Malice People

  

How interesting it is that things appear to occur in groups. 

I booted up my computer yesterday to start drafting this blog post for today and saw Monica's post about her current health situation, including the people at the facility where she's staying--very interesting people.  And I'm glad to hear she's improving.

What I'd already intended to write about for my blog today was the people I saw at the Malice Domestic conference I attended last weekend.

 

I did a blog for InkSpot, the Midnight Ink blog, for Monday, and it's more generally about my experience at Malice--all fun.  You might want to take a peek at it there.  But I wanted to write even more about the people I saw at the conference, so here it is.

I've been attending Malice for more than ten years, nearly every year, so I've met a lot of the regulars from all over the country, even other parts of the world.  I'm also active in my local mystery writers' groups such as Sisters in Crime, so I knew people from the local chapters, too.  It's always fun to see and try to catch up with those I've spoken with before.

At this Malice, I also met some new writers and others who are hoping to do more writing when things about to shift in their lives finally occur.  My roommate was recently published for the first time.  I'd met her through another friend whom I'd asked to room with but who already had a roommate, so she hooked me up with the very sweet woman I did room with, and it turned out to be a delightful situation.

Others I knew included a writer whose very first book was about to be published by my current mystery publisher, Midnight Ink.  The second book in my Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries, TO CATCH A TREAT, is officially available on May 8, the same date as her first book, so it was fun to chat with her about her journey and her current excitement level.

I talked a little bit with some of the regular booksellers in the sales room but fortunately for them they were too busy a lot of the time to talk much. 

And I also chatted a lot with some others I knew or met at the conference, including some delightful people who were on my own panel: The "Paws" That Detect: Animal Sidekicks.  All of us have animals in our stories--of course!

So the upshot of all this?  Well, I used to work as a lawyer, often in office situations, and I always enjoyed the camaraderie with others in those offices.  Now that I'm a full-time writer, I enjoy the camaraderie of my husband and dogs regularly, and I communicate with others, including fellow writers, online, but it's really fun to get together with some in person--especially when it's a delightful group like the one at Malice!

Inundated by Biscuits

How am I inundated by biscuits?  In a good way! 

I'm referring to my Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series.

The first one, BITE THE BISCUIT, was published last May.  And now it's nearly May again, and the second in the series, TO CATCH A TREAT, premiers soon--officially on May 8.

Meantime, I'm still not quite through with the rough first draft of the third in the series--title to come--and won't finish it till I return from Malice Domestic, although I hope to find time on my trip this weekend to work on editing what I've written so far.

Plus, I just signed a contract for two more books in the series.  More Barkery & Biscuits!

In the meantime, there are also more biscuit issues.  I'm not much of a cook but my Barkery books each contain a dog treat and a people treat recipe.  I've been talking about some people treat ideas with a friend who's supplying recipes, but still need to work out the dog treat.

And in case you're not aware of it, can you guess the name of my protagonist Carrie Kennersly's dog in the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries?

You got it.  Biscuit!

Left Coast Crime

I'm at it again.  

What? 

Travel! 

I leave tomorrow morning for Phoenix, where I'm attending Left Coast Crime, a mystery writers and readers conference.  I'll be on a panel on Saturday called Four Legged Companions.  My fellow panelists and I all have pets in our stories and will be discussing how we write about them and how they inspire us.  Seems entirely appropriate to me! 

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of other mystery writers.  LCC isn't all about cozy mysteries like Malice Domestic, which occurs at the end of April.  And yes, I'll be there, too.  But LCC features mysteries and suspense of many kinds.  I'll unfortunately not be there tonight when a lot of people are meeting at Noir at the Bar, but I intend to go to many fun workshops over the next few days. 

I admit I'll appreciate the travel respite between LCC and Malice--although I will be attending another conference in April: Sisters in Crime in Hollywood.  But I don't have to travel there.  It's pretty much in my own backyard in--what else?--Hollywood, or at least close to it. 

And, oh yes, I'm a bit swamped, as usual, both with final edits on two books and working on a couple of proposals... and writing the book I'm currently under deadline for.  I'll need the time back in L.A. to handle that! 

Any trips in your near future?

Back From Malice

Another one of my many conferences this year is over.   

Malice Domestic was fun! 

First of all, I was able to participate in Malice Go Round despite being on the authors' waiting list.  I was number two on the list, and apparently number one had dropped out, plus there was room for a few more.  I was delighted to be one of the authors involved, although I also felt somewhat bad that the airline flight of a couple of author friends had been cancelled and they therefore did not attend the conference.  I hoped one was not the direct result of the other! 

What's Malice Go Round?  It's a large session at which readers sit at tables while authors, two at a time, sit down with them and get to talk about their work for two minutes apiece before moving on to the next table.  It's exhausting, but definitely a great time!   

 

My panel was The "Paws" that Refresh: Four Legged Detectives and Their Sidekicks.  All the authors on the panel discussed their cozy mysteries where pets are an important part of the story, even though, in most cases, they aren't really the detectives. 

