CrimeCONN 2015, the annual Connecticut mystery conference co-sponsored by MWA-NY, took place on September 27 at the Westport Library.
Craft, crimes, and a kick in the butt.
That’s what I expect from a good mystery conference. CrimeCONN 2015, held at the Westport Library on September 27, and co-sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter, provided a healthy dose of all three.
The annual Connecticut mystery conference began with a panel titled, “Who Loves You Baby?” Authors Roberta Isleib (aka Lucy Burdette), Tom Straw, and I discussed how to hook readers and keep them reading. Thanks to moderator John Valeri of the Hartford Books Examiner, our lively panel headed in all sorts of interesting directions, from starting that first draft to the use of pseudonyms.
Two additional author panels provided their own doses of enlightenment and inspiration. “Ripped from the headlines,” featuring authors M. William Phelps, David Handler, and Parnell Hall, and moderated by Ellery Queen Award-winner Joe Meyers, started with a discussion of how and when to use true events, locations, and people in writing. I found the variety of perspectives on the topic—from those who write about true crimes to those whose work is entirely fictional—quite useful.
The third author panel, “Oh, and one more thing,” featuring authors E.J. Simon, Steve Liskow, Jessica Speart, and Liz Mugavero, and moderated by Julia Pistelle, covered everything from where writers get their ideas to whether or not to outline. Again, I appreciated the range of voices and viewpoints. It’s always nice to be reminded that there is no one way to do that crazy writing thing that so many of us attempt to do. The important thing is to just keep doing it.
I always learn something new when I hear from real-life crime solvers. CrimeCONN featured two separate presentations by experts in the field. The first, “These are their stories,” featured Michelle Clark (Medicolegal Death Investigator), Art Weisgerber (Crime Scene Unit Commander), and John Davenport (Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney), and was moderated by award-winning author, publisher, and conference organizer Chris Knopf. Michelle Clark discussed a case where she was grilled on the witness stand by a defense attorney for well over an hour simply because she had lifted one fingerprint at a crime scene. One of her co-panelists let the audience know that the fingerprint in question may have been the single most important piece of evidence for obtaining a conviction. The second presentation featured forensics expert and retired Major Crime Squad detective Peter Valentin. Valentin used a number of real crime scenes to demonstrate some of his major points, like when DNA could be useful, and when it won’t help investigators at all.
These are the types of details that we mystery writers could and should be using in our writing.
The final panel of the day featured Bronwen Hruska (Publisher, SOHO Press) and Juliet Grames (Associate Publisher and SOHO Crime Editor). Hruska and Grames led us through several very different roads to publication, leaving us with some incredible advice: Write the story that only you can tell. Grames also offered seven must-read titles for any mystery writer:
▪ Edgar Allen Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue”
▪ The works of Sherlock Holmes
▪ The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
▪ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
▪ The works of Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None, if you can only read one.)
▪ The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
▪ The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
I find that I am most productive as a writer when I stay connected and involved with my writing community. This means attending conferences. The stories, the people, the practical publishing advice all remind me that I am not writing in a vacuum. But if you are like me, it’s hard to always get away for an entire weekend. And conferences can also be expensive. CrimeCONN is a highly affordable, one-day option that is not all that far from the city. (Or if you live in the ‘burbs like me, it is super convenient.)
A big thank you to Chris Knopf and everyone at the Wesport Library for this memorable day. I met amazing people, heard intriguing stories, and I got motivated to keep writing. Oh, and I have added about fifteen more books to my Goodreads “To Read” list. I’ll definitely be going back next year.
—Nina Mansfield
Nina Mansfield is a Greenwich, Conn., author and playwright. Her debut YA mystery novel Swimming Alone was published by Fire & Ice YA in August. Her plays have been produced throughout the United States and in Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland and Peru. Her short mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Mysterical-E. She blogs about books, writing, creativity, theater, and motherhood on her blog Not Even Joking.