Pen, Spoon & Dagger

Today I'm indulging in a flight of fancy - anything to escape the heat and humidity which have suddenly descended on Connecticut. A couple of days ago, a Jungle Red blogger posted about St. Hilda's Crime and Mystery Conference . held every August in Oxford, England. As I sit fanning myself with a paperback, my thoughts wander into the realm of "what if," as in what if I won the lottery or a rich relative (of which I have none) left me a large legacy. Normally, I only attend two conferences each year, more for financial reasons than anything else. One is Murder 203 , a Connecticut-based event heavily attended by readers as well as writers, and, of course, Crimebake . But, what if ? Just sit back and fantasize with me. St Hilda’s  is one of the longest running events in the United kingdom -- the first event having been held in 1994.  The annual themes have been as diverse as the presenters: “The Queen’s of Crime” (1994); “The Golden Age – There and Now” (1995);“...

Crime Bake is over.  What can I say except I'm counting the days until next year's event - the 10th anniversary! It was great to meet up with old friends and meet new ones - lots of them, thanks to Hank Philippi Ryan's genius scavenger hunt. I'm experiencing my normal "withdrawal" symptoms: a renewed energy and determination to finish my manuscript, find an agent, and get published,  and a sadness that I won't see many friends until next fall. This year's theme -- " Written in Blood " -- paid homage to guest of honour Charlaine Harris.  Although Sookie Stackhouse did not appear in person, she was certainly there in spirit.  In fact, her alterego made an appearance at the costume event! And a screening of HBO's True Blood closed out Day 1 in a most fitting manner. A second day of learning to hone our writing craft skills was topped with the Red & Black Banquet and Vampire Ball.  Just let your imagination run wild and you won...