My new book BITE THE BISCUIT--and, yes, it involves dogs--is actually a May 8 release, but it was not only available there; I was also able to participate in a giveaway of copies at a special dessert session hosted by my publisher Midnight Ink, which is celebrating its tenth birthday.  I also did a signing after my panel.   

There were additionally parties and meals and fun just hanging out at the bar in the hotel lobby talking with people.   

And among those I saw and chatted with were fellow Killer Hobbyists Betty Hechtman and Tracy Weber! 

In all, it was a wonderful event.  I've attended it before, and hope to again next year.

Conferences, Conferences, Conferences!

This year is one full of conferences for me.  Fun, yes.  And time consuming!

As I've blogged about here before, I've already attended California Dreamin', the conference given by the four Southern California chapters of Romance Writers of America.  I've also attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, not exactly a conference but a writer and reader- related get-together.

This week I head to Bethesda, Maryland, for Malice Domestic.  It's for writers and readers of cozy mysteries, and I'll see some of my fellow Killer Hobbyists there!   Betty has already mentioned that her panel is on crafts.  Mine, as I commented on her post, is unsurprisingly about pets.

And I still have more conferences coming up soon.

The first is the California Crime Writers Conference, which is held sort of locally, in Culver City, California, in June.  I'm on a panel there, too, that's about paranormal stories.  My Superstition Mysteries aren't exactly paranormal, in my opinion, and I'll get to explain the differences there. 

Next comes the Romance Writers of America Conference, in New York City in July.  There, my panel is From White Collar to Red Herring, about using a white collar background in developing mysteries. 

I've unfortunately just turned down another invitation, this time to the second Surrey Mystery Writers Festival in August.  I hated to do so, but I just couldn't fit it into my schedule this year.  I hope to again someday soon, though. 

Is that all?  I think so and kind of hope so, since going to conferences does not make deadlines go away. 

So how about the rest of you?  Any conferences, writing or otherwise, coming up?  Will I see you at any of those I'm attending?

Return From Malice

I'm home!

Malice Domestic was an especially fun one this year.  I schmoozed with a lot of people, including long-time friends and new ones.  I dined with Berkley editors and authors as well as those with my new publisher Midnight Ink.  Oh yes, and I drank with them, too. 

My primary goal this year, in addition to meeting readers and having fun, was to question fellow authors about their promotional techniques. I've done quite a bit, including blogs and blog tours (Yes, I love blogs!) but want to ramp it up even more with my upcoming new series--the Superstition Mysteries. 

I'm considering launching a street team with people who want to learn about my new works earlier in the process, engage in contests and more.  If you're interested in joining one should I form it, be sure to let me know! 

And maybe I'll try a launch party or two.  I'm joining one tomorrow for Liz Lipperman's new book Jailhouse Glock, the better to get the word out about her latest release as other authors including me participate--and also to learn more about how launch parties work! 

On my way home from Malice I stopped for a couple of days to visit family in Chicago, including my two young grandsons--the icing on the cake of a great trip. 

So what do you think about street teams and launch parties and all the extra fun stuff that writers are doing these days?  And here I used to think that writers just wrote!

Malice Domestic Upcoming

I leave tomorrow for Bethesda, Maryland, and this year's Malice Domestic conference for cozy mystery writers and readers.  I've been going to Malice for several years now and really enjoy it.  Maybe that's because I love writing, and reading, cozy mysteries! 

The panel I'll be on this year is Murder with a Little Education on the Side: Mysteries that Tackle Social Issues.  The social issue I tackle is, of course, pet rescue and how humans deal with animals.  My Pet Rescue Mysteries each have a theme involving pet rescue as their background but my intent is not to hit people over the head with the moral of the story.  Instead, I hope to provide an enjoyable mystery that just happens to involve something important.  So now you know some of what I intend to say on the panel!

This will also be an interesting Malice for me for another reason.  The Pet Rescue Mystery TEACUP TURBULENCE, which was published in January of this year, is the last one scheduled for publication by Berkley Prime Crime.  In fact, I don't have any other books currently scheduled with Berkley.  I've had a great run with them: 9 Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries, plus the 5-book and 1 e-novella Pet Rescue Mystery series.  I'll be joining the Berkley crowd for dinner on Friday night.  And I hope perhaps to write for them again in the future. 

But I'll also be joining the Midnight Ink crowd at the Agatha awards ceremony on Saturday night.  My new Superstition Mystery Series will be published by Midnight Ink, starting with LOST UNDER A LADDER in October of this year.  I'm also working on a second series for my wonderful new publisher, although it's still premature to say much about it.  But both of them, of course, involve dogs.

So this Malice will be special to me in many ways.  Plus, I'll have the opportunity to see and hang out with a lot of fun people with whom I keep in contact over social media during the rest of the year. 

