Lisa here, just back from the amazing-as-always New England Crime Bake conference. Since it’s my day to post here on Chicks, and I’m still bleary-eyed (in a good way), I thought I’d share a few highlights and terrible but heartfelt photos. (Apologies to all up front.)

I’ve attended the New England Crime Bake Conference in Dedham, MA every year for practically forever. It’s held each November on Veteran’s Day weekend, when the leaves have dropped and the weather is warm or freezing or both. If you’re looking for lobstah rolls and chowdah, you won’t find them at the Crime Bake hotel. Forget nipping into Boston between panels, too. But if you’re looking for a close-knit writing community of talented newbies and polished vets, intriguing panels, master classes, ms. critiques, editor/agent pitches, and a slate of honored guests—plus a central bar—you’ll be in the right place.

All authors and readers who love crime fiction of any sub-genre are welcome. The weekend is a shared celebration of our efforts and accomplishments, with all the ups-and-downs those entail. Some years are better than others for writers, the industry, and the outside world—but there’s always the coming new year and the next Crime Bake.

The welcome desk is your first stop—thanks, Nicole Asselin and DonnaRae Menard (here with editor and author Sara Henry).

Master classes and Crime Bake 101 are first up on Friday afternoons. This year’s presenters: Alison McMahon (cliffhangers), BJ Magnani (forensics), Tommy Dean (first pages), Lifetime Achievement honoree Barb Ross (words of wisdom), and Guest of Honor Lori Rader-Day (POV).

Friday night, authors in the Agent/Editor track worked on their loglines and pitches while others played Crime Trivia. Our team, Whatever Lola Wants (more about her later), won first place. Kristopher Zgorski, Dru Ann Love, Susan Oleksiw and Maureen Krusgal had serious skills. But hey, if you need notorious New England killers’ stomping grounds and hometowns, I’m your huckleberry!

Of course there were incredible panels all through the schedule, plus one of my faves: small roundtables of Ask-the-Experts. It was very crowded at Bruce Coffin’s table. I couldn’t even move to snap a photo.

The hotel staff were good sports about the “dead” body in the middle of the hotel, in what is usually a coffee lounge. He was dead the entire conference, with the crime scene set up and manned by a career investigator, who revealed the backstory on Sunday morning. He apologized that he decided against adding “blood” to the walls near the “bullet holes.”

Here is Lola the Lobster, pictured with just one of 5 posters displaying attendees’ 2025 books (Crime Bake is jointly sponsored by the New England chapters of MWA and Sisters in Crime). If you look closely you can see Lola’s multiple tiny cowboy boots and kerchief, per the “These Boots are Made for Murder: Kicking up Crime” theme. DonnaRae rescued Lola from the claws of a cat before the conference. Don’t ask.

The beloved Wickeds blog group reunited for the weekend (other than Jessie Crockett, who was ill) to celebrate Guest of Honor and retired Wicked Barb Ross. Here they are together, and also Barb speaking at the banquet (another Lola, pictured on the podium, was kidnapped but recovered after a thorough investigation).

I had the pleasure of doing a ms. critique for up-and-coming author Becky Slate-Liu, who traveled all the way from Canada. She’s pictured with her Sisters in Crime mentor, Edith Maxwell.

Here is Maureen “Mo” Walsh, our usual (professional) photographer. She has a bad shoulder injury, so that’s why you’re stuck with amateur stringers like me. Feel better, Mo!

And here is Avram Lavinsky receiving the prestigious Al Blanchard Award (Best New England Crime Story 2025) for his story “The Longshot” pubbed in the Snakeberry anthology. Congrats, Avram!

I think the photo below with Susan Oleksiw, Gabriela Stiteler, and GOH Lori Rader-Day, blurry as it is, pretty much sums up the Crime Bake vibe:

You will note there are no pix from the bar. Anything that happens at the Crime Bake bar stays in the Crime Bake bar. But here’s a shot (I stole it off Facebook, which is why it looks nice) of our hardworking Crime Bake Committee—a huge thank you to all, and congrats on a fabulous conference!

Needing a pick-me-up as I hit the road home, I stopped at the Legacy Place mall. Instead of trying out one of the questionable treatments that greeted me as I got out of car, I headed to Shake Shack. That may have been a mistake after BJ Magnani’s forensics photos from Friday. Brrf.

Until next year, Lobster Fans! (Lantern rehomed from our table’s banquet centerpiece.)

Readers, ever been to Crime Bake? Or do you have another favorite conference—or one you might like to attend?