Welcome And Why This Fest Matters

Ellie Alexander 0:05

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Reality Rights. I am author Ellie Alexander. This is the podcast where we talk about all things bookish, writer-ish, and we try to peel back the curtain in terms of what it's like to be a professional mystery writer, to be a reader, to be a tech guy in the world, because I'm here also with the tech guy.

Tech Guy 0:25

That's right. And it is sometimes difficult to be a tech guy for your author.

Ellie Alexander 0:31

Right?

Tech Guy 0:32

There's a lot, there's a lot going on right now, but I'm super excited about the topic today. Um, this is probably my favorite event of the year that's coming up soon. Real soon, actually.

Tickets Live And What Changed

Ellie Alexander 0:46

Real soon. That's right. We're gonna talk today about the Ashland Mystery Fest because we have just launched the full ticket package as well as the event schedule. And we want to take you through some changes that are gonna happen this year, some new additions, what to expect from the festival, all of those kind of questions. And I have put together a list of questions that readers have asked me about Ashland Mystery Fest as well. So um, yeah, I can't wait to dive into it.

Tech Guy 1:18

That's right. And since this will be the fourth annual Ashland Mystery Festival, um, I'd love to hear from the darlings out there who have been to the Mystery Festival, the Ashland Mystery Festival over the years. So if you have, click that send us a message link in the show notes and let us know what kind of time you had. Hopefully it was awesome.

Ellie Alexander 1:41

Hopefully it was awesome. Yeah. I want to hear, darlings, like what your favorite parts are, what you are looking forward to coming back again. But before we do that, let's do a refresher for anybody who might be new to reality rights or to my writing or Ashland

How Ashland Inspired The Festival

Ellie Alexander 1:55

Mystery Fest. And I will take you back to the inception of the concept, which is basically a fully immersive, cozy weekend in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, that is, I kid you not, so incredibly gorgeous and stunning at fall. It does feel like you're stepping onto a set of a Hallmark movie or you're entering the pages of a cozy mystery. Am I exaggerating? No.

Tech Guy 2:21

Not no, not exaggerating at all. Um we have lived there. We lived there for over six years, and that's when the Mystery Fest was born. Um the Bake Shop Mysteries, your Bake Shop Mystery series is set there, and the reason it's set there is because we love Ashland. We do. It is just it is just that kind of place. You are first of all, as you you know, to pick up on what you were putting down there, it is stunning in its beauty, but it's also just a lovely town. People are kind, it is very community focused, it it is a small place. So for the darlings out there who don't know about Ashland, Oregon, it's a town of under 25,000 people. Um it is home to Southern Oregon University, and it is just one of the coolest places on earth.

Ellie Alexander 3:30

Southern Oregon University and OSF, Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Tech Guy 3:35

I was leaving that for you.

Ellie Alexander 3:38

You're like, and you know, this tiny little theater company that's not just like the biggest repertoire theater company in the United States that's doing shows year-round. Yeah, no, it's so true. So the way the festival came to be is that over the years I've had so many darlings message me, email me, reach out when they are coming to Ashland for the first time because they've wanted to see the places that have inspired the Bake Shop Mysteries. And I am always thrilled to be Ashland's tour guide and ambassador and give you suggestions of places where you should go, give you a little walking tour of all of the spots where I imagine Tort and Pucks and the dreaded Richard Lord's Merry Windsor Inn would be. And that really evolved into this incredible partnership with Travel Ashland and the business community and so many other partners in town to build a cozy mystery reader-centric festival.

Reader Centric Design And Community

Ellie Alexander 4:35

And this is a point of differentiation. We've talked about it on this podcast before, but I always like to bring it up, especially like I said, in case somebody's new and you might be considering coming. This is very reader-centric. So it's immersive. Not only do we want you to feel like you are in a cozy mystery for the weekend, but you're going to spend time with other readers, with all of the writers in attendance, with the business owners in town. Like it is really about building community, which I think is so important right now in the age of AI. And I'm thrilled that for the last three years and now going into our fourth year, so many of you have been willing to come and be part of that community and really build something that is such a joy to be part of.

Tech Guy 5:21

So much fun. And I have been super impressed by the number of people who are return attendees every year. Uh and not not just readers, but the authors who want to be part of it year after year after year. Talk a little bit about the authors. Let's let's do that. Let's let's move on to who's who's going, who are they going to be rubbing elbows with?