By the way, I'm delighted to repeat that I also have more romances coming up for Harlequin Nocturne and Harlequin Romantic Suspense.  There's no romance presence at Malice except perhaps for panels that happen to address romances in mysteries.  But I will be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference at the end of July to celebrate that aspect of my writing, too. 

Usually, after Malice, I've gone to Pittsburgh both to visit family and to attend the Mystery Lovers Festival in nearby Oakmont, Pennsylvania.  But there won't be any Festival this year.  And my Pittsburgh family is, unfortunately, dwindling.  As a result, no Pittsburgh for me this year. 

So... will I see you at Malice?  If so, what are you especially looking forward to there?

Brick and Mortar Bookstores

I received the news online yesterday that another local mystery bookstore is biting the dust: Book 'Em, in South Pasadena.  Its owners are seniors who want to enjoy their lives without the hassles of running a bookstore.  I understand, but I'm still awfully sorry to hear that.  I really, really like Book 'Em, and have been visiting there for years just before meetings of the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters In Crime, which occur within walking distance.

I worry a lot about the fate of brick and mortar bookstores.  So many have closed recently, both large chains and small indies.  Every time I go into one that still exists I attempt to buy something, just to do my small part to help them remain viable--if that's possible.

Yes, I own a Kindle.  I buy from Amazon online as well as other sites.  Am I hypocritical?  I hope not.  I particularly love books I can hold in my hands.  I like to read their back covers and dedications and other information before I buy them--and yes, I realize that the websites of most sold online also have that information.  Plus, I'm in the process of making some of my own backlist available as ebooks. 

But I still love the ease of reading a real, live, hand-held book.  And I'm delighted that not all bookstores are gone.  I'll be signing at booths sponsored by two local bookstores at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books next month: Mystery Ink and Mysterious Galaxy.  I'm going to a friend's launch party for her first book tonight at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House.  I visit my nearest bookstore, Bookstar in Studio City, as often as I can--it's part of Barnes & Noble.  I also stop in at other Barnes & Noble stores when I'm in their vicinity.  And a neighbor owns the Iliad Bookshop, with a great supply of used books--and, yes, I visit there, too.

I used to go to the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, every year in May after the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland.  The Festival was sponsored by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop.  It worked out great because I was able to visit family in nearby Pittsburgh.  But there's no Festival this year... and my Pittsburgh family is dwindling anyway.  As far as I know, though, the Mystery Lovers Bookshop is doing well.  I receive its online newsletter and it's holding lots of signings.  I hope it's doing great!

So hang in there, all of you wonderful bookstores!  And Book 'Em?  You'll be sorely missed.

How about you--do you still enjoy print books?  If so, where do you get them?  Do you also read ebooks?

Malice and More

I’ve been back in town for only a few days after a wonderful trip east.

First, I went to Malice Domestic, which, as always, was a fun event.  I think the panel I was on, along with Betty Hechtman, really went well.  I enjoyed it, at least.  It was about the film industry and how we use it in our stories, and I had a great time explaining how OODLES OF POODLES centered around rescued poodles playing rescued poodles in a movie being filmed--and how I was able to mention that “No Animals Were Harmed” thanks to the American Humane Association.

From Bethesda, Maryland, I went to my old hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the Festival of Mystery presented by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in nearby Oakmont, and it, too, was delightful.  I also caught up with some goings-on with my relatives in the ‘Burgh, including getting to know my cousin’s 70-pound Goldendoodle lapdog.

Then on to Ohio, where I got to see my older son, d-i-l, and adorable grandson Elliott who’ll turn 1 year old in a couple of weeks.  I spent Mother’s Day morning with them and with my husband, b-i-l and wonderful m-i-l, then traveled home to L.A. in time to have Mother’s Day dinner with my younger son!

The trip was nearly two weeks long, and although I missed my dogs I had a great time.  But I have to say... it’s really good to be home now.  Especially since I have a lot of writing to catch up on as well as panels and other events here in L.A.!

How about you--did you enjoy the last two weeks as much as I did?

Anticipation

As my blog sister Betty Hechtman mentioned, I’m on her upcoming panel at Malice Domestic about mysteries set in the film industry.  We’ve received questions from our panel moderator, and my mind has been working on the best way to respond to them.   

For one thing, it helps to live in Hollywood!  For another, the inspiration for my Pet Rescue Mystery set in the film industry, OODLES OF POODLES, was my driving by the American Humane Association’s local office often.  Since they’re the ones that give the coveted “No Animals Were Harmed”® certification to movies and TV shows, it was a natural jump for me to include them in a story.

I’ve attended Malice frequently in the last few years, and I’m really looking forward to it.

After Malice, I’ll be heading to the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, PA.   I’ve also participated in this event often and am looking forward to it, too.

My dogs understand suitcases and know that someone is leaving home.  Fortunately, not everyone is and they’ll do fine without me.  But I’ll miss them!

How about you--any fun travel plans?  Any business-related conferences?

Let the Conferences Begin!

