Got back from Killer Nashville last Sunday and introduced my new JS-200 Gibson guitar to its new home.  Beautiful instrument.

Jeff Deaver was the guest of honor and it was good to catch up with him.  He’s busy writing the new James Bond book.  It seems he met the Flemming family (Ian Flemming wrote the original Bond books) when they presented him with an award for one of his earlier books, and they liked his work and offered him the opportunity to write the next British spy thriller.  Pretty heady stuff.  The writing has been somewhat difficult since he broke his little finger this past winter ( fighting villains or falling on the ice…he was a little fuzzy on that issue), and he is still having trouble using it.

A short story by Mr. Deaver appeared in an anthology that I edited called A Merry Band Of Murderers.  I’m certain it was referenced here in this blog several years ago. The authors had to write a short murder mystery and then write a song.  A CD of the songs comes with the book.  It was a fun project and Jeff Deaver wrote a story and song about a stalker. 

Every year at the Killer Nashville Banquet the guest of honor is given a guitar with a small plaque on it, commemorating the event.  Three years ago Mike Connelly received the guitar and asked me to play a song for the attendees.  (There’s a video on Youtube), but this year I assumed Jeff would play.  Maybe the song he wrote for the anthology.  Instead, he begged off, blaming the injured finger.  So, I played Jeff Deaver’s guitar at the banquet.  The first song ever on the virgin instrument.  I had to tune it mid-song, but other than that everything went well.

     I love conferences.  You meet great people and you get to play their guitars.  And in this case it was (In my best Sean Connery accent) Deaver.  Jeff Deaver.