A Few Fun Things to Celebrate Sunday

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Let's celebrate Sunday with a handful of highlights from our week!

Spring is fully sprung here and I'm thrilled to have got all my planting done–a must as the temperatures are shooting up into the 90s. My big project this season was pulling out the forty or fifty-year-old boxwoods around our front porch, something we should have done years ago. Now our porch feels a little unprotected without its Sleeping Beauty hedge, but I know the new plants will fill out and soon the garden will look so much better. Patience…

We have new fish! We had lost all but one koi in a pond disaster last October, and the poor remaining fish must have been feeling really lonely. But he (she?) now has five goldfish buddies, and three new little koi to swim with him. It's been a joy to watch them do what happy fish do.

Speaking of happy, has anyone else been following the saga of the Wrexham Dragons, the failing Welsh football (soccer!) team that actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny bought at the beginning of the Covid lockdown? I lived just across the English/Welsh border from the working class town of Wrexham, so I've taken the team as my own–along with thousands of other people around the globe. What Ryan and Rob's involvement has done for the team, and especially for the town, has been truly heartwarming. You can follow the first season in Welcome to Wrexham (streaming on Hulu and other outlets). They will have just finished filming Season 2 and I can guarantee that it has a happy ending! This is a feel-good story even for non sports fans.

And the hummingbirds are here!

What's up with you, dear REDs?

RHYS BOWEN: I confess to not being at my sunniest at the moment: root canal that didn’t quite work or sinus infection or both making me miserable, and nobody seems to be able to sort it out. However, I can think of a few good things:

We came back from Hawaii to find our garden looking at its best. (Most of the year it looks bleak,thanks to zillions of deer. But it is a riot of purple at the moment, thanks to a wet spring.

And in that garden, the other morning, a tiny new-born fawn, lying motionless, looking up at us with big dark eyes. Much as I curse the deer most of the time the fawns are adorable.

And a week of accomplishments: editor line edits completed on our next Molly, thanks to my co-writer Clare who did an amazing job, and an editor who loved the book–always good to hear.

I finished the first draft on An Abandoned Place, my next stand-alone, and I’ve given it to my against for feedback before I polish and send it off to my editor. So I can take a breather. Oh, and I’m going to an ABBA concert with my dear ones tomorrow. So on the whole all is good.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Rhys, I’m getting great pleasure from picturing you decked out in a disco jumpsuit, a la Meryl Streep at the end of Mamma Mia. If you don’t wear this to an ABBA concert, please don’t tell me. 

As you all read this, I’m in the middle of a very good thing, as Martha would say: the girls and I are visiting the Sailor and Veronique in Norfolk. It’s been a full twelve months since the whole family has been together, and it’s for a delightful occasion: Veronique’s graduation! (Much more on this tomorrow.) It’s been chill and so rainy in Maine for well over a week, and our flowers are limited to daffs and forsythia at the moment, so it’s a real treat to go south and see spring in all its glory. By the time we get home, our flowering trees should be abloom, so I’ll get a rerun! 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Rhys! That’s awful–I have to say I am in a similar predicament–we’ll have to talk. I am living on Aleve and trying to ignore the pain.

Good things? SO many good things! I was Guest of Honor at Malice Domestic, and wow wow wow, my feet are still not touching the ground. If I start describing it, I will gush, but it was one of the most joyous occasions of my life. 

The tulips! Are glorious at our house, the ones the squirrels have not nipped the tops off of. 

The ducks! Are endlessly hilarious–we watch them way too much! 

The rabbits! Are massive. I mean–massive. And adorable, even though they think our hosta is salad. I saw one cotton-talked bunny sharing duck food with a chipmunk the other day in our back yard–I’m living in a cartoon, it feels like.

And, drumroll, I sent in the final edits of ONE WRONG WORD!  And I am loving it. We shall see! 

(Now all I need are two more book ideas. By like, Monday.). 

JENN McKINLAY: FUN THINGS! Hub and I drove up to Colorado for Books in Bloom in Eagle Valley. It was fabulous. A delightful community and a wonderful event. We took the opportunity to stop in Moab and hike Arches National Park, which was spectacular. 

