My Tardy Report on Malice

(This is cross-posted at http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/)

I packed in at lot at Malice this year! And still managed to miss a bunch of stuff I would have liked to attend.

I arrived 5 minutes too late to register Thursday night, checked in, and schmoozed in the bar for a bit. Friday I hit the ground running!

 A picture by my daughter, Jessica, of the nice themed display by the hotel.

I did Malice Go Round as Janet Cantrell. Here’s Robin Templeton’s picture of the whole group.

Also from Robin, me and my MGR partner, Maria Hudgins. No comment on our expressions, please. We were being expressive.

Right after Malice Go Round was the Guppy lunch. 

Guppy lunch photos taken from http://susanvankirk.com/malice-domestic-27-photos/.

I rushed back to attend part of the New Kids on the Block panel of the Best First Novel Nominees (Annette Dashofy, Sherry Harris, Susan O’Brien, Terrie Farley Moran, and Tracy Weber). I also got to a bit of the Historical Nominees panel. This panel was exactly the same as when I was on it, except for the addition of D. E. Ireland (Meg Mims and Sharon Pisacreta) where I sat. The others were Rhys Bowen, Victoria Thompson and Charles Todd (mother and son).

After that, I needed to go stick my bookmarks in the green room. I wanted to hear a 4:00 panel, but decided to take a small break and get ready for the dinner at Ruth’s Chris that Berkley Prime Crime treated us to. After the dinner there was a short meeting of the people on our panel for the next day.

Fell into bed exhausted.

Up for the 7:30 Sisters in Crime Breakfast, where the Guppies all wore our boas, or facsimiles thereof. Mine was a green net scarf. Here’s Kathy Waller with her version.

Here the picture she had just taken, I think.

Short meeting of the Chapter Presidents afterward where I sat in for the Guppy president, who couldn’t be at Malice this year.

At 11:30 I met my agent, Kim Lionetti, to talk about my project(s) with them. Always a pleasure!

Then I thought I had better get in my vote for the nominees before the voting ended at 1:00.

I had a sandwich from the bar that didn’t agree with me, but the hotel shop, luckily, carried a tiny bottle of Pepto. I got the last one!

The interview of Sara Paretsky by Parnell Hall was a hoot, but also informative. That was over at about 2, then our panel was at 3.

The panel, The Paws that Refresh, consisted of writers who have pets in their mysteries. The day before, Carole Nelson Douglas emailed that she was having problems with a medication and wouldn’t make it. Our moderator, Laura Morrigan, got Liz Mugavero to step in at the last minute. She joined me, John Clement, and Linda O. Johnston, and we pulled it off, I think!

After my signing it got crazy. The Guppy Steering Committee sort of and sort of didn’t meet before the banquet. I was delighted that my husband and daughter were able to sit with me at one of the Berkley tables. 

Here’s the dessert! 

These pictures are from Jessica again. Her cool camera did a panorama of our table, but the people who moved look strange.

Fell into bed exhausted.

I missed getting up in time for the New Authors breakfast, which I regret. But I did get to the 9:30 meeting with my Berkley editor, Michelle Vega. She presented me with a copy of Fat Cat Spreads Out, even though it’s not being released until June 2nd!

Somewhere in there, I was able to visit the Wildside table and see our anthology, Murder on Wheels, by the Austin Mystery Writers. Three of us were attending, me, Laura Oles, and Kathy Waller.

Me and Laura Oles

 Good friend Nancy West bought a copy for us to sign! Here's LynDee Walker, me, and Nancy with our anthology and Larissa Reinhart on a stick.

Went to our daughter’s on Sunday to stay for a few days and flew home Wednesday.

Fell into bed exhausted.

Traveling to Bethesda

 

I'm nearly packed for Malice Domestic! Very excited to go, even though there's no nomination for me this year. I'm not even very nervous about my panel (The Paws that Refresh, Saturday, 3:00, if you're going, too). Maybe I've done enough of them by now.

Here's a story about my very first panel at a mystery conference. It was a short-lived conference in Plano, TX. It drew very good names, but only lasted a few years. I was attending as an unpublished mystery writer. I knew a few of the writers, though, some online and some in person.

There was a panel about to start and I was in the hallway outside the room. Cindy Daniel came up to me and said the panel was short a person and I had to fill in. I couldn't possibly do that! I'd never been on one! And I wasn't published. And the topic wasn't something I touched on in my books. She almost literally shoved me up the steps to the table and there I was--on a mystery panel.

As best I remember, the topic was prayer, or maybe religion, in mysteries. There was no overt prayer in the one I was writing. That one is published as EINE KLEINE MURDER now, by Barking Rain Press. But my character is a moral person. I might have said something like, she was brought up going to Sunday School and church, and prays, but it's not spelled out in the book. I must have said some other things about writing--or something. 

