I see it is over 2 months since I last made an entry here. I keep meaning to write something, but then I get too lazy and tell myself that you really don't care about my maunderings. However, now I need your help.

I have been assigned to moderate a panel at LCC. The title is WHEN PAST MEETS PRESENT--WHEN EVENTS FROM THE PAST COME BACK TO HAUNT THE CHARACTERS. The panelists are: Richard Burke, Vicki Delany, Liz Rigbey, and Francesca Weisman.

I had never heard of any of my panelists before, so I got a copy of one book by each author and read them. A couple of them suggested a question but I can't think of anything I'd like to ask. The questions they suggested were ones I had thought of myself.

I really need your help. If you were the moderator of this panel, what questions would you pose to the authors involved?

Here are the rough questions, as posed by two of the authors involved

Why do we bring the past back in our novels? What dangers are there, if any, in raising old history?

Perhaps we can address if the concept of the parallel narrative is becoming overused (I certainly hope not!)

I'd like to discuss if, when there are two stories clearly interwoven in a book, the reader sometimes keeps reading one in it's entirely before going back to the main story.

a crime novel pieces together the back-story behind a key present
event. It doesn't matter whether the novel is about retribution, greed,
psychosis, or whatever: the roots of a crime lie in the events that came
before.

What are your ideas? Please help. There are 3 weeks to go and I am beginning to panic.

If you were moderating the panel, what question would you like to ask any one of the panelists about their work specifically.

Please help.

Thanks