At home now, I am headed to plot group with fellow writers Paige Shelton and Kate Carlisle. I have three different books to work on - two are brand new ideas - so I am super jazzed to dig deeper into these stories with my crew.

Oh, and spring has been a super bloom here in AZ. Glorious! And yesterday, I saved a fledgling brown headed cowbird. He had a gimpy left leg and was staggering across our  backyard. He could fly a bit but not high enough to get to the top of the block wall, where his parents were pacing. I managed to enclose his space with a lattice and give him birdseed and water. Then I put a small box with grass in it, so he could regain his strength overnight. When I went out this morning, I saw him perched on the lattice and then he flew off. Bye, buddy! 

Also, I haven't watched Welcome to Wrexham but I love Ted Lasso so it seems like something I would enjoy. Putting it on my list. Thanks, Debs!

HALLIE EPHRON: So jealous of Jenn’s trip to Arches and Moab - both on my bucket list. And oh my , the superbloom in AZ. Sigh. And Rhys and Hank, ouch. Seriously, ouch. 

On the other hand it’s spring migration (and nesting for the ones staying put) here in New England and I am taking lots of walks and seeing lots of poultry. A warbling vireo. Tufted titmouse. Yellow warblers. House finches. Along with the usual crowd of robins, cardinals, mourning doves, and song sparrows etc… So much fun watching a mockingbird courting. Leaping in the air and practically doing somersaults as a second, presumably female bird watched without much apparent interest.

I’m not great at identifying bird calls but I just downloaded an app (Merlin) that “listens” to bird calls and tells you what it’s hearing. So cool. It’s free from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home), a great site for anyone who’s into birding. 

And we took a walk in the Arnold Arboretum last weekend and the lilacs, massive amounts of them, were in full bloom… at least a week early.

LUCY BURDETTE: Just a quick something good–I’m enjoying a short visit with my sister Susan (and her hub!) whom I don’t get to see nearly enough. We went on a walk yesterday and I said I’d left my phone home and couldn’t count steps. She said someone told her to treasure, not measure. I think that goes for time with someone you love too!

DEBS: I love all of these things, but I think Hank's rabbit and chipmunk win the cute prize!

Hallie, we are addicted to Merlin! We've had migrating birds this week that we've never heard before.

Rhys, we will expect a report on the ABBA concert!

How about you, lovely REDs? Any high points from your week you'd like to share?

The Reds Salute Hank #MaliceDomestic

DEBORAH CROMBIE: As you've probably heard, our fabulous Hank was the Guest of Honor at Malice Domestic this year! We Reds were asked to write a piece for the program book, and we thought you might enjoy the results--along with some fun photos!

LUCY BURDETTE: I first met Hank Phillippi Ryan when I was working on a New England Sisters in Crime calendar in 2003. Several of us traveled across New England with a photographer to take small group shots of our members. One of these was at Hank’s home. She was warm and welcoming and immediately impressive, taking charge of the photo shoot, and insisting we redo it until it was perfectly professional. She was a founding member of the Jungle Red Writers blog (now going on 15?? years and still writing!) She is the biggest engine behind our success, always insisting that we put our best foot forward, welcome all readers and writers, and produce excellent content every.single.day. She is a brilliant brainstormer, an indefatigable supporter of other writers, and the hardest worker in the business. She is known and loved across the country for her twisty suspense novels, her wise advice, and her warm friendship. I knew at that first meeting that I was in the presence of a whirlwind.

HALLIE EPHRON: I met Hank way back when she was working on her first crime novel (PRIME TIME), but here in New England she was already legendary as an investigative TV reporter with shelves full of Emmy Awards. “Help me Hank” was a phrase that thrilled her readers and terrified the targets of her investigations. I was in awe of her glamor and polish, her savvy and her smarts. Her debut novel, PRIME TIME, featuring (what else?) an investigative TV reporter, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel adding a Teapot (Agatha Award for Best First novel for PRIME TIME) to her shelf of awards. Soon our roles were reversed and she was helping me come up with the perfect title for a story or wrangle a misbehaving character or amp suspense (her forte). To repeat a theme: GENEROSITY! That should be her middle name. I’d be surprised if there’s even a single author at Malice who hasn’t been, like me, been boosted by Hank.

