Saturday, May 3, 2014

"Oh, Kaye!" Goes to Malice!

What perfect timing!

I just happen to be at Malice Domestic, and I'll be darned - my "Oh, Kaye!" First Sunday of the Month Jungle Red posting date rolls around. 

I have to tel you - it wasn't a snap getting here. I am the world's worst packer.  The worst.  I'm one of those nesters who can't feel really comfortable unless surrounded by stuff I love.  Makes it pretty hard to go somewhere for just a few days without some of my favorite things, like a few white ironstone pitchers, some local handmade pottery, a teddy bear or two, my favorite pillow (and quiltie - I do not care if the weather is getting warmer, I want my quiltie).  Anyone else like this?  

And then there's sexy guy with a beard, and the rascally little dog.  Things are always better when they're close by.  

And Books!  Oy!  I used to have to travel with a bag of books 'cause who knew what I "might" want to read.  Now, that problem is somewhat under control 'cause I have 
plenty of books on my iPad.  And, well - it IS Malice and there IS a terrific gift bag full of books given to us at registration.  And, well, there IS this book room full of book sellers . . .  so, a girl really should be able to find a book to read while she's here.

But the clothes!  and the shoes!  and the purses!  EEK!

What to pack, what to pack?!  I mean, I'm sorry, but I dress according to my moods.  So what I pack may not necessarily be what I'm going to be in the mood to wear once I arrive.  Is that unreasonable?  I don't think so.  But, this year I decided to do a better job, and I "think" I did (although some would disagree.  oh well.)

Phase I of packing is trying things on and tossing what tells me it really needs to go onto the bed.



Phase 2 is getting it into one (just one) carry-on bag.  Making sure I have the appropriate footwear and pocketbooks.  I have this "thing" for purses.  Even more so than I do for shoes and boots, so it's unbelievably hard for me to travel with only one purse.  But, this year, by golly, I did it.

Yay, me!



The Best Husband Ever Donald and Most Adorable Dog Ever Harley Doodle Barley drove me to Greensboro to catch the train.


The sky is pretty reallllly, really early in the morning, isn't it?  



Harley was not too happy with me here.  He knew I was going somewhere.  And he knew he and his dad weren't going with me.  This made me cry just a little.  




I traveled up to DC on Amtrak with Molly and Noel Weston.  Noel is a dear and patient soul, and was even able to grab a cat nap while Molly and I talked non-stop until we reached Union Station.


 


And here's why I adore Malice Domestic.
I had been there for less than one hour, and was sitting in the lobby/bar catching up with my friend Stephanie Evans (have y'all read her Sugarland series??  If not, Why not?  You will love it, I promise). 


But lookey here!  Three of THE Grand Dames of the mystery world. I love these women.

Nancy Pickard, Dorothy Cannell and Margaret Maron.  I have to tell you, this is a major fan girl moment for me here.  



Next stop - The Book Room, where I bumped into the lovely and fun Toronto Bouchercon ladies.




And, got a hug from my buddy Kathy Harig who happens to own one of THE coolest bookstores in what I believe to be one of the prettiest spots on God's green earth - Mystery Loves Company in Oxford, MD.


Kathy was one of the first to show faith in me and my Whimsey.  She was one of the first booksellers (along with Luan Stauss of Laurel Books in Oakland, CA) to stock it when it was first released, and continues to keep it in stock.




The Sister in Crime table always has smiling faces


??, Catriona McPherson, ??


And, if you're attracted to pretty, sparkly things like I am, you can find a lot of them in the book room






Next to the hospitality room is where I found all the baskets full of wonderfully fun things for the silent auction








Along with all the very cool things for the live auction











And lookie here!

It's our own Julia Spencer-Fleming and the famous Ross (they are adorable and I love 'em to bits)








There was a tribute to Reginald Hill, which I enjoyed.

He was much loved. The memories shared were moving and funny.




Martin Edwards interviewed by Steve Steinbock

Then I sat in on the "Who's Got Mail" panel which Verena Rose moderated.

This was hysterically funny!

Dorothy Cannell, Martin Edwards, Kathy Lynn Emerson, Margaret Maron, Earleen Fowler and Joan Hess shared mail they've received from fans.















I bumped into my pal Doris Ann Norris.
Everybody knows Doris Ann, and I always look forward to having a little visit with her at mystery cons.  (She looks pretty darn good for a 2,000 year old librarian, doesn't she?!)




One of my favorite panels every year is the Best Contemporary Novel panel.

