This year's Malice Domestic took place in Bethesda, MD, April 29 - May 1. The honorees this year were Victoria Thompson (Guest of Honor), Katherine Hall Page (Lifetime Achievement Award), Linda Smith Rutledge (Fan Guest of Honor), Barbara Peters and Robert Rosenwald of the Poisoned Pen (Poirot Award), Doug Greene (Amelia Award), and Hank Phillip Ryan was Toastmaster. What fun!
The welcome reception was followed by the signing for the new Malice Domestic Anthology: Murder Most Conventional. I was honored to have a new Jaya Jones short story, "A Dark and Stormy Light," selected to appear in the anthology.
With Kathryn Leigh Scott at the anthology signing.
Featuring Jaya Jones short story “A Dark and Stormy Light.”
The impossible crime mystery sub-genre is big in Japan. Thanks to Steve Steinbock for bringing these to Malice to share with his fellow locked-room fans!
The best thing about Malice Domestic is the community of readers and writers who have a shared passion for mystery fiction. There are so many wonderful people I only get to see a couple of time a year, plus meeting new friends, so the long weekend is a treat.
P.J. Coldren brought me a t-shirt, because the image reminded her of Dorian the gargoyle from my Accidental Alchemist mysteries.
At the Malice hotel bar with Ellen Byron, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Nadine Nettmann, Terri Biscoff, Annette Dashofy.
I love attending panels because I always come away with new discoveries. Shelly Dickson Carr's page-turner RIPPED was one of my favorite discoveries from this year's Malice. Shelly is the granddaughter of John Dickson Carr, one of my favorite authors, so I was intrigued. After picking up her book, I learned that talent runs in the family!
Shelly Dickson Carr, author or Ripped.
Outside the Sisters in Crime breakfast with Frankie Bailey, Catriona McPherson, and Beth Wasson (SinC’s Executive Director).
SinC president Leslie Budewitz with the Raven Award given to Sisters in Crime by Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar Awards earlier that week.
Diane Vallere presenting this year’s Dorothy Cannell Guppy Scholarship, which pays for a member of the Guppy Chapter of SinC to attend Malice Domestic.
One of the dangers of conventions is staying indoors the whole time, but I slipped out of the hotel for lunch with Midnight Ink authors and friends.
Edith Maxwell, Terri Bischoff, Catriona McPherson, Dru Ann Love, Aimee Hix.
With Tracy Weber.
Linda Joffe Hull, Tracy Kiely, Nadine Nettmann.
The Agatha Awards were given out at the Saturday evening banquet. Time to dress up!
The Henery Press crew before the banquet.
Before the banquet: Kendel Lynn and Diane Valere. With Sybil Johnson.
Celebrating with Cindy Brown (in purple) for her Agatha nomination for her debut mystery, MacDeath. With Priscilla Caporaletti-Bean, Susan Boyer, Cindy Brown, and Nancy West.
With Susan Boyer, in our cute MacDeath-themed hats from Cindy Brown.
Hank Phillipi Ryan presenting the Agatha awards, Art Taylor accepting his Agatha for Best First Novel, and Martin Edwards accepting his Agatha for Best Nonfiction.
Dan Stashower with Barb Goffman and her Agatha Award for Best Short Story.
Doug Greene with his Amelia Award teapot. Doug runs mystery publishing house Crippen & Landru, has written and edited numerous nonfiction essays and books, and is an expert on the locked-room genre.
This year's Agatha winners were: Best Contemporary Novel: Long Upon the Land, Margaret MaronBest Historical Novel: Dreaming Spies, Laurie R. King Best First Novel: On the Road with Del and Louise, Art TaylorBest Nonfiction: The Golden Age of Murder: The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story, Martin Edwards Best Short Story: “A Year Without Santa Claus?” by Barb Goffman Best Children’s/Young Adult: Andi Unstoppable, Amanda Flower