JENN MCKINLAY: There is no greater supporter of other writers in the publishing world than Hank Phillippi Ryan. She is generous with her time, her wisdom, and her enthusiasm, all of which she has in abundance. Truly, between her award-winning investigative journalism and bestselling thriller writing - she is a force of nature! When I joined the Jungle Reds seven years ago, Hank welcomed me with open arms (as did all the Reds) and it’s been a joy having that friendship grow into a real sisterhood. 

(Hank's GOH interview with the lovely Robin Agnew.)

RHYS BOWEN:  Hank and I bonded late one night after an award ceremony where we were both nominated and both didn’t win. I have to say we clicked immediately.  Until then I had been rather in awe of this impeccably polished person with the incredibly high heeled shoes. But once you get to know Hank you discover a warm, generous, funny, witty person who will be your biggest cheerleader. I count her as one of my dearest friends, and certainly the person I could turn to if I needed help, advice or cheering up.

Her support for other authors is legend. That she would give up so much time every week to host upcoming authors on various platforms is beyond commendable. What’s more when she goes out of her way to make her guests look good. I am thrilled that she is being honored at Malice.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'd never met Hank Phillippi Ryan when I was invited to join the Jungle Red Writers blog more than a decade ago, and I have to admit I was a little intimidated by this very accomplished and always elegant woman. What I've since discovered is that Hank is THE most generous and supportive person in the mystery community, and that, yes, she really is that nice. Her energy and enthusiasm seem boundless, but even amid her busy schedule she always has time to offer a word of encouragement or advice. I count myself as very fortunate to be her friend, and I can't think of anyone more deserving to be honored at Malice Domestic. Brava, Hank!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: If Hank were a character in one of her delicious cat-and-mouse suspense novels, you'd be very suspicious of her. Who is this woman asking penetrating questions as if you're the most interesting person she's ever met? Why is she always doing selfless things for others? How is it her hair is always perfect? She must be the villain, right? That's the shocking twist - beneath her striking looks and groaning shelf of awards, she's still the same gosh-darn nice girl from the Hoosier State. Sharp, funny, utterly loyal and with a deep well of love for everyone and everything in the genre she's made her own. She'll take you to lunch, offer you the ballet flats in her purse, feature you on one of her many book promotion platforms, and if you asked how to repay her, she'd be utterly befuddled. Guest of Honor is great, but if Malice Domestic ever decides on a Queen, Hank Ryan has the title sewn up.

Congratulations to our Hank! Any Hank stories that you would care to share?

Back to Conferences: A Red Round Up!

JENN McKINLAY: It’s time for conference round up! Okay, yes, I just made that up. Still, I just registered for Left Coast Crime - it’s in Tucson, AZ next year - and Bouchercon, which is in San Diego! These will be my first conferences since I got sent home from Left Coast Crime in March of 2020 when the state of California was about to enter lockdown. That was one surreal couple of days, let me tell you. I am still on the fence about attending Malice Domestic as Bethesda is super tricky to get to from Phoenix, so we’ll see. So, chime in Reds, what conferences are you planning on attending next year if any? 

LUCY BURDETTE: Oh fingers crossed this all works as we hope it does! I too am registered for Bouchercon in San Diego–with any luck we’ll have a big Jungle Reds contingent and a game show! (I think my last ones were in Dallas, St Petersburg, and Toronto–all fantastic!) But I know I’ll also be headed to Crimebake, both because I miss my New England pals, and DEBORAH CROMBIE will be the guest of honor. Hooray! 

HALLIE EPHRON: I went to my first ‘live’ conference a few weeks ago in Vancouver - the fabulous Surrey International Writers Conference - and lived to tell about it! It was so lovely to give a talk and tell from the audience reaction whether I was connecting. And hang out in the bar. And catch up with so many old friends. Sigh. Heaven. Not to mention hear the writing of some superbly talented as-yet-unpublished writers. And a few weeks ago I was at The New England Crime Bake where I got to actually hug Hank. Of COURSE I *plan* to go to Boucheron in San Diego – fingers crossed that we’ll all be there and gaming it! – and cheer on our own Deborah Crombie. 