I never start out a year trying to figure out how many writing conferences I can squeeze in.  Nevertheless, this year there seem to be a lot.

The first one, California Dreamin’, is this weekend, in Santa Ana.  It’s being presented jointly by the four Southern California Chapters of Romance Writers of America.  I happen to belong to two of them, Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Orange County Chapter.  The other two are the East Valley Chapter, and the San Diego Chapter.  I’m not able to attend the whole thing, but one advantage of having a local conference is that I can come and go at will. 

Next will be Malice Domestic, in Bethesda, Maryland.  It’s an annual conference that applauds cozy mysteries, encouraging both fans and authors to attend.  I’ll be on a panel there called Lights, Camera, Murder: Mysteries Involving TV and Movies.  That’s because my latest Pet Rescue Mystery, OODLES OF POODLES, involves the film industry. 

After that is the California Crime Writers Conference, in Pasadena, California.  Again, it’s local to me and should provide lots of helpful research information as well as an opportunity to schmooze with other local mystery and suspense authors.

Then, I’ll be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference, in Atlanta, Georgia.  It’s a great way to get together with friends and other romance writers from all over the country and learn more about what’s going on in the publishing industry, particularly involving the romance genre.

Around all that, I still have deadlines and ideas to flesh out, local signings and library panels and talks to present, not to mention spending time with family.  Fortunately, my husband understands and he’s content to stay home and take care of our fur-kids while I’m gone.

How about you--do you enjoy attending conferences for writers, readers, or other vocations or avocations?

Malice Domestic and the Festival of Mystery

I spent a few days in mystery writers’ heaven last week. 

First, I attended Malice Domestic, an annual celebration of traditional mysteries in Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.  Writers and fans plus industry professionals all gather together to learn more about who’s writing what and to meet and network with one another.   I had a great time there, including participating on a panel called--what else?--Must Love Dogs!

From there, I headed to Oakmont, PA, outside Pittsburgh, where I grew up, for the annual Festival of Mystery, which is timed to follow Malice.  It’s presented by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop.  Before the Festival, a local library holds a delightful tea.  The Festival itself is delightfully crowded with mystery writers, and lots of fans who talk with us and buy books galore! 

I’d been quite concerned before heading to the Festival of Mystery this year.  The wonderful owners of the Mystery Lovers Bookshop had publicly announced that they wanted to sell the store to have more time for family and travel.  In these days of so many bookstores closing, I was afraid that boded the end for this one, too.  Not so!  They found a perfect buyer with a background as a librarian and bookseller, who was moving to the Pittsburgh area to be closer to family.  She was at all of the events, including the pizza party at the bookstore after the Festival, meeting people and learning all about the Festival--which I hope she’ll continue in the future, too.

One of the best things about both events, by the way, was being able to see some of my blog sisters in person!

Now I’m back home in L.A.  Lots of catching up to do with my writing, but the trip was definitely worth it.

What writers’ or readers’ events are close to where you live--and which ones do you travel to?

Photo Shoot at Oatlands

Author photos are always tough. You want to look your best, but not so good that you are unrecognizable. You want to seem authoritative, but approachable. Friendly but not giddy.

The bluebells reminded me of the ones I saw in England. Lovely, vibrant, fragile.

When my good friend and ace photographer Robin Templeton suggested we do a photo shoot, I was thrilled. I flew into the metro-DC area a couple of days before Malice Domestic and Festival of Mystery, so she and I could spend the day at Oatlands, a wheat plantation near Leesburg, Virginia. The gently rolling hills of Virginia are especially breath-taking in the spring. Beyond these farmlands, the Shenandoah mountains rise like sentinels.

To capture the mood of my upcoming series, The Jane Eyre Chronicles, I tried to dress in a manner reminiscent of all things "Jane," but I didn't want to look "costume-y." Robin had done careful research; the Oatlands was built in the early 19th century, the same period in which my new book, Death of a Schoolgirl, is set.

For most of the day, we trooped up and down in the gardens, observing and admiring. Since we're both visual people, our conversation was peppered with "What about this angle?" and "How about including this in the foreground?" Honestly, we had a blast!

I love the photos! In the weeks leading up to the release of Death of a Schoolgirl, I plan to post the pictures one at a time on Pinterest.

Do you have any suggestions for ways I can use these fabulous pictures? Do you think Robin is a genius? I sure do!

Found!

