A Curious Statistical Anomaly

Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong but the day just seems to bring one down into the depths of despair, the swamp of despondency, the…well, you get the idea. We had the wonderful busy weekend covering Malice Domestic and then — Monday. Not just a Monday, a rainy day and Monday. Back to work on the upcoming May issues of Gumshoe Review and SFRevu means a lot of tedious detail to get things right and tidy for going live on May 1st. But, between those items of steely concentration it helps to let loose and get a break so you go fresh to the next item of business. It’s while blowing off a bit of tension that I found this.

These guys definitely know how to survive. Humor is the best way that I know of to life one out of the depth and to face new tasks or old ones with joy and freshness. Watch and enjoy.

Sunday dawned overcast and cloudy after raining off and on all night. But up we got and headed to Malice Domestic for its last day. We arrived shortly before the start of the 10:30 a.m. panels, missing the 9 a.m. panels (we’d have been a little earlier, but caffeine was determined to be a priority).

Devious Devices: What Makes Their Sleuthing Unique? Panelists: David Skibbins, Michael Dymmoch, Jack Cater (Moderator), Chris Grabenstein, and Andy Straka. Panelists discussed how to make a story and its characters believable. This included using explicit forensic methods, correct gun information, research, more research, and even more research. They stress that the characters must have reason either personal or professional for what they do, otherwise why would they get involved. Panelists also discussed the necessity of listening to the characters — you can’t force them to go against their nature (even though you originally gave them their characteristics and beliefs). This panel didn’t stray off the subject but it did use a much broader interpretation of “device” than I had expected. Chris told an amusing story of needing to research men’s rooms along the NJ Turnpike and how difficult it can be to walk in and start taking pictures (think about it).

Signings — We managed to get to a signing session — finally. Malice Domestic has a set of panels and then a half hour of signings by all panelists from the previous session. This gives attendees a chance to get their books signed and still get to see all the panels. We introduced ourselves to a number of authors and chatted for a bit and took pictures for our archives.

The Credible Amateur: Regular People with a Gift for Detection. Panelists: Earlene Fowler, Betty Hechtman, Rosemary Harris, Barb Goffman (Moderator), Kathryn R. Wall, and Maria Hudgins. The panel talked about the need to have police involvement and how to involve the police and yet be able to keep an amateur sleuth looking for clues. And as a corollary, the difficulty of having the sleuth solve a crime that the police can’t with all their experience. There’s the belief that if you develop your character fully then there will be personal, professional, or incidental traits or knowledge that allow the amateur to string information together in nonstandard ways allowing them to solve the crime. There was also discussion on how aggravating it is when authors have the police tell the amateur things that police would never divulge to a civilian — that, to be credible, the amateur needed to be given no more information than ‘reality’ would allow. The authors discussed how they handled these problems in their own mystery series. Later, they discussed keeping the readers reading even when they know that it’s total fantasy because no one could possibly fall over sixteen bodies in two years of book time. Some interesting ways to handle this dilemma were discussed (I’d tell more but you should consider attending a Malice is you really want to know)

Lifetime Achievement Interview: Peter Lovesy interviewed by Robert Barnard. This interview was totally fascinating as it covered growing up during World War II London and what it was being a child then: the games they played (collecting shrapnel and trying to find spies), books they read, the billeting of the children to areas outside of London. Then they covered Lovesey’s early career as a sports writer and his interest in the Victorian Era and sports then and now (writing articles on the history of sports: running). Some overviews of his writing process, books to film, the genesis ideas that later led to books. Once again an interview that was entertaining, informative, and humorous.

Essentially, at this point Malice Domestic is over except for their hat contest and the Afternoon Tea. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get may pictures of hats prior to the tea, which we didn’t attend. However, we did pick up a list of the Agatha Award winner from Saturday night’s ceremony:

The Agathas were awarded in five categories:

• Best Novel – A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny, published by St. Martin’s Minotaur
• Best First Novel – Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan, published by Harlequin
• Best Nonfiction – Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, and Charles Foley, published by Penguin Press
• Best Short Story – “A Rat’s Tale” published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2007
• Best Children/Young Adult Fiction – A Light in the Cellar by Sarah Masters Buckley, published by American Girl.

