Literary Orange

Patty here…

On Friday, I checked into the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, California, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from "The Happiest Place on Earth"—Disneyland. I was there to participate in the überfaboo Literary Orange presented by the Orange County Library and the UC Irvine Libraries.


The event was on Saturday, but I stayed overnight at the hotel on Friday because I had dinner with event organizers and keynote speaker, Elizabeth George. Nothing lifts your spirits like hanging out with a famous author and a group of jolly librarians.

Approximately 400 booklovers attended Literary Orange. I was on a panel called “Murder Comes Softly” with Earlene Fowler, Sue Ann Jaffarian, and Denise Hamilton. Sue Ann won the “best excuse for showing up late” award. On the way to the hotel, her car caught fire and burned to a crisp. She would have escaped injury except for a last minute dive into the flames to retrieve her Dooney & Burke tote bag, a stunt that netted her a cut on the thumb. (A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.) I saw a picture of her car. It looked something like this:



Also on the slate was “The Art of Mayhem” with SoCal crime writers Jan Burke, Denise Hamilton, Naomi Hirahara, and Gay Kinman. The talented and amusing Tod Goldberg moderated a panel called “Hollywood: Real and Reel with Stephen Cannell, John Gilmore, and Frank Thompson. In addition, there were also panels on non-fiction and romance writing, children’s literature, science fiction, and more.

The afternoon keynote speaker was Janet Fitch, who inspired me with an animated and entertaining story about her 12-year journey to achieve “overnight” success in publishing.



Despite taking my camera and vowing to snap dozens of pictures, I came home with only one.

Elizabeth George, Naomi Hirahara, and Denise Hamilton

There was so much going on that I didn’t spend much time in my hotel room, but the experience got me thinking about what I like and don’t like about hotel sleepovers.

Things I like about hotel rooms:

• Clean white towels, the scratchy kind that abrade your skin like a loofa

• Trying out soaps with interesting combinations that you wouldn't think to buy for yourself

• Lighted magnifying makeup mirrors on swinging arms attached to the wall

• A view of any water other than the local sewage treatment plant

Things I don’t like about hotel rooms:

• Tight sheets that squeeze your chest like a straight jacket

• Imagining the consequences of your bare feet touching the carpet

• Key cards that don’t open your door or expire before you’ve checked out

• A view of the parking lot, unless your only choice is between looking at cars or the local sewage treatment plant

Got any pet peeves about hotel sleepovers?

Happy Monday!