Return after Absence

CDC Covid-19 Image

My last entry is dated about a year before the Covid-19 shutdowns. In 2019, I enjoyed moderating panels at Malice Domestic, Killer Nashville, and (my first at) Bouchercon in Dallas, where I got to spend time with my cousins. Since March of this year, most writing meetings have been through new technologies. I’m thankful to have worked with Palmetto Chapter of SinC and Southeastern Chapter of MWA in converting Mystery in the Midlands to a virtual conference; to participating in Ed Aymar’s DC Noir at the Bar; and to moderating a romance in cozy mysteries panel for Sacramento’s virtual Bouchercon.

Links to Malice Domestic's Agatha Nominated Short Stories

Gigi Pandian's 2017 Agatha

One of the delightful aspects of mystery awards season is reading the nominated works. The 2019 Agatha short story nominees provide a range of time periods and characters to contemplate and savor. Here are the links to each story:

"All God's Sparrows" by Leslie Budewitz (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"A Postcard for the Dead" by Susanna Calkins in Florida Happens (Three Rooms Press)

"Bug Appetit" by Barb Goffman (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
"The Case of the Vanishing Professor" by Tara Laskowski (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
"English 398: Fiction Workshop" by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Please read and enjoy!

Malice Domestic 31

Malice Domestic, a conference for writers and readers of Christie-style mysteries, is scheduled for May 1 through 3, 2019, in Bethesda, Maryland. Donna Andrews is the Guest of Honor with Chris Grabenstein as the Toastmaster and Parnell Hall recognized for life achievement. The Agatha nominees (awarded at the Malice Domestic banquet to celebrate excellence in the traditional mystery) include many friends. In addition to Leslie Budewitz, Susanna Calkins, and Barb Goffman, Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, husband and wife marvelous writers, find themselves competitors for best short story, a first in Agatha history. Art describes their “rivalry” in this article.

Art Taylor, son Dash, and Tara Laskowski

Malice Domestic 2015

Malice Domestic was a wonderful experience of nonstop action.

Aziz Rakla, driver and friend, provided transportation.

WWKers Gloria Alden, E.B. Davis, Shari Randall, KM Rockwood, Grace Topping, and I gathered in the bar.
I connected with SinC friends, Chapter Presidents, and Guppies.

Panelists Cathy Ace, Peggy Hanson, Maria Hudgins, Maddy Hunter, and I discussed globe trotter sleuths.

At Art Taylor’s banquet table, we celebrated his second “Best Short Story” Agatha.
The new authors’ breakfast was terrific.

In Authors’ Alley, B.K. “Bonnie” Stevens introduced INTERPRETATION OF MURDER with daughter Sarah giving a sign language demonstration. It was truly a delightful conference!

Maddy Hunter's Passport to Peril

Maddy Hunter began her career by writing romance, but switched to mystery and created Emily Andrew-Miceli, a reluctant sleuth, who chaperones Iowa senior citizens on trips around the world, stumbling over dead bodies along the way. Although Emily tries to avoid trouble, her charges are quick to bring it to her and always willing to help solve a crime, often with hilarious results. In Fleur de Lies, Emily’s group visits Normandy on the same voyage with her ex-husband Jack, now transsexual Jackie, who competes with fellow cosmetics sellers for a monetary reward while a senior’s reunited with his first love.