So that was Malice Domestic for this year. If you’re interested in mysteries and want an interesting weekend with writers and other fans, check out the website for registration information for next year’s convention.

Okay, it’s me again. Technically, it is I, but that still just sounds too weird no matter what Chicago Manual of Style says. Anyway, as with yesterday, we’re going to take a quick break and get something to eat. So if you’re looking at this and don’t see any pictures, rest assured that we’ll be adding them in a little later. If you’re looking at this and you see pictures … well thank you for reading, remember to tip your blogger, and try the veal.

Saturday saw us getting up bright and early for the drive to Crystal City, VA for another day of Malice Domestic. By that I mean that the day was bright and the time was early; however, the brain of yours truly was only half awake — until I got my cup of coffee. Then of course, the angels sang and it was glorious.

First thing we did when we arrived was to take photos of some of the baskets for the Silent Auction. We even bid on three items but alas (for us) we didn’t have the highest bid. Luckily, for the charity, others bid the items up higher than we were willing to go.

Next we checked out the dealers room. You’d think reviewing books for Gumshoe Review that I’d have my fill of reading material. It would make sense that that would be true but again it’s not. So, after a significant outlay, there are now more books to stack on my To Be Read Pile. The books purchased will fill in some back stories in several series that I’m reading and add some new authors that I hadn’t had a chance to read yet. After taking several photos, we moved on to attend a panel.

Touch of Woo-Woo: Paranormal. Panelists: Lillian Stewart Carl, Elena Santangelo, Carole Nelson Douglas, Maria Lima (Moderator), Casey Daniels, and Lorna Barrett. The panelist talked about what they know about their characters that may not make it into the book. The melding of paranormal themes and myths in a story. There was a lot of give and take on character development, would the story be the same without the paranormal element, and why a paranormal element anyway. These types of panels really offer some insight into the thinking, planning, and research that goes into writing a book.

Lunch break: Malice Domestic, unlike a lot of conventions that we have attended, actually has a break in the schedule so that people can go eat and not miss a panel or talk. The hotel is connected to the Crystal City Mall and there’s a food court and a lot of restaurants — so food is available without having to travel very far.

Next was You’re History!: The Past and Its Mysteries. Panelists: Sharan Newman (Moderator), Dana Camron, Kathy Lynn Emerson, Aileen Baron, Kate Gallison, and Sally Wright. Since I’ve always loved historical mysteries, I thought this would be a great panel to sit in on. It was. Unfortunately, and with a bit of embarrassment, I have to admit that I haven’t read any of these authors (but see above about the dealers room), that is shortly to be remedied. Another reason to attend the panels is to listen to authors talk about their works (without giving any plot points away). One of the interesting questions the panel was asked by the moderator was to list one thing about the time period that they write about that they think most people don’t know or have wrong. Among other items, we learned that Griffith Park in LA has a curse on it. There was also a bit of hilarity about 1812 — the year, the time, and the overture. The authors also talked about how when writing historicals you are doing as much world building as a science fiction or a fantasy author. That an author has to make the time period accessible to modern readers while remaining true to the time period. When asked if they would change a fact if it upset the plot, they unanimously stated they’d change the plot rather than ignore a known historical truth. I found the discussion and the answers fascinating and really will follow up on all these authors.

Guest of Honor Interview: Charlaine Harris interviewed by Toni L.P. Kelner. This hour just flew by. Charlaine is as charming, forthright, and entertaining as any of her characters. We learned how she got into writing. A bit of the background and an update on True Blood, the HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books. Upcoming works and some background on the Lily Bard and the Aurora Teagarden series and well as her Harper Connelly books.

