Sunday, August 7, 2016

Deadly Ink 2016

Annamaria on Monday


I offer you a photo essay of this year's Deadly Ink conference, which took place this past weekend in New Brunswick--a university town in central New Jersey.

Because it happens in the same Hyatt Regency every year and especially because many of the annual attendees are pals of mine from the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, the mystery writing conference has the familiar feel of being back in the dorm with my college friends.


The attendees are a mixture of published authors, aspiring authors, and fans.  The level of discourse at the panels is extremely high.  The price of the ticket includes meals served in a hotel ballroom at round tables, where, at each meal, the participants sit at different tables with different people and we all get to know new people every day.

Friday night: instead of the typical opening evening cocktail party, a gathering
called "Deadly Desserts," and a group of writers who are from or who write about
New Jersey, telling us why the state offers locales for every sub-genre of mystery.

Panelists who discussed the importance of verisimilitude:
Seated: Peggy Ehrhart, AJ Sidransky, Nina Mansfield.
Standing:Jane Kelly, Kate Gallison, Jeff Markowitz, 
Suzanne Solomon.
Roaming the Globe with Hilary Davidson, Annamaria Alfieri, AJ Sidransky, and Roberta Rogow.
Our experts on the difference between Tropes and Cliches:
Steven Rigolosi, Charles Salzberg, Jack Getze, and Jack Bludis
Toastmaster Hilary Davidson interviews Guest of Honor Reed Farrel Coleman
EF Watkins interviews Toastmaster Hilary Davidson
My favorite: The "What If" panel where the attendees in the audience and four
authors on the dais develop an impromptu hard boiled mystery plot, to hilarious effect.
  
at 12:00 AM
Labels: , , ,

12 comments:

  1. Everett KaserAugust 8, 2016 at 12:28 PM

    Sounds like a GREAT conference. VERY sorry I couldn't be there, but alas, my chickens needed care, and then there was Sharon's "potting shed" that I've been building for the past year, and, oh yeah, a bunch of good books that needed reading by SOMEBODY, and (of course) the cat needed attention.

    Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 8, 2016 at 5:32 PM

      Fear not, EvKa. We will meet when the Historical Novel Society comes to Portland next June. In the meanwhile, good books are our best revenge.

      Delete
    2. Everett KaserAugust 9, 2016 at 10:22 AM

      Cool! Keep me posted on that, please? I'd hate to miss it.

      Delete
  2. Jeffrey SigerAugust 8, 2016 at 5:58 PM

    Sorry I missed it. I'd love to know where the bodies are buried in Jersey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 9, 2016 at 9:10 AM

      There is this farm--not sure exactly where--way in the western part of the state, or maybe just over the border in Pennsylvania... I am sure that PA has a lot to do with it.

      Delete
    2. Jeffrey SigerAugust 9, 2016 at 10:20 AM

      So does MA.

      Delete
  3. Eileen WatkinsAugust 8, 2016 at 6:34 PM

    I think you caught me admiring Hilary's 1940s-style manicure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM

      Eileen, hard not to admire Hilary's style, in fashion and in writing! It was a great interview. And great to see you there.

      Delete
  4. Susan SpannAugust 8, 2016 at 6:40 PM

    What a delightful conference!! I would love to attend another year - it looks like a fabulous time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 9, 2016 at 9:13 AM

      Susan, it's just so relaxing socially and stimulating intellectually. More like a spa for the writer's soul than marketing tool or challenge to perform the way the others often are.

      Delete
  5. Jack GetzeAugust 9, 2016 at 8:54 AM

    Personally, it was the best conference ever!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)