 |
Here's Robert with Tina Pinelli and her super-charged Spider-powered victim hauler! Tina spent the Festival driving terrified authors across the UCLA campus at breakneck speeds. We didn't see her run down anyone! Honest! |
 |
Check out this mob of readers lined up at the Brentano's/Waldenbooks booth. Robert is somewhere behind them. |
 |
RobertCrais.Com Forum regulars (also known as Craisies!) often gather at the LA Times Festival of Books. The hot chick in the center of this shot is none other than our own RobertCrais.Com website manager, Carol T, who took most of these photographs. Left to right: Nonny, Betsy, CT, Tris, and Charmaine. This year's Festival was the first for Carol and Charmaine. |
 |
Stud patrol! Well, okay, this is actually Robert's panel. L to R, Stuart Woods, RC, Barry Siegel, and Martin J. Smith. Barry, who moderated the panel, won a Pulitzer Prize for feature journalism only the week before. Wow. |
 |
Here's Robert signing after his panel appearance. Don't believe the
rumors--he isn't wearing the Duke cap because he's going bald! RC loves the Blue Devils! |
 |
Robert signed at The Mystery Bookstore booth, then hung out with some well-known troublemakers. L to R: Nonny, Betsy, Tris, RC, Charmaine, and Elyse.
|
 |
The Festival draws writers from around the world, and Robert enjoys the opportunity to meet the people whose work he admires. Robert was a total fanboy when he met the legendary Donald Westlake, author of the Dortmunder caper novels and suspense books about the professional criminal, Parker (written under the pen name Richard Stark.)
|
 |
Elizabeth George and RC on the balcony outside the writer's "green room" at UCLA. |
 |
The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were presented on the first night of the Festival. At the reception following the ceremony, Robert met LA news anchor and author Kelly Lange.
|
 |
You'll recognize this guy: Michael Connelly. Mike and RC spent a few minutes catching up at the reception. |
 |
The usual suspects: Dick Lochte, Tom Nolan, and RC. Dick reviews mysteries for the LA Times and co-authors the Nikki Hill novels with Christopher Darden. Tom reviews for the Wall Street Journal and authored the definitive biography of Ross Macdonald.
|
 |
April Smith and Robert have been pals since their days on Cagney & Lacey. Note that April appears to be clutching her purse strap. She's probably worried that Robert will try to grab it and run.
|
 |
Robert with another southern California writer, T. Jefferson Parker. A few minutes before this picture was taken, Robert presented the Los Angeles Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller catagory to Jeff for his novel, Silent Joe, which also won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. Congratulations, Jeff! It's your year, buddy!
|
 |
Carol and RC vainly try to figure out their new digital Craisiecam. If Carol hadn't brought along her old film camera as a spare, this page would be blank! (photo by Tris)
|
