CRIME ON MY MIND

CANADIANS DOWN SOUTH

Another Malice Domestic just wrapped up and if you've never been to one, especially if you love traditional mysteries, you don't know what you're missing. It takes place every year in Bethesda, MD and boasts a long line-up of writers and fans. It also includes the very popular Agatha Awards which are voted on by the readers and bestowed at the Sat. night banquet. Although Canadians have been nominated in the past,sadly, there wasn't one on this year's list.

But the Canadians did troop the colours! We had an impressive turnout, although we were missing some of our usual travel-mates from previous years. Authors who were there, whose names I'm sure you know are Cathy Ace, Janet Bolin, Erika Chase, Vicki Delany, and Mary Jane Maffini/Victoria Abbott. And we were pleased to see ardent mystery reader, who pops up at all the conferences, Elaine Naiman from Ottawa. Now, I know I shouldn't name names because I know I'll miss someone, like the delightful readers from out West. But, I dared to do it.

It's great to get together once a year, or like some of us who went to Left Coast Crime in Monterey in March, more times. It rejuvenates the writing spirit, and more often than not, we come back with some great ideas on writing and promotion. For many years, before being publishes, I went to hear what the authors had to say and to meet them. I always looked forward to the weekend and never came away disappointed.

There's an opportunity for much the same coming up next month in the form of Bloody Words in Toronto on June 6-8. Sadly, this will be the final year for this wonderful conference. So I highly advise that if you've been putting it off for a better year, it doesn't get any better than this! You'll meet mystery authors from across Canada, along with many from the U.S. and overseas. And of course, some amazing readers. For all the details, visit http://www.bloodywords.com I hope to see you there!

And, if you're in Ottawa, plan on a day of mystery on Sat. May 10th at the Ottawa Public Library when Capital Crime Writers presents a day of Capital Mayhem. For the grand price of FREE, you'll enjoy early morning coffee, Peter Robinson, panels of local mystery authors, plus lunch....did I mention it's free. And, it starts at 9 a.m. Books will be available for purchase, too.

Crime thrives...between the pages, of course. Don't miss out!

CRIME ON MY MIND

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Just back from Left Coast Crime in Monterey, CA. It's a mid-sized conference, getting bigger every year it seems, with about 800 participants this time. So, not as big as Bouchercon.

I remember my first mystery conference, Malice Domestic in Bethesda sometime in the late 1980's (I think). It was on the small size, which helps when it's your first time. I and my Ladies' Killing Circle pals were bright eyed and eager to learn. Of course, we were also looking forward to discovering the charms and bargains of Washington, DC, just as short subway ride away. However, back to the conference. We appeared armed with notebooks and pens. We sat in on as many panels as we could manage, sometimes having to split the hour between two competing topics. Did I mention we were there to learn?

The by-product was meeting so many new people who were readers like us and sharing favourite reads. The bonus was meeting our favourite authors. I considered myself lucky at being trapped in a hotel elevator for 20 minutes with one of my heroes, Nancy Pickard. Not only did she share her agent's name and contact info, she also distracted me from the view from the glass elevator. Did I mention I become decidedly uneasy with heights?

We were also there when the now famous Sisters In Crime was in it's early stages, and even took on the role of starting a Canadian chapter. You cannot imagine the high we felt from this weekend. We all came back eager to write. Now, after many years of writing and attending mystery conferences, we're there as published authors.

The high is still the same. Meeting readers who are fans is exhilarating. Meeting authors who are favourites is equally so. Now it's a mixture of networking and attending panels. Of course, we're also participants on the panels, another experience all together.

I'm more convinced with each conference that there's bang for your buck in attending. Next on my agenda is Malice Domestic, of course, May 2-4 in Bethesda, MD. And that's followed by Bloody Words, another favourite, in Toronto, June 6-8.

What's been your best conference experience?

(I know it's difficult at times to post comments on this blogsite -- I haven't been able to figure out how to solve it. You can post your comments on my Facebook page, also. Linda Sundman Wiken.)

TUESDAY BRINGS TROUBLE

What Will People Think?

“Stop that, Janet! What will people think?” As a child, I heard those words often. I didn’t always pay attention. Now I seem to have nearly lost the knack of hearing them in my mind’s ear.

This is probably good. Imagine if someone overheard me saying, “I have just returned from malice and am going to bloody words.”

