Friends of The Ferguson Library and Mystery Writers of America Present Connecticut's Own (Virtual) Mystery Lovers' Conference CrimeCONN Express: Session Five How'd You Do It? Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m. via Zoom Walter Mosley and S.A. Cosby have a conversation about how they've turned their passion for writing into successful careers. MC: Chris Knopf Panelists: Walter Mosley, S.A. Cosby

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S. A. Cosby is a writer from Southeastern Virginia, now residing in Gloucester, Virginia. The New York Times describes his new novel, Blacktop Wasteland, as "[a] fast-paced, fresh take on noir that tears through the underbelly of Virginia." Like Ocean's Eleven meets Drive, with a Southern noir twist, Blacktop Wasteland is a searing, operatic story of a man pushed to his limits by poverty, race, and his own former life of crime. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. His short story The Grass Beneath My Feet won the Anthony award for best short story in 2019. He is also the author of My Darkest Prayer and Brotherhood of the Blade. His writing is influenced by his experience as a bouncer, construction worker, retail manager and for six hours a mascot for a major fast food chain inside the world's hottest costume. When he isn't crafting tales of murder and mayhem he assists the dedicated staff at J.K. Redmond Funeral home as a mortician's assistant. He is an avid hiker and is also known as one hell of a chess player. (Photo credit: S.A. Cosby)

Chris Knopf has published 17 mystery/thriller novels. You're Dead, 2018, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Deep Dive, 9th in his Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery Series, was released July 2019. Back Lash earned a starred review from Booklist. Two Time was one of 13 mysteries listed in Marilyn Stasio's "Recommended Summer Reading" column in The New York Times Book Review.  Head Wounds was cited as a best mystery of the year in 2008 by Mysterious Reviews and Deadly Pleasures, receiving the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery.  Dead Anyway received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus and Library Journal, also a Boston Globe Best Crime Novel in 2012, and winning the 2013 Nero Award. Short stories: Kill Switch was short-listed for the 2016 Derringer Award. A Little Cariñoso appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Crossing Harry was included in Akashic's New Haven Noir, released August, 2017.

Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America. He is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books that cover a wide range of ideas, genres, and forms including fiction (literary, mystery, and science fiction), political monographs, writing guides including Elements of Fiction, a memoir in paintings, and a young adult novel called 47. His work has been translated into 25 languages. From a forthcoming collection of short stories, The Awkward Black Man, to his daring novel John Woman, which explored deconstructionist history, and his standalone crime novel Down the River and Unto the Sea, which won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, the rich storylines that Mosley has created deepen the understanding and appreciation of Black life in the United States. He has introduced an indelible cast of characters into the American canon starting with his first novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, which brought Easy Rawlins, his private detective in postwar Los Angeles and his friends Jackson Blue and Raymond "Mouse" Alexander into reader's lives. Mosley has explored both large issues and intimate realities through the lens of characters like the Black philosopher Socrates Fortlow; the elder suffering from Alzheimer's, Ptolemy Grey; the bluesman R L; the boxer and New York private investigator Leonid McGill; Debbie Dare, the porn star of Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore; and Tempest Landry and his struggling angel, among many others. Mosley has also written and staged several plays including The Fall of Heaven. Several of his books have been adapted for film and television including Devil in a Blue Dress (starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle and Jennifer Beals) and the HBO production of Always Outnumbered (starring Laurence Fishburne and Natalie Cole). His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction-long-form essays and op-eds-have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Nation among other publications. He is also a writer and an executive producer on the John Singleton FX drama series, Snowfall. Concerned by the lack of diversity in all levels of publishing, Mosley established The Publishing Certificate Program with the City University of New York to bring together book professionals and students hailing from a wide range of racial, ethnic and economic communities for courses, internships, and job opportunities. In 2013, Mosley was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and he is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, The Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award, a Grammy®, several NAACP Image awards, and PEN America's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was named the recipient of the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mosley now lives in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. (Photo credit: Marcia Wilson)

Based on the popular Mystery Writers of America/Ferguson Library annual CrimeCONN, CrimeCONN Express is comprised of five one-hour virtual events, one every Thursday at 7 p.m. Our theme this year is You have questions, we have answers. Moderators and panels include real-life crime fighters, best-selling authors, experts in writing craft and much more.  Each live streamed event is free, but registration is required for each session. Visit our CrimeCONN Express page for all the details.

Registration is free We appreciate your donation.  The Friends of The Ferguson Library is the Library’s volunteer support group. The Friends provide funding for many library programs including summer reading, book discussions, film programs and cultural events. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting everyday life, we have decided to suspend the normal ticket charge for our Friends programs. Please consider a donation.