Meet The Author Lineup

Ellie Alexander 5:46

Yeah. Well, and so that that is another point of differentiation because at some of the big mystery writing conventions and conferences, you have hundreds and hundreds of authors in attendance, which is fantastic and its own lovely beast. But because of the size of Ashland, like you mentioned, it's a town of less than 25,000 people. We can really only have about 14, 15 authors. And so every year I invite a group of authors that I hope represent a whole diverse set of stories. So you're gonna read everything that is still cozy. We're not, this isn't a dark, like true crime, as much as like I love other aspects of the mystery genre. This is really focused on that idea of like entering into a cozy village for the weekend. So we have cozy adjacent writers coming, but usually it's everyone within the spectrum of the cozy. But what's been so fun over the last decade or so is that the cozy's really expanded and it's opened up. And so it's fun for me to get to hopefully introduce darlings to some new debut writers every year, some writers that you already adore and are familiar with, and everything in between. Um, and so this year we have an incredible lineup of authors coming. Um, starting off, we have Mia Monensala, who was a returning author from last year. She writes YA and these fantastic uh food-centric cozies. She's coming from Chicago. Hannah Dennison is returning again for a second year. Uh, she writes these charming countryside UK mysteries, and she is coming again from England, which is so incredible. Erin Scott is joining us again. She is a Seattle-based writer and she has multiple series, and she's a former uh teacher. And so she's gonna do a lot of, not a lot, but she's gonna do workshops for younger writers and for any darlings out there who might be working on younger writing as well, which is super fun. Ellen Byron's coming back again. She has a multiple, multiple series, including her vintage cookbooks, her Cajun series, uh, she has a new Golden Motel mystery series. She's a delight and such fun. And you cannot like help but be caught up in Ellen's orbit once you meet her, right?

Tech Guy 8:07

No, yeah. I mean, that's true of all the authors, but definitely there are a few like Ellen and a few others you're about to mention too.

Ellie Alexander 8:15

Yes. Okay, so then we have Lee Hollis coming back. Yes. Lee Hollis is the pen name for Rick Coop. Rick was a Hollywood writer and then started partnering with his sister to write Cozy's together. Um, and he has so many great stories of writing for shows like The Golden Girls and Scooby-Doo. Scooby-Doo.

unknown 8:34

Scooby-Doo!

Ellie Alexander 8:35

I know it was great last year at the mystery dinner because it was a um costume theme, and so there were so many Vilmas in attendance. One of the Vilmas in attendance last year was author Esme Addison, who's coming back. She's coming from Raleigh, North Carolina, and her series all have this lovely touch of mysticism and mermaids and museums. I love her writing because I feel like it's like a modern-day Indiana Jones with this touch of magic. We have uh our last returning author who's coming back again is Gretchen Rue. Gretchen lives in Canada, so we've got international authors in Hannah and Gretchen joining us. And Gretchen is prolific. She writes multiple series under multiple names. Um, and she's just such a delight to have joining us. Coming new this year is author Jen McKinley, which I know many of you darlings are probably already familiar with. Jen has been writing for many years. She has multiple best-selling series, including um a new, well, she's doing so many new things, but she's doing new rom-coms, she's doing new cozies, she's doing fantasy mashups, and she has Paris is always a good idea, a Hallmark movie coming out at the end of this month. Um, so I don't know, we might have to find a way to like sneak and go have a viewing party at some point. Um, Catherine Burns is coming from uh the East Coast, and she writes multiple series as well. Pretty much everybody in this cozy world is writing a lot and a lot of series, uh, which we'll get into. She has um a lot of food writing and some mainstream mysteries as well. Then we have Michelle Choinard, who's coming from San Francisco, and I read her um first Cozy Adjacent. I would say this is kind of like um right in the middle of mystery, uh a serial killer's guide to San Francisco. It is so funny. It was such a romp. And then I wanted to go do the whole serial killer to work. Now, these are not dark, this series, but the fun fact about Michelle is she also does write very dark stuff too. So she's gonna be fun to have on panels to talk about like what it's like to balance both sides of her writing. And then we have two debuts this year: Matthew Green, who is a playwright and a screenwriter, and his debut, There's no murder like show, murder. There's no murder like show murder. I want to sing that, uh, came out last year. I read it in like a weekend and um couldn't put it down. And then our last but not least debut author this year is Kim Griswold, and she writes this fun caravan mystery series. She is currently living in Ashland, so she's gonna have lots of insider information to share with us. And I know she just signed for a new project. So yeah, it's a great lineup.