Imagine the swath that my travelling companions (mystery authors Linda Wiken/Erika Chase, R.J. Harlick, and Vicki Delany) and I cut through New York and Pennsylvania with our cheerfully morbid discussions in restaurants on our way to and from the Malice Domestic conference www.malicedomestic.org and the Festival of Mystery http://www.mysterylovers.com/books/events/20110502Festival.

Imagine the conversations that go on among writers and readers at these events…

And then there was the Incident of the Coffee. Actually, there were several Incidents of the Coffee. My favourite morning beverage seemed to have a curse placed on it. Or maybe the curse was placed on my clothing. The worst incident involved a doughnut, a car, some coffee, and my pants. If you wish to replicate the Incident, try this:
1. Accept half a Krispy Kreme chocolate doughnut from the driver.
2. Hold cup of warm (fortunately, not hot) coffee between knees while tearing off piece of doughnut.
3. Pass remainder of doughnut to other occupant of the back seat
5. Notice that the coffee has tipped and is pouring into your lap.

What will people think? Well, we know exactly what they would have thought if my pants hadn’t dried before the next time I had to clamber out of the car.

If you missed Malice and the Festival of Mystery, don’t despair. The fun is not over for the season. We still have Bloody Words http://www.bloodywords.com . Not attending the conference might not be a crime, exactly, but just think what you might miss . . .

Janet Bolin’s first novel, DIRE THREADS, was nominated for an Agatha for Best First Novel and is shortlisted for the first ever Bloody Words Light Mystery Award (aka the Bony Blithe.) Her second mystery, THREADED FOR TROUBLE, comes out June 5. You’ll be able to pick up an early, signed copy at Bloody Words. The third mystery in her Threadville Mystery series will be published in June, 2013.

Visit Janet at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Bolin/26732519115 facebook and twitter.

CRIME ON MY MIND

There are mystery conferences in the air!

Just back from Malice Domestic in Bethesda, MD. It’s been about ten years since I last attended and while it’s changed in many ways – programming being the most obvious – it’s still the same for what counts. It’s a terrific way to network with other authors, mostly those writing lighter mysteries or cosies, and of course, a great place to meet readers!

The enthusiasm is at a very high level throughout, which explains why I’m dragging around since coming back. It’s a challenge to maintain that ‘conference high’ and keep going at full throttle for the entire weekend. But Malice Domestic is a well-oiled machine. It should be. The folks running it have been in training with previous conference committees, or may even be those doers and shakers, and that’s been going on since the late 1980’s.

We then, on our road trip of four Canadian authors, made our way to Oakmont, PA for the Festival of Mystery. About 50 invited authors got to schmooze at a tea at the library and meet those who love recommending books to readers. After that, we all trucked on over to a huge church hall. I’d been told there’d be a line-up stretching around the block of eager readers. And there it was. In the 27C weather. These keen fans paid to get in and buy books and have them signed by the authors who were all seated at signing tables.

What a thrill it was. And eager they were. This is organized every year by Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont and booksellers everywhere should be in awe.

So, that was our ten-hour-plus road trip. At the end of this month, we’re all heading to Toronto for the Arthur Ellis Awards Banquet on May 31st followed by Bloody Words, our own, Canadian mystery conference.

If you’re a mystery author and haven’t yet attended, I’m wondering why not? And if you’re a mystery reader and planning on attending, you’re in for a treat. Check out the website at www.bloodywords.com if you dare!

Hope to see you there!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase

A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ & BURIED, coming Dec., 2012
www.erikachase.com

WICKED WEDNESDAYS

Heading out...