I had a great time at Malice Domestic in Washington, DC, this past weekend. I renewed some acquaintances and discovered a couple of new ones. I attended panels, listened to newly published authors talk about their books, and ate much more than I should have – the Daily Grill, attached to the hotel, has excellent food but serves too-big portions. The Poison Lady, Luci Zahray, gave a terrific talk on pigments as poisons. My panel went well, it was noted that of the authors at the table I write the most cozy ones. The panel was Hup, Two, Three, Four, Mysteries Affected by War. My current mystery, Buttons and Bones, is involves a German POW who walks away from a camp set up for them in northern Minnesota during World War II. He was never found, and now a skeleton with his dog tag is discovered in the forgotten root cellar of an old log cabin. Evidence points to murder. Other member of the panel were Frankie Y. Bailey, Dana Cameron, Michael Dymmoch, and the female half of Charles Todd. Jack Bludis did a good job as moderator, asking some intelligent questions. I remember being surprised that I was selected for the panel; somehow I didn’t think my book was about World War II, because it’s set in the present day. But being on the panel made me realize it was about how the war affected the lives of many of the characters in the book. Even, maybe especially, the dead ones.

Jeanne Dams and I had several opportunities to talk at Malice. She’s another Hat Lady and one of her hats was a spectacular blue-green number that would have been appropriate at the recent Royal Wedding. I got glimpses of the wedding between events at Malice and was thrilled at the gorgeous hats the women were wearing. Okay, a couple of them were ridiculous. But most were beautiful, and worn with the air it takes to carry a brilliant hat off. The picture is of her and me sharing stories.

Remember last week when I was kvetching about the turmoil and trouble that occurs when you have misplaced your wallet? And how I had done that very thing? Well, after calling around for replacements for my driver’s license and medical cards and membership cards – the thing turned up in the bottom of a grocery bag. It’s the kind of bag you reuse and I can’t imagine how it got in there and how it was overlooked. I had prayed to St. Anthony, who finds lost things, and was a little disappointed when I went back to the grocery store twice to see if it had been turned in and it hadn’t. I needed to do some grocery shopping before I left for Washington, and when I was filling up the bags, there it was. Appropriately, it was in the bottom of the blue canvas bag my church had been selling as a fund-raiser. I just stared at it in amazement. Then delight – I wouldn’t have to take my passport along as a photo ID to pick up my plane tickets and get on board. Such a relief! But it’s a little embarrassing, too. All that emotion wasted on complaining about how the wallet was, I thought, stolen, and it wasn’t. I came home to find some new cards already waiting for me, so I burdened other people as well. But my wallet is back and you can bet I’ll be a lot more careful with it in future – at least for several months, or however long it takes me to fall back into old habits.

By the way, my web site is being worked on and will be updated soon.

Cooking Up Laughs for Thanksgiving

Note: I'm thankful for the many wonderful friends I've made in this business, and Barb Goffman is one of them! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Joanna

By Barb Goffman

It seems appropriate to have my contribution to today’s Killer Hobbies blog be about my own hobby, writing. And, in case you work for the IRS, by hobby I mean an activity I spend a lot of time on, from which I’m trying to make a profit . I promise! Now back to our normal programming.

My hobb ... errrr ... non-day job is writing. But not just any kind of writing. I write mystery short stories. And just to get a little more specialized, I particularly enjoy writing funny mystery short stories.

Nothing like putting a little pressure on myself. Don’t just write a good story, with strong characters, a developed setting, and an interesting plot. No. I tell myself to try to make the darn story funny, too.

Thankfully, I’m easily inspired. Take a call for stories that came out this summer. The publisher Untreed Reads wanted to put out an anthology of humorous mysteries, each focusing on a traditional Thanksgiving food. Baby, I was off and running.

The first food that came to mind was gravy. Don’t ask me why. It’s not like I can cook it myself. As my friend Logan loves to remind me, I don’t actually cook anything. I warm things. From freezer to microwave to a plate on my kitchen table. She’s right. I admit it. But thankfully I don’t have to know how to actually cook food to write about it. Just like I don’t know how to commit murder to write about that. Really. I promise that, too.

So I decided to write a mystery involving gravy. Once I had that idea, my imagination went berserk. Before I knew it, I had created an entire family, headed by Dotty, a proud southern matriarch who likes things just so and whose annual Thanksgiving feast could give Martha Stewart a run for her money. Unfortunately for Dotty, her sister, Agnes, insists on making the turkey and gravy every year. And Agnes, like me, can’t cook, which drives Dotty to distraction.
That set up has humorous potential in itself. But writers are supposed to make life hard for their characters. It makes the story more interesting. So for this Thanksgiving, I decided Dotty shouldn’t simply have to put up with Agnes’s dreadful gravy. I threw in an airhead trying to marry into the family and get her paws on Dotty’s deceased mother’s engagement ring. Dotty certainly can’t let that happen, so she comes up with a plan to save the ring involving cunning, deception, and Agnes’s horrible, horrible gravy. Dotty sets her plan in motion and ... then the wheels come off the bus.

Because when is Thanksgiving ever a simple holiday where everything works smoothly?

You can read all about Dotty and Agnes and the world’s worst gravy in my newest short story “Biscuits, Carats, and Gravy,” which appears in Untreed Read’s anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry. The book has nine humorous short mysteries, each involving a Thanksgiving food.

It’s a perfect read, especially this week.

