Last week I attended a dinner of the Agatha Christie Appreciation Society in honor of the 125th anniversary of her birth and the 25th anniversary of the organization, whose official name is “Postern of Murder.” It was an enjoyable evening of good food with about a hundred mystery fans. Journalist/publisher/editor Bill Peschel gave an interesting talk on Agatha Christie’s early life and how she got started in the mystery business. He was an entertaining speaker.

I am a fan of Agatha Christie’s though I hadn’t read her in almost thirty years. She and Conan Doyle were the two writers who got me interested in mysteries.

We had to reread “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” for the dinner. There was a cool quiz at the table. (I only missed three questions!!! – Happy dance!)

The amazing thing to me was that I didn’t know this organization existed. It’s local. It meets twice a year. It is full of mystery fans. I’m a mystery fan. I like to read mysteries. I like to write mysteries.
How come I didn’t know this group existed?

Sometimes I think I don’t do enough to live the life of a mystery writer. It’s not a matter of success. I’ve kind of accepted the fact that I will always be a struggling writer. But besides locking myself away and trying to write, I should immerse myself in other related activities.

Read, of course. But talk to other fans. Attend writer’s conferences. Attend mystery conventions. Walk the walk and talk the talk.

I used to. But I haven’t gone to a mystery convention or a writer’s convention in years. Maybe it’s time to go back.

My question right now is, which mystery writer, active today, writes in the style of Agatha Christie?