Tech Guy 11:26

It's a great lineup. And to reiterate what you said about this being an immersive conference versus or festival versus some of the mystery conferences that uh that readers go to. Just for anyone out there who hasn't attended before, you're going to see the authors in and around town. Yeah. Ashland is not a big place. And so when you're not in a panel or uh, you know, attending some sort of activity that's related to the festival, you might be in line getting coffee at one of the many amazing local coffee shops and be standing right behind Jed McKinley. Or Ellie Alexander. Uh, you never know. Um, but it is a it is a great opportunity for readers to really get to know the authors that they have known and loved, uh, you know, whose books they've known and loved over the years. And it's such a fun way for readers to connect to. And we've had so many readers connect over the last three years of doing this festival who've become lifelong friends. I think we even have some, like maybe romantic pairings that have happened.

Ellie Alexander 12:37

It's true. It's true. I mean, I can't divulge it's a secret, but I I do have some insider information that a love connection might have been um, you know, there might have been a meet cute that happened at Mystery Fest. So my goal at some point is we need a mystery fest wedding. I mean, come on, that has to happen.

Tech Guy 12:55

That's right. So if you're a cozy mystery reader and you're single, come to the Ashland Mystery Fest and you'll find love.

Ellie Alexander 13:02

It's really a dating conference. No, no, it's not. Um, no, it is really by design because to your point, the other thing that I love about that is it's the same for writers. Like I love to get to actually spend quality time with readers too, and like bump into people as I'm walking in the streets, or you know, you're sharing a table at dinner together and all of those kinds of things that don't necessarily get to happen on that kind of scale consistently at some of the bigger conferences.

New MC And Audiobook Narrators

Ellie Alexander 13:31

Now, this year we have two new additions. Um, we have an event MC, Allison Victoria Wolf. She joined us last year and she is so great. She was um on The Worst Cooks of America and she won it. Um, and so she has some fantastic stories about being on a reality TV cooking show, which is how we connected in the first place. But this year we're inviting her back and she's gonna be the MC for the entire weekend. So she'll be there at all of the panels to, you know, make sure that you feel welcomed and greeted and have games and giveaways before things start. And um we'll kick off the panel and our panels and just sort of be a touch point throughout the weekend. And then as the festival's growing and changing, um, not changing, but like expanding a little bit, the goal for me is to always have somebody that's cozy adjacent. So we continue to build out this world. And so this year we landed on inviting two cozy audiobook narrators. So we have Megan Kelly and Shannon Nicole Lockheed who are joining us. And they are both audiobook award-winning narrators who um have done, I mean, I think collectively, hundreds of cozy books. So it's gonna be really fun to get their perspective on what it's like, not only from um the writing perspective, but also for readers, like what goes into narration and how do they do that process? And um, I'm so I'm very excited to include them this year as well.

Tech Guy 14:59

Yeah, and you mentioned that the Ashland Mystery Fest has changed or is changing, and and that is true over the years, and we can say that now because we're going into the fourth year of having the Ashland Mystery Festival, the fourth annual Ashland Mystery Festival. And it has changed. Uh it was born out of an idea that you had that a lot of people have worked on over the the past three years plus to make it come to fruition. But it started very small. It was like it, it was the the first sets of panels were in the conference room at the Ashland Library, which if you come to the Ashland Mystery Festival, you have to go to the Ashland Public Library. Yes, I do. Amazing, amazing view. Go up to the second floor, grab a book, go up to the second floor, grab a chair, and you'll find one of the best reading spots you've ever seen in your life. But Ashland Mystery Festival quickly outgrew the capacity of the library and is now down at the Ashland Armory, which is an amazing venue. And I would say more than the capacity is more than tripled in size.

Ellie Alexander 16:14

Yeah.

