Michael Connolly greeting a fan

Lisa Unger and me

So here I am in Key West, Florida at a four-day literary seminar featuring some of the most famous and respected mystery writers in America. We are hanging with Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Thomas Cook, James Hall, Alafair Burke, and Lisa Unger. We even met the former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins whom we now will follow. The only guy missing is Neil Plakcy, a personal friend who writes gay- or dog-oriented mystery novels. The theme of the Key West Literary Seminar is “The Dark Side” because most of the authors like to write about murder, hideous crimes, and troubled folks. Even Billy Collins has poems from the grave.

Eliot is one of the largest mystery book collectors in the country. We have books everywhere. He treats his books like he would a mistress. He puts them on display and stares at them every chance he gets. He also reads at least a book a week, sometimes two or three. That is why our daughter Whitney gifted the seminar to us. She knew Eliot would love meeting all of his favorite authors and I would pick up writing tips.

It was totally weird to meet 200 folks just like Eliot. They all live for the mystery, some fiction, some the real deal. While many people in the audience read e-books, they tend to prefer the paper kind. These are the folks who traveled from all over the country to be in attendance. I was really amazed how many single women in their 50s and 60s showed up on their own. Most of the audience was 50-plus. The real shocker was how many folks who are successful doctors, lawyers, teachers, and general business people want to be writers. Many have written unpublished books; others needed guidance. It was really inspiring to meet so many senior folks who still feel like they have a chance at a second career.

They are also the ones who feel that future generations will be just as interested in writing and reading as they are today. They don’t feel short forms of communication like texting and Twitter will kill the art of writing. They said that was the same question posed with the arrival of television, movies, video games, and iTunes.

There will always be many who want to read and write. Hopefully, with the advent of new delivery systems such as smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices, future writers will have greater opportunity to be published then ever before.