Here's Julia Spencer-Fleming, G.M. Maillet, Hank Phillippi Ryan and Barbara Ross  -  Moderated by Shawn Reilly-Simmons



Another fun panel - these women are all incredible,  And, incredibly funny.














And I'll be darned - lookie here -  it's the Toronto Bouchercon ladies again.
This time, joined by Stacy Cochran, the Raleigh Bouchercon guy along with the adorable, smart, and funny Brad Parks




And finally, dinner.

I had been thinking about the hotel restaurant's delicious Maryland Crab Cakes for weeks and it was finally time.  That crab cake was every bit as delicious as I had remembered.  Worth the wait.  Dinner was a fun evening spend with Barbara Graham, Stephanie Evans, Leone Ciporin, Gary Corby and David Kedson







Next stop - the auction.
With the always delightful auctioneers Donna Andrews and Hank Phillippi Ryan


There was some very fun stuff, along with some very unusual.





And then, this ol' gal carried herself back to her room, kicked off her boots, and kicked back with a cup of coffee and a good book.



Saturday started off, of course, in the lobby/bar with coffee, a croissant and visits with friends - old and new.


Polly Iyer (standing), ??, Kaye George, Krista Davis, ??

And included bumping into friends at the restaurant before the Agatha Banquet when I was trying to sneak in a little before dinner ice cream treat.

Art Taylor and Karen Maslowski



And ended with the Agatha Awards Banquet.


Jenny Milchman

Vicki Delany

Shelley Costa

Jim and Joyce Lavene

Life Time Achievement Honorees
Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess and Margaret Maron


Guest of Honor
Kathy Lynn Emerson


Best Short Story went to "The Care and Feeding of House Plants" by Art Taylor
(Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Best First Novel went to "Death Al Dente" by Leslie Budewitz (Berkley Prime Crime)

Best Historical Novel went to "A Question of Honor"
by Charles Todd

(William Morrow)

Hank Phillippi Ryan,
wins the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel for
"The Wrong 
Girl"
(Forge Books)






Jan and Jim Jackson


Kaye George and family


Me and one of my favorite women in the world - Margaret Maron.
I love this picture.

Daniel Stashower, winner for Best Nonfiction for
"The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder

Lincoln Before the Civil War"
(Minotaur Books) with Carolyn Hart and Hank 



Art Taylor and Marcia Talley

Molly Weston

And - Congratulations to Chris Grabenstein,
winner of the Agatha for Best Children's/YA mystery for
"Escape from Mr. 
Lemoncello's Library"
(Random House Books)
And now, Dear Reds, I need to turn in.  It's Saturday night - Midnight.

We may know the Agatha winners, but Malice is not over yet.  We have a full day of events scheduled for Sunday.  

And I have a 9:00 a.m. panel.  Oy.  

I'll be moderating the Cooking Up Murder: Culinary Mystery Panel with the very talented Connie Archer, Jessie Crockett, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Mary Ellen Hughes.  If you're in the neighborhood, come hang out with us, okay?!

35 comments:

  1. Congratulations . . .
    to Agatha Award winner Hank . . .
    to Julia and Rhys for their Agatha Award nominations . . .

    The pictures are fabulous, Kaye, and your story made me feel almost like I was there . . . thank you for sharing everything with all of us who weren’t able to be there to cheer on our favorite Jungle Red writers . . . .

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  2. Lovely pictures, and you all look like you are having tons of fun. Wish I could be there!

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  3. Looks like everyone is having a blast. Thanks for sharing all those smiling faces.

    And huge congrats to Hank!!!!!

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  4. Thanks for the great recap--and all the fun pictures!

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  5. Thanks, guys! I really do wish you all could be here.

    Art - Hey, you! Congratulations!!

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  6. LordAMercy - Did I even congratulate the winners and all the nominees? I don't think so! aargh!!!

    Congratulations, everyone, and thank you all for continuing to fill our lives with a bit of joy with your talent and generosity in sharing your work with us all.

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  7. Thanks for the grand report Kaye! And big congrats to all the winners--that was an amazing group of nominees and I salute you all:)

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  8. Dear Kaye, thank you so much for this post -- I feel as if I were there with you all! (Also, I do believe you have the cutest dog in the world, and those eyes made me melt....)

    And congrats Hank!!!!!

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  9. Lotsa hugs to Hank for another humongous winner! And Miss Kaye, you made me feel this morning as if I'd been to Malice - what wonderful pictures and comments! Bless you, honey! Thelma in Manhattan

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  10. Kaye -- enjoyed the recap and all the pics. Someday I'll get back to Malice. My one and only was 2003 right before first Caroline Cousins came out. Still working so long interview w/the wonderful Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters. Roomed with Kathy Trocheck/Mary Kay Andrews. Parties, panels, such fun!-- Nancy

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  11. You Reds did a wonderful job! Thanks for all the pictures, Kaye. Julia was wonderful tweeting the Agatha Awards, and congratulations to Hank! Someday, I'll finally get to Malice. Let's see - Bouchercon in 2015, Left Coast Crime in 2016. I guess, maybe 2017?