Schedule Overview And Day Passes

Ellie Alexander 16:15

Yeah, that's right. So yeah, that was a change last year, and we're building that even more this year. So the opening reception will kick off everything on Thursday night. The festival officially opens Thursday, October 8th. I will circle back to that in a second. Um, but it officially opens on Thursday with a welcome reception, and we already have some fun things planned. You'll meet all of the authors that night, have some fun bites, some festive drinks. You'll get all of your totes and your merch, and um, there will be a mystery that you will have to solve that will kick off that night. And then all day Thursday, or no, all day Friday and Saturday, we'll have key flagship panels at the Armory. So all of the big panels will take place at the Armory, as well as a very full schedule of events that will take place all throughout town. So some smaller pop-up panels, places where you can meet the authors, haunted walking tours, teas. We're adding escape rooms this year. I mean, it's it's a very robust schedule. In fact, every time I look at it, I'm like, how are we putting this many events into four days? And then everything will wrap up again on Sunday morning at the armory with a goodbye breakfast. Um, so it's really kind of like a hub. This year, we're adding some coffee and water stations because we learned from you, darlings, that those of you who have attended in the past, you really like a place to go hang out and kind of be central if you're popping back and forth between other events around town, which is great. The ticket prices include all of those things that I mentioned. So they include the opening reception, the closing reception, all of the key panels around or at the um armory, as well as the panels that Ashland Mystery Fest is putting on around town and fun events at like Paddington, where you get to go and we'll have like fun coffee tastings and that kind of thing. But we are also for the first time this year adding something new, which um has been requested by a lot of readers, and that is day passes. So we'll be selling individual day passes. So you, if you are only able to come all day Friday or all day Saturday, you can buy tickets just for that day and come to all of the panels and events for one day, which I think is really nice.

Tech Guy 18:31

That is really nice and giving people options because it while Ashland is a lovely place, um, it is not Los Angeles or Seattle or you know anything. Flying into Ashland is, you know, you got to go to Medford and and uh make your way down to Ashland. But what I want to go back to one thing you were talking about. You said we had talked about it on the this podcast before, but w what you just described is exactly one of the things that I think is so incredible about Ashland Mystery Festival, and that's that all of this stuff doesn't just take place in the same room. The panels are in the same place, uh, which is nice because you know where you're going for the panels. And and so if you're if you're just there for the panels, you can just go for the panels. But here's a pro tip: don't just go for the panels. There's a lot of other stuff happening, and it takes place at some of the coolest spaces around town. And so then you get to see the authors out in smaller, more intimate settings with other readers and get to, you know, experience some of the great businesses and restaurants and things that Ashland has to offer as a part of the mystery festival.

Immersive Events Across Town

Ellie Alexander 19:40

Yeah. And again, that that's really intentional because we want this to feel like you're getting to experience all of Ashland. The interactive mystery that I mentioned that will kick off on Thursday night is going to take you all throughout town. And that's something you can solve on your own time, but it will take you to Lithia Park and Ashland Springs Hotels and all of the beautiful locations that have been featured in my book, as well as really cool like places that you might not have stumbled upon otherwise. And the goal is to immerse you into town. And so, yes, the business partnerships that have been born out of this are phenomenal. And everyone's gotten on board to do things like fully immersive mystery teas and murder mystery dinners, where we have actors from um the local theaters that are going to be performing a play, a murder play that one of the writers writes. I mean, it's just it turns so meta. It's great. And haunted walking tours, like I mentioned, it's it's totally like there's nowhere that you can go in town throughout these four days and not bump into somebody that is a mystery fest or that there's something not mystery related.

Tech Guy 20:48

That's right. You were going to mention something about the mystery festival starting on Thursday.

Arrive Early For Theater And Extras

Ellie Alexander 20:53

Yes. So one thing that we have learned over the last few years is darlings, you are really eager to come and get your mystery fest on, which I absolutely love. So last year we noticed uh the armory will open on Wednesday to come actually pick up your badge and your bag if you want to come early. And we realized that quite a few darlings were doing that because, like you mentioned, it's not, you know, it's not just a quick trip always to get to Ashland. It takes a little bit of effort. And because we have such incredible world-class theater and wineries and shopping and all the other things, food, in town, outdoor adventures, darlings started showing up on like Monday or Tuesday. And so my pro tip for you, if you're thinking about coming, is and you have time to do it, like book, you know, maybe a day or two early. All of the hotels have specials. So you can check those out on the Ashland Mystery Fest website. There are discount codes for theater shows we ran into. We booked our tickets for the cabaret and a show at OSF on Sunday and Monday, because we went early last year and we bumped into. Just so many readers where we're like, hey, we're all here already. So um it is totally acceptable and okay to extend your stay. Again, the official like opening will kick off on Thursday evening, but we've extended some more drop-in and fun events for Thursday, knowing that so many darlings have been bumping up and arriving early. So, for example, um, there's gonna be some crafter noons, there's gonna be book bedazzling. I'm gonna do a pop-up early on Thursday. So there will be a lot of free events on Thursday that if you're gonna be here early, you will have mystery events to do if you're interested. These are all sort of like pre-festival kickoff.

