The Edgars in Bulletpoints

And possibly in chronological order, but not really:

• Boy, there were a whole lot of tuxedos this year. I wonder what the proportion was of rented versus bought.
• Dave White has wicked cool ARCs and even better faux pas.
• I still think Jerry Orbach was a better host, but having had more time to think about it, Al Roker did a pretty good job. I just don't think he'll be repeating duties.
• It ended at 9:45. These things NEVER end before 10. No wonder the bar afterwards was so damn crowded.
• When it comes to brokering introductions, I have no shame.
• Stephen King deserved both standing ovations. Donald Westlake deserved the first one. So what seemed a bit of a gaffe worked out very well.
• I could listen to Westlake talk for hours.
• King's speech: short, eloquent, passionate about genre ("anyone who says this isn't mainstream fiction is saying bullshit") and very much what the room needed to hear. Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry's intro was pretty funny.
• The video clip of King performing with the Rock Bottom Remainders: priceless. His voice is a little Shel Silverstein-ish, actually.
• Sandra Brown co-presented the best first awards and after it was over, Roker cracked "Janet Evanovich wants her hair back."
• There aren't too many Best First winners who thank a trio of editors, but Alex Berenson thanked Jonathan Karp (acquired, then left to form his own imprint, Twelve) Mark Tavani (editor of record for THE FAITHFUL SPY) and Neil Nyren (Berenson's new editor at Putnam.)
• Berenson also was the beneficiary of the broken Edgar -the award split in two just before the nominees were introduced.
• Cornelia Read to Berenson during the cocktail hour: "if I have to lose it should be to you because your book was amazing."
• I will never think of sparkles quite the same way again.
• Where there was Sam Tanenhaus, there was Dori Weintraub.
• It was good to see Richard Abate on more festive terms. (And I so called MANHUNT to win.)
• Charles Ardai sold his first story to EQMM at the ripe old age of 17. Goddamn. It was great to see him win though.
• Did anyone but anyone pick Jason Goodwin? But Sarah Crichton's speech was refreshingly candid (she admitted she didn't expect him to win and dissauded Goodwin from flying over from England) and she was understandably thrilled. Hope she did reach him by cell phone though...
• Best dressed: is it terrible that I wasn't paying much attention? Naomi Novik's dress was great and Twist Phelan had a gorgeous red Vera Wang frock. Regina Harvey looked fab in her black pantsuit and I really liked Cornelia's tux (though I don't know how she breathed, I really don't.) Same with Rebecca Pawel's wine-colored dress and oh, I guess I was paying attention...
• There ain't nobody like Kelly Lange.
• By staying late at the Hyatt bar, I got to see a fight break out. And watch Barry Eisler (among others) be among those to break it up.
• Department of Small World: I first met Jonathan Hayes five years ago when I interned with the ME's Office (medicolegal investigations unit) halfway through my graduate school degree. Flash forward and he's attending his first Edgars in advance of the publication of his first novel this November. I don't know everybody, but sometimes it does feel like it...

Comments

[Ali]

Good stuff Sarah,

And a fight breakout......Good to see Barry intervene....please tell more

Ali

[MJ]

I cant' beleive I missed that party - it sounds amazing.

I was at the cocktail party the night before and Sarah - walked over to say hello to you only to see you leaving just before I got close enough to shout out.

And what fight? Who fought? Please dish!

[Dave White]

Somehow when I imagine Barry Eisler breaking up a fight, I imagine it as if filmed by John Woo.

[Brian Thornton]

Interesting tidbit about the fight. I'll look forward to getting the skinny on that as it trickles in from the various corners of the Net.

As for the question of who picked Jason Goodwin to win for THE JANISSARY TREE, that would have been *me*.

Not that I blog, or review, or that anyone ought to pay even the slightest attention to my opinion on matters literary, but I picked Goodwin as the one that ought to have won (as I did Al Guthrie for last year's Egdar, based on the strength of KISS HER GOODBYE, although, being a Spokane boy, it's awfully tough to argue with CITIZEN VINCE, in hind-sight).

So I thought Goodwin *should* win, but thought that Bayard *would* win, based on the buzz about both MR TIMOTHY and A PALE BLUE EYE (which I quite liked). For what it's worth, I came to Goodwin's fiction indirectly, because I was initially a fan of his non-fiction, particularly his book on tea, and the terrific LORDS OF THE HORIZONS: A HISTORY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, where he shows his training as a travel writer to splendid effect.

I am very pleased for Mr. Goodwin, and I cannot help but think that this Edgar can only boost the sales of his next book: THE SNAKE STONE, which comes out this June.

I know I'll be reading it!

All the Best-

Brian

[Robert Gregory Browne]

There are very few people who are capable of rendering me start struck, but if I were to be able to get just a glimpse of Donald Westlake, let alone hear him speak, I would be numb with excitement.

Westlake, of course, has been my writing hero (and teacher) since I was thirteen years old and read his serialized novel SOMEBODY OWES ME MONEY in Playboy.

I envy those of you who got to spend time with the man.

Okay, enough fan boy stuff.

Congratulations have to go out to my friend Naomi Hirahara for her win!

[Brian Thornton]

I for one envy Robert for getting to read PLAYBOY at 13.

[David Terrenoire]

Westlake.

I am in awe merely being within two degrees of separation.

[Cameron Hughes]

I've respected King for a long time for his fight in making genre fiction respectable.

And am I reading this wrong, or did Westlake not get the love he deserved? That is horrifying

[Kate Pepper]

I went to the cocktail party on Wednesday (as you know) and was also able to listen to the excellent panelists at the Symposium before the party. So many of the panelists were so great. Donald Westlake and Stephen King were especially amazing... listening to them made me feel, well, better about life/work as a writer which can have so many wrong ideas attached to it, and these guys have gotten it so right. And now your descriptions of the Edgars makes me wish I'd sprung for a ticket. You make it sound like so much fun! Thanks for sharing....

[ed]

Fight? Why didn't you tell ME about THAT?

[Cornelia Read]

Sparkles. Heh.

THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! Sarah, your dress was a knockout, as usual.

And I am so hungover...

[AS Meredith]

Meant to writer earlier to thank you for the great write-up. It's almost like being there...