Tag: conferences
conferences
New England Crime Bake
This past weekend I had the great pleasure of attending the New England Crime Bake, which is co-organized by fellow Miss Demeanor Michele Dorsey. It’s a wonderful conference because it’s fairly small, and everywhere you sit you run into someone you know or have heard of or are friends with on Facebook. But the very special treat this time was that Ann Cleeves was guest of honor.
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Book festivals, fairs and other…..
Yesterday I wrote about three of the largest conferences for fans and writers in the mystery genre. You’ve had twenty fours hours to either book your travel or recover from the shock of the potential cost.
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Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, and Thrillerfest. Or how to fill your conference calendar.
Everyone is signed up, keeping an eye on travel schedules and hotel bookings, and checking their panel assignments. And triple checking that their books will be in stock with the conference books sellers for fans to purchase. That’s how many writer’s fill their idle time in spring.
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New York Pitch Conference
Today was the first day of the NY Pitch Conference. I’ve been a workshop leader there for ten years, and it has a very special place in my heart because that’s where I sold my first novel, The Fiction Class.
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Left Coast Party
Attending Left Coast Crime this year? Join me, along with several of the short story authors appearing in Sisters in Crime NorCal’s brand-new anthology of crime and mystery fiction, FAULT LINES, for a Happy Hour toast to our readers!
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History and Mystery and Crime Bakes
I returned home from New England Crime Bake late Sunday night. I spent a wonderful weekend in Woburn, Massachusetts meeting old friends, meeting Facebook friends face-to-face, and making new friends. I participated on a great panel, moderated by fellow Missdemeanor, Michele Dorsey, where we discussed mash-ups/cross-genre novels, what they were, how they came to be, and what they mean for the publishing industry. Hank Phillipi Ryan complemented me on my panel performance. (How cool is that?) I spent time chatting with conference attendees about medicine and whiskey. I got to hang out with the incomparable Walter Mosley. And I heard Mr. Mosley, Frankie Bailey, Bill Martin, and Elisabeth Elo talk about how they use history in writing mystery. This panel especially intrigued me, as I’m a history buff. The past fascinates me. Not so much the big, well-known stories—although as I discover the version of history I learned in school as “fact” may not have been 100% accurate, I’ve re-examined some of the big stories and found them more interesting than I originally thought—but the history of everyday people. How did Regular Jane and Average Joe earn their living? What did they wear? What did they eat? What did they think about the “big” stories, stories that were news to them, not history? How fitting that Crime Bake is held in one of the most history-filled areas of the United States. I wondered why our hotel was decorated with sewing machines, shoe lasts, and photos of old bills for footwear, some Google sleuthing revealed Woburn’s leather tanning industry dates back to the 1600s. Woburn is near Boston, a historical treasure trove, but it’s also near Salem, home of the infamous Witch Trials and location of the house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne as The House of the Seven Gables. I made time for a side trip to Salem and spent a sunny afternoon learning about the Turners and Ingersolls (the house’s real-life owners) and Hawthorne. I had no trouble understanding why the mansion (and his cousin who owned it) inspired Hawthorne to make it the centerpiece of his novel. Are you a history fan? Are you a names and dates kind of history buff or do you prefer the stories of the not-so-famous people who lived on the dash between the dates? Or the more thoroughly researched stories of the famous which goes beyond the popular myths and shows them to be humans who accomplished things? What historical person or period would you want to experience in a novel?
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Thrilled by ThrillerFest
It’s been a couple of weeks but I’m still enjoying the afterglow of attending ThrillerFest for the first time. From meeting a few more of my fellow Miss Demeanors to hallway chats with some of my literary heroes, I made the most of the experience. How, you may ask? To paraphrase literary publicist Sara Wigal, by saying yes. When my agent invited her clients to an opening night cocktail party, I said yes. In addition to finally meeting D. A. Bartley, Alexia Gordon, and Cate Holahan in real life, along with seeing Susan Breen again, I met Lisa Gardner (and her mom) and Lee Child. Susan and I somehow ended up in a conversation with Mr. Child about rats. It must have been memorable to him, as well, because he greeted both Susan and I by name on separate occasions throughout the weekend. Life achievement unlocked.
At every opportunity to speak with the authors who generously shared their time and experiences on panels, I said yes. This is how I had multiple hallway conversations with Lisa Gardner, spoke with Meg Gardiner, and fangirled over Walter Mosely. To those people who took photos of my conversation with Mr. Mosely, feel free to post them on our Facebook page.
When riding in an elevator with A. R. Shaw, she asked if I was published and I told her about my forthcoming short story. She said, “Follow me.” I said yes. I ended up on a live broadcast of the Authors On The Air radio blog streamed from the Strand’s onsite bookstore. When several authors, including a best seller, asked me if I’d be willing to give them insights into cyber crime topics, I said yes. I’m now fielding questions and having a blast. Saying yes to the Fest has kept the thrill going as I power through the homestretch with my latest manuscript. I hope ThrillerFest inspired you, too!