Lisa Q. Mathews

Chicks on the Road: Malice Domestic 2022

Lisa here! I just flew from Bethesda to Brooklyn after a trip to Albuquerque via Boston, and are my wings (and beak) tired. Actually, I took a few buses and trains in there, too, but you get the idea…Who wants to see a few Malicious pix?

For those who aren’t familiar with the annual Malice Domestic conference, it is geared toward fans and authors of traditional mystery, including cozies. The Agatha awards, named after Agatha Christie (who also inspired our mascot, Eggatha), are considered among the most prestigious awards in the mystery genre. Well, guess what? Our very own Ellen Byron took home the teapot (literally, the prize is a teapot) in the Best Contemporary Novel category for CAJUN KISS OF DEATH! We are all so proud of her. Here’s a shot of her delivering a very moving and gracious acceptance speech:

And here are some of us Chicks celebrating with her afterward:

You can find the full list of winners and nominees here.

This is a shot of the table Leslie and Ellen hosted. I’m not sure Leslie wanted that second photo taken…

Someone asked me to wave to Cynthia, who was following the festivities from Denver. Hence my sad pout–we really, really missed her and Vickie and Kathy, but next Malice!

I really wanted to get a picture of Jen manning the Sisters In Crime table as one of her duties as VP, but unfortunately I kept missing my opportunities (and I may have gotten lost a few times in the downstairs maze). Good job, Jen! Here’s a shot of our good friend, author JC Kenney in his fabulous dinner jacket (he also had awesome shoes, not pictured here):

This is the helpful signage from the author signing tables. I think I need one of these for my office:

And speaking of signings, I had the honor of doing one as a contributor to the latest Malice Domestic anthology, Mystery Most Diabolical, which officially launched at the conference. I was excited to pub my first short story “Fly Me to the Morgue” beside Cynthia, with her wonderful story “There Comes a Time.” (No sales link yet, but TK!)

You’re probably wondering, Where is Becky? I saw her all over Malice. Well, Becky is a hard one to catch, she’s so popular. Here is a shot of her with her fellow panelists for Writing the Police Protagonist. No, she doesn’t write police procedurals, but her panel was a huge hit:

So that’s it for now, dear readers. We Chicks have many more photos, and I’m sure you’ll see tons of them online–especially those featuring our fabulous reader and author friends. As a parting shot, here was my view from the Union Train Station in DC. See you at Malice next year, Everyone!

Readers, anything you’d like to share (please go easy on my questionable photography skills), or any questions about Malice?

28 thoughts on “Chicks on the Road: Malice Domestic 2022”

  3. Finally got home at midnight (3:00 a.m. Malice time) last night after a my two-plus-hours-sitting-on-the-tarmac delayed flight last night, and am feeling a little bleary-eyed this morning, but it was SOOOO worth it! I love Malice! I love the Chicks! And I love all of the readers, writers, bloggers, book sellers, and everyone else involved in our glorious crime writing community!

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  4. It was great to meet Lisa, Leslie, and Ellen at the conference. I’m sorry I missed the rest of you. It looks like the next conference I’ll be attending is Killer Nashville in August, which is more attuned to the kind of books I write.

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  5. It was so amazing to be back together!! And LOL re: Becky. I’m so bummed I missed her panel. I had a conflict. Anyhoo, I had a great time and it’s a good thing our blog is written and not verbal, because I have zero voice right now.

    P.S. It makes me laugh that none of these pictures except for the one where you’re leaving are taken outside. They had lovely patios at the hotel. But boy, was it hard even stepping out of this incredibly busy convention!

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  6. Lisa, thanks for sharing the great pics! It makes my heart so happy to see the Chicks together! And it makes me a little sad that I wasn’t able to be there! Congrats again, El, on taking home the teapot — or at least that little blue paper one as a placeholder until they ship you the real award!!

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  8. Best weekend ever!! And it’s because of wonderful, kind, friendly, supportive, smart, talented folks like you, The Chicks! Getting to know you all and hang out this weekend was such a true gift that keeps on giving. Much love to you all!

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  11. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful pictures and the write-up! You all look marvelous! Thrilled that you had a great weekend and huge CONGRATULATIONS EL on your Agatha Award! Much love all around. xoxo

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  12. Pingback: Chicks on the Road: Malice Domestic 2022 — Chicks on the Case | Ups Downs Family History

  13. It was nice to see everyone.
    Of course I’m a day late and a dollar short here. I really hate real life getting in the way of having fun.

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    1. It was so great to see you, Hestia! Bet you’re already digging into all those new books I saw on Facebook.

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  14. LOL … you guys didn’t know I had mad ninja skillz, did you? I just got back Wednesday afternoon, after a bit of time with my son and soon-to-be-DIL in Baltimore. It’s crazy how being gone for one week feels like being gone for a month! And I had two whole loads of laundry to do … exhausting! But worth every minute. Such fun I had!

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