RHYS BOWEN: this year I attended Left Coast Crime, Malice Domestic and the Edgars. No masks. Holding my breath all the time. But now, having had Covid, I’ll be more relaxed next year 

(unless the variant from hell emerges). I’ll be going to Left Coast in Tucson Malice and Bouchercon. Taking daughter Clare with me to introduce her further to the community I love my peeps! 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well, of COURSE I’m going to Malice–I’m the Guest of Honor. Whoo hoo and I am already nervous. And Ann Cleeves is international GOH, and I am SUCH a fan! Jenn, fly to DC! I always do. And Rhys, we will all swoop Clare up and make her an auxiliary Red! Bouchercon, yes, how can I resist. Another Reds-o-rama. :-) ! 

And CrimeBake with queen Debs will be wonderful. (I was GOH for its first mid-post--Covid event. I was floating with the honor…who’d have EVER thought? It was so amazing to see everyone, and so fraught and fabulous at the same time.) In this crazy-wonderful year, I was GOH at Killer Nashville, too. It was incredible, I have to say. SO welcoming! And I’d adore to go back. I have never been to Left Coast Crime, hmmm. I HAVE to write!!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I haven't been to a conference since Bouchercon in Dallas in 2019, so 2023 is going to be very exciting. In March, I'm GOH for Murderous March, the virtual conference organized by the Upper Hudson Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Then in June, I'm GOH (along with the fabulous Rachel Howzell Hall) at the California Crime Writers conference in LA. I am registering for Bouchercon in San Diego as well (tackle that to-do list!) And then the icing on the cake, I'll be GOH at Crime Bake in November in Boston. It will be my first Crime Bake and I'm so excited! I hope we'll have a great REDs contingent there. I would dearly love to go to Malice (it's been much too long) but as Hank says, I have to write...

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'll be tagging along and applauding my friends at Malice, Bouchercon and Crime Bake next year. It's always fun when B'con is in a city I like visiting, and I plan to take full advantage of being in San Diego! 

 

I'll also be at the Maine Crime Wave in Portland next June and the Novelists, Inc. conference in St. Petersburg in September. That last is entirely for published authors, and I found the first one I attended, this past fall, to be so full of useful information, I definitely want to go back. Thrillerfest 2023? Maybe? I love the excuse to go the New York City, and I'd really like to teach a masterclass there one year, so that's a strong impetus to go.

What about you, Readers? What conferences will you be attending next year? Or are you not ready yet?

 

What Rhys has been Doing

 RHYS BOWEN: My fellow Reds have suggested I share my recent exploits so here they are:

I've been busy during the last month. After two years of living as a hermit, going out with mask on to Trader Joe's I finally started traveling again--with much trepidation, I confess. I had a new book out, WILD IRISH ROSE, the 18th Molly Murphy novel, now written with my daughter Clare and I thought should introduce her to the writing community.

First we went to Albuquerque to attend Left Coast Crime convention. It was amazing to see friends after so long and Clare was warmly welcomed, given a panel appearance plus a chance to share the stage with me and discuss what it was like to work together. (Of course she had to be polite!)

Almost nobody wore a mask, which was a little intimidating, but we all had to be vaccinated so that should have been okay. I didn't hear about anyone testing positive afterward. We also had some lovely meals with fellow writers, but Albuquerque downtown was scary and dead, the hotel had just changed hands and there was NO FOOD TO BE HAD! All a bit chaotic.

Then our next adventure: we flew to Washington DC to attend Malice Domestic Convention at which I shared being Guest of Honor with fellow Red Julia. Again it was wonderful to be among friends. Louise Penny, one of my dearest friends, flew in from London to interview me. We had a fun dinner together and the interview was such a treat.

Louise even called Clare up onto the stage at the end which I thought was so sweet of her.   I also had to run the charity auction, with another friend, Charlene Harris. I had no idea how tiring this is! I was wiped out by the end, but we did raise a lot of money.

I also had to give a speech at the banquet and it was lovely to share a table with  Louise, Clare, our agent Christina and friends from the writing community including Kathy who had been a member of one of my writing workshops in Tuscany. (I also had to go up to accept my Agatha Award from last year, although there are no teapots yet, the firm having closed during Covid).