Tech Guy 22:44

Totally optional, but definitely worth it. Exactly. You mentioned world-class theater, and I do want to go back like I was j joking when I left them out at the beginning of the podcast. But the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is no joke, world-class theater. And it is what really put Ashland on the map and has been some of the most famous actors, whether it's theater or who have gone on to do TV and movies and everything, have done shows at OSF. And uh the theater quality there continues to be just amazing. We were just there a few weeks ago and saw Emma. So for the darlings who aren't familiar with Ashland, if you Google it, the city of Ashland, Oregon, I guarantee you the first picture that comes up for Ashland will likely be a nighttime photo of the Elizabethan theater uh at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival at OSF. Um absolutely stunning to see a production there at an evening performance. So if you have the opportunity and you do come in early for the mystery festival, I would highly recommend it. You can look them up uh on the web. I think we have links on the uh the Ashland Mystery Festival website to OSF. And because they've been an amazing partner for the festival too, and it is so worth it. They have several venues, they do shows at at they have multiple theaters, but the Elizabethan is the outdoor theater and it is fantastic.

Ellie Alexander 24:15

Fantastic.

Tech Guy 24:16

Yeah, yeah, absolutely incredible.

Ellie Alexander 24:19

Well, on that note, I thought I would give darlings a little teaser. So uh while I said that the official kickoff starts, the welcome reception starts Thursday, October 8th at 4 p.m. So that's when the festival really kicks into high gear. But things will start as early as 10 a.m. on Thursday morning when there is a haunted Ashland walking tour, and it's gonna start at the Peerless Hotel and end at the OSF Elizabethan Theater uh theater, and you're gonna get uh stories about all of the hauntings around Ashland and the ghosts at OSF. Um, I'm gonna do a special tea at Lovejoy's. There are afternoon matinees at OSF, and then that afternoon there's gonna be Book Bedazzling and Crafternoon with the authors. In addition to OSF, the other great theater that is right there, walkable in town, is the Oregon Cabaret. And um, they always do a mystery in October. I have set many books at both OSF and at the Oregon Cabaret. And uh this year they're doing Dracula, a comedy of terrors, which I cannot wait to see because I think it's gonna be a delight.

Tech Guy 25:29

Absolutely. And I was going to mention the Oregon Cabaret too. It's uh near and dear to my heart. We've seen so many great shows there. Um, just fantastic theater. Uh and they serve dinner too. I do. Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 25:43

So you can do dinner. You don't have to, though. You can also our what we often do if we have other events going on during the day is we will uh go early just a little bit before the show because then you can order dessert to get it at intermission. But their dinners are fantastic too. So if you want dinner and a show, like you can just do the whole package.

Tech Guy 26:02

And there's there are three words you need to remember if you're going to the Oregon cabaret, darling. So if you're coming to the Ashland Mystery Festival or not, if you're just visiting Ashland, Oregon, go see a show at the Oregon Cabaret and remember these three words. Dick Hay Pie.

Ellie Alexander 26:19

Dickie.

Tech Guy 26:20

Dick Hay Pie. You that is the dessert you want.

Ellie Alexander 26:25

I don't know. I've had some of their dessert specials, which are also good.

Tech Guy 26:28

The specials are good, but they usually do a special version of the Decay Pie that's related to whatever show they're doing too. So it is uh that is another fun place. I mean, we don't have enough time in this podcast to list the amazing places around there. I I would challenge somebody, even though Ashland is a small town, you even if you come into town for four or five days for the Ashland Mystery Festival, there is no way that you're going to be able to experience all the restaurants, all the coffee shops, all the bars, all the craft breweries, all of the shops. Um, it is just, it's an amazing, amazing place.

Ellie Alexander 27:06

Yeah, which is why I think it's so great that we're sort of building out these early events for anyone wanting to come early, because you could. You could go do a whole tour of Jacksonville or Rogue um wineries. Like there, there's just a plethora to do and to see while you're in town.

