This Friday, I’ll get to escape dreary New England and all the post-Superbowl sadness and head to Alabama!

Two smaller events have joined forces to make up a weekend. On Saturday, Murder in the Magic City in Birmingham (that’s the “magic city,” the website explains) will mix and match about 20 authors and about 90 fans for panels, chats, a lunch, and the kind of up close and personal that we don’t usually get at the larger conferences. Then, on Sunday, we’re all carpooling out to Wetumpka (a suburb of Montgomery, I am told) for the Murder on the Menu lunch, where we authors will jump tables and chat with everyone. What fun! And it’s got to be warmer than here, right?

(Just found out: The Birmingham event has about 70 people signed up and tickets are still available! Not sure about the Wetumpka lunch, which already has about 125 people signed up. But you could ask.)