Malice Domestic 2019 Recap

I recently attended Malice Domestic in Bethesda, MD. I came home with lots and lots of books and some wonderful memories.

Our usual routine (the hubby comes with) is to fly into D.C. Wednesday evening, getting to the hotel about 10 p.m. That way we have a day to sleep in a bit and do a little sightseeing before the conference begins. I’m not great with 3 hour time changes so it gives me a little adjustment period.

This year we went to Ford’s Theater, which was very interesting. Learned lots about the U.S. Civil War as well as Lincoln himself. Part of the tour was a short play about the assassination. Then we went across the street to the house where Lincoln was taken and where he died.

Inside of Ford's Theater

That evening, the Malice festivities began with showings of Murdoch Mysteries and Queens of Mystery. I attended the Murdoch event where we viewed an episode of the series (which I love) and got a chance to ask questions of Maureen Jennings who writes the books the series is based on. Then it was off to do a little catching up with my fellow Henery Press authors.

The highlight of Friday for me was the Malice Go Round aka Speed Dating with Authors. Picture 20 tables in a large room. Authors go from table to table in pairs and have 2 minutes each to talk about their books. This was the first year in a long time where I got the chance to listen to people’s pitches instead of giving one. Found a lot of new books and authors to try.

The rest of the weekend was a flurry of panels, catching up with people I hadn’t seen in a while and, of course, the Agatha Award banquet. I was on a panel called “Murder Most Crafty” Saturday morning with other authors who write traditional mysteries featuring crafts. We had a good time with lots of interesting questions to answer.

Murder Most Crafty Panel

The Agatha Award banquet has become my favorite part of Malice. I always meet interesting people and have a great time. This year I was at the table hosted by Nance Cole Silverman and Margaret Dumas, both fellow Henery Press authors. Had a really nice time. One of the other people at the table was someone who has been to every single Malice! This was the 31st. That’s a lot of years to come. It turns out we were at the same table at the first Malice I attended and, purely by coincidence, at the second one I attended as well. So this is the third time around for us! Maybe we’ll end up at the same table next year. Who knows. That’s my quick summary. I’m sure there’s more I could say but, well, I’m tired. If you’re going to the Pasadena LitFest in Pasadena, CA, I’ll be on a panel called “Three Shades of Mystery: From Cozy to Dark Mysteries” with other Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles members. Saturday, May 18, 3-4pm. For more info on LitFest go to www.litfestpasadena.org