The anthology is available solely as an e-book, so you can download it right now from all the online stores onto any e-reader, or you can download it as a PDF onto your computer. And if you prefer your short stories a la carte, no problem: each story can be purchased individually, too.
So if your family becomes a little too much to bear this week, just download this book and in a couple minutes you can be laughing—and getting some ideas for making your own family’s feast more ... interesting. But keep in mind that this is all for fun and enjoyment. I’m not actually promoting any crimes. Really, I’m not. I promise!

Happy Thanksgiving!

***

Barb Goffman is a short-story mystery author whose work tends to focus on families. Twice nominated for the Agatha Award, Barb is a member of the national board of Sisters in Crime, is a co-coordinating editor of Chesapeake Crimes: They Had It Comin’ and the forthcoming Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder, and is program chair of the Malice Domestic mystery convention. She lives in Virginia. You can learn more about her at http://www.barbgoffman.com.

Auction Action at Malice and How We Wrote Our Progressive Story

THE AUCTION ITEM FOR MALICE



Yesterday I finished the scrapbook page above, which will be auctioned off at Malice Domestic this coming weekend. It was truly a labor of love! To read more about it, go to my blog.

I'm also hosting a table, and the kind folks at Spotted Canary gave me the cutest bags to give away as table favors. They are simply adorable!

In my session on Sunday, I'll give away a cute tee shirt. Betty Hechtman and I will also make appearances in the hospitality room. I hope to give away candy and bookmarks. I've been adding ribbons to my newest bookmarks, which are purple to match my book cover.

Yes, it's a busy time! When a book first comes out, you have a nice window of six to eight weeks where it feels like every second counts.

HOW WE WROTE THE PROGRESSIVE STORY

Once we decided this was something we wanted to do, we noodled around different ideas. The emails flew back and forth. With so many creative minds at work, we had plenty of ways to commit a crafty murder. We discussed exactly whom we should kill. That was pretty easy. But the killer? Well, we didn't want to be too obvious or too trite, so that was a bit more dicey.

We started with a premise, a simple "who does what to whom, and where, and how and why." Monica had a great idea for how to do someone in. Then Terri Thayer got us started with a wonderful introduction. We each contributed a portion starring our protagonists. We quickly noticed a problem: We write in different POVs or Points of View. That stumped us. We didn't want the piece to seem choppy. So we had to figure out how that could work.

That took a bit of doing.

If we all changed to a single POV, we worried that we'd lose the "voice" of our individual characters. And that was the goal. We hoped that those of you who were fans of one of us might discover another character that you'd like to get to know better. So diluting the "voice" of each author wasn't an option.

Finally, we realized that we could have each protagonist "report" on what she saw.

Big aha! That worked!

Along the way, we'd changed few names of suspects. We also needed to figure out what the clues were and how exactly we'd share them. That was more of an editing challenge than anything else.

We realized we needed to figure out how to bring any new readers up to speed each day. Hmmm. The idea came to us while watching a TV program. I'm curious as to whether you'll be able to guess which program when you read the second day's intro.

Betty Hechtman was kind enough to pull everything together with a conclusion.

I have to say, while this was all a creative challenge, it was also a great joy. It was fascinating to see how each of us worked. And everyone was such a pro. When we noticed a problem or a concern, we shared it. No one got fussy. Everyone understood that our goal was the best possible end product...for YOU.

I can't wait to hear what all of you think! The final novella weighs in at more than 12,000 words. So we've created a "short story" that is actually the length of a short book.

I hope you love it! Please tell your friends so they can read along, too!

News about Our Progressive Story and Malice Basket

PROGRESSIVE STORY NEWS

"A Crafty Kind of Murder," the progressive story written by the Killer Hobbies Blog Sisters morphed into a novella. Yes, folks, weighing in at 12,000 words it's a book! We even threw in a recipe for you! As you can imagine, when six authors put their heads together the result is a combination of murder and mayhem. But we've finally gotten this gem polished to perfection. Be sure to add your name to our followers list because the installments will start Sunday, May 2, and run through the next Sunday, May 9. You won't want to miss a word of this exciting, fun, and puzzling mystery.

THE PLOT

Here's the lowdown on the story:

What happens when seven crafty sleuths try to take a hobby holiday? The tangled web of crime follows them! They might be amateurs when it comes to crime detection, but these women are professionals in the world of handicrafts and hobbies. Join scrapbooker Kiki Lowenstein, miniaturist Gerry Porter, needlearts expert Betsy Devonshire, pet-sitter and attorney Kendra Ballantyne, rubber stampers Rocky Winchester and April Buchert, and crochet enthusiast Molly Pink as they put their heads together to solve the worst sort of murder possible, the crafty kind!

MALICE DOMESTIC BASKET

Speaking of the Killer Hobbies Blog Sisters, we've also worked together to create this stunning basket:

Oooh, I know you want to take it home with you! Well, it will be auctioned off at Malice Domestic, which starts the weekend of April 30 and runs through May 2 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.