Mystery Dinners And Masquerade Theme

Ellie Alexander 27:23

In terms of some housekeeping stuff, as I mentioned, regular festival tickets and individual day pass tickets are on sale now. In addition to all of these events that we've been talking about, there are some flagship dinners that happen. So this year, they're all taking place at Ashland Springs Hotel. And we'll have two dinners that are these immersive mystery dinners where we'll have actors and somebody might die at dinner and you have to solve it and you're all part of it. Those will be taking place at Ashland Springs. And then we will have our key flagship dinner on Saturday evening, also at Ashland Springs Hotel. And every year there's a different theme. Those tickets are going to go on sale sometime in later August or early September. So don't panic, those are coming. The hotels just work out like the menu and the details on that. But those are all still happening, and that will be a separate ticket if you're interested in doing either of those. Every year, what we've done is we'll have a flagship panel on Friday where everybody builds a mystery together live. And then the authors who are on that panel read the final mystery at dinner on Saturday night. And it is hilarious and so incredible with the storylines that you all come up with together. It's a riot.

Tech Guy 28:41

It is, yeah, definitely. And the costume-themed dinner for those who are going to Mystery Festival and choose to get a ticket to that. Be sure you go back and listen to the other episode on the Ashland Mystery Festival we did earlier this season, where I give the pro tip about trying your costume on before the night of the event. Um, trust me on that.

Ellie Alexander 29:07

Well, uh, that is like a perfect setup for me to share one other final detail about this year. And every year that dinner theme has changed. And this year's theme is should we have a drum roll?

Tech Guy 29:19

Oh, you dropped it on me.

Ellie Alexander 29:22

I meant you could just do like I I can't do that, but I can do the sound effect.

Tech Guy 29:27

Here you go.

Ellie Alexander 29:31

Masquerade. We're going to have a masquerade dinner. This dinner is where an author will host you. And so we last year, I think we usually had like eight to ten readers at a table with an author, and sometimes with an author and the tech guy. And uh, we have a full three-course dinner together, and uh it's gonna be epic. I already have Sky Guy planning my mask.

Tech Guy 30:01

Wait, he's planning my mask. Uh-oh.

Ellie Alexander 30:06

Yes. So think masquerade theme. This kind of goes along with like the Dracula, and it's like a little bit of a moodier theme this year. You can dress to the nines if you want, and you you don't have to, of course. Um, but it's gonna be fun. I can't wait to see what darlings bring in terms of costumes.

Tech Guy 30:25

That that's an important point, though. That the Ashland Mystery Festival is it's laid back. It is friendly, it is welcoming, it is inclusive. So do what you want. Yes, go all out for a costume, buy a dollar mask at the dollar store. It it is completely up to you. Um, but it is fun to see everybody's costumes, none, you know, nonetheless. Ashland has a a strong Halloween costume history. Uh, so this will be super fun. It is always fun to see what the creativity of readers I know.

Ellie Alexander 31:02

I'm already plotting. Okay,

Rapid FAQs Travel Solo Photos Books

Ellie Alexander 31:04

and then to uh wrap up our mystery fest episode, I have a quick uh rapid fire round of questions that come up pretty consistently from readers that I want to go over. First one, it tags to your point right there. Is it walkable? Do I need a car? The answer is no, you don't need a car. You, if you're flying into Medford, um, or if you're like driving or taking a train or something like that, you will need a ride, but you can get a lift or you know, a ride share to it's about a 15 or 20 minute drive from the Medford airport to Ashland. Once you are in Ashland, everything is walkable in town. Um, and the festival is designed to be walkable. The armory is just a few blocks away from the plaza. Now you're gonna get some steps in. And I the other thing about that is it's also accessible. Ashland has worked to really build its accessibility. And so there are wheelchair ramps, like there are some hills, but there are um elevators and buildings that can take you places too. So um, it is walkable.

Tech Guy 32:08

I would like to point out though, for our friends in low places like the Bay Area where we live now, Ashland, Oregon is at 2,000 feet. So while that's not Denver, yeah, I would recommend hydrating, staying hydrated, don't overdo it. Um, thankfully, we do this festival in October. So it should, the temperature should be really mild and extremely pleasant. But nonetheless, if you're not used to elevation, it is 2,000 feet. That's, you know, maybe most of you probably won't feel it, but I just do want to put it out there.

