This weekend’s Malice Domestic was tremendous fun start to finish—and I got my walking in at the new venue: the Marriott North Bethesda with its spacious halls and sprawling breadth and very cool outdoor patio (good place to rest along the way back and forth). Highlights of the weekend included a great panel discussion with the Agatha Best Short Story panelists, led by the incomparable Michael Bracken, and then cheering on Gigi Pandian from our group who took home the award at the banquet for “The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn”—a great story!—plus interviews with guests of honor Louise Penny and Nancy Pickard, each chat revealing so fully the wonderful people behind the work they produce. Equally fun: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks with so many writer friends I don’t get to see as often as I’d like.
After a “break” this week for the final classes of the semester, I’ll be at another conference this coming weekend: the Washington Writers Conference (formerly Books Alive), hosted by the Washington Independent Review of Books. The program runs two days—Friday and Saturday, May 4-5—and I’ll be joining E.A. Aymar & Delancey Stewart on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. for the discussion “Writing a Page-Turner,” moderated by Salley Shannon.
There are many other friends appearing on the program—friends and fellow members of our local chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America as well. These programs include:
- David O. Stewart moderating “Tools of the Trade”
- Donna Andrews, Colleen Shogan, Sherry Harris, and Maya Corrigan as the “Women of Crime” (a full panel with our crew, yay!)
- And Nik Korpon on “Through the Worm-hole: Debut Sci Fi Authors Tell All”
The conference takes place at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 3501 University Boulevard East, Hyattsville, MD. Check out the full schedule of events here—and still time to register for the fun!