COUNTDOWN TO CRIME BAKE

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on November 8, 2008
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We’re fast approaching kick-off time at the Seventh Annual New England Crime Bake!

Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben


And this year we have a line-up that will have you on your feet! Starting with our star performer Harlan Coben, master of the mystery playing field—and the one writer everyone wants on their team. Not only will this master storyteller share his triumphs with us as our keynote speaker, he’ll also share his innermost secrets—or prevarications?—with us at the banquet during The Big Lie.

Backing up our captain Harlan is a A-list roster of authors and forensic experts that will have you writing your own playbook bestseller in no time. There’s something for every player here—whether you’re writing noir or cozies, thrillers or police procedurals. From the Poison Lady and the Publicist to the Prosecutor and the Psychologist, you’ll find the insider information you need to score in the publishing game.

What’s more, you’ll have the opportunity to pitch the agents and editors who can help you hit your career out of the park. Hint: If all else fails, you’ll find them in the bar.

Crime Bake Committee

Crime Bake Committee

This is your opportunity to hang out in the locker room, and pick up the pointers and the contacts you need to succeed in the sweet science of murder. So get ready to play hard–and win big.

On behalf of the Crime Bake Committee and all of our fabulous staff and faculty, welcome!

The game is afoot!

Paula Munier
President,
Mystery Writers of America, New England Chapter

Ruth M. McCarty
President
Sisters in Crime, New England Chapter

Crime Bake - Celebrating the End of a Tour

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on November 6, 2008
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by Brunonia Barry

Brunonia Barry

Brunonia Barry

My weekend at Crime Bake will mark the last event in a book tour that started on July 29th. I’m new to all this, THE LACE READER is my first novel. In each city I’ve visited so far, I have been accompanied by an author escort. I’ve heard stories of the other writers I’ve been following on tour, intriguing things about what they like to eat, or odd stops that the escorts were asked to make (ask me about the author who wanted to drive 200 miles out of their way to buy buttons). Intrigued as I am by their stories, I had met few “live” authors until a recent event in California. I was such a novice that I didn’t even realize that three and a half months was long for a book tour until one of the more seasoned authors turned to me and asked “Are you insane or do you just like to punish yourself?”

Well the tour has actually been great, and I will celebrate the end of it at Crime Bake. I plan to have a lot of fun, and I hear that this is just the place to do it. I am very much looking forward to meeting both writers and readers and to hearing some other voices besides my own. I have been lucky enough to meet Amy McKinnon, originally at Grub Street and then at two events we have shared. TETHERED is a terrific book, and I’m glad that we will once again be speaking together.

And an aside to Hank Phillippi Ryan: If you think I didn’t know who you were when we spoke last year at NEIBA, think again. I was just trying to be cool and not to look like the fan I was.

- Brunonia Barry

www.lacereader.com

Thoughts from an Al Blanchard Award winner

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on November 4, 2008
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by Pat Remick

Pat Remick

Pat Remick


A year ago, I was trying to keep a secret so monumental I feared I might suffer a complete breakdown before I made it to Crime Bake.

As the date for my favorite mystery conference approached, I agonized over what to say and how I’d explain to my closest friends that I’d known since June that my life was about to change.

The reason? I’d won the Al Blanchard Award for best crime short story — and been asked not to share the news before Crime Bake.

This prestigious prize is presented annually during the conference by its organizers – representatives of the New England chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Although officially a member of both groups, I sometimes felt like a pretender because I had yet to publish in the mystery genre.

That changed the day the “congratulations” message arrived in my e-mailbox. Along with free admission to Crime Bake and $100, the Al Blanchard Award winner’s story is first in the “Crime Stories by New England Writers” anthology published annually by Level Best Books.

Pat & Al Blanchard Award committee

Pat & Al Blanchard Award committee


For weeks I reread the message. I was the first woman, first Sister in Crime and the first Guppy (those in SINC’s “Great Unpublished” subgroup) to win. It proved even a newbie could succeed.

