Well, another Malice Domestic is officially in the books! It was my first time at the mystery conference since 2017 and it was so, so much fun to see old friends and meet new ones. Here are just some of the highlights:
1. Seeing Old Friends
Malice truly is like summer camp where you get to see all your old friends. And hey, look! It’s the original four founding members of Chicks on the Case!
And here are Anita Carter and Mary Lee Ashford, who were my first-ever conference friends! I met them at Left Coast Crime Monterey a bajillion years ago:
2. Getting lost for an embarrassingly long time in the Whole Foods parking garage
We kicked off the conference with a trip to Whole Foods to stock up on provisions and almost became a Dateline episode. Picture Keith Morrison: “Four mystery authors entered the Whole Foods parking garage. CCTV footage shows them entering various elevators and walking around different levels. What happened to them next is a mystery that none of them could have written…”
Please congratulate me, Kellye Garrett, Lisa Q. Mathews, and Gigi Pandian on making it out alive.
3. Stocking up the book room
We eventually found our way back to the hotel from Whole Foods, and the next morning began with conference registration and the book room to drop off copies of Terror in Taffeta and Welcome to Cozy Town. While I waited in line, I chatted with Megan Gerig, author of Beatrice Ophelia is Flickering Out, and her husband Ryan. Yay, one hour in and already made new friends!
4. Malice-Go-Round
I’m a sucker for author speed dating. Authors go around a banquet room and pitch their books to almost 200 readers, eight at a time, handing out bookmarks and making friends very quickly. This is one of those times when talking fast comes in really handy!
5. Mystery authors who lunch
I don’t even know the name of this place but after Malice-Go-Round, a few of us snuck away for an offsite and drank Arnold Palmers and now I want a fairy light tunnel in my house.
6. Anthology Signing
Ten years ago, I had an idea for the Malice anthology, Murder Most Conventional, about an aging mystery author. I wrote down the idea, but never wrote the story! When I heard this year’s theme was “Murder Most Senior,” I got to work. And I’m proud to announce that “Edna St. James Takes a Bow” finally got its moment! Friday night we had a signing after the auction, and I signed books and had the other authors sign my copy — including Toastmaster Ellen and her friend “Jackie.”
7. Sisters in Crime Chapter Officers Meeting
Just a few months ago I became the Vice President of my Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter, so I was thrilled to get to meet other officers of other chapters and share ideas. What an amazing group of women!
8. Hanging out with the Chicks
Five Chicks were in attendance:
Here’s me and roomie Leslie taking a moment to wave to Cynthia Kuhn. (Hi, Cynthia!)
9. Banquet/Awards
So many pretty teapots! Congratulations to everyone — including Ellen Byron, who did a bang-up job of Toastmastering!
10. Meeting New Friends
I finally got to meet the fabulous Tammy Barker in person (!) and Matt Greene and I bonded over theatre:
Tricia Maniaci shows off her copy of Terror in Taffeta along with her mug featuring a garden gnome who she will later learn is a character in Welcome to Cozy Town.
This year I decided to fly home on Monday, and I’m so glad I did! I had dinner Sunday night with a whole new group of friends that included Korina Moss, Annie McEwen, Tricia Maniaci, and Tiffany from The Beachbum Bookworm. We ended the conference by getting the giggles so hard we were crying, which was the perfect end to the perfect conference.
Readers, what’s one of your favorite memories from a conference?
Chicks on the Case 
Malice was such a fun conference this year. I met you in passing. Hope to get to know you better at the next one!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree! They go by so fast. It was great seeing you in person and here’s to more in the future!
LikeLike
It was great seeing you, Marla. It’s hard to pick out one memory as the favorite!
LikeLiked by 3 people
It was so good to spend time with you, Liz! I have a great pic of you and Annette looking fabulous at the banquet to send you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was so much fun getting to room with you, Marla! I so love Malice–and all mystery cons. Nothing like getting to spend the weekend hanging out with your book besties!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I know!!! I loved it so much and wish we could do it more often!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a new mystery writer, too, and it was my first Malice. A highlight for me was meeting so many of the authors of whom I am a fan girl (no one check THAT grammar!) – Connie Berry, Ellen Byron, Mindy Quigley, Leslie Karst, Gigi Pandian, Daphne Silver, and new author Michelle L. Cullen, and finding out they are not just great writers but warm and welcoming human beings too!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Welcome to the wonderful Malice community!
LikeLike
I’m so glad you had a great experience! The mystery writing community is incredibly wonderful, and getting to spend time with other authors and readers is the highlight of my year!
LikeLike
What a great recap, Marla! I’m jealous of your Sunday night dinner, lol. I love our community so much. I can’t wait for next year. I registered on Sunday!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Woo-hoo! You were a fabulous Toastmaster and set the tone for a great experience. I only wish it had been a day longer because that went by much too fast! xoxo
LikeLiked by 2 people
Love that last pic of everyone laughing! (But I’ll skip on getting lost in the parking lot.) Malice is so warm and friendly; it really is like summer camp. The best part is getting to hang out with readers and writers. And goofing around with Chicks bloggers and hanging out chick-themed swag!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The parking lot experience was pretty hilarious in its own right, but I agree — the best part is getting to hang out with friends and make new ones. Til next time!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sounds like a fabulous time. Wish I could have made it, but with as crazy as the last couple of weeks have been, it’s a good thing I didn’t try to go.
LikeLiked by 3 people
We missed you! But there’s always next year. 😄
LikeLiked by 2 people
hmmm. So many to choose from.
I’m sad that I didn’t get a picture with all the chicks together. Next year! All the chicks are wearing something yellow, and I’m in something white as an honorary chick!
but… favorite memory? My live auction shenanigans! I think I scared Ellen, because she kept running away from me!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I will never forget your enthusiasm at the auction! You took it to a whole new level in the best possible way!
So great meeting you in person – FINALLY!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tammy is a force at auctions!
That said, Malice was fabulous as always and I hate missing next year, but I’ll be back. It’s too good not to go.
I enjoyed meeting you, Marla, if only briefly. Maybe next time. Meanwhile, I’m counting down the days until Bouchercon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! It was wonderful meeting you! Wish we could’ve chatted more. Malice is entirely too short!
LikeLiked by 1 person
To be fair, that pillow was ah-mazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, I like this yellow/white Chicks theme!
LikeLike
I love this post so much!!! Marla, thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful memories with us. I want a fairy light tunnel in my house, too. LOL!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope we can end up at the same conference someday! I wish the pic showed the fairy light tunnel better but it was a whole hallway and so pretty!
LikeLike
It was so much fun to see you, Marla! Cheers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Wonderful meeting you IRL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Marla, it was so incredibly great to have you back at Malice! Can’t wait til next year. Also, your recap is hilarious, touching, and spot-on. There were so many highlights (sad I missed out on the fairy light tunnel) it’s hard to choose, but…I still can’t stop laughing about our adventure with Kellye and Gigi in the Whole Foods parking garage. 4 intrepid mystery writers literally trapped in a cement structure maze…
LikeLike
It was such a fun weekend. I wish we’d taken a picture in the parking garage to commemorate that memory. I love recapping because I can look back years later and say, “Oh yeah!!!”
LikeLike
It was a super-fun conference and while we didn’t meet, I saw you there, Marla! I agree with you about Matt Greene being a FORCE OF GREAT ENERGY and I feel I know you better after reading your post and will enjoy your short story in the anthology even more now. Cheers!
LikeLike
Awww, Mel! I wish we’d been able to connect! Maybe next time. It’s such a whirlwind — there’s just not enough time!
LikeLike