinkled throughout. The papers were customized and colored just for this, and the "not everyone's cup of tea" paper was custom made. The upper right with its overlapping letters pays homage to Agatha Christie's many books. The three red drops of blood lower right are in homage to the Killer Hobbies blog in which I participate. The tea bag on the left has glitter "inside." Agatha's portrait was sewn on by hand. The name of my book--Paper, Scissors, Death--appears on the page. And the tea cup is the official emblem of Malice Domestic.

The Malice Domestic live auction benefits the John I. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, for the treatment of severely emotionally disturbed young people. The dollars raised each year supplements the budget for enrichment programs, such as fostering the enjoyment of reading.

I'm also offering to review three chapters of someone's manuscript.

Last week, the naming rights to a character in Book #3 of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series fetched in excess of $500 (we think it was $750, but we can't confirm that yet) for the Guardian Angel group here in St. Louis.

Listening Can Yield Terrific Marketing Ideas--Here's How

We all know people get nervous when they get up to speak. Shoot, I worked as a professional speaker, and I can tell you that even the highly paid pro's get wobbly knees.

But often in our unguarded moments, truths are shared. Here's the intro I received a couple days ago--and remember, the protagonist in Paper, Scissors, Death is a scrapbooker named Kiki Lowenstein:

"I want to introduce to you Joanna Campbell Slan, our speaker. I can tell you after reading her book that I think she's KINKY."

Uh, right.

She meant to say, "Kiki," but we all had a bit of a laugh. Even she snickered when she realized what she'd said.

So I got to thinking, and I came up with these fab buttons to give away at Malice Domestic. I'd love to hear what you think of them!

The point? We need to listen. Hearing what our readers think or what tickles them or excites them is valuable stuff. Remember: They pay marketing firms BIG bucks to ask questions. We should do the same as we visit with our readers.

Cozy Armchair Winners and Paper, Scissors, Death Receives Agatha Nomination for Best First Novel

Do you remember when Sally Field held up her statue of Oscar and said with wonder, "You like me!"

I'm having my own little Sally moment.

How long did it take me to write Paper, Scissors, Death? It took 55 long years. I started writing when I was in grade school. Won my first award in high school. Put myself through college writing and teaching other students to write. Supported myself through a bad marriage with my writing skills. Well...it's been a long, long journey.

To celebrate, this morning I pulled three entries from a contest I ran with the Cozy Armchair Group--each will get a copy of the book:

Mare of Winsted CT
Dee of Great Falls MT
Krista of Wichita KS

I put my all into Kiki Lowenstein. I wanted her to be bright, funny, vulnerable, likeable, and definitely flawed. I made her a little overweight. A lot self-conscious. And sometimes too trusting.

I made Mert the best friend a girl could ever have. Full of common sense. No nonsense. Protective. Multi-talented.

I gave Dodie all the qualities Kiki lacks--a sharp business mind and a clear understanding of what it takes to make your way in the world.

I created Detweiler in the image of my wonderful husband (ahem! I learned from that first mistake). He's thoughtful, all-guy, and he can be very sternly professional. But he also adores Kiki with all his heart.

I invented Anya as a female version of my son. Very smart, a wise-cracker, and a kid you can't put anything over on.

And finally, dear, dear Gracie is a combination of all the Great Danes and one Bichon I've loved and lost. She's that incredibly loyal dog who would give her life for the family she loves.

Thank you, all of you, for loving my fictional family back.

In return, I promise you more adventures, more fun, more thrills--and always my very best--

Joanna