Two things struck me late last night. I hadn't yet finished packing for Malice Domestic. And secondly, when I tried to post and schedule a new blog, I found that the 'Blogger' format and system had changed! When did that happen? Sometime since Monday morning, apparently. That was the last time I was physically accessing the blog settings. Why do they do that?! Especially when I don't have time to do a self-teaching session! So, I can eventually get into this space and write a blog but can I schedule a blog to be posted tomorrow, Friday or Monday? No! So, my apologies. While I'm away at Malice, the repeating blog will be by Joan Boswell, which I'm posting right before hitting the road in the morning. But it's a good blog and re-reading it may trigger some writing ideas. So that's a good thing. Nor can I get this Blogger to insert paragraphs! What's up????? But back to my rant, especially since in the cold light of day, nothing has changed. This hasn't morphed back into the easy Blogger I grew into liking. Nor has my suitcase been miraculously filled and better still, proven able to be closed. I draw two conclusions from this -- I truly am a luddite when it comes to all things electronic (like that DVD player still in its box 5 months later) and now, Blogger. Also, that I spend too much time fussing over what clothing to take to the conference. Of course, there are a variety of functions to attend over the weekend...and, a gal's got to have her shoes! But that's not the real focus of this conference. We all know that! Malice Domestic, which takes place in Bethesda, MD from April 27-29th is the ultimate 'cosy' conference in the U.S. It's been running for decades -- in fact, it was the first mystery conference I ever attended back in 1989, its very first year. I haven't been there for ten years so I'm really looking forward to seeing old and new faces, and enjoying the changes in format. And there have been many, starting with the New Author's Breakfast this Saturday (7 a.m.!!) at which we'll each have a short 2-min. interview and then spend the rest of the time munching along with our tablemates, a mixture of readers and writers. That's what Malice is all about. It's a terrific chance to meet the readers -- and boy, do they attend! -- and to get to know new colleagues, and meet with old friends. As part of the Killer Characters blogspot, we have a crossword puzzle planned with the prize, a year's supply of our books -- one a month from each of us to the lucky winner! That will be fun! And, then there are the panels. Mine is the Southern mysteries panel at 9:30 a.m. on Sat. and I'm on with some of my favourite authors. Then there's the Agatha Awards banquet that evening with two Canadians up for prizes -- Louise Penny for Best Novel, and Janet Bolin for Best First Novel. Fingers crossed! The day after the conference, we'll be in Oakmont, PA for the Festival of Mystery. That's in it's 17th year and attracts between 300 & 400 readers to a spot where the 50+ authors are in signing mode. Once again, the newbies will have short interviews and then it's a reader-writer fest! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to all this and a chance to spend the weekend as Erika Chase! It will also be much fun getting there as we're driving the ten-hour route. That's R.J. Harlick, Vicki Delany, Janet Bolin and Erika. Can you imagine the laughter! So, back to packing mode. And maybe I shouldn't worry about unpacking when we get home. After all, it's just a month until Canada's amazingly great mystery conference Bloody Words in Toronto. Being a mystery author is a really hard job!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase A Killer Read Berkley Prime Crime, now available Read & Buried, coming Nov., 2012

CRIME ON MY MIND

Stepping out with Lady Luck!

I had my second gig on Wed. night, or rather Erika Chase did. I/She was guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Capital Crime Writers, the vibrant mystery writers association here in Ottawa. (My first time out was speaking to the Ottawa Regional Booksellers Assoc. -- very odd after being one of them for so long).

Anyway, it dawned on me that what may have been the most useful tip for many CCW members is that as an unpublished writer, you should never give up. In a lot of instances, it's luck that steps in and leads the way to a publishing contract. So hang in there and be open to it.

Some examples come to mind: Mary Jane Maffini selling what was to become an award-winning short story, at a bar in Omaha, at a Bouchercon conference; Peggy Blair talking to Ian Rankin, at the end of a conference, and being given the name of his agent; and I remembered in the early 90's, while attending a Malice Domestic conference, being stuck in a glass elevator with Nancy Pickard for close to half-an-hour. She just happened to be one of my favourite authors at that point. We got to talking and before things got moving again, she'd offered me the name of her agent. Had I been further along in my writing at that point, I would have taken her up on it. I should have anyway.

That's not such a difficult task -- attending conferences and schmoozing. We all like to do that. You never can tell when lady luck will get in on the conversation and there's your entry into the publishing world.

Bloody Words is coming up June 1-3 in Toronto; Malice Domestic happens before that on April 27-29 in Bethesda, MD; and, I received the registration package for Left Coast Crime, March 21-24, 2013 in Colorado Springs, CO. I'll be attending them all. I expect they'll all be informative, eventful and a lot of fun. Plus, Lady Luck may be registered, also!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime
www.erikachase.com

MAYHEM ON MONDAY

In praise of cosies!

Today's blog is a little late in appearing. My apologies. I got carried away reading. And talking on the phone. But the main reason is a book called Pushing Up Bluebonnets by Leann Sweeney.

She's part of the panel I'm on at Malice Domestic called 'The Sound and the Fury: Southern Mysteries'. I'm not too sure what the 'fury' part will entail, though. Anyway, I want to be up-to-speed about my colleagues so I'm reading books by each of them.

When I first decided I'd write mysteries I read most of the cosy writers of that time (late 1980's): Carolyn Hart, Nancy Pickard, Susan Dunlap, Joan Hess to name a few. These were writers I'd meet every year at Malice Domestic and I got hooked on their books.