International Guest of Honor Interview: Lindsey Davis interviewed by Robert Barnard. I’d read a few of the Falco books and wanted to listen to the author talk about her characters and the Roman Empire. The interview was another where the time just flew. We learned how Davis got into writing, why Rome, how Falco came to be, and about her life and background. I expected Lindsey Davis to be well informed and charming but I didn’t expect the wit and humor — obviously I just don’t pay attention.

So, home again and missing the banquet where the Agatha Awards will be presented but we should have the list of winners for you tomorrow.

Hyperion here. We’re beat and lacking in the required brain cells to do a proper job on today’s photos. We’ll try to get a set packaged up and added in tomorrow. Of course that will be in addition to tomorrow’s photos. Oh well, nobody said walking amongst the stars like giants was going to be an easy task. Till tomorrow …  UPDATE: It’s tomorrow and just look, we got a few of them in, just like we promised.  We still have a couple left to do, but that will have to wait until after today’s events.

We arrived at the hotel, got our badges, and were early enough to sit in on the Charity Auction to benefit JLG-RICA. The bidding was heavy and everyone was having a great time. Auctioneer was Kate Grilley with the assistance of Sue Henry. While we were there Katherine Hall Page auctioned off an item (the winner could have his or her original recipe for a dessert in her book due out for Christmas). This item got a lot of interest and finally went for $525 dollars. This is all to help a great cause and everyone enjoyed themselves. The convention is also having a silent auction for the same cause that will end tomorrow — these items are mostly baskets based on a theme. Some are very clever but all the baskets are wonderfully creative. Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll have time to get some pictures.

This year is Malice Domestic’s 20th Anniversary. During the Opening Ceremonies, Dan Stashower noted that he’d been to all but the first convention. The ceremonies included a moment of silence for the loss of members of the mystery society over the past year after the names were read out. Next was a list of all the sponsors of Malice Domestic for this year followed by presentation of certificates for all those attending this year who’d also attended the first Malice Domestic, and then an introduction of all the Malice Domestic Board members. The Guests of Honor were then introduced and presented with gifts (Charlaine Harris, Lindsey Davis, Dan Stashower, Peter Lovesey and others). Next all the nominees for the Agatha Awards were introduced and presented with certificates. (The winners of the Agathas will be announced at the Saturday evening Banquet.)

The Opening Ceremonies was followed by a reception. Lot of munchies and a chance to talk with authors, editors, publishers, fans, and all in between and combinations of the previous categories. Many of the people that I spoke with had been to previous Malice Domestic conventions and loved coming back. One couple said that the convention was a great way for them to hear about upcoming books and to hear about them from the authors themselves. But everyone loved mysteries and solving them and the opportunity to learn more about the genre.

After the reception, Lucy Zahrey, The Poison Lady, gave a talk on poison plants. Focusing on how readily available poisons are in our gardens, our neighbor’s gardens, health food stores, and other places not usually associated with poison, she told us about symptoms, strategies, availability, and novel possibilities for writers who have characters who wish to poison their enemies. Plants discussed included castor beans, yew, monkshood, poppies, oleander, and others. She warns that people should never confuse natural and organic with safe, since most poisons are both, and definitely not safe. Recommended as a good resource for writers was Common Poisonous Plants of North America by Timber Press. Each poisonous plant was presented with the ways in which it might be used by an author in a story to commit a crime that would be interesting for readers and realistic. The lecture bring home to anyone listening just how readily available poison or poisonous plants can be found if you know where and how to look.

Next was a Toastmaster Event. Dan Stashower and Parnell Hall discussed Malice Domestic’s past and present and some of the highlights of past conventions including several incidents with handcuffs (and missing keys), a Whimsy Award that was a large stuffed groundhog in a lace dress, and other misadventures or hilarious mishaps. The laughter and gaiety made for a entertaining hour.

