Friendly Faces

There's a lot to learn and do at any conference you go to, but one of the things you'll treasure the most is the number of friends you'll make along the way. This first picture is of my friend Scott and I. He generously offered to pick me up a the airport when I arrived, thus saving me an awful cab fare, and this gave me a friend to meet up with and eat meals with before I even got to the conference itself. Scott had been to the conference many times before (in fact, "Love is Murder" was the first conference he ever attended), so he had a lot of good advice for me. My experience would have been completely different without him, but I'm glad I never had to figure out what that would have been like!


These ladies - Lydia, Helen, and Sandra from left to right - were easily the comic relief of the conference. Hearing them talk about murder, sex, and the best literary tools for each was a treat. They were great meal partners, and I met them through Scott. Never a dull moment with them.


Here are Nicole and I at the hotel bar - we closed it down. She and I had a lot in common, and it was great to find someone closer to my age and in the same stage of writing as myself. We talked about our processes for composing and our lives at length, and if I'm ever in St. Petersburg, Florida, then I know I have a place to stay.

I walked away with business cards for all these characters and many more so we could stay in contact via e-mail and help each other as needed through the trials and joys of a writer's existence in the world today. I feel so much more comfortable going out into the market knowing that I have a safety net and support group like this one for encouragement and advice.

"Friendship is far more tragic than love. It lasts longer." - Oscar Wilde