Clare announced that she had found her tribe and would be a convention junkie from now on!  She had to fly home from DC but I took the train to New York where I spent four days before the Edgar awards. During those days I toured the areas that Clare and I write about, taking lots of photos for her. I had lunch with an old friend, breakfast with fellow Red Lucy, meetings and meals with my agents and then a very grand dinner with my team from Lake Union. 

It all culminated in the Edgar's banquet. We had to show proof of vaccination and were given masks, but once inside the reception the masks all came off. So it was a little scary, knowing that people had come from all over the world. But I arrived home safely with no sniffles and a sigh of relief. (Oh, and I didn't win the Edgar but it was lovely to see my cover on huge screens around the room and to be photographed with the other nominees).

After that I needed to decompress. I was simply not used to getting dressed up, sharing meals with people, speaking at microphones--all skills I had to relearn.  I survived without getting Covid (although several people did test positive from the Malice convention, including some here). 

But no rest for the wicked, eh? On arriving home I had to clean the whole house, put away garden furniture etc before we drove back to our home in California. Now all I have to do is finish a book, do edits on another and then start the next Molly book with Clare. At least my life isn't boring any more!

How about you, Reds? Have you dared to travel yet? 

What We're Writing Week - Julia Googles

 Julia Spencer-Fleming: I'm still recovering from the good time I had at Malice Domestic, where I brought back not just great memories and a cool "Guest of Honor" tea cup, but also *cue dramatic music* Covid. 

I'm fine; vaxxed and double boosted, my symptoms are identical to a boring head cold. I'm going through Kleenex fast enough to deliver a bump to Kimberly-Clark share prices and I've got a post-nasal-drip sore throat, but I was out yesterday tearing down multiflora rose vines (my lord, those things grow insanely long) and toting in wood for the wood stove, so I can't say it's holding me back. My doctor's office wrote me a scrip for Paxlovid and I'm not supposed to go anywhere until Sunday, which is fine, because I saw more people in four days in DC than I have in the entire period between January 2020 - April 2022. It was so joyfully overwhelming that I may not leave my house until Bouchercon this fall.

I'm not sharing an excerpt, because I wanted to answer an interesting question I got during one of my panels. Or maybe at the Guest of Honor interview? An audience member asked, "What are some of the odd things you've Googled?" and all I could think of in the moment was checking out if breath mints existed in the early 1930s for OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY. (They did! Sen-Sen, just like in the song from The Music Man.)

Of course, we all like to do research by interviewing, or being places in person, but as Debs pointed out yesterday, that's not always possible. Or convenient. You know what is, though? Our friend, Mr. Google. So I thought I would share some of my searches for the current work-in-some-sort-of-progress, AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY.

What's the proper abbreviation for assistant state attorney general?

2008 calendar

Image of front-loader

Sunset times for Hudson Falls New York in December

Location of Applebees near Albany

Is "shacking up" still used as slang for living together?

Most popular boys names in 2000

How many square miles are in the Adirondack State Park?

Tourist camp sites near the High Peaks

White supremacy and the militia movement (this was a LOT of different sites!)

White supremacist signs

Law schools in New York City

What gear do you need for cold weather camping?

Common Chinese last names

NY State laws on prescription opiods

Map of NY State Thruway exits (This I should know by heart, really...)

NY State Park Rangers

NY State Fish and Game Wardens

Popular rifles for hunting game

What's the smallest concealable explosive you can make?

Home made explosives

Mohawk tribal lands in New York

Can eight month old babys walk? (Because believe it or not, despite having had three, I can't remember. Maybe because I had three!)

Santa appearances in the Glens Falls area in December

Can you hotwire a snowmobile?

 

Can you put together some of my plot lines, dear readers? And what are some of the odder questions you've asked Mr. Google?

Rhys is Not Writing

RHYS BOWEN:  I have had to take a break from serious writing this week, dear readers, for a very good reason--or rather two very good reasons. Over the weekend I was at Malice Domestic convention, where I was guest of honor. (along with fellow Jungle Red Julia, who was GOH for the year before. (Both of us a year late as the pandemic put the convention on hiatus for 2 years. And now we willingly shared the spotlight!)

 I hope Julia had as fabulous a time as I did. It was utterly amazing, surreal. My GOH interview was with my dear friend Louise Penny. We had a packed house and at the end I got the longest standing ovation, during which I had to fight back tears. 