To learn more about the award’s namesake, Al Blanchard, I read works from a career cut too short with his death during the 2004 Crime Bake. I practiced my acceptance speech during long drives in the car.

I don’t recall much about the hours leading up to the lunchtime presentation. Somehow I made it through my speech and when I left the stage, an agent thrust her card into my hand. Two others approached me before the conference ended. Writing friends marveled at my ability to keep the secret. Strangers graciously offered heartfelt congratulations.

I was soon autographing “Mercy 101” at the signing for the Level Best anthology. When I returned home, there were newspaper articles, a reading at the local independent bookstore and an achievement to add to every future query letter.

The magic will continue at this Crime Bake. I had the privilege of helping to choose this year’s Al Blanchard winner. After reading 113 incredible stories with a New England connection, I remain awed and humbled by the writing talent and imagination of my fellow mystery writers.

I’m a little calmer this year. My story “Circulation” will appear in this year’s “Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England Writers” anthology so there will be another signing. And I’m moderating the short story session — my very first appearance on a writing panel. One of the panelists is this year’s Al Blanchard winner and I know well what that author is probably feeling: excited anticipation and hope.

Those feelings are shared by many of us heading to Dedham. We go to Crime Bake for the joy of being immersed in a genre we love. We hope to leave with inspiration, memories made with friends new and old, renewed commitment to our writing, valuable tips for success and for some of us, maybe an agent. In the end, it’s an experience that makes us all winners.

-Pat Remick
www.patremick.com

Crime Bake Re-connections

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on October 26, 2008
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By Rosemary Harris

Well, like Chris, I’m a Nutmegger - Connecticut being the Nutmeg state. Dedham is just a drive or a train ride from where I live and I look forward to Crime Bake every year.

December calendar sisters

December calendar sisters


This will be my third Crime Bake. The first year I couldn’t take notes fast enough. I wanted to meet everyone and go to every panel. I got to meet a lot of people that year because of the notorious calendar. I was a December covergirl with Lori Avocato, Karen Olson, Mary Anne Tirone Smith and Jessica Speart. We met early in the morning and, dressed in black cocktail dresses, draped ourselves all over a bar in New Haven. We must have looked like a bunch of well-educated um…call girls. People bought the calendars at the show and it was my first experience signing anything other than checks or thank you notes. (I still need a few autographs from others in the calendar!) Anyway, it made me feel like a real writer, even though my book wouldn’t come out for another eighteen months.

Roberta must have thought I was a stalker because I wanted to hear everything she had to say - even if she was just chatting with a friend. And I was able to get that close to the then president because Crime Bake is such a manageable size, and that makes for a very collegial experience.

My second Crime Bake had the feeling of a reunion. I reconnected with the gals who are now my blog sisters - Hallie Ephron, Jan Brogan, Hank Ryan AND Roberta Isleib (see…I still stalk her..) and friends like Catharine Maiorisi, Al Tucher, and Bob Branco, who I hope I’ll see again this year. Maybe I’ll see some of you..

Cheers,
Rosemary
www.rosemaryharris.com

Celebrating New England & its Writers

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on October 17, 2008
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By Chris Knopf

I’ve never been to Crime Bake, but I can tell already it’s a great event by the spirited commentary of past participants.

Chris Knopf and Sam

Chris Knopf and Sam


While my books are set on Long Island, I’ve lived most of my adult life in Connecticut, the most conflicted and complicated little state in the Union. First off, we have the richest and most appallingly poorest towns in the country within our borders, in the case of Westport and Bridgeport, precious few miles apart. We also have the craziest weather, with Greenwich on par with North Carolina and Norfolk colder than Anchorage, Alaska. Our politicians have set new standards for corruption, while our verdant hills are brimming with right-minded, granola-crazed reformers (did you know Ralph Nader was from Torrington?)