The evening ended with a Theater of the Air presentation of “The Adventure of the Murdered Ship”. Theater of the Air is done as an old time radio show. Starring in this evenings production was Parnell Hall, Carole Nelson Douglas, Kate Flora, Hal Glatzer, Dan Stashower, Pari Noskin Taichert, Tom O’Day, David Skibbins, and Jack French. “The Adventure of the Murdered Ship”, according to the handout, was originally broadcast January 30, 1943 and was one of “The Adventures of Ellery Queen”, a radio mystery series that ran from 1939 to 1948. The acting was smooth and the mystery, it’s clues, and the solution were clever and neat. A great time was had by all.

So, the first day of Malice Domestic leaves us tired but excited to learn more and talk to more participants and attendees.

This weekend, we’ll be covering Malice Domestic for Gumshoe Review. By we, I mean Paul Haggerty (photographer and writer) and myself (Editor, reviewer, writer, and sometime photographer). Today is opening ceremonies, the Poison Lady, a reception, and Theater of the Air (an old time radio play). We’ve covered Malice Domestic in the past and it’s an instructional, informative and fun convention. Each year we’ve had technical difficulties or some other glitch that resulted in a reduced amount of photos. Also in previous years we’ve done a capsule coverage of the entire convention. This year we’re trying something different. The plan is for me to blog the convention each day (once I get back home to my laptop). There will also be a general overview capsule report in Gumshoe Review with a link to these daily reports. I’ll add to this post this evening when we get back. Meanwhile, let me know if there some coverage or questions you’d like me to focus on and I’ll see what I can do on Saturday and Sunday.

I always loved Simon and Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence. It’s melancholy and matches the mood of a rainy day or one of those days when it rains even when the sun shines and the sky is clear blue. But I got to thinking about silence today and the song popped into my head. I love the lyrics but especially:

People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening

While my thoughts run in a different direction, it does come to a point of a sort. People are always saying: “I couldn’t live out where you do, it’s too quiet”. Well yes, it doesn’t have all the city noises, but trucks go by about a half mile away on the main road. Neighbors do mow their fields with rather loud tractors. Grackles chirp and yell at each other in clouds off and on throughout the day. The squirrels chitter and scamper through the leaves. The winds blows through the trees with a sort of soft shushing sounds, unless of course it’s a storm and then it’s with a loud sort of howling thrum. So it’s not quiet here — there are just different sounds from a city.

Friends were visiting one day and we were sitting with lemonade and talking. The screen door was all that was between us and the outside when our male friend said, “Don’t you have some music or something, this quiet is weird?” The woman said, “Don’t you hear the chimes and the birds — that’s a sort of music?”

I seldom have the radio on. It’s on the upper floor and I have to have it really loud to hear it on the second floor. Playing a CD slows the laptop so I don’t do that either most of the time either. Moving the radio down to the floor I’m on (it does play CDs) is just more trouble than it’s worth most days. So, I work with the sounds of silence or to be more exact, the sounds of nature all around me. I hear the birds, the bees, the hawks, the cars along the distant roads, the thundering crash of a tree limb falling in the woods occasionally for spice, and the gentle sounds of wind and rippling leaves. That’s a music that many people not only don’t hear, but when they are so used to sound/noise/distractions in their environments, they actually find the sounds of silence unnerving.

When I’m out and about I see all the people on their cell phones, talking, listening to iPods and, because they are so awash in sound, they miss the smaller things. Rain on concrete. Doves cooing. And in some places, the screech of gulls fighting over food. There is so much sound everywhere — it’s just what you choose to listen too — or, unfortunately, what you’re often forced to hear.

There are some sounds that raise blood pressure and some that can help lower it. There are sounds that assist learning and others that inhibit learning. There are sounds that can make us irritable and others that can sooth. As our environments at work, on the streets, and at home become filled with sounds, we don’t have much choice or control except over the sounds at home.