Then I had to give a speech at the banquet . In spite of the food being well.. you know, banquet food at its worst, including a steak I simply couldn't cut and instead Louise fed me half her ravioli, it was such a wonderful event. It's always moving and inspiring to see first time Agatha winners overcome with emotion.

I also would have been presented with my Agatha tea pot for last year's win but alas due to pandemic supply chain issues there were no teapots to be had, nor was there my guest-of-honor tea cup.  They will arrive in due time, I'm sure.  The organizers did their best against all odds. Well done.

The convention ended with the Agathas tea party--my favorite as I love tea parties.  And the best thing about the weekend, apart from seeing old and dear friends, was that my daughter and new co-writer Clare was with me to experience it all and be introduced to the mystery community. She commented that she has found her tribe and will be attending every convention from now on!

Then on Monday it was on to the next amazing event: train from DC to New York where I am staying until the Edgars banquet on Thursday (where I am nominated for best novel!!!!!  Amazing)

I'll update you if I win. Not holding my breath.

And next week I have to get back to serious revisions on my new work in progress, called ISLAND OF LOST BOYS. It takes place in Paris in the thirties, London and France in WWII and then Australia after the war. And its more harrowing and dark than anything I have written. But I hope it's good stuff.

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.

Deborah Crombie--It Takes a Village

DEBORAH CROMBIE: In mid-July I'm doing this fabulous panel at the virtual Malice Domestic, MORE THAN MALICE, with four of my very favorite authors, Elly Griffiths, Ann Cleeves, Peter Robinson, and Michael Nava. 

 

We all have series novels under our belts, and in the case of Ann and Elly, more than one series. (I am in awe!) We'll be moderated by the fabulous Oline Cogdill, and we'll be chatting about those subsidiary characters who fill out our novels and help bring our canvases depth and interest. I know that in all these authors' works I love the secondary characters as much as the primary protagonists.

But with every new book, we always hope to bring new readers into the series, and feeding in the backstories of this varied cast can be a challenge. Longtime readers of a series may need a little refresher as well--I know I sometimes do myself!

In this scene from the book in progress, the 19th Kincaid/James, Duncan is going to see the Howards, the mother and son who were first introduced way back in AND JUSTICE THERE IS NONE, the eighth book in the series, and who have appeared regularly in the subsequent books. Here, they have a personal connection to the victim in the murder Duncan and his team are investigating.

Just to set the scene, here's the Sun in Splendour pub, just at dusk, on a much nicer day than Duncan's.

Less than half an hour later, Kincaid emerged at Notting Hill Gate and hailed another taxi. It was already getting dark, the twilight accelerated by the overcast sky and intermittent drizzle. The market would be breaking down, and as they passed the end of Portobello Road he could see the throngs of shoppers heading back towards the tube station. Light shone cheerfully from the big windows of the Sun in Splendour on the corner.

The taxi trundled down Pembridge Crescent, avoiding Portobello which would be chock-a-block with stall holders’ vans as well as tourists. It snaked around Powis Square, where their vet, Bryony Poole, lived, then passed the Tabernacle, where Toby had been rehearsing for the ballet—a rehearsal which Kincaid had once again missed. Well, maybe he could go some way towards making that up if he asked Toby to show him his part tonight.

At Westbourne Park Kincaid got out, paid his fare, and stood gazing up at the multi-hued terraced houses. It seemed every other one was covered with scaffolding these days. The properties were scooped up by investors, renovated, then resold for amounts no one but hedge fund managers could afford. But Betty Howard and her son Wesley had so far managed to hold on to their third-floor flat, which had been in Betty’s family since her parents had emigrated from Trinidad in the days when the notorious slumlord Peter Rachman had controlled many of the tenements in Notting Hill. Betty’s parents had eventually managed to buy their flat, and after their deaths, Betty and her late husband had raised their children here. The five girls all now had families of their own and only Wesley, the youngest and only boy, still lived in the flat with Betty.

Now, glancing up, he saw that all the flat’s windows were lit. The Howards were home. With a last glance at his watch, Kincaid rang the bell.

You can tell I'm missing Notting Hill here! 

Readers, do you like having little reminders of who recurring characters are and how they fit into the series? And how much information is too much?