And then there’s the matter of professional sports. The Mason-Dixon Line for Yankees vs. Red Sox fans falls roughly to the south of Hartford, though within that broad band are many households where brother takes arms against brother, son defies father and marriages are frequently put asunder, no matter who makes the playoffs.

Is it any wonder Connecticut throws off a lot of talented writers?

I’m honored to join other New England mystery enthusiasts to delve into our regional idiosyncrasies, and celebrate the dark and ridiculously brilliant people who populate the ‘hood.

Chris Knopf
www.sameddie.com

Like-minded Souls

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on October 11, 2008
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By Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett

Kathy Lynn Emerson

Kathy Lynn Emerson

When I think about going to a writers’ conference or a fan convention, I don’t think first of panels or the banquet or awards (if there are any) or even what I should do there to promote my books. What draws me to any gathering of writers and readers is having all those other writers and readers in one place. Writing is such a solitary profession that it is a real treat to spend time with other like-minded souls.

In order to do what I do, I have long discouraged both friends and relatives from phoning or stopping by when I’m working. I crawl into my cave, boot up the computer or dig out the latest printout, and shut out the rest of the world. My socializing consists of trips to the post office, visits to the library at the nearest branch of the University of Maine, and participation in a series of online writers’ groups. When I surface to do something different, such as have lunch with a non-writer friend, it requires quite an adjustment in my thinking. A non-writer is not likely to be as excited as I am about finding just the right motive for the murder or unearthing a newspaper article from 1888 that will add the perfect touch of realism to a historical.

Everyone at a small writers’ conference has one thing in common—a love and an understanding of what it is that writers do. We speak the same language. Every time I go to a conference, I make new friends, people I often see again and again at subsequent conferences. Yes, the panels and workshops spark ideas, but so do conversations. In fact, the project that I’m working on now, a non-mystery historical, came out of a conversation at the New England Crime Bake in 2006. Some of the best brainstorming sessions I’ve ever had—four or five people sitting in the bar or someone’s room, tossing around ideas—have been at small writers’ conferences. Who knows what will come out of this one?

How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries

How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries


Kathy Emerson currently writes under three different names. As Kathy Lynn Emerson she is the author of the Face Down Mysteries, set in Elizabethan England, and the Diana Spaulding 1888 Mystery Quartet. As Kaitlyn Dunnett she writes the contemporary Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries, set in Moosetookalook, Maine. Her first non-mystery historical written as Kate Emerson (Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace) will be out in February 2009.

(www.kathylynnemerson.com)
She will be doing a workshop on “Painless Research” on Friday afternoon from 4:00-5:25.

Crime Bake - The Ideal Conference

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on October 4, 2008
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By Sheila Connolly

Sheila Connolly

Sheila Connolly

At my first Crime Bake four years ago, I was, to put it kindly, clueless. I’d been writing for a few years, had completed a number of manuscripts, and was diligently querying agents, with the predictable lack of success. But since Crime Bake was a mystery writers conference an hour’s drive from my house, I thought it would be a good experience.

It was. There I was, elbow to elbow with real writers whose work I had read and admired. They turned out to be human beings, and they were even willing to talk to me. I was shocked when I asked Kate Flora (whose entire Thea Kozak series I had read) a question about why her heroine kept getting beaten up more than once in every book, and not only did she answer me, but she referred to my question in a later speech.

A year later I came back for more. By this time I had managed to land a good agent, and I had a book contract in hand. I mentioned this shyly to Lisa Scottoline–and she was so happy for me that she hugged me. Wow. (Hey, Philly girls have to stick together.)

Lee Child and fans

Lee Child and fans

By last year I had two contracts, and a book on the way within a few months. This (and a glass of wine) gave me the confidence to approach Lee Child at the cocktail party and talk about sex. He was also at my table when my wonderful agent stood up and proclaimed me her success story for the year. I fought off an urge to crawl under the table and hide. Who, me? How had this happened? I have to say that Crime Bake was a part of it. (Sorry–I have to include the required Lee Child photo.)