Ellie Alexander 32:43

Yeah, no, pace yourself. And it's a great excuse to then to just like walk and get like a nice iced coffee or a lemonade somewhere and take a break and you know, chat with an author. Uh, the other question that comes up a lot is can I come by myself? I want to come by myself. Absolutely. We've tried to really continue to build out ways for you to make connections with other readers. So we're gonna have reader meetups, we have a few authors who have been in attendance before. That author list that I read at the beginning, we really try to balance a rotation of authors who've come two or three times, then with some new authors, and then continue to cycle that through so that there is a group of authors that are then familiar with Ashland too, to be able to be like, oh, okay, I know where Lithia Park is. Let me walk you over that way. Or, you know, so we have authors who will help facilitate some reader connections. And the vibe and the tone of everyone who attends is so welcoming and designed hopefully to make you feel like you're wrapped in a cozy warm hug. So absolutely come solo. It's safe. Um, it's warm, it's welcoming, it's cozy.

Tech Guy 33:50

Yeah, it is very cozy. What are the other questions that readers have all the time?

Ellie Alexander 33:56

The other questions that readers have are things like uh attire, which I think you kind of touched on, not just for the masquerade, but like, do I need to dress up for events? You can come as you are. Like you can wear a t-shirt and jeans or shorts to a panel, or you can dress up if you're feeling like, hey, I want to, you know, get sassy and wear my cute new book dress that I got or whatever. Like it doesn't matter. There's no dress code. You can definitely come as you are.

Tech Guy 34:24

The clothing is not optional, but the type of clothing is a good thing. Okay, well, yeah.

Ellie Alexander 34:30

You do need to wear clothes. Uh uh question that I get asked frequently, and I alluded to this, but it's another good reminder is where to stay? Uh, recommendations on where to stay. And there is a long list of travel and lodging partners on the Ashland Mystery Fest website. So I recommend any of those. And they're all also offering specials. So that's great because they're supporting the festival by offering us discounted rates on rooms.

Tech Guy 34:59

I have an FAQ that comes up often because this is something that those those who've been to Ashland Mystery Festival have likely experienced this. But those who haven't or haven't been to Ashland in general, there are a lot of deer. And they live in town, just like the people. Don't feed the deer. Don't try to pet the deer. I think you covered this last time.

Ellie Alexander 35:23

I feel like this is a recurring theme for you.

Tech Guy 35:26

It is because I I just want people, they are adorable, and you just want to grab them and squeeze them and hug them and pet them. Don't do that. Don't do it. Don't don't do it. It'll it will end badly for you. Not the deer, but for you.

Ellie Alexander 35:41

No, and you don't want to be in a book.

Tech Guy 35:43

No. And you will be in a book, actually, if if that's there are so many writers in town.

Ellie Alexander 35:47

People will just be like, I got, I got new inspiration. Okay, last two is um, can I take pictures at the festival? Absolutely. Yes. Feel free, please take pictures, share, take videos. Like that's the best. That's how we spread the word and get more readers to come join us for a joyful weekend. And last but not least is can I bring books or will there be books to buy? The answer to both of those is yes and yes. I mean, if you want to pack books in your suitcase or bring another suitcase, go for it. If you want to just bring an empty suitcase, you can do that too. We have incredible book partnerships with Bloomsbury Books and Paddington and a lot of there are like six independent bookstores just in Ashland alone, and everybody gets in the spirit of the festival. And so there will be books by all the authors in attendance there for you, and there will be opportunities for you to get your books signed by the authors. And so absolutely feel free to plan to come home with a new stack of books to read.

Tech Guy 36:47

It's up to you whether you buy a new suitcase to complete your haul back home with the books or just go to the Ashland post office and mail them back to your cell.

Ellie Alexander 36:56

Right. Yeah. Either way works.

Tech Guy 36:58

Is that it for the frequently asked questions?

Ellie Alexander 37:00

I think that's it for the frequently asked questions. But of course, darlings, if you have other questions or thoughts or you want to share what the experience has been like for you, like the tech guy said, please uh drop us a line or send us a voicemail, and we can't wait to spend a cozy weekend with you in October.

Tech Guy 37:15

That's right. All right. Until next time.

Ellie Alexander 37:18

Until next time.