IFOA

Partly cloudy, cool, temps 10

Terrific flight yesterday...air canada. got the emergency exit - three seats in a row and no one in the middle seat, so Michael and I were able to share the row, just ourselves. What a difference that makes on a long flight. Well, not that long. 4.5 hours. But long enough. Air Canada has upgraded most of it's fleet, so on longer flights every seat has it's own television. So I watched Entourage and Modern Family all across the continent.

Smart enough to buy sandwiches and soft drinks...then we had a nice picnic at 39,000 feet. Quite fun. Arrived to minus 4 degrees in Toronto and a minor snowstorm just north of the city. Snuck in just in time!

The International Festival of Authors is a magnificent literary festival. The current artistic director, Geoffrey Taylor, began getting crime fiction writers on the schedule a few years ago, and has quietly added to their importance. Sending the subversive message that good crime fiction is good literature. that there is no border between literary fiction and crime fiction. And this year, bless his soul, he's made Noir a theme!

the other thing I adore about Geoffrey is he's one of the few literary types who recognizes that my books are on the surface bright and shiny...but beneath that is a streak of darkness. But at their heart - hidden under it all - is hope. And kindness. That noir and blanche live together, naturally. And need each other.

It's a great pleasure to be here, and be a part of this revolution. Peter Robinson, Lisa Scottoline, Giles Blunt, Jeff Lindsay, RJ Ellory, Peter James and others standing up and letting our literary voices join those of Michael Cunningham, Emma Donoghue, Jonathan Frazen etc.

Besides - it's just plain fun.

Have a noon signing tomorrow with Lisa Scottoline at the Indigo bookstore at the Manulife Centre - then a reading at 8pm at the IFOA. Then a roundtable discussion on Sunday at the IFOA with Anne Emery, John Lawton, and Lisa - moderated by a terrific Canadian crime writer, Andrew Pyper.

It's funny, but as wonderful, magical, generous as San Francosco was - there's something special about being here. It has surprised me. I wonder if it's just being back in Canada - or being at the IFOA... a familiarity issue. Being this close to home.

I think it might just be familiarity. As much fun as this tour, and as kind as everyone has been, what gets tiring for me is never being anyplace familiar. Every place is new. That can be exciting...but given my personality, after a while I really just want home. or, if not home, then places I recognize. Like here.

Of course, I might just be nuts.

Speak to you tomorrow. Hope to see you at one of the events. Have a great weekend!