Day 2 of Malice Domestic

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Malice DomesticIt’s Day 2 of Malice Domestic, the traditional mystery convention, and even though I stayed up until midnight last night in the bar with other reviewers (they called us “media mavens”! Wasn’t that cool?) and authors, I still managed to get up bright and early for the first session.

 

 

I first attended the Putting the “Fun” in Murder session, with authors V.M. Burns, Jeffrey Cohen (a.k.a. E.J. Copperman), Jenna Harte, Catriona McPherson, and Teresa Trent. It was interesting to hear about the writing process of the people who make us laugh as we read our mysteries. Most indicated that they are “pantsers,” meaning that they “write by the seat of their pants” instead of plotters, who outline their writing in advance. Further, many indicated that they write from their own lives, sometimes killing off characters because they are based upon people who annoy them. After all, it is much easier to kill someone in writing than in real life! And as Burns pointed out when talking about her own toy poodles, upon which some of her books are based, she has to take the humor side of what they do, or else she’ll end up committing “poodlecide.”

I also attended a session called Historical: Murder in North America, featuring authors Mariah Fredericks, Maureen Jennings, Eleanor Kuhns, Jess Montgomery, and S.C. Perkins. I really enjoyed hearing about their various series, especially since I have enjoyed the writing of Eleanor Kuhns and S.C. Perkins and hope to listen to the rest who are on audio. Fredericks writes about a ladies’ maid in 1910 New York. Maureen Jennings writes the Detective Murdoch Mysteries about a detective in 1895 Toronto, a show upon which the noted television show is based. Eleanor Kuhns writes about a weaver in 1790s Maine who gets involved with the Shakers. Jess Montgomery focuses her series on Appalachian miners in the 1920s. Perkins writes about a genealogist in Texas, so her book is based in the present but looks back into the past in Texas shortly after it became a state.

A lot of attendees showed up to hear the Guest of Honor, Donna Andrews, answer questions about her writing, and many also showed up to hear the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Parnell Hall, discuss his almost 50 books. He told us how to get many book contracts without getting anyone to actually read your books, which he kept claiming is the case with his own writing (not true, as was clear when most of us in the room raised our hands upon being asked who has read something of Hall’s). Both were very humorous and made me laugh very hard.

Tonight we all got dressed up to attend the Agatha Awards Banquet, which was so much fun! Each attendee got to request which author or set of authors we would like to sit with, and all 50 tables were full. I got to sit with my online friend Molly MacRae, who writes the Haunted Yarn Shop and Highland Bookshop Mysteries, both series of which I thoroughly enjoy. Sarah Wisseman, a retired archeologist who writes mysteries surrounding an archeologist, also hosted our table.

Molly MacRae

With Molly MacRae

Sarah Wisseman

With Sarah Wisseman

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will be sad to say goodbye to Malice Domestic. We will have discussion panels in the morning and an Agatha Christie tea in the afternoon to conclude. Tune in tomorrow to see my impressions of the last day. You can see the results of the Agatha Awards here.

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One Response

  1. MaryAnn Forbes May 6, 2019 Reply

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