The live auction will be held Friday night, April 30th, beginning at 9 p.m. Our silent auction will run all day Friday and part of Saturday, with the last chance to make bids possibly until 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Unfortunately, we can't tell you which donated items will be in the live auction versus the silent auction. So if you love mysteries and you want a chance at the craft basket, I suggest you take Friday, April 30th off from work and come to the whole convention. According to Program Chair Barb Goffman, "It's going to be a blast!"

The full schedule is available at Malice Domestic.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Here's a list of what's inside that "Killer of a Craft Basket"--Blackwork (HB)by Monica Ferris; Murder in Miniature, Mayhem in Miniature, Malice in Miniature and Mourning in Miniature by Margaret Grace; A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman; Double Dog Dare by Linda O. Johnston; Photo, Snap, Shot and The Best of British Scrapbooking by Joanna Campbell Slan; Wild Goose Chase, Stamped Out, Inked Up, Old Maid's Puzzle, and Ocean Waves by Terri Thayer;a cell phone purse quilted by Terri Thayer; an eyeglasses case crocheted by Betty Hechtman; a “Witchwork” cross stitch pattern inspired by Monica Ferris; assorted ribbons, an Origami kit, a magnifying glass,and three packages of adorable miniatures from Margaret Grace; and three pairs of scissors,the basket, knitting needles and yarn from Joanna Campbell Slan.

Why I Love Crafts--and a Contest!

This is an exciting week for all of us at Killer Hobbies. On Sunday, July 12, we'll celebrate our 800th post. And, according to invesp.com, a service which ranks more than 20,000 blogs, we're one of the top 20 mystery blogs on the Internet.

And it's been an exciting couple of years for us. We did our first ever "Killer Hobbies" blog panel at Malice Domestic this spring, and many of us will be appearing in the craft room this fall in Bouchercon in Indianapolis.

What's at the heart of all this? Crafts and Hobbies, my friends. You see, most of us hadn't met in person until AFTER our blog was up and running. We really didn't know how well we'd mesh, how dedicated we'd be, or whether this idea would take off or not. Deb Baker and I stumbled upon each other at Love Is Murder up in Chicago. Our meeting hatched this grand idea. Next thing you know, we contacted other hobbyists/crafters who also dabbled in blood-red ink on the page--and voila! You've got your Killer Hobbies crew.

I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my personal love of crafts, a love at the heart of all this--

1. I love taking "nothing" and creating "something" out of it. The more "out there" my supplies are, the more fun it is to admire a finished project.

2. I love the people I've met while crafting and teaching crafts. I've taught on cruise ships, in the U.K., and here in the U.S. No matter where you teach, it's guaranteed to be a good time! I love the look of satisfaction on folks' faces as they realize what they can create!

3. I appreciate the comfort that crafting and hobbies gives me. Getting lost in my hobbies offers an easy and elegant escape from my troubles. I've had a pretty "down" weekend, with some real worries this year, so I lost myself working on some scrapbooking art for my upcoming newsletter. (To get it go to my website http://www.joannaslan.com/ and sign up. It's free, and it's chock full of goodies.)

4. I appreciate the end product. I love looking at crafts, at imagining the hours and effort involved. Each step, each stitch, each action is born of love, so the final product is a wonderful response to the creator in all of us!



CONTEST

You could win an autographed copy of Cut, Crop & Die! Here's how:

1. Tell me what keeps you crafting
2. And become a follower of our blog (click the "follow" button on the right side of the blog)
3. I'll choose some lucky person!

The contest ends tomorrow (July 7) at noon CST. Tell a friend and maybe he or she will share the book with you!

Hobbies Heal--and I'm Tired of Apologizing for Them!

Hobbies heal. (Okay, so I'm being redundant. I'm trying to hammer home a point here.)

Yeah, sometimes we crafters get no respect. People tease us, malign us, and make fun of us. But that’s only because they don’t understand the awesome regenerative power of creativity, a power which is self-evident. Without creativity, you’d be dead. Which is why any creative or learning endeavor should be sacred and valued, not laughed at.

In a world where so much of what we do is ethereal and transitory, crafts announce, “I was here.” They provide a sort of ordering calm as we take the chaos of materials and turn them into a new and beautiful design. Crafts give us a sense of mastery over our environment. We feel good because we have turned nothing into something of value, which is for most of us, the sign of a life well-lived. As we stitch or paste or assemble, we know we are engaging in something which we hope will bring joy or discovery or comfort to another person. So each action is imbued with a sort of meditative focus on gratitude.

Years ago, I needed to make a page about my father. The page was to be a part of a book I was writing on scrapbooking. Now, my dad died at age 48 of alcoholism. He was not a happy, friendly drunk. He was an angry, bitter man who was hurtful in so many ways.

To make the page, I needed more background information. I called my mother and asked questions. I called my grandmother and talked with her.