What sounds do you prefer when you can control the volume and type? There are times I love loud Techno Rock and others when Jazz or Classical music fits the mood. But most of the time it’s the just the sounds that come through my screen door.

Have you ever noticed that flat surfaces attract clutter. I believe that if you have a house that has only a coffee table and one chair, and no one ever visits and no one lives there, that within a month the coffee table will be piled high with clutter — usually paper based clutter. Really, it happens to every flat surface in the world. I bet if you traveled to the center of the salt flats you’d find a huge pile of paper based clutter or tumble weeds (wood pulp or paper based in a squinted viewpoint). All flat surfaces attract clutter the minute you turn your back.

It seems lately hat my life is being taken over by a burning desire to have at least one flat surface in the house that is not cluttered. I’ve been clearing the dining room table for months now. Today, I achieved partial table top. I mean, I could actually see the wood surface of the table in places. Really, it’s been under so much stuff: books, papers, notes to self, magazines, knitting (usually socks), pens, envelopes, unopened mail, opened mail, various piles of mail, catalogs, …. I’m sure you get the picture. [Note the picture is the azalea bushes outside — no one gets to see the huge pile of clutter on the table because I’m sure as bad as you can imagine it — it’s worse.]

Last year I started to live to a plan to open and deal with all mail on the day it arrived. It either goes into the stack to get paid or the recycle bin or, if it has personal info, into the shredder, or it gets answered and then into the trash, a file, or the shredder. That seems to work pretty well but my desk is now the dining room table and things have gotten out of hand. Monday, I decided this has got to stop. So yesterday and today all breaks have been spent clearing piles off the table and putting them where they belong. And today, I struck wood surface. I’m hoping by the end of tomorrow to have the whole surface cleaned to the point that I can have out my datebook and a notebook and put it away each night and have a clear table.

Sigh…it’s a wonderful thing to have a goal, a dream to work towards. It’s even better if that dream is achievable. I do so want to win one surface free of the flat surface clutter curse.

I’m rather proud of myself in finishing this sweater. It’s not just that I finished it. It’s that for the very first time, I’m made a sweater from scratch with no pattern. I had a book on top-down sweaters and that told me that I had to increase every row or if not every row then when I did I had to do the equivalent number of increases for the total of the rows that I’d done. I swatched and swatched and still had a few problems.

I used the swatch and measurements to decide just how many stitches to cast on and then once I got about an inch found out it was way to big. Frogged. Reduced the number of stitches by a third and started again. It looked like it was going to be all right until I did the join under the arms and tried it on and found the neck was too loose again. What the heck, I decided I’d pick up stitches around the neck after I finished and knit up an inch or inch and a half — that’s what I did this weekend.

So, I finally finished the neck and wove in the few ends there were and tried it on. It may not look like much to you but it’s a real accomplishment to me. My first sweater that’s from my mind — to yarn — to finish. It’s rather exciting. I did a happy dance and glowed a bit after it was done.

Of course, now that the temps are in the 80s and above, I won’t be wearing it much until fall. It was in the 60s and rainy outside all day. We walked down to the road to get the paper between downpours. But, with the furnace out of it, it was 80 in the house. We kept the sliding doors open with just the screen to let fresh (cooler) air in and the living room was fine. Of course, we had to close it when the rain sheeted at a slant. The rain also meant we didn’t get to do any of the yard work we had planned for today.

Since we couldn’t work outside, we moved some basement boxes and got ready for some major clean up. I dug out a sweater project I had on the needles last spring for a short cotton cardigan. I finished the back and half of one front so guess that’s now on the top of the to-be-finished list. I’m on a roll in the finishing knit projects. I’ve got to make a list of all the things on my needles and figure out a way to get them done.

Maryland Sheep and Wool is the first weekend May and I intend to have a few of these lingering projects finished and a list of projects I want to do so I can have a bit of organization to my wandering the booths. Who am I kidding? I don’t know. I’ll have a great time just breathing in the wool fumes and patting the fiber.