By the time you read this, I’ll either be packing or on my way home from Malice Domestic, but as I write this, it hasn’t happened yet.
It will be my tenth Malice. The first was as an unpublished observer so long ago, I can’t remember the year, but I’m thinking 2005 or 2006.
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| My very first panel with our own Jim Jackson |
My next—and first Malice as a published author—was in 2014. I’ve attended every year since—keeping in mind there was no Malice Domestic in 2020 or 2021.
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| 2015: The Agatha Awards Banquet with my Pittsburgh SinC crew: Joyce Tremel, Jeff Boarts, & Martha Reed |
In 2015, I was an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. It was akin to being Cinderella. I didn’t win, but the nomination gave me a sense of legitimacy. I didn’t suck! Readers liked my book!
2016: With Hank Phillippi Ryan, Margaret Maron,
and Catriona McPherson
In 2016, I was
nominated again, this time for Best Contemporary Novel. I got a second chance
to dress up and be Cinderella! I knew I wasn’t going to win (I was up against
powerhouses like Louise Penny, Margaret Maron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and
Catriona McPherson), so it was the most relaxed I’ve ever been at an award
ceremony. But I got to sit on a panel
with the other nominees and breathe the rarified air.
In 2017, I was just an attendee and fan girl, cheering on my friends. And I was assigned to a panel with Anne Hillerman! Did I mention being a fan girl? She’s one of my favorites!
2018: Me wondering what the heck I'm doing
there with these amazing authors!
Along came 2018
and yet another Best Contemporary Novel nomination. This third one had me in
shock. Okay, I was in shock each time I received the phone call, but this one
made me cry tears of joy and gratitude. I mean, how amazing is it to sit on a
panel with Louise Penny, Margaret Maron, Ellen Byron, and Marilyn Levinson?!
Trying to look glamorous while feeling
totally silly
By 2019, you
would think I’d quit being blindsided, yet I was completely gobsmacked by
another nomination. I was running into a wardrobe issue though. I’d been
posting my dress searches on social media each year trying to one-up the dress
I’d worn the year before. If I couldn’t win, at least I could look like I
deserved to be in the room, right? This year’s entry will forever be my
favorite. It was so snazzy that I felt silly. I’m a country gal used to jeans
and cowboy boots after all!
For what it’s
worth, I still didn’t win.
2020: Watching the Agatha Award
announcements from home
2022: Writers Who Kill at Malice
In 2021, there was
still no Malice and no nomination for me. Nor was there a nomination in 2022
when the world had opened up and Malice Domestic returned. We were all ecstatic
to see each other in person! I had so much fun with old friends and new.
2023: Having way too much fun
Last year, I was
shocked senseless when I was again nominated. Being Cinderella never gets old.
NEVER. On the other hand, two years of sitting around on Zoom wearing yoga
pants definitely affected my sensibilities about glitzy dress-up clothes. I’ve
switched to blingy but comfortable mother-of-the-bride pants suits. In 2023, it
was navy blue lace. Apparently, it was a letdown to those who were used to my
party dresses because I don’t have a single photo of the outfit! If any of you
reading this do, please email me a copy!
Here we are in 2024. For the seventh time, I’m a nominee. It truly is an honor, one for which I am deeply grateful. I never take these nominations for granted. I never expect I will ever travel this road again. So, the fact that enough readers have written down my name on the nomination ballot to make me a finalist indeed humbles me.
This year's Agatha nominees
(This time, I’m nominated alongside my good friends, Tara Laskowski, Ellen Byron, Gigi Pandian, and fellow Writer Who Kills, Korina Moss).
By the time you read this, as I said earlier, I’ll be homeward bound. The Agatha Awards will have been handed out. Do I think I stand a chance? There’s always hope. But there’s also Alfred Einstein’s quote: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Have you ever
been to Malice or any mystery convention? If so, please share your experiences.
