What a great time we had at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), in an Alaska Book Week panel hosted by Rachel Epstein at the UAA Bookstore. It’s always revelatory to gather a gaggle of writers in one room, on the same panel, and “force” them to address the same questions. For most writers, it’s a chance to see how others work in a calling that is often a solitary pursuit. What a panel it was and, through the magic of technology, you can be there too with this wonderful podcast!
True Crime vs Perfect Crime: Podcast Link
NOTE: Search for “true crime vs” on the landing page. There’s a very long list of podcasts.
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Let me introduce our author panel:
Dana Stabenow is Alaska’s preeminent crime novelist, with her Kate Shugak mystery series leading the way. Of course, she’s much more than that… her imagination cannot be stopped! Her latest series takes us time travelling to ancient Egypt.
Keenan Powell is a real-life attorney whose Maeve Malloy series is set in the underbelly of Anchorage. It turns out that she once worked for attorney Phil Weidner, a defense attorney who plays a central role in “What Happened in Craig.” This would be a coincidence anywhere but Alaska, where it’s actually inevitable.
Tom Brennan is a veteran crime-writer who specializes in true-crime set in Alaska. I love it that he’s been in Alaska since 1967 — and still hasn’t lost touch with his New England “Yankee” dialect. I’m proud to call Brennan a good friend.
What I learned… Dana admires folks who write about true-crime — but wouldn’t attempt it herself, because it’s too disturbing… Keenan Powell likes crime fiction because she doesn’t have to deal with all the loose ends and inconvenient truths that are a given of the genre… Tom Brennan made the move to true-crime after writing a collection of Alaska humor. Sample: an indignant tourist hears about moose droppings and wants to know from what height the moose are dropped.
Biggest takeaway: the mindshare of Alaska is so vast that the state is always a protagonist in books set there — no matter the genre.
Order “What Happened In Craig,” HERE and HERE, true crime from Epicenter Press about Alaska’s Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.