I started work. As I did, something hard and painful broke loose inside of me. I pasted down the photo of my father as a young man in the Navy, and I wept. I cried for his lost potential. I cried because I was forced to see him in a new light—the light of his youth when the world was his for the taking.

Crafts heal. And frankly, I’m a bit sick of being an apologist (my fault! I admit) when folks come up and sneer about how important they are.

NOTE: I will draw the winner of our signed set of Malice books late tonight. If you haven’t entered, go back through the Mondays (April 30, March 6, March 13, March 20, and March 27) and find all the clue words. Then email those clue words to me at savetales@aol.com Be sure to put Malice in the subject line.

ADVENTURES AT MALICE

The first adventure was simply getting there. I got on the Internet a couple of weeks in advance and searched for cheap airline tickets. Success! I thought. But I was wrong. Oh, not in the price, but the landing field. The lowest price was coming into Dulles. Because it was the older name (the other airport is Reagan), I thought it was the one closer in. I was so wrong! The wonderful Washington Metro doesn’t go as far out as Dulles. My hotel didn’t offer a shuttle. My choices were to take a city bus to the nearest Metro line, then change at least once to get to Crystal City; or, take a cab. I was tired and burdened with a huge purse, a big, heavy suitcase, and a hatbox. And my feet already hurt – I had to wear my biggest hat and so had to wear an appropriate dressy outfit so I didn’t look like a total dork. The cab fare was over fifty-five dollars, not including tip. I will say, however, the cab was incredibly comfortable. Also, on the flight from Minneapolis, a man with a very loud voice sat behind me and confided many details of his personal life and career to his seatmate (poor woman). My own seatmate grumbled about it the whole trip. Not a fun journey, so when I decided to take a cab, I asked the driver to be quiet, and he was, the entire trip. I sank into new leather seats, cracked a window to the refreshing spring air, and recovered a lot of lost equilibrium on the long, expensive, silent journey to the Marriott Hotel.

The Marriott is a fine hotel, and I had a room all to myself. As I was suffering from a mild medical problem, it was sweet to be able to retreat to my room now and again and not bother or be bothered by anyone.

I didn’t get a lot from the panels. I’ve been going to these events for a large number of years, and there isn’t a whole lot I haven’t already heard. But one panel, "Get a Clue," quoted from a lengthy oath that a writers group found back in the twenties in England made its members take. The moderator asked the panelists if they would be willing to swear to two parts of the oath, copies of which were handed out to the audience. After a bit of hemming and hawing, every member did. The two parts: "Do you promise that your Detectives shall ell and truly detect the Crimes presented to the, using those with which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance upon nor making use of Devine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, or Act of God?" and "Do you solemnly swear never to concdeal a Vital Clue from the Reader?" I thought about that oath myself and decided that yes, I would take it, even though I agreed with one panelist that Feminine Intuition is just a short cut the mind will take from Point A to Point C – there is a Point B in there, but it slides by so fast it’s unnoticed.

I spent more time than I should have in the Dealer’s Room, and spent more money, too. One thing I found was a patterned velvet scarf – or rather, the dealer found it. I brought down the jacket to the teal-velvet dress I was wearing to the banquet and asked if she had a thin scarf I could tie around my head that matched the jacket in color. Well, no, all her scarves were big squares. Fringed squares. She had to dig in a box under a table to find one the right color and then spend five minutes tying it up into a turban with a tail down the back and fringe in front of my ears, pinning it together right on my head. I looked in a mirror and thought, "My God, I look like a character from a silent film, the one who insists on telling people at a party their fortunes." But two passers-by said I looked wonderful so I got out my credit card, swallowed hard, and said I’ll take it. As it turned out, people at the banquet were either universally kind, or the turban was a hit. Or both.

The banquet was terrific. I have sat through a lot of awards banquets, and find them too often a bit tedious. But a very large portable movie screen was set up near the stage and an overhead projector went close by it. Someone rigged up transparencies to announce the nominees, first announcing them in a long sentence that incorporated the names of the books. This is not the actual sentence – I didn’t write them down – but the nominees for the Young Adult Agatha (Into the Dark, A Thief in the Theater, The Crossroads, and The Great Circus Train Robbery) were introduced with a sentence like this: A Thief in the Theater ran Into the Dark but was caught at The Crossroads before he could pull off The Great Circus Train Robbery. Nominees were individually named and the transparency for each featured a photograph of the author, the cover of the book, and a picture of some theme from the book or story. The person running the machine had problems with fingerprints on the glass and her fingers could be seen at intervals rubbing them out – but not before giving Anne Perry an interesting Pancho Villa mustache! The speeches were heartfelt, amusing, and brief. All in all, a terrific event.

Getting on board the plane going home, the cheery stewardess said, "I’m sorry you’ll have to take that hat off – " She grinned. "And give it to me!" We laughed and hugged, and we talked off an on about hats the whole trip. She is a church-going woman and says the rule is, you can’t wear the same hat twice for three years. I don’t have enough hats to follow that rule. Yet.