Really excited to take part in an online video book discussion hosted by the great folks at Annie Bloom’s Books! It’ll take place from 7 to 8 p.m. this Thursday. Annie Bloom’s will send out links a couple hours prior to the event.

Think of this as an “ask me anything” event. I’ll talk about the trade paperback that’s out now, “St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking,” as well as the sequel, “Sirocco,” set for release this winter! Plus, former books, the writing process, my foreign travel to research the novels, and anything else the participants want to discuss.

Check in with Annie Bloom’s to be part of this. It’s gonna be a blast!

So excited to be part of HomeWord Bound, the annual fundraiser for CPAH, the Community Partners for Affordable Housing.

This is a great cause and always a great time. This year’s featured speaker is an old friend, Kim Stafford, Oregon’s poet laureate (he recently gave me a booklet of the poems he wrote in the wake of the 2016 election and it’s been a mitzvah during a tough few weeks).

Master of ceremonies will be my friend Dan Murphy of Broadway Rose Theatre Co. Other authors on hand include Brian M. Biggs, Gloria D. Brown, Kesha Ajose Fisher, April Henry, Jackie Shannon Hollis, Apricot Irving, Bart King, Ramiza Koya, Shawn Levy, Carolyn O’Doherty, Scott Poole, Taylor Zajonc and Reema Zaman.

This is a great cause. The organization creates and maintains safe, healthy and sustainable housing with services for diverse residents including families, seniors and people with disabilities in Washington County and Southwest Portland. The staff helps organize services to ensure housing success and opportunity and link with community partners so that residents are successful and surrounded with support and opportunity. The motto: Building Housing; Building Lives!

Tickets are $100, which includes dinner, a silent auction, author signings and books for purchase.

Such a terrific mission, with terrific people, doing terrific work.

Find out more at Community Partners for Affordable Housing.

Ledding Library, 10660 S.E. 21st Ave., Milwaukie, Oregon

When I moved to Oregon, one of my first apartments was adjacent to Providence Milwaukie Hospital — then Dwyer Community Hospital, to date myself. I was dirt poor, and walking to Milwaukie’s Ledding Library was pretty much the only entertainment I could afford.

So thrilled to get to speak at the new, remodeled and totally spiffed-up Ledding Library at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 19! This is coming-home time for me. I’ll be discussing “St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking.” It’ll be my first public appearance since the trade paperback was released March 3!

It’s part of Ledding’s Cultural Forum (how they invited a guy from Kellogg, Idaho, to a “cultural forum” remains a mystery). They’ve plenty of guests lined up through the year. Check out the list:

Ledding Cultural Forum 2020

March 19: Dana Haynes - Author of St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking

April 16: M. Allen Cunningham - Author of Perpetua's Kin

May 21: David Biespiel - Poet, memorist and founder of the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters

June 18: Tyler Nishitani - Architect for Hacker, designers of the Ledding Library

July 16: Pulp Stage - Live Storytelling

Aug. 20: Mike Richardson - Author, President and Founder of Dark Horse Comics 

Sept. 17: Robert Leo Heilman - Author, essayist and commentator

Oct. 15: Jeremy Okai Davis  - Artist

Nov. 19: Pulp Stage - Live storytelling: Holiday Special

I’m so excited to once again take part in Holiday Cheer, the annual book sale to benefit the Oregon Historical Society!

 The free event is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 S.W. Park Ave., Portland. 

 This, the 52nd annual celebration of Oregon authors, will feature dozens of writers with works covering children’s literature, history, art books, non-fiction and, of course, mysteries! Meet your favorite authors and take home a personally signed book for the perfect local holiday gift.

 All authors who are invited to participate have published this year, and many will have multiple books available for sale. Sip on hot cocoa, listen to carols and get into the spirit of the season as they kick off the holidays at the Oregon Historical Society!

I’ll be joining a few other writers for a panel discussion hosted by Portland’s awesome mystery fandom group, Friends of Mystery, during this month’s Bloody Thursday event.

On stage will be Oregon Book Award finalist Valerie Geary and debut author J.S. James, along with Yours Truly. Our moderator will be mystery writer Baron Birtcher who, like me, just returned from the World Mystery Convention in Dallas.

