Monday, October 01, 2007

The Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave

I returned last night from a friendly little mystery conference, the Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave in Manhattan, KS. With less than 100 attendees, we all could chat and get to know each other. Diane Mott Davidson was the Guest of Honor. She had us howling with laughter at the banquet with tales of horrid folks who wound up being treated to such-deserved deaths in her novels. The well-planned dinner featured delicious recipes from her novels. I was honored and so pleased to serve on a panel with Diane, since I'm such a fan of hers and she has provided me with great promotion advice.

Will Thomas, the manly librarian who writes mysteries and studies the self-defense arts, was a smooth and competent toastmaster. And local Kansas notable mystery author, Nancy Pickard, was her usual charming and gracious self. Susan Smily, with her beautiful bald head resulting from breast cancer chemo treatments, and her writing partner Honora Finkelstein were great fun as usual, even in the midst of this health challenge. They are such a friendly, upbeat pair that they make everyone around them smile. And Patricia Stoltey made for a wonderful roommate. I'm looking forward to sleeping with you again, Pat, at Left Coast Crime! :-)

I could go on and on about the friendly mystery writers and fans I met at the conference, but I'll end with saying that if you missed it this year, you should really try to make it next year. Many thanks to Marolyn Caldwell and her energetic committe for a great weekend!

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