From the Booking Desk:

Ann Mason is one of those loyal crime fiction readers who make our tribe so enjoyable. Ann has been a supporter of BOLO Books and other literary-related sites for some time now and I was finally able to meet and hang out with her at the Toronto Bouchercon. She was even first in line to get into the LGBTQ+ panel I moderated (at least that is how I assume she got into the front row). We share similar reading interests, so we are constantly sharing our latest favorites with each other. If you haven’t met Ann yet, I think her answers here today will have you seeking her out at the next convention.

Name:  Ann Mason
Location:  Rochester, NY

This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:

As my life has been particularly long, so is my list of inspirational people. However, there is one person who shall forever stand out, and that is my partner of 22 years, Julie. She is kind when I am not, considerate when I am impatient, and thoughtful when I can’t think. I can’t imagine a life without her song.

One of the people I admire most in the crime fiction community is:  

Oh, man, this is one difficult question. After mulling it over and over, I came up with a trifecta.

Now to pick one from that trio.

It has to be Deborah Crombie. She’s a brilliant writer, poet, and all around good person. I know her life hasn’t always been a bed of roses, but she’s made her way to the best seller list by pure talent and effort.  I suspect she is an inspiration to young writers everywhere.

STALKER ALERT! If this fictional character were real, they would likely need to get a restraining order against me:

I don’t stalk a lot of people, unless you count Catriona.  (You know who you are.)

So how do I pick a fictional character?

I think it would be Fred Vargas’s Commissaire Adamsberg. He does get around, mostly in Paris, but also further afield in Europe. I’d love to follow him as France is my favorite destination, and who doesn’t love a good mystery?

People are always surprised that I am a fan of this individual (singer, actor, or artist):

OK, I am an opera fan, and my favorite diva is Joyce DiDonato. If you haven’t heard her performance of Adalgisa in “Norma”, you haven’t lived. But I’ve never been to the Met, just to a local theater to watch it in HD live, stretched out in a red leather recliner! (Ed Note: You can hear a performance of this aria here!)

My personal catchphrase is (or should be):

I spent my professional career as an RN, ranging from Labor and Delivery to hospice, with a fair dose of everything in between. Therefore my catchphrase is “Nobody died!” Any problem where nobody died can be corrected. Even in hospice.