Saturday was the 10th annual Write of Spring event at Minneapolis’s prized independent mystery bookstore, Once Upon A Crime. As Kate and I made the short drive from St. Paul into Minneapolis on highway 94, a steady, soaking rain began to fall. Heading to a mystery event on a dreary, rainy day; it doesn’t get much more noir than that.
Gary Shulze and Pat Frovarp’s little shop of mystery was packed solid with loyal readers waiting to meet the 32 authors who contributed to the anthology released to celebrate both the 25th anniversary of the store and the 10th anniversary of the Writes Of Spring signing event.
With an array of stories from local authors such as William Kent Krueger and Jess Lourey, to national luminaries like Sean Doolittle and Libby Fischer Hellmann, the Writes Of Spring anthology is a fantastic collection representing tales from every corner of the mystery genre.
Due to space limitations, as well as crowd control, the signings were organized into four, one-hour shifts. This allowed fans to have a relaxed environment to chat with their favorite authors.
But even though the tiny store was packed with fans and authors, Kate and I still found the chance to browse the shelves, and find even more treasures for future reading.
And isn’t that the perfect way to celebrate your favorite bookstore?
