news from author Ellen Crosby

Updates from Ellen
Signings
Interviews
The Merlot Murders Photo Gallery
The Chardonnay Charade Photo Gallery

Coming July 29: The Chardonnay Charade in paperback.

Coming August 5: The Bordeaux Betrayal

Check this page often for the latest information on signings, interviews and other events.

Signing & Events for The Bordeaux Betrayal

August 9, 2008, Middleburg, Virginia.
Books and Crannies. 19 E. Washington St. (540) 687-6677. 11:30-1 pm Join Ellen for brunch and a discussion. Tickets $35; space limited -- please call the store for reservations. 1:30-3:30 pm, author talk and signing.

August 12, 2008. Falls Church, Virginia.
INOVA Fairfax Hospital, 3300 Gallows Road. Book signing (Books and Crannies of Middleburg will be on hand to sell books). Check back for more details.

August 14, 2008. Newark, Delaware.
Barnes & Noble. 101 Geoffrey Drive, (302) 366-8144. Talk & signing, 7pm.

August 16, 2008, Oxford, Maryland.
Mystery Loves Company. 202 S. Morris Street. (410) 226-0010. Book signing and wine tasting, 1-3pm.

August 17, 2008. Middleburg, Virginia.
Swedenburg Estate Vineyard. 23595 Winery Lane. Middleburg, VA. 20117. (540) 687-5219. Book signing, 12-5pm.

August 23, 2008, Richmond, Virginia.
Creatures ‘n Crooks Bookshoppe. 3156 West Cary Street. (804) 340-0277. 2-4pm with authors Donna Andrews, Ellen Byerrum, and G.M. Malliet.

August 24, 2008, Keswick, Virginia.
Keswick Vineyards. 1575 Keswick Winery Drive. (434) 244-3341 Book signing 12-4pm.

August 26, 2008. Houston, Texas.
Murder by the Book. 2342 Bissonnet Street, (713) 524-8597. Talk and signing, 6:30pm. Details to come.

September 11, 2008. Reston, Virginia.
Barnes & Noble. Spectrum Center, 1851 Fountain Drive. (703) 437-9490. 7pm. Discussion and signing. 7pm.

September 13, 2008, Delaplane, Virginia.
Three Fox Vineyards. Three Fox Lane (at the intersection of Rokeby Road and U.S. Route 17). (540) 364-6073. Book signing, 12-5pm.

October 4, 2008. Delaplane, Virginia.
Barrel Oak Winery. 3623 Grove Lane. This brand new state-of-the-art winery will host its grand opening on Memorial Day Weekend. Come meet owners Sharon and Brian Roeder and winemaker Rick Tagg, Ellen’s new technical advisor for the wine country series. Check back for signing details.

October 8-12, 2008. Baltimore, Maryland.
Bouchercon Mystery Conference.

December 7, 2008, Annapolis, Maryland.
Fundraiser for the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Read Between the Wines. Loews Annapolis Hotel 126 West Street, Annapolis. More information to come.

Interviews & Articles

Check out VABooks!, a monthly column sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' Center for the Book which features reading recommendations by Virginia authors on books they've loved or that have been somehow life-changing. Read Ellen's essay on Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird here, and check out some of the other great selections here.

Writing The Wine Country Mysteries: The History Behind The Mystery

Eye on Books with Bill Thompson -- listen to Ellen’s interview regarding The Chardonnay Charade .

Listen to Ellen’s interview with Beth Foxwell, host of the weekly radio show "It’s A Mystery" on WEBR in Fairfax, Virginia.

Click on the photo
for a high-resolution image.
photo credit: © Marcia Talley

Listen to Ellen’s interview on BookCast, sponsored by the Fairfax County Virginia Public Library.

Read Ellen's article from the January 2007 edition of Mystery Writers of America's newsletter The Third Degree.

Mystery Readers Journal. From the Academic Mysteries 101 Fall 2006 issue. Thomas Jefferson's Passions -- Wine & the University of Virginia (PDF)

Eye on Books with Bill Thompson -- listen to Ellen’s interview on The Bookcast. (Audio courtesy of www.thebookcast.com) Listen to the MP3 by clicking on the link, or by right clicking to save the file to your computer and then opening it through your media player.

Interested in more background information about The Merlot Murders? Read an interview with Ellen in the August 2006 issue of Virginia Living magazine here. (PDF)

See previous signing information here.

last updated: 7/2/08

See The Chardonnay Charade
photo gallery...

More praise for The
Chardonnay Charade

“Light and refreshing -- like a glass of white wine on a summer day... an engaging mystery with likeable characters. Crosby, a former journalist, has obviously done her homework about grape growing and winemaking.

Associated Press

“[A] deft use of setting and... pleasingly drawn characters.”

Chicago Sun-Times

More praise for
The Merlot Murders

An absorbing plot, rich with details on the wine industry, and an evocative sense of the lush Virginian countryside.

Barbara Bibel,
Booklist

Crosby has done her research on the wine industry in Virginia, making this fast-paced mystery a treat for those who like unusual settings.

Library Journal

Like a fine wine, Crosby's debut is complex and intricate... This is a terrific kickoff to what promises to be a highly satisfying new series.

Publishers Weekly

(A) scintillating novel... the top-notch suspense keeps you guessing until the riveting conclusion.

Romantic Times

See Ellen's own
Virginia wine country through
The Merlot Murders
photo gallery...