By the time we'd bought Prime Crime Books, I'd expanded my reading tastes to include edgier mysteries, police procedurals in particular, and some thrillers. And I also gravitated to Canadian authors like Eric Wright, L.R. Wright, Peter Robinson and Gail Bowen. The cosies were getting outnumbered every day.

So along comes this contract to write a cosy series. I'm back to devouring these books, in particular the Berkley Prime Crime line to keep on top of what my publisher is putting out. And of course, most of these authors are Americans and the series are set in the U.S. We have two noted exceptions though, Mary Jane Maffini and more recently, Janet Bolin. I've learned a lot from all these authors.

I hadn't read any of the Sweeney series sub-titled, 'A Yellow Rose Mystery', although I'd sold them at the store. The cover was a bit 'cute', the Texas setting was intriguing but still not enough to make me give it a read. And with the number of new books and authors arriving weekly at the store, I had to pick and choose.

So what a surprise to pick this book up, start reading and not want to put it down. It's about a female adoption PI who's smart, caring and a seeker of truth. The other characters are well-drawn. The plot is complex. The dialogue is just that -- how you would expect these people to talk.

The cover screams, "chick-mystery" but sometimes you can't judge a book by it's cover. It's a cosy in that there's no excessive or overt violence or sex. It's well-written. And that's what I look for in a book. I'm caught up in the cosy world once again but don't give them short-shrift.

Good writing is good writing is good writing!

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime
www.erikachase.com

MAYHEM ON MONDAY

Looking ahead!

On Friday I received an email telling me of my panel assignment for the Malice Domestic conference in April. I've been looking forward to this conference for some time now. It's one of the largest 'cosy' conferences in the US and it's held in Bethesda, MD.

I first started going to it with my writing buddies around 1989 (close enough)and continued every year until 2001. By then it had moved into downtown Washington, DC and was much bigger. I thought it had lost its charm and besides, I didn't have a novel, only our short story anthologies that weren't readily available in the US market.

But this year I'll go back to Bethesda, where it returned last year, as Erika Chase and armed with my first novel. It's the first of three is a cosy series from Berkley Prime Crime, part of the Penguin group. I'm excited because the Berkley line is well-known in the US and has a very large group of ardent readers. I found that when I owned Prime Crime Books, too. The cosy lovers usually read the BPC series.

My panel is called Southern Mysteries and I'm in good company with several authors I've read and enjoyed over the years. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity, as is Erika.

And so it begins. The next step in promoting a book, taking it from an internet experience based on Facebook, Twitter and blogs to a more personal level meeting readers and other authors. And, getting a chance to talk about the book along with the process of writing it.

The next big opportunity comes in June with Bloody Words 2012 in Toronto. This one is real special because it focuses on the Canadian mystery experience bringing writers, readers and people from the publishing world together for a weekend of pure indulgence. I'm registered (as is Erika) and am looking forward to meeting many names and faces from the internet.

Have you registered yet?

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime
www.erikachase.com

MAYHEM ON MONDAY

A dream come true

Recently I had a dream come true even though I wasn’t really conscious of having that dream. Let me explain. Many years ago I discovered the Kinsey Milhone books by Sue Grafton. I love the tone and Kinsey’s spirit. She wasn’t one to get bogged down in undue domesticity, a lesson to us all. She did what had to be done and kept on going. A modern woman PI.

Then, not long after I started to try my hands at mystery writing, I had the pleasure to hear Sue Grafton (herself!) as a keynote speaker at The Palm Springs Writers Conference and was struck by her graciousness, humour and generosity of spirit. I took away some excellent tips.

A few years later, when I had a few books in the drawer and was beginning to feel the despair of the not-yet-and-maybe-never-to-be published, Sue Grafton gave a session for unpublished writers at Bouchercon in Toronto. I took away reams of notes this time, but the most important things I appreciated were her optimism and strategies. She told us all to get our stamped, addressed envelope ready (with the SASE) for the next submission before our manuscript came back rejected. She told us if it came back, to put it in the new envelope and send it out again. Then we could have a good cry. She told us that it often takes seven years to sell that first book and not to give up. It took her several books and several years to break in. She didn’t say that she never had to look back after that first sale, but, of course, we all knew she’d been hitting the New York Times Bestseller list for many years even then. I took her advice, bought the envelopes, stocked up on stamps, stiffened my spine.

