Sleuthfest is always fun; there, I've said it. A little worried about escaping Logan Airport on a sleety, snowy morning, I was more than delighted to arrive in Orlando, where it was 82 degrees. Much nicer.
Friday for me was the "Traditional Mystery" panel, where we had great fun debating the definition of traditional mystery, and whether we wrote them. Depending on who you ask, I may or may not write them. Maybe--do the werewolves count as traditional, if they're the good guys? Does Anna Hoyt count as traditional, even if she may not be a good guy? (L-R, Alan Orloff, Toni Kelner, moderator Elaine Viets, me, Joelle Charbonneau.)
Saturday had two panels for me: one on the short story, and one called "Charlaine and Friends," which featured Guest of Honor Charlaine Harris and some of the contributors of short stories to the anthologies she edits with Toni Kelner. I'm endlessly fascinated by short sto
ries, and the panelists (L-R, Becky Swope (m), Elaine Togneri, Terrie Moran, Brendan DuBois, me) had a lot to say on the subject. Just for the record, I mentioned Edith Wharton as an influence for me--just take a look at "Roman Fever" if you want an education in suspense.
The "Charlaine and Friends" panel was a hoot. I've seldom had so much fun on a panel, and judging by the reactions, I think the audience did, too. We (below, L-R Elaine, Charlaine, Brendan DuBois, Toni Kelner, GoH Chris Grabenstein, and me) were ably moderated by Elaine Viets. Topics included how Charlaine brought us over to the dark side of supernatural writing, what kind of deals we made with the devil, and the pitfalls of writing paranormal fiction.
Guest of Honor Jeffery Deaver, who gave a terrific presentation about how to write a book--and also how to treat writing as a profession. Just a hint: copy-editing, fact-checking, a
nd paying
attention to reader comments are all in. Angry Birds is out.
Friday for me was the "Traditional Mystery" panel, where we had great fun debating the definition of traditional mystery, and whether we wrote them. Depending on who you ask, I may or may not write them. Maybe--do the werewolves count as traditional, if they're the good guys? Does Anna Hoyt count as traditional, even if she may not be a good guy? (L-R, Alan Orloff, Toni Kelner, moderator Elaine Viets, me, Joelle Charbonneau.)
Saturday had two panels for me: one on the short story, and one called "Charlaine and Friends," which featured Guest of Honor Charlaine Harris and some of the contributors of short stories to the anthologies she edits with Toni Kelner. I'm endlessly fascinated by short sto
ries, and the panelists (L-R, Becky Swope (m), Elaine Togneri, Terrie Moran, Brendan DuBois, me) had a lot to say on the subject. Just for the record, I mentioned Edith Wharton as an influence for me--just take a look at "Roman Fever" if you want an education in suspense. The "Charlaine and Friends" panel was a hoot. I've seldom had so much fun on a panel, and judging by the reactions, I think the audience did, too. We (below, L-R Elaine, Charlaine, Brendan DuBois, Toni Kelner, GoH Chris Grabenstein, and me) were ably moderated by Elaine Viets. Topics included how Charlaine brought us over to the dark side of supernatural writing, what kind of deals we made with the devil, and the pitfalls of writing paranormal fiction.
Guest of Honor Jeffery Deaver, who gave a terrific presentation about how to write a book--and also how to treat writing as a profession. Just a hint: copy-editing, fact-checking, a
nd paying
attention to reader comments are all in. Angry Birds is out.
r the Vikings, and oh, my, the Viking treasures we saw. When I say treasures, you know I mean not just the gold and silver (of which there was plenty), but also the carved memorial stones and brooches and pottery and human remains? Good; I didn't want there to be any confusion. This is a fragment of a medieval Tau Cross (or crozier) and I like it because of the Scandinavian intertwined beasts. You can do a lot of intricate carving when there's no TV to get in the way. 
feet to prove it. Here's a little of that silver treasure I was talking about. Because sometimes, even for an archaeologist, it's nice to look at something that isn't dirty, broken, and unidentifiable.
the book. I didn't hold out much hope of lightning striking twice (you can see why, when you look at the previous blogs on the nominees for Best Short Story), but the Anthony win for "Swing Shift" was the bookend to a wonderful weekend! Here, you can see me celebrating with Charlaine and Toni. That's the great thing about conventions, is getting to celebrate with friends. 
the prom for mystery writers, Malice is like a class reunion, where it takes forty minutes to hug your way across the hotel lobby. I got to catch up with so many friends, including 7/8 of the Femmes Fatales. I ran into Elaine and Kris in the hallway, Mary Saums also presented at Edgars, Donna and Hank were up for Agathas, Toni and I shared at table at the banquet, and I got to have lunch with Charlaine in Boston the following Wednesday! A great weekend for catching up. (Right: Hank Phillippi Ryan, Sasscer Hill, me, Sarah Smith (who won best YA!).
