Excerpt: ORPHAN X, by Gregg Hurwitz

Left Coast Crime 2016 is thrilled to have bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz as our American Guest of Honor. We're especially excited that he's shared a special excerpt of his new release, Orphan X, the exciting start of a new series. Read on ... and make sure to get Gregg to sign your copy in Phoenix!

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Get more information about Gregg and Orphan X on his site, and be sure to register for LCC to see him and our other fantastic Guests of Honor!

Five Questions with Gregg Hurwitz

Left Coast Crime 2016, The Great Cactus Caper, is fortunate to honor four wonderful Guests of Honor (officially, three plus a Toastmaster). We thought we'd sit down over virtual cups of tea or coffee and get to know each one a little bit. Our third guest is our American Guest of Honor, Gregg Hurwitz.

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LCC: What do you especially like about Left Coast Crime?
Gregg: I love that LCC has all the punch of a big convention while feeling much more... intimate. Some of my most memorable conversations—with readers and authors alike—happen in between panels, in the book room, at the bar. My favorite memory was when I interviewed Lee Child in 2010 and threw him some pretty funny curveballs, which he swatted back with his usual wit and aplomb.

Plus I like that all the gigs take place on this half of the country.


 
How do you feel about being a Guest of Honor?
​Delighted! It's pretty special to be recognized in this way by a crew of hardcore, no-messin'-around crime fiction lovers. You guys are my people.

What are you looking forward to at LCC Phoenix?
Talking books with readers. I love hearing about what new stuff you guys are passionate about, which new authors you're falling in love with. I enjoy seeing friends I haven't caught up with in a while. And of course meeting writers I admire and readers I appreciate. ​

What should fans, readers, fellow writers know about you?
Love bourbon. Hate sock puppets. Bad sense of direction (see ya in Tucson!). ​Two opposable thumbs. Oh—and there's nothing I'd rather be doing in the world than writing books.

What would you say to new attendees to LCC?
Welcome! We're a nice group and most of us don't bite. Please don't be shy—go up and talk to your favorite writers. Ask questions. If you're an aspiring writer, get advice. Buy lots of books, especially those of writers just starting out. There's an amazing list of novelists on the docket this year. 

A Tale of the Season

by Rochelle Staab, LCC2016 Member at Large

‘Twas a month of holidays, and inside my house,

My new mystery struggled with each move of my mouse.

Characters argued on the Word doc with glares,

In hopes that a third act soon would be there.

A killer was loose, the victim was dead,

But visions of a Lefty fled from my head.

The first act was brilliant, the second was crap,

What I needed was a respite from my creative gap.

The front of my mind was filled with such blather,

I sprang from my desk to shake off the chatter.

Away to the kitchen I flew in a flash,

Tore open a beer, and felt like trash.

The foam on the rim of my just-poured brew,

Brought visions of bar chats with the old writing crew.

And what to my sadly blocked mind should appear?

A banquet hall podium, and a room filled with cheer!

Toastmaster Catriona, so lively and genius,

I knew in a minute it was Left Coast Crime Phoenix!

With rapid determination, my goal so plain,

I flew back to the computer and registered my name!

New panels! Fun receptions! The free books are swell!

See Hurwitz and Cleeves! Chat up Catriona and Chantelle!

An escape from cold weather at the bar in the Hyatt!

I’ll dash off to Phoenix! Left Coast Crime is a riot!

In February my smile will be wide as a bow,

In the Arizona climate instead of the snow.

I’ll be with friends in the lobby, acting my jolly old self.

I laughed when I thought of it, in spite of myself!

In a wink of the eye, plot lines filled my head,

I wrote late into the night with nothing to dread.

With the promise of a break, my block was cleared.

Relieved, in a twinkling, my third act appeared.

As I rewrote Act Two, and worked to The End,

I couldn’t believe the novel I had penned.

My eyes had a twinkle! My attitude zesty!

I finished a story worthy of a Lefty!

I spoke not a word, glued to my work.

I finished the editing, then turned with a jerk.

Santa winked with a smile at my brilliant new prose,

With a reassuring nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like a targeted missile.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight:

“And that, my friend, is why this season every writer should gift himself with a registration to 2016 Left Coast Crime in Phoenix. February? Arizona? No brainer.”