(Where the biggest mystery was, why did Alaska Airlines use a tractor to haul away our airplane at PDX and make us wait 45 minutes to drag in another one. Wait. Maybe I don’t want to know.)

Valerie is the author of “Crooked River,” an Oregon Book Award finalist and an Indie Next Great Read. Her short stories have appeared in Weekly Rumpus, Day One, Menda City Review, Boston Literary Magazine, Foundling Review, the UK publication Litro, and others.

J.S. is the author of “River Run,” which won first place in the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association's mystery/thriller contest, and was runner-up and highly commended in the Crime Writer's Association's Debut Dagger contest.

Baron is the author of both the ever-popular Mike Travis and Ty Dawson series.

The panel discuss includes a reception at 7 p.m., with program at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Copeland Commons Room of TaborSpace, 5441 S.E. Belmont St., Portland.

This would be a good way to get to know Friends of Mystery, a super-cool group right here in Portland!

So excited to be part of this year’s Dark and Stormy Night book series at the awesome Driftwood Public Library, 801 S.W. Highway 101, Suite 101, Lincoln City!

The library is bringing an awesome array of writers to town to talk about their craft, including Christa Yelich-Koth (Oct. 10), Valerie Davisson (Oct. 17), Alexandra Mason (Oct. 24) and Caitlin Starling (Oct. 31).

All readings begin at 4 p.m.

This is such a cool annual event. Honored to be part of it!

Back to my roots.

So excited to be at Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane! I attended Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane and served as student body president. I also got my start in both theater and in student journalism there. So this truly is heading back to my roots.

Pretty awesome timing, because that’s the day of Spokane’s Pride Parade! I’ve marched in Portland’s parade three times. It’ll be a blast to see a pride event in another city.

I’ll be speaking at this gem of an independent bookstore at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 8. Cannot wait!

I have proudly been a member of Sisters in Crime — a Mister Sister, as the saying goes — since my first books, the Harry Bishop mystery series, way back when. Sisters promotes women writers, female protagonists, would-be writers and fans of all stripes. 

Proud to speak before the Portland chapter later in May! I’ve been a guest several times before and it’s inevitably one of the best, most-knowledgeable, most badass group of mystery writers and aficionadas to be found anywhere! Meetings take place at Szechuan Chef, 331 S.W. Macadam Ave., No. 115, Portland.

If you want to become a mystery writer; if you love mystery books; or if you just enjoy the company of the well-read set, think about joining!

Very excited to do an event for the independent Friends of the Cannon Beach Library in April! This is a great organization of volunteers, taking care of an awesome library. So very excited!

The Cannon Beach Book Co. is participating, too. This is one of the great independent bookstores that dot the state of Oregon and make this state so cool. Craig Johnson, author of the “Longmire” series of mysteries (which are great novels!) once told me he toured through the smaller towns of Oregon on his motorcycle, because he was gobsmacked by the awesome array of indie bookstores this state has to offer. I couldn’t agree with him more. (except for the part about the motorcycle. Yeah, not so much.)

If you need a break and want to experience spring at the Oregon Coast, head to Cannon Beach April 14. A good time will be had by all.

Heading back to Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing, which always draws a great crowd with great questions. So excited to visit the Beaverton location of Powell’s, the world’s greatest bookstore (Eat your heart out, Strand).

I also have had the great good fortune to serve as managing editor of the Beaverton Valley Times and the Washington County Times for the last two years, so this event is near-and-dear to my heart.

So excited to head back to this awesome bookstore in the heart of Multnomah Village! Annie Bloom’s is iconic in Portland (as is the shop cat, Molly). Portland is blessed to have so many great independent bookstores. Annie Bloom’s is a gem!

PS: Not to influence you or anything, but we’ll have cupcakes from a local Multnomah Village shop and wine on hand. Also, Molly. Who’ll stroll languidly through my speech and grab everyone’s attention. It’s OK. I’m used to it.

I’ll be at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show, from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma! I’ll be at the Blackstone Publishing table. Come by and visit. We hardly ever bite.

Join Dana at for a night of mystery and hilarity. 

Meet Dana and learn the secrets to his famous Tortilla Espanola.