Memories of Malice

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Only Rhys and I will be at the Malice Domestic mystery conference, but we’re representing the Reds in a big way - we are both Guests of Honor! It’s exciting and scary and feels very strange to be going back to such a familiar setting for the first time in several years. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the same place with more than ten people, y’all! I’m also getting to slip in an overnight visit with my family in Alexandria after the con ends on Sunday, so that’s even more of an enticement to lure me out of the house.

Malice has been a feature of my career since before I was a published writer. In 2001, the manuscript for IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER won the St. Martin’s/Malice Domestic Award, and along with a contract, I got a free trip to the convention! I didn’t know a soul, and hung bashfully around the edges until the night of the Agatha Awards, when I was announced as the winner. I remember sitting at my table with my dear editor, Ruth Cavin - who is going to be the feature of a panel at this year’s con - obsessing over a thick cloth napkin that someone had dropped on the carpet between tables. I rehearsed walking to the podium over and over in my head, because I was convinced I was going to slip on the napkin, go down with a whoop and a thud, and my mystery writing career would be over before it began!


Reds, what are some of your favorite memories of Malice?


JENN McKINLAY: I’ve only been to one Malice - 2012! I went because Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels was guest of honor and I had loved her work since I was a teen. I just wanted to see her.

As luck would have it, I got to meet her! But I was so overwhelmed by what her work had meant to me - she’s one of the reasons I became a writer - that I burst into tears and only managed to choke out a garbled “I just…thank you.” To my surprise, she understood all that I had left unsaid. With sparkling eyes, she looked at me with a big smile and said, “No, thank you, my dear.”

It was a moment of perfect author-reader connection and understanding and I’ll cherish it always.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My first Malice must have been 1992, the year before my first book came out. I met my dear friends Kate Charles and Marcia Talley at that conference! It's so wonderful that these connections can last decades! The next year that first book, A SHARE IN DEATH, was a Best First Novel nominee. (Didn't win, boo.) Then DREAMING OF THE BONES was a Best Novel nominee for 1997. (Didn't win that one either!) And somehow I've just never managed to get back to Malice. That's a terrible thing that must be remedied! Maybe next year!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yes, yes, next year, absolutely. As you might know, since I have been sharing the bittersweet news on social media, I was ALL PLANNED to go this year, and doing my best to be two places at one time with an incredible flurry and back and forth plane trips–because my darling grandson Josh is having his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday in Brooklyn. ONE THE SAME WEEKEND. (Yeah, after two years of nothing, both of these life changing things are at the same time.)

So I made all the reservations, and vowed it would work but, it just couldn’t. Especially with the air travel industry in chaos–one canceled or delayed flight (Thurs BOS-DCA, Fri DCA to LGA, Sat LGA to DCA, Sun DCA to BOS) the whole thing would have been a disaster and I would have been stranded in the wrong place.

SO! SO bummed to miss the hoopla and glory for our TWO GUESTS OF HONOR! And I cannot wait to hear all about it.

And SO bummed to miss seeing HER PERFECT LIFE lauded as a nominee for Best Novel. Wah.

My big moments at Malice–SO many. But I remember at my first Malice, the guest of honor was Charlaine Harris. And I will admit to you, Reds and Readers, at that time I had no idea who she was. Can you believe it? It must have been 2006.

In 2007, I won Best First for PRIME TIME! And I still remember the feeling of shock and honor and amazement. (Many stories about this, for another time..) But that was the time, at the banquet, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was Carolyn Hart, saying–”Katherine Hall Page says I should know you. May I sit here?” I almost burst into tears.

HALLIE EPHRON: I’ve been to three or four Malices and loved every one of them. My favorite memory is the year we did a Jungle Red Jeopardy game for our panel. We ran a survey to corral good questions, and I put together a working Jeopardy board in Powerpoint and acquired a set of buzzers so we could dink the right answers and doink the wrong ones. My grandkids still love to play with those buzzers, and we got to trot them out to another conference when we did a Family Feud game.


I did love the hats. Julia, Rhys, do let me know if there are still hats.

LUCY BURDETTE: My first Malice must have been in 2001, before I had a book out. I knew no one and was a complete nervous wreck. Then the next year, SIX STROKES UNDER was nominated for best first, against Julia’s IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER. Margaret Maron moderated our panel and was so welcoming and gracious. Julia won, and the win was so well deserved!

In 2005, I remember being told by my editor that the publisher was cutting the golf lovers’ mystery series after 5 books. I was devastated, but had to go to a booksigning and pretend everything was fine. I ended up sitting next to HRF Keating who couldn’t have been lovelier, as I tearfully told him the news. He told me he believed that 7 books was a natural arc for any series. Then they opened the door to fans, who rushed in to queue up for him. Only later did I realize he was a Lifetime Achievement Guest of Honor who’d had 20-something books in his series! DuH!

I’ve had lots of wonderful times at Malice, but those moments are etched in the stone that is my brain:)

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve been to almost every Malice since 1998. So many good memories: being toastmaster, the ghost of Agatha Christie, singing with Parnell Hall and meeting so many lovely people. A fond memory was Robin Burcell reading a sex scene from her only romance novel. It was so improbable that we all ended up lying on the floor laughing. And we were so noisy they called security! This year I’m joining Julia as guests of honor so we’ll have to behave ourselves.

JULIA: Since Rhys and I just left a party, each bringing some wine back to our rooms, we will see exactly how well we managed to behave over the next several days.

Now it's your turn, dear readers. Do you have memories of attending Malice Domestic? Have you been a conferencegoer for other industries? What did you love and what did you find less lovable?

I want to give photo credits, but Blogger won't let me caption! The first photo, of Gigi Pandian and Elizabeth Peters, is from Gigi's blog. The photo of Lucy at dinner comes from Leslie Budewitz. The photo of Rhys and Laurie King is from Poisoned Pen.