Established authors; first-time authors. Period writers; writers whose characters are firmly set in the present. Local authors; authors from as far away as Canada, California and Florida.

If any of the 300-plus readers expected at the Mystery Lovers Bookshop's 14th Festival of Mystery in Oakmont Monday can't find an author they want to talk to or at least get an autograph from, they must either be shy or antisocial.

Forty-two writers, 35 of them from outside the Pittsburgh area, are signed up to attend the event at the Greek Orthodox Church in Oakmont. Thirteen of those authors are newcomers to the festival.

And that baker's dozen is a special treat for some fans who attend the festival, traditionally held the first Monday in May, according to Mary Alice Gorman, co-owner of the book store.

"A lot of the book groups who come are attracted to [the newcomers]," Gorman said. "They want to discover the writer. They talk to them. They have one-on-one conversations. There are more one-on-one conversations here than anywhere else."

Those conversations appeal to the writers, too, said Stefanie Pintoff, of Westchester County, N.Y., a former attorney and teacher whose first book, "In the Shadow of Gotham," (Minotaur Books, $24.95) was published this week. Her second, tentatively titled "The Darkest Verse," is due out next year. The series, which should appeal to fans of Caleb Carr, writer of such novels as "The Alienist," is set in turn-of-the-19th century New York.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for a new author," Pintoff said via e-mail. "I can think of no other mystery conference that offers this kind of unique and informal format -- one that gives authors a chance to meet and mingle with mystery fans and other authors."

Louise Penny, a former electronic journalist from the Montreal area who has won multiple awards for her Quebec-based series starting with the 2006 "Still Life," agrees. She has been trying to get to the festival for years.

"I've heard about this wonderful festival and the terrific people at Mystery Lovers Bookshop who organize it ever since my first book was published in 2005," Penny wrote in an e-mail. "This is the first year our schedules have meshed, and I'm thrilled to be going. It's impossible to overstate how much writers of crime fiction love coming to this festival."

Pintoff and Penny have interesting life stories to share with readers, who come from as far as New York and Indiana.

Pintoff has a doctorate in literature. She practiced law "very briefly" but taught for longer. "There's a saying in law school: 'Don't worry if you hate law school; you'll love practice.' Well, I loved law school -- and that may have been the issue!

"When I became a mom, I had to decide whether to go back to work or stay home with my daughter. My husband made a suggestion: 'Haven't you always wanted to write a book?' In fact, I had."

Penny hosted live news radio programs for almost 20 years without truly following her heart.

"My first and only dream was to be a writer, to write books," she said. "When I turned 40, I took a look at my life and where I wanted to be in a few years.

"A couple of things struck me. Covering the news was making me fearful, giving me the impression the world was a frightening, threatening, dark place. An unsafe place filled with cruel people. I'd become negative and cynical, mistaking sarcasm for humor and cynicism for smarts. I'd slowly become the sort of person I'd never choose as a best friend.

"The other thing that happened is I remembered my childhood dream. And I knew if I was going to start a new life, that was the time. So I jumped."

Ten years later, she's published four books and is "living in the country with a husband I love and smelly dogs," she added. "I know that bad things happen, but that the world is a lovely place, filled with kind people.

"What a relief."

The festival, co-sponsored by WDUQ-FM, runs 4-9 p.m., but the line starts queueing up around 1 p.m. as the first 100 people into the hall get a bag of free mystery books. Tickets are $7 in advance; $8 at the door. For information: 412-828-4877.