Crime Bake is an ideal conference: it’s big enough to attract the writers you want to meet, and small enough that you can actually talk to them. None of the writers thinks her or she is too important to bother with fans and aspiring writers; everyone is willing to share.

This year I’ll be on a panel for the first time–although I doubt it will trump the panel where a roomful of mystery writers brainstormed a plot together. I still wonder what happened with the feisty snowplow operator.

Sheila Connolly
www.sheilaconnolly.com

WARNING: Crime Bake may be Hazardous to Your Lonely Author Lifestyle

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on October 1, 2008
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By Roberta Isleib

In the fall of 2003, I had two mysteries published but I was naïve about the publishing business and a neophyte in the networking department. I hardly knew any writers. I still believed that writing crime fiction was a lonely, isolated career.

“You should come to the Crime Bake,” nudged my new pal Hallie Ephron. “You’ll meet some people.” What the hell was a Crime Bake?

But I went, figuring at worst I’d lose a weekend. Boy did I meet some people—starting with Janet Evanovich. (You remember Janet—usually you have to stand in a cast of thousands for hours to get anywhere near her!) And I heard stories about how the newcomers made it into the business, how to plot, how to develop characters that stick with you, and lots more. Even better, I was introduced to the group as an up-and-coming author. You bet I signed up for the next year!

Lori, Lisa & Tess

Lori, Lisa & Tess


In 2004, I got to see Robert Parker stride across the stage delivering his staccato homily on his hugely successful career. And I had my turn on the new kids panel and met tons more interesting people.

And then my involvement in Crime Bake began to build steam. In 2005, as vice president of the New England Sisters in Crime chapter, I had a seat on the committee. Mostly I listened a lot and took pictures and noticed how hard the committee worked to pull off a big success.

Lynne, Lisa & Roberta

Lynne, Lisa & Roberta

I co-chaired the conference in 2006 with Lynne Heitman—the interview with guest of honor, Lisa Scottoline, was definitely a high point. Since then I’ve remained on the committee, logging hours and hours on the program committee, the manuscript critiques, author roundtables and breakfasts, and anything else that was needed.

The Crime Bake community (and it is a community!) has made my solitary author’s life so much richer. I literally lifted the idea for the manner of death in PREACHING TO THE CORPSE from the poison lady’s talk. I’ve met well-known writers up close, people like Tom Cook, Peter Abrahams, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Tess Gerritsen. They’ve reminded me (in case I ever need it), that no matter how big sales get, an author should stay gracious and grateful. And I’ve also met folks who are just starting out and maybe will meet the agent of their dreams at Crime Bake and be published one day. And others who just love, love, love mysteries—what’s better than that?

And now I count as friends the hardest working committee you’ll ever come across—the folks who put on this gem of a convention.

So come on to Crime Bake. But be careful, it’s hard to leave alone.

Roberta Isleib
www.robertaisleib.com

Unknown Associates

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on September 29, 2008
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By Vinny O’Neil

One of the best things about Crime Bake is that you never know who you’re going to meet—and in some cases, you don’t even know who you’ve met.

Vinny O\'Neil

Vinny O'Neil

Let me explain.

My first Crime Bake was two years ago, and as a panelist I was asked if I’d like to do some manuscript critiques. I had recently gotten my toe in the publishing door after twenty years of trying, and was so flattered by this request that I offered to critique five of the submissions. All five were good, two were more than good, and one was excellent. It featured a budding artist in New York City whose first show was disrupted by the police, who wanted to know how she had created a picture of a murder that had only recently occurred. I was hooked after the first paragraph, and only gave the author, Meredith Cole, one or two minor editing suggestions.

