Killing it at Killer Nashville

Last month was hot in Tennessee. When the temperature hits triple digits and the humidity hovers at oppressive, pushing the “real feel” over 110 degrees, I stay indoors as much as possible. When I was a kid, we lived in an apartment building in the city. The only places I remember that had AC were the supermarket and the movie theater. Although we survived, I don’t remember how. That was in New Jersey. Summers are so much worse in the South! Stepping outside for most of August is like the blast you get when your oven is set at broil, and you open the door to remove whatever you were cooking.

But there was another reason it was hot in Tennessee last month. The third week in August was the twenty-first anniversary of the Killer Nashville writers’ conference. And what a hot conference it was! (Except for some of the conference rooms that felt more like walk-in freezers! Note to self: Don’t forget your sweater next time! Luckily that only occurred the first day!)

During the three days of the conference, I had the pleasure of making new writing friends, meeting in person others I’ve known online for years, and catching up with old friends, including fellow Benchie CB Wilson. That’s me, standing behind CB at our panel on Conflictology: “The Art of Creating Conflict in Your Writing,” along with fellow authors Michael Maloof, Ellen Butler, Avram Lavinsky, and Michael Rigg.

Conflict abounded at this year’s conference but in a good way. I found myself on three other panels where conflict was an underlying theme, including “Humor and Intensity: The Twins in the Mirror,” “Using News and Current Events to Develop Plot,” and “Weaving Conflict Through Every Storyline.” I also gave a solo PowerPoint presentation on “Goal, Motivation, & Conflict: The Three Essential Building Blocks of Every Novel, Synopsis, Pitch & Back Cover Copy.”

Luckily, the conflicts were limited to writing techniques. The mystery community is made up of the friendliest, most giving authors and aspiring authors that I’ve ever known, and Killer Nashville is no exception to that.

The highlight of this year’s conference (aside from the tiramisu served at the banquet Saturday night) was what happened during the awards ceremony. For the third year in a row, I won the Silver Falchion Award for Best Comedy, this time for SEAMS LIKE THE PERFECT CRIME. And the cherry on the top? The book was also named 2nd Runner-up for Best Book by an Attending Author!

I’ve attended dozens of conferences over the course of my professional life, as a designer, an author, and the twelve years I spent working for a literary agency. Hands down, this year’s Killer Nashville conference ranks at the top of the list for me. And as a bonus, it also made me forget about the oppressive heat and humidity of August in Middle Tennessee.

So how has your summer been? Did you vacation somewhere special or staycation, catching up on making a dent in your to-be-read stack of books? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook download of any one of my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.

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