Sue Grafton’s real gift to writers was that positive outlook. Just because someone hasn’t bought your book yet doesn’t mean that you have to quit or give in to despair. You just have to hang in there.

It took seven years for my first Camilla MacPhee book to sell and Sue was right. I’ve found a market for all the books that came afterward and even the ones that came before.

Sue told us to get working on the second book because when the first book sells the second book needs to be ready. I really wish I had taken that advice because if you don’t do this, you will be forever scrambling to keep up. Ahem.

So my point (and I do have one) is that after all these years, at this latest Malice Domestic Conference, I found myself sitting on a panel with Sue Grafton, and not just with her, but next to her. She is as charming and pleasant in person as she is in front of a large audience. I loved meeting her, loved shaking her hand and loved being on that panel with her. This should not come as a surprise.

She’s still entertaining and very funny. She had the audience and the panelists eating out of her hand! She still loves what she does. And she still looks like a million dollars. What a role model! I am glad to have met her after I was published and to have had her advice before. I’m grateful she told me to hang in there or I would have missed that excellent panel. And thirteen books!


Mary Jane Maffini rides herd on three (soon to be three and a half) mystery series and a couple of dozen short stories. Her thirteenth mystery novel, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder, which hit the bookshelves last month, is brimming with names, no two the same.

CRIME ON MY MIND

Congratulations!

What an exciting night at the Agatha Awards banquet at Malice Domestic on Saturday. Canadian's came out on top in two categories: Best Novel going to Louise Penny, yet again, for Bury Your Dead.

And, the Best Short Story award went to Mary Jane Maffini for So Much in Common which appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery magazine Sept/Oct issue. Welcome to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine!
www.themysteryplace.com

It's so wonderful that two of Canada's best mystery authors are winners at the top cosy conference in the U.S. Canadian crime writer's rock!

Congratulations to you both!

MAYHEM ON MONDAY

Road trip!

I am very excited about a rampage of three women Crime Writers from Ontario to North Carolina, Maryland and Pittsburgh.

Vicki Delany, Elizabeth Duncan and I have a whirlwind series of activities scheduled in the Raleigh, NC area, all organized by mystery book loving dynamo Molly Weston. In our lighter moments we call it The Older, Hotter, Deadlier Tour.

Then we’re off to the Malice Domestic Conference which is back in Bethesda, Maryland after years in Arlington. This excellent conference celebrates the traditional mystery. After Malice, while Elizabeth jets home, Vicki and I will head out to Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, PA, an intense and amazing book event that draws readers from at least four states.

Vicki, Elizabeth and I will hitting the road on Wednesday. It will be good-bye Dad and Doggies and off on the 14 hour trip. Look out below the 49th parallel!

As for now, the office is full of packing paraphenalia. There’s still a lot to do.

Passport? Check!
US dollars? Check!
Gadzillion bookmarks for The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder. Check!
Business cards? Check!
Five jackets for different events? Check!
Clothes for cool weather? Check!
Clothes for warm weather? Check!
Donation basket contents? Check!
Notes for Malice panels? Check!
Maple syrup for gifts? Check!
The right shoes? Check!
The wrong shoes? Almost certainly.
Comfy slacks for long drives? Check!
Phone number, maps, addresses? Check!
Vote in Federal election? Done!
Conference file? Check!
Copies of my Agatha nominated story? Check!
Tribute to my friend, Lyn Hamilton for Malice Remembers? Keep polishing!
Summer tires on car? To do list!
What have I forgotten? Car registration renewal? Eeep! On the list!

This trip represents weeks of planning and organizing and maybe a bit of obsessing. It has been a lovely dream to keep me going when winter became tiresome and to do lists long and dreary. North Carolina and the DC area will be way ahead of us in weather. Flowering shrubs should be in their glory. Boots can be shed and sweaters ditched. Friends will be hugged and readers connected with. Bars will be filled with laughing colleagues and fun will be had. Room mates (including our own mystery maven Linda) will be gossiped with and many laughs will be exchanged. The car will be filled with new books, our heads with new information and our hearts with the joy of meeting readers and other writers. For a full list of the book events, visit my website www.maryjanemaffini.com and click on the events button.

What a wonderful reading world we’ll be traveling to. Hope some of you can join us for some of it. If not, watch for updates here.

I can’t wait! Stay tuned.


Mary Jane Maffini rides herd on three (soon to be three and a half) mystery series and a couple of dozen short stories. Her thirteenth mystery novel, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder, which hit the bookshelves this month, is brimming with names, no two the same.