LOVE IS MURDER AND I LOVE IT

Two weeks ago I went to Love Is Murder and had the best time ever.

I got to hang out with my great friends, +Hanley Kanar and many others. Love is Murder is the best conference in the Mid-West that you can attend and it is the conference where you make life long friends.

The conference starts on a Friday and runs straight through until Sunday afternoon. We eat, laugh, sit and discuss writing, promotional ideas and best of all we enjoy a few drinks at the bar!

This is why I attend conferences. I meet people! I like to be around other authors and I think I learn more than I would by just sitting home and 'hoping' that someone notices me.

We exchange business cards and we laugh at the, sometimes, share a drink or two or three...OK, four at the most! But most of all we like to sit down with the fans that attend.

I shared my dinner table with the most interesting pair of women who come to LIM every year. They are two retired librarians and they always come to Love is Murder (LIM)

The reason? Because they feel that they can talk and be a part of the literary world without going to far from home. They leave with plenty of new books from the newcomers and they share lots of stories about their days in the library. Those two women are always a pleasure to see.

The other reason is they give out awards, voted on by the fans of the conference. This year, a good friend of mine +Christine Verstraete won the LOVEY for BEST HORROR novel of 2013.

This is her first novel and she won! She was shocked and were we all but why were we. She was up against, +Heather Graham, who is a NY Times Best Selling author! and Christine brought home the LOVEY!

So if you ever get the chance to attend a conference, check out ones close to home first. You will be in for a treat.

If you need a few ideas, here are a few but if you know of any in your area, please feel free to share

Creatures, Crimes and Creativity
Love Is Murder
Malice Domestic
Bouchercon
Thrillerfest