One Mystery Fest Key West Guest Will Nab Cameo Role in “New York Times” Bestselling Author Diane A.S. Stuckart Novel

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Apr 26, 2018, 02:00 ET


KEY WEST, Fla. (PRWEB) April 26, 2018 -- In a cunning plot twist, organizers of the upcoming Mystery Fest Key West have announced that one Fest guest will walk into the pages of an upcoming novel by “New York Times” bestselling and multi-award winning author Diane A.S. Stuckart.

Stuckart, author of numerous mysteries, historical romances and short fiction works, is slated to be a featured panelist at the upcoming “Mystery and Intrigue in Paradise” themed Mystery Fest Key West, a gathering of mystery, true crime and suspense writers and fans to take place in Key West, Florida, June 22-24. All who are registered for the Fest by midnight June 1 will be entered to win a cameo “character placement” role in the author’s as yet untitled second release in her Tarot Cats cozy mystery series from Midnight Ink, due out in 2019.

What is a “cozy” mystery? Cozies are one of numerous sub-genre’s in the mystery writing world. While a “hardboiled” mystery typically follows a gritty Private Investigator in a corrupt urban setting, and “noir” is known for its “no heroes, no happy endings” darkness, “cozy” mysteries are written with a warm and often humorous approach, light on sex, violence and coarse language and generally feature a non-professional detective in a small-town setting. In this case two of the star characters are cats, one with a gift for interpreting tarot cards.

“I love turning friends and family into fictional characters in my books,” said Stuckart, who is also the current Chapter President of the Florida region of Mystery Writers of America. “And the winner of this particular cameo has an opportunity to be memorialized in a really fun way. Since the Tarot Cat mysteries are told, in part, from the feline point of view, the winner can choose to be a human character…or, he or she can opt to walk on as a talking cat, dog, or any other member of the animal kingdom.”

Appearing with Stuckart at the Fest are a hit-list of high-profile and award winning mystery and crime fiction authors and true-crime experts, including Keynote Speaker Ace Atkins, the multi-award winning, "New York Times" bestselling author of twenty-one novels, including the recent Robert B. Parker “Spenser” mysteries; Special Guest of Honor, the multi-award winning editor and publisher Otto Penzler - proprietor of “The Mysterious Book Shop” in New York City, and Special Guest Presenter, “New York Times” and “USA Today” bestselling author Heather Graham, along with “New York Times” bestselling author Lisa Black, bestselling and award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen; “New York Times” bestselling co-author Charles Todd, and many others.

In addition to panels and presentations with some two-dozen high profile and award-winning mystery authors and true-crime experts, 2018 Fest highlights include book signings, professional publishing and marketing discussions, a mini Conch Train tour around the tropical island of Key West, and annual presentation of the 2018 Whodunit Mystery Writing Competition and Award.

Sponsored by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, the Key West Citizen daily newspaper, Mystery Writers of America – Florida Chapter, the Helmerich Foundation and the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, all panels and presentations will take place at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Grand Key. Event registration is $195 and includes all panels and presentations, a luncheon and a brunch at Key West’s historic seaport. For a full Fest schedule, online registration, and links to accommodations visit MysteryFestKeyWest.com.

Carol Tedesco, http://MysteryFestKeyWest.com, 305-393-6450, [email protected]