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  12. Kaye, your recap is perfect reading for Sunday morning. I felt as if I were really there. Loved the photos! Thanks for sharing. From one fan to another -- thanks! P

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  13. Kaye, thank you!!! That was so much fun! I felt like I was there with you.

    And huge congrats to all the winners and nominees!!

    PS I pack exactly the same way. Everything goes in a big pile on the bed, then gets winnowed down to what will actually go in the suitcase:-)

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  14. Thanks, everyone!! I am so glad I had lots of pics to post, 'cause I was completely out of words by the time I posted this last night. (time for the "introverts going to conventions" blog, I think).

    I did my very first Malice panel this morning. I moderated, and I was a nervous wreck. But. My panel members were all real pros - smart, funny, talented delightful women. Daryl Wood Gerber, Mary Ellen Hughes, Jessie Crockett and Connie Archer. We had a lot of people show up and they seemed to have a good time. Lots of laughter and that made my heart sing.

    Having such a great time!

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  15. That was wonderful!!! What a great report on an exciting and fun weekend. Congratulations to all the honorees!!

    Kaye, did you "win" anything at the auctions?

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  16. Thanks for sharing. What great pictures. I had a major fan girl moment looking at your major fan girl moment - the 3 of them together!

    Big congrats to the winners and nominees! (And now I am even more anxious for Bouchercon this year.)

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  17. Wow! What a great event! And so many of my favorite authors there in your pictures. Jealous.

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  18. You guys going to Bouchercon are going to have such a great time and then I will be jealous!!! I won't make it to this year's, but I will be at B'Con next year in Raleigh (and rooming with my buddy Lesa Holstine - cannot WAIT!)

    Denise Ann, I did not bid on anything this year. I seem to have zero self control at an auction, so I have learned to just not even give them a try. (I'm not even making an attempt at curbing my self-control in the book room. There's no hope)

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  19. You did a great job on that very fun panel, Kaye! And a perfect wrap up. Lovely to see you

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  20. That would be Martha Reed, one of the Pittsburgh Sisters in Crime and national chapter liaison sitting at the SinC table to the right of Catriona.

    Congratulations, Hank!

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  21. Hurray for Hank for the Agatha--and hurray for Julia and for Rhys for their nominations! Such incredibly strong fields this year.

    Lovely report, Kaye! I loved all the photos of some of my favorite people. (That is Debra Goldstein to the far right in the coffee shop breakfast photo.) It eased my pain at not going this year.

    Malice is my favorite of all the mystery conferences. I hope to make it back there again next year.

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  22. Wow, that was a marathon report. Good work. And with TWO -- 2! -- sightings of my SinC buddies, Helen and Janet, aka the Toronto 2017 Bouchercon Ladies.

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  23. Kaye, what a great report on Malice! The pictures show what fun you all have had and are having. Now, I really want to attend a Malice!

    Congratulations to Hank on your win! Also, congrats to Julia and Rhys for their nominations. You are all three so deserving of the honors.

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  24. Edith - Thank You for that!!

    Those of you who have not yet experienced Malice - I encourage you to give it a try if you can. I think you'll fall in love with it, just as I have.

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  25. I've just posted some more photos from Malice.

    These are pix from today, Sunday, and I've posted them at my place, Meanderings and Muses - http://www.meanderingsandmuses.com/

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  26. Oh Kaye, you are boot-alicious! Also completely fabulous! Love the photos and the recap.

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  28. Kaye! Great report from Malice! Love the photos!!!!! xo

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  29. Wonderful, wonderful rendition of your time at Malice--and love all those photos! Thank you, Kaye!

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  30. Love this, Kaye! Malice was so much fun this year. Needed more time with you, though! Loved seeing Malice through your eyes!

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  31. Oh, good heavens, Kaye, you were EVERY where! Thanks for the recap -- and all the photos, for those of us without your ability to be everywhere at once! What a fun weekend it was!

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  32. I'm finally catching up on my blog reading. It was great seeing you again at Malice, Kaye. Such a wonderful set of photos you have to remember the great time.

    ~ Jim

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  33. Absolutely loved your report on Malice Domestic and thank you for posting all the glorious photos. Thanks, Kaye!

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