When it was over, I was surprised that several people wanted to talk to me and said they liked what I had said. I think I might have been able to sell a book or two--if I 'd had any.

After that terrifying introduction to being on a mystery panel, there's never been another one as scary. Thanks, Cindy, for starting me out right.

No post next week, and maybe not the week after. But I WILL be back.

(Cross posted at http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/)

My First Malice!

This will be my first time to attend Malice Domestic—as Janet Cantrell. I’m very excited to be attending with my Penguin series in full swing. By full swing I mean the first book is out, the second one is all wrapped up and the third is being edited.

I’ve been invited to appear on a panel called The “Paws” that Refresh with 3 other writers who include pets in their mysteries: John Clement, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Linda O. Johnston. We’re finalizing what we’ll be talking about right now. By that I mean we’ve started discussing it. If you’re going, you can catch us at 3 PM on Saturday, May 2^nd. The Kentucky Derby starts right after that, so I’ll have to rush to the TV in the bar to catch the race. Last year we all cheered for Palace Malice, of course. There’s no choice that obvious this year, but I might cheer for Freshman Phenom. I’m not a freshman at Malice since I’ve been going for years as Kaye George, but I am a newbie as Janet. Does that count?

Discussions are ensuing here and there about wardrobe, always a concern the week before the conference. As a member of the Guppies, I’m bringing along a boa-type neck garment for the Sisters in Crime Breakfast. We started the tradition of wearing boas there a short time ago, but it seems entrenched already.

I’m also participating in Malice Go Round, which is like speed dating mystery authors two at a time. I hope I have enough bookmarks to hand out!

A couple of nice things!

I was invited recently to a new blog AND a new Facebook group. They were both announced in my newsletter that went out yesterday, but I’d like to do another announcement here, that’s how excited I am about these!

The blog is KILLER CHARACTERS. This is a place where the characters in our novels get to speak outside the book! I’m slated for the 4^th of every month. My first entry was by Quincy. I liked this one a lot because Quincy doesn’t ever get to speak in the FAT CAT books. In fact, the reader doesn’t even get to hear his thoughts. He’s just a cat, going about doing his cat-things in his cat-way.

My new Facebook group is called Nose for Trouble. Anyone interested in mysteries with pets can join to learn about the five authors on the group. I’m thrilled to be here with Krista Davis, Sparkle Abbey, Miranda James, and Linda O. Johnston. Krista just announced her newest cover today!

(If you would like to be added to my newsletter list, please send me an email at janetcantrell01@gmail.com and request it.)

Bookmarks--A Poll

In anticipation of stirring up some interest at Malice Domestic, I just put together a file to take to the printer to get bookmarks made for FAT CAT SPREADS OUT. I haven't gotten there yet, though. In fact, I'm trying to decide something. Maybe you can help me.

There are two things I'd like to know.
(1) Does anyone ever use the QRC thing from a bookmark? I've used them in the past, but don't know if they're useful or not.

(2) Would you rather have a separate bookmark for each book? I have them for FAT CAT AT LARGE, so would eventually have 3 for this series. Or would you rather have both books (then all 3) on the same bookmark? I'm not so sure the colors go together for the two covers.

By the way, if you would ever like me to send you bookmarks, just shoot me an email and I'll send you some to distribute. (This is NOT an April Fools Joke!)

Thanks to my readers!

I'd like to pause to say thanks to all who have entered my recent contests. It does my heart good to know that my reading is reaching people, even one woman who read FAT CAT AT LARGE after a tough surgery. I appreciate all of Fat Cat's fans so much!

Fat Cat Spreads Out ARC Giveaway

Guess why I haven't been posting lately? I was busy furiously editing to meet the deadline to turn in my manuscript for Fat Cat #3, as yet unnamed. I’d like to call it FAT CAT UNLEASHED, because Quincy, in the process of being leash trained, gets loose and finds—you guessed it, a dead body. However, there’s no official title yet. Lots of editing left, too!

Meanwhile, a couple of days ago, the ARCs (Advance Reader Copy) arrived for Fat Cat #2—FAT CAT SPREADS OUT! It does have a title and will be released June 2nd.

I have earmarked most of the ARCs to be doled out to reviewers. However, there are still a few left. Below is what the actual cover will look like.

I’d like to give away 2 of the ARCs here. If you’d like one, please leave a comment below. (You may see a post very similar to this one at Kaye George's Travels with Kaye blog.) The giveaway will close at midnight EST on Sunday, the 22nd.

Maybe, with this deadline met, I’ll post more regularly.