Just three months later Meredith emailed to say that she had won the “Malice Domestic” competition with that very same mystery, submitted long before I saw it. This was especially gratifying news for me, as I had won the competition the year before and had also recognized great writing when it was in front of me. Meredith’s debut novel, Posed for Murder, will be released by St. Martin’s Minotaur in February of 2009, but at the time I didn’t know that I’d met a future “Malice” winner.

At the banquet I sat at a table full of real live-wires, and after dinner we adjourned to the lounge to discuss, among other things, our favorite first lines in literature. I was too new to know I was supposed to be able to recite the first line of my novel, but I did get to hear some marvelous opening sentences and even contributed one of my favorites. Yes, David Morrell’s First Blood is not a mystery, but the first line is full of dark portent: “His name was Rambo, and he was just some nothing kid for all anybody knew, standing at the pump of a gas station at the outskirts of Madison, Kentucky.”

One of the participants in that discussion was the already-famous television reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan, whose first novel was soon to be released. It was so much fun hanging around with Hank, her husband, and the others that I did not recognize that I had just met a future winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Hank’s wonderful debut mystery Prime Time.

I sometimes wonder who else I’ve met at Crime Bake, among the published authors big and small, the dedicated readers who are such a joy to meet, the editors and agents, and the technical experts who keep us all in line (and frequently in stitches). I hope I haven’t left anyone out just now, but if I did, it kind of proves my point: At Crime Bake, you never know who you’re going to meet—and in some cases, you don’t even know who you’ve met.


Vinny O’Neil
MURDER IN EXILE, REDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES, EXILE TRUST
(www.vincenthoneil.com)

Finally, “Making It” to Crime Bake

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on September 26, 2008
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By Amy MacKinnon

It was spring 2007 and I was adrift, weeping even. There I was, sitting in the grand ballroom of the Omni Parker House, listening to the great Charles Baxter give the keynote at Grub Street’s annual Muse & the Marketplace conference. It was appropriately titled, Losers. He must have known I’d be there.

Amy MacKinnon

Amy MacKinnon


It was true I had secured my dream agent months before, that she loved the manuscript I’d sent, but it was more true that my novel needed work. Lots. That day, after weeks and weeks of revisions, all pitiful attempts to make it better, failure loomed. I’d returned it to my agent several times only to hear it’s just not there. I was no writer.

So what does this have to do with Crime Bake? During the nine long months I worked to polish every page of my novel, I’d visit the Crime Bake web site. I’d scan the photos of previous conferences, read the bios of the attendees, and then, finally, details of the 2007 Crime Bake were posted. I knew I’d have to register. I needed help.

There was Hallie Ephron, the woman who knew better than the best of them about structuring a novel. Her Pater Zak series and how-to guide, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel proved that.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of the Charlotte McNally Prime Time Series, a great character writer and master of voice. The mark of a great book is when characters come alive and her protagonist Charlie McNally felt more like an old friend than a figment of some writer’s imagination.

Sarah Weinman, blogger extraordinaire of Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind. How I admired her take on the publishing industry. I could learn so much from her.

Ah, and there was Lee Child, father of Jack Reacher himself. Dare I say more?

Registering for Crime Bake would be my prize, my salvation, the only way to lead me out of the murk. The presenters would have all the answers I needed. In preparation, I read or re-read as many of their books as I could lay hands. One after another. All the while, I worked on my revisions. And then a funny thing happened. In late September 2007, I submitted yet another draft to my agent – and she said it was ready for submission. Ten days later, it sold at auction to Random House. Four days after that it sold at auction to several foreign publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair. All of this, of course, was wonderful, but frustrating too. There were more revisions necessary, more deadlines to be met, and time was scarce. I would not be able to attend Crime Bake after all.

But this year I will. This time I will be at Crime Bake alongside some of my favorite authors, as an author myself. It’s still a little surreal and I may need some reminding not to take a seat in the audience, though I no doubt will do just that for some of the others’ workshops.

And this time I won’t be adrift, but I just may be weeping.

- Amy MacKinnon
www.amymackinnon.com/